August / September

2014

Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation

Society Branchline The Members Newsletter of the

Castlemaine and Maldon Railway

Preservation Society

The Railway Honours a Lifelong Servant

The society’s Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday 23rd August and a very important part of the meeting was the opportunity to elect

Paul McDonald as a Life Member of the society. The AGM enjoyed one of the largest attendances of recent years and the rousing reception given

to Paul was delivered with much enthusiasm. Paul was joined by his wife and fellow volunteer Debbie who was also presented with an orchid to

recognise her efforts over the years, both in supporting Paul and in her own right as a hard working volunteer.

The meeting comprised an address from President, Michael Vines, as well as brief updates from the railway’s Acting Civil Manager John Shaw,

Operations Manager Paul McDonald, Training Manager Will Maylor, Carriage Manager David Bail, Marketing Manager Andrew Reynolds and

Mechanical Manager Warren Hall.

The AGM also vote an increase in the size of the board the 13 members and to increase membership fees for the railway year commencing 1st

April 2015. Once the formal part of the meeting was completed, former President Tony Llewellyn delivered a fascinating address, reflecting on the

re-opening of the line from Muckleford to Castlemaine, ten years ago this December. Tony talked about the process that was followed to get

funding for the re-opening as well as the job of re-laying the line and preparing it for trains to commence. Those members who weren’t able to

attend will be able to able to read Tony’s recollections in a future edition of Branchline.

Our carriage branch continues to strive

forward with many successes. Recently the

branch gained its ninth volunteer, and the

team continue to meet weekly to carry out

the impressive work that they’re undertaking.

Kiosk carriage 80BW has recently been

completed externally, with the focus shifting

to working to ensure the passenger

compartments and catering area are fit for

their return to service.

Work has also been undertaken on 23AW

and this carriage is now serviceable as a result

of the body being jacked up and packers

inserted allowing interior corner brackets to

be bolted through corner posts where

previously no bolts were connected! The

exterior is being repaired and prepared for

painting and the priority is to have the

platform side completed for the coach to

return to traffic soon.

Civil Branch Update Carriage Branch Update The volunteers and staff of the Civil Branch

are still working hard on sleeper replacement

and cross-boring sleepers. Over the last

month, the team have replaced nearly 200

sleepers and have also re-surfaced

approximately 150 metres of track.

We are still waiting on final commissioning

and sign-off by Transport Safety Victoria

before we can use the excavator on its hi-rail

wheels.

Page 2 August / September 2014

President’s Column

I am pleased to report to members that our

quest for project funding is proceeding. We

are advancing preparation of the Business

Plan / Viability Report for the major projects

and several meetings have already taken place

in preparation for this. An initial draft of the

report has been prepared. We have also

recently received approval for an interim

grant for urgent track repairs which has

enabled us to employ a part time labourer to

accelerate the work. This in particular relates

to the Maldon end of the line. The balance of

these funds will be placed in our major

projects account to be put with other grant

funding we hope to achieve. We have also

submitted an application for grants to an

organisation in Bendigo related to our plans

to modify a carriage for disability access and

marketing. I am grateful for the assistance of

member Angela Were for her initiative on

this. It will be seen from this short snapshot

that much is happening in this area.

By the time members come to read this

newsletter our Annual General Meeting will

have taken place at Castlemaine. I thank

those members who did attend and it is

always a good opportunity to touch base with

some that I don’t see very often. We made

the decision at the AGM to increase

membership fees in return for additional

membership benefits and this is but one of a

number of measures being implemented to

increase our income. We also decided to

increase the composition of the Board from

ten to thirteen and I welcome the new

directors elected to the Board. The reason

for this relates to the additional work at

Board level that will take place over the next

twelve months in line with the various

good events such as Muckelfest, the Pink

Train and the race against the train and then

of course are our plans later in the year to

commemorate the 100th of anniversary of

the ANZAC troop departures with a

commemorative train to be hauled by D3 639

which will be back on our line by then. There

is also the plan to have an event related to

the 100th anniversary of the first locomotive

produced by the Thompson Foundry in

Castlemaine.

