Victorian Goldfields Railway

Victorian Goldfields Railway
Line details
Completed	1884
Closed	1976
Reopened	1986
Length	17 km (10.6 mi)
Stations	Maldon to Castlemaine
Tracks	Single track
Connections	Bendigo line; Maryborough–Castlemaine line
Former connections	Shelbourne line
Rail transport in Victoria
	Closed railways;

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J 515 at Maldon, awaiting departure for Castlemaine, 20 January 2007

The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon and Castlemaine.

[edit] History

The original line was opened on 16 June 1884,^[1] opening up rail access from the established station at Castlemaine to the towns of Muckleford and Maldon. The area was prosperous, as Castlemaine and Maldon had both experienced gold rushes in the preceding years, and local residents had been petitioning the state government for a railway since 1874. On 2 August 1884, a contract was let for an extension to Laanecoorie, however further construction was suspended after the line reached the small town of Shelbourne in 1891.^[2]

The line was served by twice-daily trains for the first forty years of its life, which was increased to four-times-daily trains in 1924.^[3] However, these were cut back at the end of the 1920s due to a decrease in the local population, and passenger services were eliminated altogether during World War II.^[4] This meant that the line was only used by a weekly goods train which went through to Shelbourne. When bushfire damage caused the closure of the Shelbourne extension in 1970, the remainder of the line was rendered largely useless, and it was officially closed in December 1976.^[5]

The response to the closure from the local community was swift, and the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society was founded in the same month, with the intention of reopening the line as a tourist railway. While Maldon station was intact, and was able to used as a base for their operations, they were faced with numerous problems: a line that needed substantial repairs, a lack of rolling stock, and rebuilding the demolished station at Muckleford.

[edit] Reconstruction

First train from Maldon approaches Castlemaine station, 19 December 2004

Over the next decade, volunteers obtained and renovated rolling stock and by 1986, trains were able to operate on a one kilometre section of track out of Maldon.^[5] By 1996, the line from Muckleford to Maldon had been restored, with the platforms being reinstated and a small replacement building being constructed.^[5] Services were able to operate along a regular timetable, and the society set about reopening the Muckleford-Castlemaine section of the line.

The project received the support of the local,^[6] state^[7] and federal^[8] governments. The necessary physical work had largely been completed by 2003, but it took another year to secure the necessary approvals and sign an agreement with freight operator Pacific National over the use of its line into Castlemaine station, which is still in regular passenger use today.^[9] The section of line finally opened on 19 December 2004, approximately a year behind schedule.^[10] As of April 2006^[update], the Society has shown no plans to restore the dismantled Shelbourne extension in the foreseeable future.

[edit] Current operations

Steam locomotive K160

The railway now operates two return trips to Castlemaine on Sundays, Wednesdays & public holidays. Steam locomotives operate most services, although the Society also operates diesels during days of total fire ban or when steam is not available.

[edit] Locomotives

D3 619: Non-Operational. Obtained from SSR Bendigo in late 2011. Transfered to Maldon January 2012. Stored for future restoration.

D3 646 Non-Operational. Stored at Maldon for future restoration.

K157: Non-Operational. Stored at Maldon for future restoration.

K160: Operational, stand-by unit only pending maintenance. Owned by Victorian Goldfields Railway.

K190: Operational, leased from Steamrail Victoria from October 2011 till March 2012.

J515: Non-Operational due to failing boiler exam, on long term loan from Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.

J541: Operational, leased from a private owner.

J549: Non-Operational due to major overhaul, owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway.

Y133: Operational, on long term loan from Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.

F212: Limited use within Maldon yard, owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway.

T333: On long term loan to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre, based at their Seymour depot.

RM61(railmotor): Operational, owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway. 15 June 2010 saw this unit transferred to The South Gippsland Railway on a long term loan. It is rumoured that Seymour Railway Heritage Centre's DRC unit will eventually transfer to Maldon to replace RM61.

[edit] Highlights

29 March 1986: First section of railway reopened between Maldon station and the Bendigo Road crossing (approx. 1 km). The reopening train consist being K160-2BCE-42BU-16BCPL.

1987: Diesel locomotives F212 and T333 acquired from VicRail. F212 was transferred from Melbourne to Maldon by road. T333 was railed from Bendigo to Maldon.

31 March 1991: Locomotive J549 makes its first move under steam and returned to service later that year.

9 October 1993: Railmotor 61RM officially handed over to the VGR. It had been held by a group of railmotor drivers at Spencer St prior to being railed to Bendigo and then trucked to Maldon.

25 September 1995: Locomotive D3 646 retrieved from a park outside Maryborough Railway Station.

8 June 1996: Line officially reopened to Muckleford. J549 was used on the official train.

11–12 July 1998: First heritage rail weekend, promoted as "Steamfreight '98". A variety of passenger, goods and mixed trains ran with K160, J549, T333, F212 and 61RM over the 2 days.

July 1999: "Steamfreight '99", the 2nd such event held. A similar program of operations to the previous one. Highlights included K160 being renumbered K157 on the Sunday. A triple headed goods also operated with "K157"-T333-F212.

May 2001: "Steamfreight 2001", the 3rd such event to be held. K160, J549, T333 and 61RM operated. 2 L type sheep wagons were transferred by road from the collection at Castlemaine and restored for this event.

19–20 June 2007: The VGR held a Steam on Show Event using J515, K160 & diesel Y133. A variety of passenger, goods and mixed trains operated from Maldon to Castlemaine on the 19th, while regular services ran as mixed trains headed by K160 and J515 on the 20th.

26 July 2008: The VGR ran the first double-headed J Class working in thirty years, using J515 and J541.

6 September 2008: The VGR held the first "Picnic at Muckleford" event, combined with Steam on Show. The major highlight of this event was the first triple headed steam on the VGR (and the Castlemaine-Maldon branchline) with K160-J515-J541. A variety of passenger and mixed trains ran throughout the day.

14 June 2009: The VGR celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Castlemaine-Maldon line with a special train from Castlemaine hauled by doubled headed J class. Steamrail Victoria operated double headed R class from Melbourne as part of the festivities.

19 December 2010: VGR owned E cars 2BCE, 20BE, 15BE & 18AE, were transferred from Maldon to Seymour for restoration. ^[11]

[edit] Maldon Station fire

During the late hours of 20 October 2009 a fire ripped through Maldon station building causing major damage and loss of equipment. Not to be brought down by the situation, The VGR ran regular services as usual on the 21st hauled by K160. At the time of this addition, the major brick work structure of the station is deemed safe to rebuild on, although the remaining damaged roof will have to be demolished, plans are underway to return the station building to its former glory as time and finances permit. Contract work on the roof through VicTrack commenced on 4 February 2011.