STEAM TO WOODSTOCK by Steve Preston

Below is an article with photographs submitted by LVR member Steve Preston from an LVR public trip to Woodstock in October 1993.  But first, a little background into the LVR around the time of Steve’s article.

The years 1990 through to 1992 had been extremely difficult times for the LVR, along with many other heritage train operators following the blanket statewide heritage train bans which cut off virtually all of the LVR’s income. The LVR eventually obtained accreditation and a lease on the Cowra – Blayney and the Cowra – Eugowra Branch, and started operating heritage trips once more.  Many other societies such as 3801 Ltd; the Rail Transport Museum etc, would soon follow in the LVR’s footsteps and gain their accreditation also, and start operating heritage trains once more.

It was also around this time that the Lachlan Valley Railway Society moved into the rail freight business operating the first ever private wheat train in NSW. From it’s humble beginnings, the rail freight business would eventually grow and the society would help set up and become a partner in the Lachlan Valley Rail Freight ( LVRF ) company. As well as LVRF operating their own wheat and container trains throughout NSW,  all Freight Victoria trains operating in NSW at the time, were manned by LVRF crews. In the following years the Lachlan Valley Railway Society would get out of the rail freight business, the LVRF eventually becoming a completely separate company with no ties with the society apart from the leasing of the society’s 47 class engines.

Below is Steve’s story and photos, ” Steam to Woodstock”.

3026 and cars depart Cowra. A number of carriages and Rail Motors also occupied the yard at the time. Photo by Steve Preston.

17 years ago in 1993 steam operations on the Cowra – Blayney line were a common occurrence with LVR providing regular operations to promote the areas steam railway heritage. In those days 3026 was staple motive power for the local runs  and with plans now under way to restore both the the loco and roadbed featured here the future of steam in the Lachlan Shire looks bright.

The scenes that follow depict a sunny autumn afternoon in October 1993 with LVR loco 3026 hauling 3 cars on a shuttle from Cowra to Woodstock and return. People familiar with the area and recent climatic conditions will discern the change in look of the terrain which is currently suffering very dry conditions.

3026 and train is seen here climbing just north of the Holmwood bridge. Years later the large timber trestle bridge would burn down in suspicious circumstances, cutting off the line to Blayney and once again causing severe hardship for the society. The line north of Holmwood would remain closed until the line was brought back into service by the state government. Lack of traffic would be the reason used to eventually close the line yet again. Now the LVR has the lease once again and is intending to open up the line once more. Photo by Steve Preston.

3026 is seen here approaching the old Westville station.  The old platform still exists at Westville, though not even LVR special trains stop at this location any more. Photo by Steve Preston.

These steam specials offered Cowra locals and visitors a chance to step back in time and experience the romance of rail travel like their descendants had relied upon for everyday life.

LVR loco 3026 and its 3 cars operated from Cowra station to Woodstock and return with a layover at Woodstock to allow everyone but the train crew to visit the local hotel.

Here at Woodstock, the fireman and traveling Fitter enjoy a break whilst the passengers have a walk around Woodstock village or enjoy a drink at the local pub. Photo by Steve Preston.

Just 20 km east of Cowra, Woodstock has always been a favourite location for charter trips over the years. With it’s grand old pub The Royal Hotel,  Woodstock was always a popular location for the regular local trips the LVR operated. With negotiations on the lease of the line, soon Woodstock will once again be a regular LVR  destination. Photo by Steve Preston.

In 1993 the LVR had the lease on the line form Cowra to Blayney. This also meant the LVR became its own operator responsible for everything from track maintenance right through to all areas of train operations, including Train Control. Here we see the driver on the back of the tender contacting the LVR Train Controller who was located in an office at Cowra railway station.  Photo by Steve Preston.

Here we see 3026 rounding the bend just before dropping down Westville Bank on its way back from Woodstock. Photo by Steve Preston.

Many things can change over a period of 17 years, but there will always be track work.  Here we see a couple of LVR track workers in much “leaner” times, inspecting the permanent way.  Photo by Steve Preston.

THANKS TO STEVE PRESTON FOR SUBMITTING THIS ARTICLE AND PHOTOS.  ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHT OF STEVE PRESTON.