The last matter I want to touch on is again an

issue that I mentioned at the AGM. I hope, by

the way, that members were assisted by the

various addresses given by the branch

managers concerning their activities. I also

thank Tony Llewelyn for his interesting talk

on the extension of the line from Muckleford

to Castlemaine 10 years ago. I hope members

were not to taken aback by me saying that

the ongoing viability and development of the

VGR is utterly dependent upon a number of

issues, one of which is our plans to develop

strategic partnerships with other heritage

railway organisations. This is behind the

reasoning of our Joint Venture Partnership

with Steamrail. We have also recently

entered into a partnership with the Victorian

Steam Locomotive Company in relation to

the V499 project. We have agreed for them

to have the use of a road off the turntable at

Maldon for their restoration activities along

with the workshop. We have agreed to loan

them the tender frame and bogies of K157

for the construction of the tender required

for V499 and in due course ownership of the

tender frame and bogies will be transferred

to VSLC. For my part I have joined the VSLC

(Continued on page 3)

activities and plans that we have underway. I

assure members that we are absolutely

determined to restore the finances and

reserves of the VGR having regard to the

matters set out in the Annual Report and the

consequences we have endured as a result of

the El Zorro collapse.

Spring is now approaching and some of our

major events are not far away. I am pleased

that the recent “Ales on Rails” trip went so

well and also the recent train for those with

photographic interests. It was a pity that a

lack of bookings caused the last minute

cancellation of the Christmas in July train.

Spring of course heralds in some of our really

by Michael Vines

The Victorian Goldfields Railway is supported by some fine businesses. If your company would

like to benefit from a sponsorship, please contact our Sponsorship Manager, Rob Fletcher via

our marketing office on (03) 5470 6658

Page 3 August / September 2014

as both a member and a “ground up club”

member (this relates to the construction of

the frames of the locomotive). I encourage

our membership to have a look at this

project via their very informative website

because I believe it will be one of the great

heritage railway achievements in Australia and

will eventually see V499 operating on the

VGR.

Again I thank members and supporters of the

VGR for their ongoing assistance and as

always welcome the input of all those

interested in the ongoing development of our

railway.

Michael Vines

President

Steam Trains for Kids Many, many thanks go to all the volunteers

who made the effort to help make this

weekend, not only more enjoyable, but a

great success.

Don’t forget the next event is on Saturday

4th/Sunday 5th October and we are looking

forward to seeing you there! If your name is

not listed below you forgot to sign on the

Attendance Sheet for the day (Please

remember to sign on every time you come

for duty).

D.O’Brien, P & D.McDonald, D.Anderson,

S.Cardaye, I.Atkin, B & I Coates, A.Lynch, R.

Fletcher, M.Vines, J.Thompson, P.Leslie,

I.Preston, A.Reynolds, R.Durbin, M.Milley,

J.Ingwerson, R.Sheehan, A.Naylor, B.Buholt,

R.Reed, L.Coulton, L & T Briggs, R & C Gibb,

P.Martin, J.Fry, M.Jerman, A.Williams,

R.Chapman, J.Bellwood, M.Bowen,

O.Witteveen, C.Spiteri, S.Frewin, W.Maylor,

D.Bale.

Christine Gibb

Volunteer Co-ordinator

Volunteering

in our shops We are looking for additional volunteers to

help run the shop at Maldon Station which

sells food, merchandise, drinks, and lollies etc.

The roster has fallen on a few faithful regulars

who are trying to keep the shop running, but

there are still a few gaps to fill.

The hours are generally between 10:00 am to

3:00pm. Training is provided and it is a good

way to get to meet other volunteers working

on the train and at the Station.

Please contact Volunteer Co-Ordinator

Christine Gibb on 0428 810 633 if you can

assist.

The Pink Train

Sun 14th September This fund-raising event is to be held on

Sunday September 14th for Breast Cancer

research and treatment. It was a great fun day

when held in 2012, so if you would like to

volunteer on this day please contact Christine

Gibb on 0428 810 633 and you will be

rostered on duty. If you planning on attending,

please remember to wear something pink.

A High Tea ($30) is being served at Maldon

Station at 12-30pm in Macedon and Tambo

along with morning and afternoon teas ($15)

in First Class while travelling the line during

the day.

