and much more! See you there

Transcription

1 Members Newsletter Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society Picnic at Muckleford Saturday 5th September 2009 and much more! See you there

2 Page 2 Name the Location On rare occasions, a casual onlooker is caught up in an unfolding railway scene and for a few moments becomes part of it. So it was one winter s day in a town in rural Victoria. Having affairs to attend to in the town, a male visitor had allowed a day to bring them to a satisfactory conclusion. He parked his car in the general vicinity of the railway station, not because he had any business there, but because it was a relatively secure site and close to the building where he was to spend the day. A few other persons had chosen to do the same thing and no one seemed to mind; or if they did, nothing was said. The man finalised his activities at around 4-45pm, bade farewell to his associates, and strolled towards his car. During the afternoon, a train had arrived and made its presence felt by sounds from the locomotive. These included chime whistles, the squeal of flanges over points, the thud of the air compressor and the sometimes soft and sometimes purposeful sound of the exhaust. Thus, for the latter part of his day, it was to these background sounds that the man had been working. As he reached his car, the engine, travelling funnel first, appeared from behind some stationary rolling stock. The air was crisp, there was no wind and the warm rays of the late afternoon sun brought a lively yet delicate touch to those in their path. The air highlighted the engine s clear, white exhaust as it steamed leisurely past, the wheels clattering on the rail joints in harmony with the soft staccato from the funnel. There was something about it that commanded one s attention and as the man turned to take it in it disappeared behind the station buildings. The visitor took stock of his surroundings. He found he had parked his car so that anything in the station was largely obscured. He could, however, see from a distance of some 250 yards what proved to be part of the first vehicle of a train in the platform. Although out of sight, a feather of steam from the safety valves identified the loco s whereabouts and a soft whistle indicated it was moving. The time moved towards 5pm. No one else was present and the railway activities provided the sole focus of attention. Chill, still air carried every fraction of sound. A moving feather of steam lengthened to reveal what was emitting it as the engine, running tender first, became visible and eased back onto its train. The observer s foreshortened view showed him a locomotive whose sizzling safety valves seemed to express a desire to depart. Both sight and sound were persuasive. Our watcher, standing beside his open car door, waited for what might happen next. Out of sight, but clearly audible, came the sound of the train Guard s whistle. A figure in overalls appeared briefly in the gangway of the distant locomotive and stretched out its arm in response to the right away and a short chime whistle heralded departure. From the front to the back of the train came a soft clink, clink, clink, clink, clink as the slack ran out of each four wheeled vehicle s coupler. The safety valves steam was joined by the hiss of the cylinder cocks and finally a soft, slow, purposeful beat of the exhaust, indicating a rather gentle hand on the regulator. Another engine whistle signified a response to the Guard s second platform all clear and the train pulled gracefully out of sight. The man (reluctantly) turned his attention back to his car, eased into the driver s seat and commenced the journey home, gratefully reflecting on the past few minutes. And where did this enjoyable experience take place? See the back page for the answer. Rob Gibb captures the steamy atmosphere of J541 on the turntable on the day of Picnic at Muckleford last year. The turntable is almost back in position as J541 is prepared oer her next run at Picnic at Muckleford last year. Photo courtesy of Rob Gibb

3 Page 3 The Goldfields Express Composed and Performed by Brendan Barry When the town of Maldon s still in bed, there s something stirring at the railway shed There s the smell of coalsmoke in the morning breeze As the sunlight breaks, you will see, the centre of the activity, It s an old black and it s getting up steam. The crew are fussing over her, making sure she s right to go. They work around from there to here, oiling up the motion gear. They top her up with a load of coal, shunt the train to the platform road And the Goldfields Express is ready to go. The passengers are arriving now, eyes wide open - cameras out To capture the atmosphere of the morning show. You ll be stepping back in to the past as you climb in to these grand old cars And race your kids to the seat with the best window. Then you re joined by the train crew, conductors and a guard too, This is what you re waiting for, close the door, departure due. Station master rings the bell, loco whistles loud as hell And you start to move in a cloud of smoke and steam Like a time machine, she ll take you back to where ghosts of miners by the track Are hiding amongst the shadows of the trees Then a challenging race with a rowdy colt, sheep and cattle do the bolt As the Goldfields Express is gathering speed. Through the cuttings, round the bends, on the brakes as she descends Muckleford down to a crawl, don t want that old bridge to fall. Again she starts to move her feet, quickens to a steady beat Now we re bounding through the hills like a kangaroo Round the last few bends in to Castlemaine, a parallel run with a plastic train Come rolling in at Platform No. 3 Past the signal box you ll come to a stop, time for a cuppa in the station shop And watch the loco head in to the yard On the turntable, pull the pins, give her a shove, round she swings Head back out to the Melbourne end, over the points and back again, Slowly back towards the cars, watch hand signals from the guard Then she couples on to the train with a mighty clunk! Get a close-up look at this grand machine, standing proudly in full steam See the crew prepare for the journey home See the boiler pressure rise, see how the fire glows Then back to your seat before the whistle blows (Instrumental Break) Back in Maldon shunt the train, stop for a drink at the water crane Time to drop the fire and say goodnight As the sun sinks slowly in the West, something s casting a shadow on the side of the shed It s that old black 2-8-0, and she s gone to bed Brendan will be performing The Goldfields Express at Picnic at Muckleford