900 Class Self Propelled Diesel Train update (updated 24th Jan.)

Work continues at a furious rate on site at Cowra Loco, to get up and running a 900 Class self propelled diesel train. A large amount of internal and external bodywork is underway, whilst at the same time work continues on the engines and drive train assemblies.  Car HPF 953 is the car which is requiring the most attention.  Part of the front panel of the car has been removed and replaced as have the corroded areas around some of the external doors.

Repairs to the doorways are seen here on car HPF 953. Most of the cars have corrosion in these areas. Photo by Tom Sullivan

A lot of welding and riveting sections to repair corrosion have been carried out on this car. Like most of the cars, the carriage double glazed windows have to be removed and re fitted and sealed. At some stage during it’s life the window seals were re fitted incorrectly with the rubber joint sealing the double glazing, being placed at the top of the window which has allowed water to enter the space between each pane creating a fishbowl effect. This will be corrected when they are re fitted with brand new seals.

The front Guard’s side of car HPF 953 is seen here after part of the Aluminum skin has been replaced. Photo by Tom Sullivan

It was decided to replace the front right corner of the outer skin on Car HPF 953 due to corrosion problems. A lot of work has gone into this car, and much work remains though the end is in sight. When finished, hopefully they will look as if they have just come out of the workshops when they were first built.

An internal view in the Guard’s compartment area, of the replaced panel work on car HPF 953. This photo gives an indication of the extensive work which has been carried out by the LVR Carriage Builders.  Photo by Tom Sullivan

Another view of the repairs to the corrosion being carried out on car HPF 953. Photo by Tom Sullivan

The all sitting car TM 853 has been sanded back to the bare aluminum skin. This car is in the best condition of all the cars and is in as built condition out of the workshops. The window sealing arrangement on this car is different to the others and as such the problems encountered with the seals leaking on the other cars is not present. With this arrangement the windows will not have to be removed as there are no problems with them, this being an added bonus by reducing the amount of work having to be done. Cleaning has been carried out inside the roof hatches containing some of the air conditioning equipment, in readiness for the painter who is champing at the bit to get stuck into painting them.

Car number TM 853 is an all sitter trailer car and is seen here stripped back to bare aluminum in the roundhouse at Cowra Loco.  Photo by Tom Sullivan

Trailer car TM 853 has received two coats of silver roof paint, the same which is used on the running set roofs. Prior to the roof being painted, a bitumous coating was applied to all roof rivets, patches and lap joints to prevent the car from leaking in the future.  A large number of roof rivets were also replaced as part of this work. The time consuming task of replacing a large number of internal rivets too, has slowed things down. It is obvious from the amount of work which is required on these cars, time spent sitting in the weather at Cowra has only added to the work that is required to get these cars up and running. The roofs leaking on some of these cars over the years in regular service, has also caused much damage which is now being repaired.

Trailer car TM 853 sits outside the roundhouse at Cowra Loco having just received two coats of roof paint. Photo by Tom Sullivan

As with most projects currently underway at the museum site at Cowra Loco, workers are always needed and welcome. The work carried out to date on these diesel trains has been done mainly by a small dedicated group working away constantly to get these up and running. Any member wishing to lend a hand on these or any other project are encouraged to contact the depot or a director, or come along on one of the advertised working bee weekends. There’s a job for everyone!

The LVR will be in a unique situation when the first 900 Class diesel trains are brought back into service, as they will be the only group to have such a train in service. Whilst most other groups took the easy option and put their hand up for the 6oo Class 2 car diesel trains, the LVR saw a unique opportunity to obtain a number of 900 Class diesel train cars which other groups showed no interest in. The Riverina Express, The Canberra Monara and Northern Tablelands Express were all worked by these trains in the days when the NSW Railways had a bit of imagination in how they named their trains. What a great thing it will be to see these trains in action again. So please lend a hand with their re build and overhaul and you too can have the opportunity to be part of something special.

Special thanks go to LVR Carriage Builder Tom Sullivan for providing information and photos in this post dealing with the restoration of the 900 Class Self Propelled diesel trains at the Lachlan Valley Railway, Cowra.