All proceeds are being donated to support

this worthy cause.

Garage Sale A Garage Sale is being planned for Mucklefest

on Sunday 26th October, to help raise funds

for kitchen equipment and carriage

restoration supplies. If you have anything to

donate, please drop those items at Maldon

Station leading up to the day or on the 26th

October at Muckleford.

We are hoping this activity will be supported

by VGR members and with your active

support we should raise a minimum of $500

per year and possibly more. The funds raised

will be directed to the purchase of equipment

and tools for the VGR shop and catering

service.

We suggest you save your five cent pieces in

a jar and whenever you are visiting or

volunteering at the VGR there will be

containers to place these donated coins.

There will be containers at the Maldon and

Castlemaine Station shops. When we have a

reasonable quantity of coins we will take them

to the bank and convert them into “real”

money!

We will have a “money barometer” in the

Branchline to provide feedback as to how the

fund-raising is progressing. This will also be a

reminder to members to keep saving and

donating their five cent coins to VGR.

Christine Gibb

Volunteer Co-ordinator

Ray Reiffel

Volunteer

Fund-raising Activity –

collecting five cent

pieces Are you like me (and many others) where you

invariably collect and accumulate numerous

five cent pieces in your coin change? Well a

number of charities had observed this

phenomena and have requested people to

donate these coins to them as a low-effort

fund-raising activity for their organisations.

VGR is to commence a fund-raising activity

asking members and others to save their five

cent pieces and donate them to the VGR. As

an example, currently Angie has over 300

coins (100 have been saved since January) and

these will be donated to commence the VGR

five cent collection fund-raising activity.

It is not expected that members have to

save 100 or more coins before donating.

One, two, ten etc. are fine as long as

you are donating - it all adds up.

Page 4 August / September 2014

Our Proud Sponsors

Page 5 August / September 2014

Page 6 August / September 2014

To be the best, you have to look like the best.

That is exactly the way we have been

positioning ourselves this year. Our image had

become rather stale and tired. As a result,

over the past few months you may have

noticed the VGR has been getting a new look

on our social media pages with adverts

produced for events such as Steam Trains 4

Kids, Ales on Rails and recently the K Class

Spectacular.

This has not exactly happened overnight.

Early in 2014 the marketing team of the VGR

had several discussions about where the

railway is headed, what is important from a

marketing point of view and what would be

the most effective areas to begin promoting.

The areas we decided upon to commence

new branding and promotion was our First

Class service and driver experience. For First

Class the brief was simple; show how elegant

and unique our First Class service is as well as

focusing on the passenger. So during the

middle of May a train crew was gathered,

models brought in to be ‘passengers’ and a

train was run between Maldon and

Castlemaine for a full day of photography.

The age range of our models was well

balanced, having a good mix between the ages

of 18 and 60+. This was important, as the aim

was to market the service to all ages.

Photography commenced at Maldon and

scenes of passengers arriving, purchasing

tickets, walking on the platform, talking to the

locomotive crew and boarding First Class

were captured. Two classic cars and a

modern “sports” car were present on the day

(thanks to Christine and Rob and Banjo Baz)

and these used both at Maldon station and

along the line as far as Bendigo Road crossing.

Throughout the day, many images were

captured both within the First Class carriages

and beside the line. It was important to focus

on the passengers and really show the

experience that the railway offers to its

customers, as well as focusing on our

volunteers too. The day was rather lengthy

and involved, however above all it was

immense fun for everyone and the results that

were captured by our photographer were

stunning. A night shoot also took place at

Maldon station with lighting within the entire

train and these images are truly amazing and

really show off our railway in a different way

that many have not seen before.

Since the shoot day back in May many of

these new marketing images have been used.

For those who are frequent users of

Facebook you would have seen a selection of

these photographs being used for our ‘banner’

as well as the events that we mentioned at

the very beginning of this article. On top of

this a new brochure for the railway has been

designed and is about to go to the printers.

All of the photographs that feature in the

brochure are from the photo shoot back in

May. More imagery will appear over the next

12 months as we update our website, print

material and social media advertising.