4 Page 4 Help Needed Picnic at Muckleford is just around the corner and there are still some things that we need to organise to make the day a success. If you can help by bringing either a market umbrella or a blackboard, please contact Garry Aitchison on (03) or marketing@vgr.com.au We also need more volunteers on the day. We are working to ensure that each volunteer works for 2 to 3 hours, so that they can spend the rest of the day enjoying the festival. Please register your availability with Garry on 03) or marketing@vgr.com.au Trains to Picnic at Muckleford Depart Maldon at 8:45am 10:00am 11:45am 1:30pm 3:15pm Castlemaine at 10:10am 11:35am 1:30pm 3:15pm 5:00pm Mechanical Branch Update The volunteers of the Mechanical Branch have been busy working to keep our fleet of locomotives, carriages and other equipment in working order. Some of the projects that have been undertaken recently include: J541 has been prepared for her regular boiler exam which should be taking place as you read this newsletter. J541 will be available for traffic as soon as the boiler exam is complete. K160 has recently passed her boiler exam and is now the railway s standby engine. K160 will not be rostered in regular service due to her poor wheel profile. K160 will remain on standby until J549 returns to service. J515 underwent her boiler exam in February and is now available for traffic J549 is continuing to be worked on and is really starting to look like a locomotive again! The DERM has had her fuel pump repaired and is now available for service. The DERM does have an issue with low oil pressure and it is hoped that we will be able to look at this soon. The next mechanical branch workdays will be held on Saturday 12th September & Sunday 13th September from 9am at the Maldon Locomotive Shed. Please wear sturdy footwear and old clothing (overalls ideal). There is plenty of work that can be undertaken on carriages as well as locomotives. Contact Brian Frewin on for details on the workdays or Michael Compagnoni on (03) if you can assist during the week.

5 Page 5 Our Sponsors - The Railway is Generously Supported By The Following Businesses

6 Page 6 First Class Service Update The railway was delighted to welcome our local MP, Hon. Bob Cameron MLA as well as a group of local school students for the opening of the brand new toilets and the refreshment room repairs. Society President, Paul McDonald was on hand and gave a television interview as well! The upgraded First Class operation is due to commence on Sunday 6th September (the following day after the Muckleford Picnic). First class attendants (or stewards in the public eye) will notice changes to Lowanna's kitchen and also the storage facility in the office at Maldon Station. Most of our provisions will soon be under 'lock and key' and all volunteers in the First Class service will be issued with their own set of keys. During the settling in period of the upgraded service, all volunteers will receive training in the new systems and facilities and your feedback will be sought on just how well it works. The biggest change in how we operate the service will be the trial abolition of the complimentary drink. This will however, be offset by better on-board service, a new and more expansive menu and minor improvements in the general First Class ambience. Thanks to a couple of 'former First class' volunteers who have indicated their intention to rejoin the service. The next few months will hopefully be enjoyable and rewarding for us as we endeavour to continually improve the First Class product and boost our passenger numbers. Name The Location.. (FROM Page 2) Where else but Maldon, on Sat. 8 th August, 2009 on the departure of the second Driver Experience train to Castlemaine. The observer was David Barnett Victorian Goldfields Railway General Office and Marketing P.O. Box 51 CASTLEMAINE VIC 3450 Phone: (03) Facsimile: (03) marketing@vgr.com.au for bookings, Train Times & Fares information or cmr@vgr.com.au for all other enquiries Recorded Train Information Phone (03) Castlemaine Railway Station Kennedy Street, Castlemaine Phone: (03) Facsimile: (03) Maldon Railway Station Hornsby Street, Maldon Telephone: (03) Facsimile: (03)