4204 on Special Passenger Train

As most regular readers of this site would be aware, the LVR’s 4204 was out of service for a few years awaiting replacement of a faulty Traction Motor. The 4204 has been with the LVR since it was purchased off the State Rail Authority in 1984. The last few years of regular SRA service saw 4204 being constantly used on high wheeler goods trains from Sydney through to Albury. These were by no means easy days for 4204, but it stood up to the test and never failed despite the heavy work.

Apart from the high wheeler freighters, 4204 was also used on the crack express’s including 1 and 3 South out of Sydney. Here in it’s final years during State Rail Authority Days, 4204 is seen turning on the table at Albury after having worked Number 9 from Sydney along with 4430. The date is May 1981 and the photo was taken by Tony Woodland.

During it’s final days it was restricted to being a trailing engine due to Union bans placed on the class due to excessive noise levels inside the cabs. Luckily for the LVR,  4204 was one of the engines that the SRA fitted soundproofing to the cab in an effort to reduce the excess noise being experienced by the men working them. However by this time they were past their use by date and all 6 members of the class were withdrawn and some were offered up for sale.

On the 8th of January 2010, a shinning 4204 sits next to a Grasshopper at Chullora. Photo by Bernie Baker

The Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere purchased 4201, the LVR purchased 4204 and the Dorrigo Steam and Railway Museum purchased 4206.  Of the other members of the class, 4202 and 4205 were cut up and the remains of 4203 sit in the Beer Garden of a Sydney pub. How ironic.

Along with the Traction Motor repair and a general inspection and tidy up, a chance was taken to give the old girl a makeover including some body repairs and a nice new glossy paint job.  As part of this work the grab irons on the nose were cut off to make it resemble how it looked when it was new.  This will now make cleaning the windscreens a new and interesting challenge.

4204 after it’s repairs and re paint is seen here at work on a ballast train near Chullora on the 8th January 2010. Photo by Bernie Baker

As a special treat to celebrate the return to service of this old engine, the LVR will be operating a Special Train from Sydney to Dungog and return on Saturday the 13th of February 2010 (see flyer below), using 4204 and as an added bonus, it will double head with former Commonwealth Railways engine GM10.  It should be a great day and seats will fill fast. Group Booking are welcome, so why not hire a whole carriage??

And what a month for all the diesel fans out there!  The following weekend don’t forget that our friends at 3801 Limited are running their Alco trip from Sydney to Kandos and return. So dust off those ear muffs, clean the oil off those goggles, find a cassette for the tape recorder and come along for a day of noisy diesel fun, good company and to say in years to come ” I was on that trip”!!

SEATS ARE FILLING VERY QUICKLY ON THIS DOUBLE HEADER TRIP, SO PLEASE BOOK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

4833 To Kandos

Hot off the press from our friends at 3801 Limited, is news that they are operating a trip from Sydney to Kandos on Saturday the 20th February 2010. Travel along the picturesque Mudgee Branch Line in old style heritage carriages hauled by a heritage Alco diesel.  Preserved Mk.I 48 Class Goodwin Alco engine 4833, will double head with another Goodwin Alco for a relaxing trip over the Blue Mountains to the historic town of Kandos where we will head to the local Kandos Hotel for a 2 course meal which is included in the fare.

It’s a rare sight and sound these days, to hear the unique roar of an Alco as they struggle on the heavy grades over the Blue Mountains, so now’s your chance to re live this era of an Alco on a Loco Hauled Passenger train.  Bookings can be taken on line at the 3801 Limited website, or you can download a booking form from their site and post it in. The link to 3801 Limited is located in the Links section of this site in the right top corner.

You will have to book early for this one, as it’s bound to be extremely popular.

FARES:

• ADULTS:     $145.00
• CHILDREN: $85.00
• SENIORS:   $135.00
• FAMILY:      $390.00   ( 2 Adults plus 2 Children )

ALL FARES INCLUDE RETURN RAIL TRAVEL AND TWO COURSE MEAL AT THE KANDOS HOTEL

TO BOOK ON THIS TRIP, PLEASE USE THE LINK TO “3801 LIMITED MAINLINE TOURS”, LOCATED IN THE STEAM RELATED LINK SECTION OF THIS BLOG SITE.

