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EVER THOUGHT OF CHARTERING YOUR OWN TRAIN?
One, two and three day plus charter tours are available for groups 15 and up anywhere out of the Sydney Metropolitan Area. For more infomation see the link below.
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The weekend of 16-17 October 2010 marks 100 years since the opening of the Ten Tunnel rail line, a major feat of rail engineering which replaced the Zig Zag Rail system as the main link between Sydney and Central NSW.
Our steam train will be running from Lithgow to Katoomba thence to Wallerawang and return with a dinner train on Saturday Night to Tarana and Bathurst. Further details are available by viewing the link below.
10 Tunnels - 100 Year Anniversary
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MEDIA RELEASE
COWRA TO HARDEN RAILWAY LINE CLOSURE - Friday August 28, 2009
The practice of Rail authorities closing wheat only branch lines in western NSW is not new, however the proposal to close the semi main line between Cowra and Harden in the state's south west on the 1st September is taking things to a new low. The line is the southern half of a cross country connection between Blayney on the main west line and Harden on the main south. The north half was closed about three years ago due to lack of freight there being little wheat north of Cowra.
The line south is jointly maintained by the state and federal governments who have spent millions over recent years to allow for heavy wheat trains moving at 80kph over the 100km length.
A recent statement by NSW Graincorp that it would be prepared to move all grain out of the Lachlan Valley by road using B triples and road trains sent the authorities into a frenzy to close the rail lines and save on maintenance. To this end it was suddenly declared unsafe and a 20kph limit placed on the entire length. An inspection by it's own engineers failed to pinpoint any dangerous sections and the limit was lifted. One of the few places where there is a speed limit is a recently completed concrete bridge which has not yet settled on its foundations. Apparently on this basis it was then announced that the line would close on 1st September due to safety concerns.
Not surprisingly the five councils in the area (Blayney, Cowra, Weddin, Young and Harden) who are responsible for road maintenance are not happy. With the support of Transport Minister David Campbell the councils have put in $60,000 for a consortium of rail experts led by Max Michel, a former executive of National Rail, Railways of Australia and Victorian Railways, to conduct a feasibility study into the lines potential. This study is far from complete. The council's concerns are based on economic, environmental and social grounds.
Economically it will cost rate payers a lot of money for extra road maintenance. However Cowra is also the home of the Lachlan Valley Rail Society (LVR), a heritage operator which not only runs a live steam museum and local train trips which bring a lot of money into the town, but also provides tourist trains to events from town centenaries to picnic races all over the west. It is too expensive to bring this type of train from Sydney so if the LVR is forced out of Cowra as a result of the line closing there will be a cessation of this type of service. This is the basis for the council's social grounds. As an example last Sunday there was a special train which carried many families from Cowra to a special screening of the latest Harry Potter movie in Young.
With both WIN & Prime news teams in tow LVR's last train to Young and Harden crosses Cowra Bridge. The train, comprising of three CPH Railmotors (CPH12/25/24) gave the news teams a firsthand view of just how good the condition of the line really is.
Environmentally, due to easier grades inherent in a rail line it requires four diesel locomotives to move a 2000 tonne train from Cowra to Harden. Each locomotive engine is equivalent to four large truck engines in power and fuel consumption. To move the same amount by regular semi trailer would require approx' 60 trucks as opposed to the equivalent 16. This would be less if B triples and road trains are used, however the safety concerns of these on substandard roads will be immense.
Many will be aware of the recent death of a young father Steve Mamae who when returning from football training in northern NSW was killed when his car collided with a grain truck. Consider how many school buses, cars and regular trucks already use these roads and the dangers are obvious.
IAN CAMERON
RETIRED CHAIRMAN & LIFE MEMBER - LACHLAN VALLEY RAILWAY
DIRECTOR - 5917 PTY LTD
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MAINTENANCE WORK BROUGHT FORWARD Tuesday July 7, 2009
As a consequence of the Nth Coast trips being postponed till later this year, maintenance work on 5917 scheduled for the end of 2009 has been brought forward.