It is vital that we market our railway in the

very best way possible and this can only be

achieved by looking at how our customers

view us. At the end of the day, many of them

want an ‘experience’. We can offer a variety

of experiences and we need to market to

those expectations. The way we are choosing

to market ourselves now is similar to many

very successful, non-railway related

businesses. Running trains is what we do and

what we know. However, from a marketing

point of view, we need to bear in mind that

the public do not “see” things as we do.

New Marketing Initiatives

These new photographs, along with other

planned media related ideas, are aimed at the

average person who is looking for something

fun, exciting and different to experience.

Only by running a successful business will we

be able to generate the funds necessary to be

able to carry out some of those preservation

projects that we all would like to see.

We are planning another photo shoot for

later in 2014 as well as the production of

several online videos that will promote

services such as First Class, driver experience

and the railway in general. Keep watching our

website and social media pages over the

coming months to see the results of our

efforts.

Page 7 August / September 2014

Author-publisher Nick Anchen has followed

his two recent volumes about Victorian

enginemen with Life on the Victorian Railways, a

collection of memories and tales from six

former railwaymen. As with his previous

books, Nick emphasises that the Victorian

Railways was much more than a large

transport network – instead, it was “a great

railway family, where employees were treated

as valued members of the organisation.”

While they were “valued”, employees found

that they were part of a very tight and

ordered hierarchy. David Watson recalls that,

when he arrived at the VR’s imposing Spencer

Street headquarters in 1957 to join the

Suburban Timetables Office, he was “the first

junior to go there, as [it] was the preserve of

old railwaymen – the greybeards – and they

were rather horrified that young blokes were

being allowed in.” The young man’s

enterprising and novel initiative about a

Saturday football special was firmly squashed

by “a very proper, old school type” who

bluntly directed, “You do as you’re told.”

Status was not simply based on age. In the

same building, Gordon Arblaster notes that

“on the second floor and the floors above

that, the male toilets were labelled, ‘MEN’,

but on the first floor – the posh area where

the Commissioners and the Secretary’s

Branch were located – the male toilets were

labelled ‘GENTLEMEN’.”

The solemn atmosphere of Head Office

permeated the entire system. Gordon

Arblaster remembers his father, who was

Station Master at Spencer Street, “as a

‘stickler’ for correctness of station accounts

and other paper work, tidiness of staff

uniforms and all railway station facilities. ‘A

place for everything and everything in its

place’ was one of his inspection criteria.”

From such men, the Victorian Railways drew

much of its strength. At Seymour, for

example, sub-foreman Harold Ward was

viewed as “a severe but fair and competent

man”, and this book contains many examples

of such officials whose firm authority

demanded the highest standards. Writing of

the “proud bunch of railwaymen” who

worked at Seymour, former fitter and turner

Neil Harris maintains that “a qualified VR

fitter could get a job anywhere in the world.”

The same high standards were also evident at

the Jolimont Workshops, where Jock Bradley

was one of “hundreds of men from all

nationalities” who were employed as

boilermakers, welders, electricians, fitters,

turners, undergear repairers and cleaners. He

found that, with “so many men on the job,

there was an expert in everything.” However,

Jolimont also offered opportunities for

mischief. Newcomers found themselves

despatched to find a “long weight” or a left-

handed-hammer, while some of the more

experienced enjoyed wandering over to the

siding near the Beaurepaire swimming pool

Book Review: Life on the Victorian Railways

where, “if you got up in the guard’s seat of a

train, you could see in over the fence and

perv on the sheilas.”

There were no such distractions at the North

Melbourne Locomotive Depot, which Gordon

Arblaster remembers as “quite something”:

It was a filthy place – absolutely putrid. The

smoke and smells were almost beyond

description, and whenever engines went around

the reversing loop outside the shed the whole

office building shook and vibrated, and soot and

muck would come falling down over everything

from the pressed metal ceilings.

As the sixth member of his family to join the

VR, Arblaster would certainly have known

that railway life was not always easy. Several

of the book’s contributors write about

demanding duties and long hours. As Station

Master at Anderson, where there was no

town, just “a sizable yard” and three railway

houses, David Watson started his day when a

goods arrived from Nyora at around four in

the morning, and did not finish until a Walker

rail motor came through some seventeen

hours later. At “lonely” Windermere,

between Ballarat and Beaufort, an early shift

required the Assistant Station Master to rise

at 3.10 am and cycle sixteen miles to start

work at 5.30. For his efforts, he was

rewarded with a “travelling time” payment of

eight pence a day.