Centenary year of the Garratt

As some readers may be aware, this year marks the centenary year of the invention of the Garratt Locomotive. The idea of the Garratt Locomotive was conceived by British Engineer Herbert Garratt.  The history of the Garratt Locomotive is well documented and i won’t go into it here apart from the fact that the Tasmanian Government Railways was the first railway in the world to operate a Garratt type locomotive, a 2 foot gauge type for their North East Dundas Tramway in 1909.

The mighty 20A Class Garratt of the former Rhodesian Railways approaches Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe during May 1989.  These 20th Class Garratts had a higher tractive effort than the N.S.W.G.R. 60 Class Garratts.

Many other countries throughout the world embraced this design, none more so than in Africa where many variations of the design were to see service over the next hundred years, though today very few examples are still in everyday use. In Australia, Garratt locomotives operated in most states, but the N.S.W.G.R. 60 Class Garratts were the biggest and most powerful of this type of locomotive to operate in Australia. Only 4 examples of this class survived scrapping in NSW with none operating at this time.  At present the Australian Railway Historical Society in Canberra are overhauling their 60 Class Garratt for future use on tourist and heritage trains. No doubt this engine will prove popular and will be a big drawcard wherever it runs.

In Africa, the Garratt locomotive could be found in many countries. Here a Rhodesian Railways (Now National Railways of Zimbabwe)  type 15A Class  Garratt, speeds the International Express towards the border near Plumtree in 1989. The 15A Class were high speed Garratts used on crack overnight express trains such as the Victoria Falls Mail and the International Express. They were capable of hauling the heavy express trains at 100km/h. They could also be found hauling freight trains.

The Lachlan Valley Railway was also a part of the Garratt story in N.S.W.  During the mid 1970’s the Lachlan Vintage Village at Forbes obtained a number of ex N.S.W.G.R. steam engines to form part of their display at Forbes, with Beyer Peacock Garratt 6042 and Standard Goods engine TF 5367 being among them.  The Lachlan Valley Railway at the time was part of the Lachlan Vintage Village but soon formed it’s own entity.  The newly formed Lachlan Valley Railway, leased Garratt 6042 along with TF 5367 (Rosie)  from the village,  and operated both engines extensively. During this time both engines were based out of Cowra Loco. The lease expired in 1979 and the Lachlan Vintage Village insisted that the engines go the Village site at Forbes.  Both engines were in operating condition when they  returned to the Lachlan Vintage Village site at Forbes where sadly, Garratt 6042 remains to this day having never turned a wheel since.  The Lachlan Valley Railway eventually raised enough funds to buy 5367 off the village and it was returned to Cowra Loco to resume mainline running once more for the LVR.

Having a rest between trips, ex New South Wales Government Railways Beyer Peacock Garratt 6042, sits at the back of Cowra Loco during it’s time being operated by the Lachlan Valley Railway, May 1979.  Photo by Tony Woodland.

Many tours using the Garrat were operated over nearly five years the Lachlan Valley Railway had the engine. Though over the years Cowra has seen its share of large engines, no doubt the big Garratt was the largest engine to ever visit Cowra.  Luckily the cross country line from Demondrille to Blayney was always maintained to a level higher than a normal branch line, almost to the standard of a mainline due to the fact that it was used on a regular basis as an alternate route for all interstate traffic should the main south line be blocked due to a derailment, of which was a regular occurrence.  Over the years Cowra has saw both crack interstate express passenger trains such as the Southern Aurora and Spirit of Progress as well as interstate high wheeler freight trains pass through when there was trouble on the main south.  Though the Garratt was designed to operate on lighter track, at over 260 tons it was by far the biggest and heaviest engine ever to visit Cowra.

The LVR’s 5367 and 6042 double head on a Lachlan Valley Railway special near Spring Hill in June 1979. With the return to service of 5367 well under way and work progressing on the ARHS’s overhaul of Garratt 6029, we may see this scene repeated again some day hopefully. Photo by Tony Woodland

LVR Leases Branch Line Again

On the 2nd of December, the Lachlan Valley Railway signed the Licence Agreement for the Cowra to Demondrille line.  The next step in the process is to apply to the Independent Transport  Safety Reliability Regulator for a variation to the LVR’s accreditation to become what is known as a Rail Infrastructure Manager.