With a busy program planned for both engine and cars in the future, every opportunity is taken to carry out regular maintenance to ensure they remain in good order.
5917 is currently based in Sydney at the Large Erecting Shop at Eveleigh where this work is currently taking place.
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MEDIA RELEASE
POSTPONEMENT OF NORTH COAST OPERATIONS Friday June 5, 2009
It is with regret that the heritage steam train which was scheduled to operate throughout the North Coast in June will now be postponed by up to four months. The Lachlan Valley Railway Society who owns and operates the heritage train based at Cowra in the states Central West wishes to inform that due to a variation in their accreditation with the Independent Transport, Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) they currently cannot operate the train away from there home base. The reasons for the variation given by the regulator are at the moment unclear to say the least but the society is scheduled to meet with representatives from ITSRR in the middle of next week. The Heritage train which was scheduled to commence its North Coast tour at Grafton coinciding with the cities sesqui centenary is currently stranded in storage in Sydney where preparations were being made for the three weekend tour. Districts from Maitland to the Queensland border are affected by the postponement and it is very disappointing for both the operator and the local populations. The momentum of the popularity of the heritage train was overwhelming with ticket pre-sales in some areas being sold out. The planning which has been in place for up to eighteen months now will still be put in place on dates to be advised. The Lachlan Valley Railway will be working closely with the regulator for a favourable outcome with their accreditation. This will mean that when the situation is rectified we will be on our way to the North Coast as planned and will be bringing our heritage train with steam locomotive 5917 for the rides as planned. All pre-paid tickets are fully refundable through the point of purchase and will not be held over to the postponed time because of the problems associated with such a guarantee. The Lachlan Valley Railway Society apologises for the inconvenience and appreciates the patience and support of the local people.
TONY HEALEY
CHAIRMAN
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LACHLAN VALLEY RAILWAY
STEAM ENGINE 5917
North Coast steam train promotion.
The Lachlan Valley Railway will run a steam train extravaganza to the North coast of N.S.W. in June 2009 using locomotive 5917 as a fund raiser to help offset the cost of ongoing maintenance on that locomotive. The intention of the trip outlined below was born of an enquiry made through the people in Grafton to bring a steam train to their town to help celebrate 150years of that town. However we will also be running steam train tours from Coffs Harbour & Wauchope as well as intermediate locations during the weeks. Offers are made to schools and local communities who would like to participate in local shuttle services and have the opportunity of riding behind a genuine steam train on the North Coast for the first time since the 1988 Bi-centenary celebrations. The train can also be used to promote the region to other areas and organisations to attract people to the districts of the North Coast. The proposed timetable and location of the train running is as follows-
13-14/6/09- Grafton
18-19/6/09- Casino
20-21/6/09- Coffs Harbour
24-26/6/09- Kempsey
27-28/6/09- Wauchope
Please see the full information regarding these trips on the Steam Train Tours page.
On the week days in between the engine and train will be available to any other town and organisation which would require the service as a local shuttle during the day, night time dinner trip or for general hire. The only restriction would probably be platform availability but any place where there is a platform can definitely be serviced. Any interested parties should contact us if they have any specific needs or requests regarding the provision of a train in their town. The first weekend will also be promoted as a North Coast Mail train out of Sydney on the Friday night returning on Sunday to bring people from Sydney to any towns along the North Coast for the weekend. Other weekends could also have a service provided from Sydney if required or the Countrylink services could be utilised as a feeder. The train will have a buffet and bar service available on all trips as well as a dining car service available on request or for dinner trips. The dining car will also be available to any organisation who wishes to utilise it to promote their local produce or dining experience to the greater community. The mail train from Sydney will have a capacity for approximately 60 people as well as a train on Friday to Kempsey as a day sitting train of a much larger capacity.
Peter LougherEmail peterlougher@bigpond.com