For those of us who are no longer youthful,

Life on the Victorian Railways revives a host of

memories, from the railway trams in the

Page 8 August / September 2014

bayside suburbs, to “Red Rattlers”, grimy

locomotives, and even the rebellious bodgies

and widgies of the early 1950s. Much more

significant are the stories about “Heavy

Harry” – “a superb locomotive” – and the

Spirit of Progress, as well as the glimpses of so

many locomotives and lines that are sadly long

gone. Most of the photographs do not appear

to have been published before, so there are

some real gems awaiting the reader, especially

those of early enthusiasts’ trips and of

mainline passenger trains, but my favourites

were a colour shot of S302 Edward Henty

powering through Wangaratta, an evocative

black and white image of R720 thundering

through the night with a goods train and a

side-on view of H220 hauling a goods over a

small bridge.

For those of us associated with the VGR, a

lengthy chapter from our own Bill Swaine is

particularly interesting. He is a classic example

of the old adage, “Once a railwayman, always

a railwayman.” In his memoir, Bill traces his

career from 1952 when, as a Lad Porter, he

was “in sole charge of a vital piece of

equipment – a long handled broom, with

strict instructions to apply it diligently to the

surface of the platform,” through to his

appointment three decades later as

Conductor Training Officer. He tells some

marvellous stories about life aboard The

Overland and Southern Aurora but, as a

passionate lover of the Spirit of Progress and its

four streamlined engines, I enjoyed his

observation that “There was no other sound

quite like an S class in full flight, and even

through the insulation of the carriages, you

could hear the whistle and the beat of the

engine as we raced through the blackness.”

As he writes, the Spirit “was all class – it was

luxury and opulence never before

experienced in Australia. It was a train that

commanded a degree of dignity, and all the on

-board staff treated it as such.”

Not surprisingly, Bill’s discussion of the

special uniform he wore on the “The Blue”, as

it was called, emphasises the pride that he and

so many others felt as VR employees. Indeed,

pride was one of the strongest qualities

displayed throughout the family that was the

Victorian Railways, from the “gentlemen” in

Head Office down to the Lady Caretakers

who, for a daily pittance of one shilling and

seven pence, went out of their way to

maintain a strong railway presence in their

tiny communities.

Unfortunately, time has tinged that pride with

some sadness. As the mighty organisation that

was once the Victorian Railways disappeared,

Bill Swaine found that he “was not pleased at

what was becoming of the railways that I

knew and loved”. Consequently, after 39

years, he “began to think about taking

retirement.” At the very same time, David

Watson was forced to attend a “Motivational

Seminar” for senior executives, which left him

(Continued from page 7) feeling that, after 34 years, “I could no longer identify with what the Railways had become”.

Life on the Victorian Railways provides a splendid portrait of what we once had and what we have

lost.

Review by Alf Batchelder Nick Anchen: Life on the Victorian Railways - Sierra Publications, hardcover, 2014.

ISBN: 978-0-9807640-8-6.

Life on the Victorian Railways is available at both the Maldon and Castlemaine Shops

Recollections from the Past - Runaway Loco by Bill Lockland

An experience I had was having just completed some work on an N Class at Ararat Loco Sheds.

With only hand brakes on but a near full head of steam, the engine began to motion forward

(nobody in the cab). The wheels were spinning fast and were slow at gaining traction. However,

it had started moving forward towards the wall which was about 150 feet away. The compressor

wasn’t on – so no air brakes. With the engine in motion, it was pointless taking the risk of trying

to climb on board - it was best to call for other workers to get out of the way.

By the time the engine went through the wall, it had recorded a speed of over forty miles per

hour. The reason this all happened was it had burst the main steam pipe in the dome area,

causing the pistons to hydraulic, giving it great power.

The photos, below, show a crew from Melbourne lifting the engine to build a rail under it. It was

then hauled back in to the shed. This all took place around 1965-66. No-one was hurt

Page 9 August / September 2014

Local Victorian Rail Revival Alliance

members travelled on the VGR with 160

passengers for a return journey Castlemaine

to Maldon on Saturday 30th August , to

celebrate the 140-year anniversary of the

Castlemaine to Maryborough rail line.