This is great news for the society as once again access to the operating base at Cowra is possible.  During September the line was closed by the authorities classified as services suspended, effectively landlocking the society in Cowra and causing a hasty exodus of the society’s currently accredited engines, carriages and railmotors.  At present these are stored at various locations around NSW to enable the society to still have access to the main line and operate it’s heritage train trips.

This lease from Cowra to Demondrille will be for 102 km of railway track.  Previously the LVR leased and maintained 148km of railway track when they had both the lease from Cowra to Blayney and from Cowra to Trajerie Creek. Revenue from operating wheat trains covered the maintenance costs associated with maintaining the lines using rail maintenance contractors. It was during this time that the LVR became pioneers in private rail freight in NSW,  hauling the first ever wheat train hauled by a private operator, blazing the trail for a host of other operators to enter into the private wheat and rail freight business.

ABOVE:  With the radiators now topped up with water, Lachlan Valley Railway’s  4716 and 4701 with a rake of 40 bulks on one of their trains, is about to depart Cowra for Trajerie Creek 73 km away during the early 1990’s.  At the time of the photo,  the LVR was operating daily wheat trains on the 73 km long branch line from Trajerie Creek in the Cowra district to the State Rail Authority exchange sidings at Newpro just over the Lachlan River Bridge.  A  few weeks prior, the Lachlan Valley Railway hauled the first ever privately operated wheat train in NSW,  paving the way for other private rail freight operators here in NSW to follow in their path.

With this new lease, long term it is planned to open up the line to 3rd party operators to off set the costs involved in paying rail maintenance contractors for the up keep of the line.  It is eventually planned to open up the top end of the line to Blayney, to enable an alternate route for interstate trains traveling between Victoria and western NSW. As the LVR Chairman Tony Healey recently said in a report to the society membership prior to the lease being signed ” We are fully aware that we have little capacity as a heritage operator to fund the ongoing maintenance required on the line, but if successful, we would be looking to allowing commercial 3^rd party operators access to the corridor, with the intention of raising the necessary funds for maintenance through access fees”, Mr Healey said.

And with renewed interest in rail haulage of freight in the western districts, hopefully it won’t be too long before we see regular freight trains traveling along the cross country line to Cowra once more.

Steam Train Trip For Special Children

The LVR’s P Class engine 3237 hauled a trip from Sydney to Rosehill via the Bankstown line on Wednesday December 2nd.  The trip was for the Handicapped Children’s Christmas Party and conveyed the Special Children from Platform 1 at Sydney station to Rosehill Racecourse and return.  The LVR provided the locomotive free of charge whilst 3801 Limited provided their train free of charge too.  The rostered crews for the day also donated their wages to ensure the kids had a great day.

Sam Roach from Fotoz Photographics, the makers of the excellent “NSW in Steam” series of DVD’s, took this photo of 3237 hauling the train for the Special Children as it comes off the Carlingford Branch at Clyde.

The train was operated as a push pull with a diesel swinging on the rear.  After arrival at Rosehill, the children were de trained and then the whole train went to Flemington Goods Junction to be turned.  After the train was turned and while on the way back to Rosehill,  the train was tabled to sit in Clyde yard for two hours before returning to Rosehill to pick the children up once more to return them back to Sydney.  It was also noted that this was the first time a P Class engine had sat in Clyde yard for well over 30 years.

John Healey took this photo of 3237 sitting in Clyde yard, the first time a P Class engine has been in this yard for well over 30 years.

Once on board again, the Special Children were treated to a spirited run from the old girl back along the Main for an on time arrival at Platform 1 Sydney station.  The kids loved their day out and especially the treat of being able to ride behind a steam train.  A great deal of time and effort went into ensuring this special day for the children went off well without a hitch.  A special thanks must go to both 3801 Limited and the LVR along with all the workers involved who donated their time for the kids.

3237 was recently placed back in service after firebox repairs were completed.   A couple of other general maintenance items will be attended to over the coming weeks such as a scheduled overhaul of the pump and a general tidy up of various pipework on the engine.   The LVR’s 3237 is now the only operating 32 class engine in Sydney, and will be used on various trips and charters in the near future.

