South Gippsland Railway
| South Gippsland Railway | |
|---|---|
| Line details | |
| Completed | 1891 |
| Closed | 14 December 1994 |
| Reopened | 15 December 1994 |
| Stations | Leongatha to Nyora |
| Rail transport in Victoria | |
The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays, public holidays (except Good Friday and Christmas Day) and wednesdays during Victorian school holidays. The line passes through the rolling Strzelecki Ranges and lush dairy farmland.
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[edit] History
The South Gippsland line was opened from Dandenong to Cranbourne in 1888 and extended to Koo Wee Rup, Nyora and Loch in 1890, Korumburra and Leongatha in 1891. The section from Lang Lang to Leongatha was transferred to the South Gippsland Railway in 1994. Freight trains continued to use the line from Dandenong as far as Koala Siding near Nyora until 1998.[1]
[edit] Projects
Station works are in progress at both Nyora and Korumburra stations. Korumburra works include the establishment of works sheds and locomotive and rollingstock stabling sheds. The work commenced in February 2009, and is scheduled to be completed by 30 June.[2]
Nyora works include the repairs to the station building, including repair of internal and external wall cladding, establishment of a new Safeworking Office and Public Space / meeting facilities in the main room of the station.
Rollingstock refurbishment projects include two ABU class corridor compartment carriages being transferred to the railway,[2] and cleaning up and repainting to original colours of various goods wagons.
15 June 2010 saw the arrival of railmotor 61RM. This unit is owned by Victorian Goldfields Railway and is on a long term loan to the South Gippsland Railway for use on its services.
The South Gippsland Tourist Railway at Korrumburra loaned out K 190 during the summer of 1995-1996, repainted the engine and tender a more noticeable green. She was once again returned for service with the S.G.T.R during the summer of 1996-1997.
Future projects also include possibly restoring/reserving the line north of Nyora to Cranbourne, which is the current suburban limit for Metro trains. While the line between Cranbourne and Nyora is unused, obstacles to the development of the whole line include toilet blocks built over the line at the Koo Wee Rup Bus Interchange, and unstable bridges in some locations. After research into the viability of restoration, the line between Nyora and Lang Lang (15 km) is the easiest section to restore, and discussions continue with regard to this project concept and its associated costs.
[edit] Regular train services
Regular weekend train services are provided by three train types. These are:
- VR Y class locomotive 135, which can haul up to two or three passenger carriages and freight rolling stock.
- VR Railmotor RM55.
- SAR Rail Motor "Red Hen" as 1 or two car sets.
- SGR also own a VR T Class diesel locomotive number 342. It is currently leased out to the Australian freight operator El Zorro.
The services are operated on Sundays, and during school holiday periods, on Sundays AND Wednesdays.
[edit] Special trains and charters
South Gippsland Railways operate regular Sunday trains on the complete Lenogatha to Nyora section. In addition, a number of "Special" rains are operated by the railway.
These include the Dinner Train, a service providing in-train hospitality, beverages and snacks, with a barbecue-style dinner evening at Korumburra Station. These services run approximately every two months.
Another special service is the Murder Mystery Train - by group booking only - providing an entertainer / host and passengers participating in character costume.
[edit] Stations
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Farewell — The Sand Train". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 71–76. February 1998.
- ^ a b "South Gippsland Tourist Railway: Projects". www.sgr.org.au. http://www.sgr.org.au/projects.html. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
[edit] External links
- South Gippsland Railway - (official site)
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Coordinates: 38°25′19″S 145°47′40″E / 38.42194°S 145.79444°E