Passengers travelled from as far as Pascoe

Vale, Geelong and Ballarat for the event.

Everyone enjoyed the journey, at the leisurely

pace which our many speed restrictions allow

for.

Among the event's guests were

politicians Member for Bendigo West Maree

Edwards, Bendigo East Greens candidate

Jennifer Alden and Bendigo West Greens

candidate John Brownstein.

Spokesman for Rail Revival Alliance Mr. Scott

Ramsay thanked members of the alliance for

their help with the day, as well as the

Victorian Goldfields Railway, who put on a

lunch at Maldon railway station's platform.

Rail Revival Alliance Charter

Posing in front of Y133 are our own Philip Leslie (fireman), Scott Ramsay, Kent Bates and Matt

Cantle (driver) in the rear, with Bill and Isabella Bates, Theo Mellick-Cooper and Liz Ingham in the front. Photo courtesy of Jim Aldersey of the Bendigo Advertiser.

K160 Overhaul - Underway at Newport

Work has started on the overhaul of our own K160 at Newport Workshops. A group is meeting most Thursday nights to undertake the work, which

so far has included the removal of the valve gear, cylinder cladding, air compressor and all steam/air lines. Smoke box dismantling is nearing completion with the main steam pipes to come out along with the super heater header. Table plate is being dismantled at present. If you would like

to be part of the team undertaking this work, please contact Warren Hall via email at warrenhall@steamrail.com.au or Matt Cantle via email at matt.cantle@yahoo.com

Page 10 August / September 2014

The weekend of the 15th / 16th / 17th August

was one that was enjoyed by many with the

another weekend of firsts for the VGR and

our good friends at Steamrail. The weekend

started with K153 and T356 hauling a train of

sleeping cars up from Melbourne. The train

crossed from the mainline across to the VGR

in the early hours of the morning. T356 was

stabled in the yard at Castlemaine and K190

joined the train.

The train left Castlemaine just as dawn was

breaking for a run through to Muckleford

where a photostop was conducted. From

there it was on to Maldon where a cooked

breakfast was served on the platform.

Enthusiasts noted what is was believed to be

the first visit to Maldon of a Southern Aurora

sleeping car with LAN 2354 being part of the

train.

After shunting the sleeping cars away from the

platform, it was time for a day of railfan

heaven with mixed consists, double-heading

including tender-to-tender running and lots of

photostops. The day finished with an evening

run to Castlemaine for dinner at the Railway

Hotel followed by a double-headed run back

to Maldon with a listening stop held at Pipeline

Crossing.

Sunday morning saw three locos in steam with

both Ks being prepared to head back to

Melbourne as well as J549 being readied for

her regular duties on Sunday. The Steamrail

train headed off to Melbourne after being

handed over to the mainline crews.

It is important to acknowledge the fantastic

support from the RTBU and from V/Line,

without which the weekend wouldn’t have

happened.

Planning is already underway for a similar

event in 2015.

Victorian Goldfields Railway General Office and Marketing

P.O. Box 51, CASTLEMAINE VIC 3450

Phone: (03) 5470 6658 Fax: (03) 5470 6272

Email: marketing@vgr.com.au for bookings,

Train Times & Fares information or

cmr@vgr.com.au for all other enquiries

Castlemaine Railway Station

Kennedy Street, Castlemaine

Phone: (03) 5470 6658

Facsimile: (03) 5470 6272

Maldon Railway Station

Hornsby Street, Maldon

Telephone: (03) 5475 1451

www.vgr.com.au

newsletter@vgr.com.au

Maldon Weekender - A Railfan’s Delight

Top - Matthew Davis captures tender-to-tender running as the train climbs away from the

Pyrenees Highway bridge. Middle - Alf Batchelder captured two Mainline Registered K Class locos at Muckleford - one

hauling a mixed train and the other hauling a passenger train towards Castlemaine Bottom - the editor was in position to catch the train on its way to Castlemaine prior to departing

for Melbourne on Sunday 17th August.