Work continues on maintenance to 5917 at the Large Erecting Shop, with work nearing completion. This engine should be ready for a full program next steam season.

Enginemen Tony Healey and Simon Foster sit on 3237 at Rosehill station on Wednesday 2nd December, ready to depart for Sydney with the Special Children’s train. Photo by Sam Roach

Blast From The Past

As many people who were around at the time would remember, the LVR during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s was the leading group in NSW operating special heritage trains. During this time the LVR operated many memorable enthusiast and general public heritage trips both here in NSW and Interstate.  These great days will probably never be repeated by any group, given modern operating procedures and the fact that during these times a great deal of the old steam facilities such as  de ashing pits, watering and coaling  facilities still existed.  Those experienced in the operation of  heritage steam hauled trips these days,  know only too well the difficulties now faced with operating steam hauled trips in today’s times.  Posted below are a few old photographs of some of the old days of the Lachlan Valley Railway photographed by long time LVR member and NSWGR  Engineman Phil Smith.

Engine 3026 carrying it’s NSWGR pre 1924 number S 661 sits at Cowra railway station during the late 1970’s.

S 661 arrives with a special train  at Canowindra during the late 1970’s. This line remained busy up until recent years, handling the district’s wheat harvest.  Eventually a major timber bridge at Canowindra suffered serious flood damage causing the line to be closed. Many years of prolonged drought and an apparent lack of interest from the authorities will more than likely see this line closed permanently. The final nail in the coffin will no doubt be the recent decision by the local council of Cowra to remove a number of the timber bridges from this line as it weaves it’s way through the township of Cowra.

5917 storms out of Bombo on it’s way back to Sydney after taking another load of happy passengers on a day trip to Kiama. The LVR operated many of these trips to Kiama and return which proved extremely popular over the years.

The innocent pastime from years gone by of a father and son having a close up look at the engine have now gone.  Nowadays this scene would be replaced by a vandal proof boundary fence,  a sea of high visibility vest wearing staff keeping interested by standers at bay, and possibly representatives from the rail regulators mingling with the crowd filming every move made by the staff. Welcome to modern times.

S 661 (3026) steams towards Eugowra in happier times.  Work is well under way to return 3026 back to service, but will we ever see her on the Eugowra line again?

These are just a small number of old LVR photographs submitted by Phil Smith. If any person would like to submit a photograph and or article for consideration for inclusion on this Blog site or the society’s newsletter the ” Cowra Loco Bulletin”, please email all contributions to (cowralocobulletin@gmail.com).  Of course please include any details to go with the photo and your name.  If you intend to submit a photograph which is not your work, permission must be sought from  the photographer before you submit their photograph. Thank you.

Upcoming Working Bee Dates

After the huge interest shown in the LVR working bees and many requests for information regarding future dates for LVR working bees, it has been decided to post the upcoming dates on this site.  This will provide ample notice to members so they can plan ahead to attend one of these Working Bee weekends at Cowra.

Also the soon to be released latest copy of the Cowra Loco Bulletin,  will contain details of how members can register their email addresses with the society to be on a special email mailing list to receive the latest news updates and also notification of upcoming events such as Working Bees,  special member’s events and so on.  This will help these members stay more informed.

It should also be mentioned, there is a job for everyone no matter what your age group, skills, abilities etc. Of course if you hold a trade certificate in some area, there is always plenty to do where a tradesman is required.   But if you aren’t a tradesman, you’ll have just as much fun doing a multitude of other tasks involved in restoration etc.

The dates for the up coming working bees are as follows,

• 5th and 6th of December
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd of January 2010
• 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of January

The next Working Bee over the weekend of the 5th and 6th of December, will concentrate on the restoration of the 900 Class Self Propelled Diesel train.  A 3 car set is nearing completion, and will provide a valuable asset to the society as well as being the only operating type in existence.  So here’s your chance to play your part in this historic project.

New members who wish to attend these weekends but may be unsure of  just what to do or expect, can choose to phone a society director if they wish, and ask any questions about anything that they are unsure of.  A list of LVR Director phone numbers is available in the latest Cowra Loco Bulletin. On site accommodation is available for those on a budget or who just wish to soak up the atmosphere of a traditional Locomotive Depot, or if you like there are a number of local Motels and Hotels in Cowra which offer accommodation catering to all budgets.

Latest News Update

Work continues on at  Cowra Loco,  despite the setbacks of recent months.  One of the ongoing projects is the 900 class self propelled diesel trains.   A recent working bee by a number of LVR members concentrated their efforts on this project.

Car HPF 953 has had a large amount of work done on it in recent times.  The roof of this car was completely sealed against water as it had been leaking badly over the years,  no doubt while it was still in Government service.  This caused various areas of timber work inside to become badly rotted.  These areas have now been repaired with all affected timber work being replaced as needed or repaired.

The carriage interior lights have been made work, along with the Public Address system.  Work has also commenced on  some body repairs too.  The car also received a major interior clean, and its interior is  like brand new.  The goods compartment area of this car has been cleaned and all spare parts that were once stored in this area,  removed and stored in a more suitable location on site.

All 3 carriages in this set which will be the first to be returned to operating order,  are now occupying roads in the Roundhouse at Loco which, apart from additional under cover  protection,  also offers a more convenient location for the LVR  workers to work on them out of the extreme temperatures of Cowra.

Work also continues on other projects such as the return to service of engine’s 5367 and 3026,  the IFV lounge car which is nearing completion. This car will be a valuable addition to the fleet once finished.  As always, regular maintenance work continues on site on the upkeep of the grounds and buildings.  Along with the Cowra site, we also have members now working at the various other LVR locations around the state where our other main line accredited engines and cars are stored.

The following is an update from the Chairman of the LVR regarding  negotiations  concerning the future of the cross country line between Blayney and Demondrille.

As everyone would already be aware, September 1 2009 saw the remaining section of the branch between Demondrille to Blayney (Demondrille –Cowra) listed as services temporarily suspended, effectively land-locking the society and closing off access to the main southern line. Access to the west was effectively cut off in 2007.

In happier days during October 1980,   the LVR’s 5917 shares the Roundhouse at Cowra Loco with Railmotor 38 (Creamy Kate) and its trailer HFT 507, along with diesel  X211.  At this time Cowra Loco was still a NSWGR Depot, the LVR leasing some roads in the Roundhouse, with departmental engines being stabled there until  July 1985.  Between July 1985 and October 1989 when Cowra Depot officially closed as a NSWGR depot, all departmental engines stabled in Cowra Yard.  Photo by Ron Preston

Generously, the Rail Infrastructure Corporation gave us ten days notice that this was to take effect, and a move was made to take the 4701, 4716, 4204, the ABS, RBS and FHG, CPH 12, 24 and 25 to an off site location which gave us access to the mainline.

The steam locomotives 3237 and 5917 along with some other items are safely housed at Eveleigh for the time being.

The society is applying for a Licence to operate services over the now non operational corridor and will attempt to be granted access from Blayney to Demondrille.

The licence application process is under way, and is taking far longer than anticipated. (We were promised at the start it would be a fairly simple process.) The next step after obtaining the licence is to apply to the Rail Regulators for a variation to our accreditation to become a Rail Infrastructure Manager.

It is the intention of the board at this time to continue with due process in an attempt to save the line to between Blayney and Demondrille.

We are fully aware that we have little capacity as a heritage operator to fund the ongoing maintenance required on the line, but if successful, we would be looking to allowing commercial 3^rd party operators access to the corridor, with the intention of raising the necessary funds for maintenance through access fees.

This photo from September 1980 shows the top carriage shed at Cowra Loco.  Bit by bit the shed was constructed during the 1980’s, during which time the LVR was very active running tourist trains both here in NSW and interstate.  The operation of these trips funded the construction of this carriage shed along with many other LVR projects.  Photo by Ron Preston

On the brighter side, we are still able to operate charters and recently operated a very successful weekend to Barellan to coincide with their Centenary celebrations, with shuttles to and from Barellan.

The society will continue to operate tours and charters as we have done in the past, only at this stage, not out of Cowra, for obvious reasons.

We are looking to have some more regular working bees in Cowra, and even though we are currently not running trains out of Cowra, there is still a lot that needs to be done, so don’t stay away.

Assistance of any kind is always appreciated.

Tony Healey.

Chairman.