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15th of November - Ben
Hardman
(Member for Seymour) Official opens the
bridge on behalf of the Minister for Transport
Lynne Kosky, the State Government funded $100,000
of the Bridge Restoration.
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Tourist Railways from all over Australia
are invited each year to nominate for these awards
covering many different categories. The Watts River
Bridge Project was selected by ATHRA for this award
over many worthy projects from all over Australia. |
Passenger
Trains to return to the Yarra Valley
Restoration of Walker Railmotor RM22 is now complete.
The photo displays the excellent restoration work of
the volunteers of the YVR.
On Friday the 14/11/08, the Yarra Valley Railway received
permission from the D.O.I. as a part of the accreditation
process to conduct testing on Walker Railmotor RM22.
Over the coming weeks testing will be conducted and
the results of these tests will be sent to the D.O.I.
for their approval. All going well, accreditation for
a passenger service will be obtained and passenger train
rides will commence once again at the railway.
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68 ZLP carriage
From June until September, the 68 ZLP received
new coat of paint inside and out complete with
new
decals and periscopes, roof and floor restoration.
The hot belly fire inside is operational and very
warming.
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68 ZLP carriage on a
Works Train on the way
to the Watt’s River Bridge |
Heavy Rollingstock Operator
Accreditation
The YVR has recently obtained
Accreditation as a Heavy Rollingstock
Operator allowing us to operate works trains on our
railway.
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On
Saturday the 24/5/08, the YVR operated a ballast
train to and from the Watts River Bridge. This train
was the first train to run outside station limits
at the YVR for well over 10 years. |
Watts River Bridge restoration finished - State
Government contributes $100,000
Work on the restoration of the Watt’s River
Bridge was completed in March, 2008. This bridge is
the largest bridge in the section with work on the bridge
commencing in late 2007. Many volunteers contributed
to the work required to complete the bridge, with some
members attending every day for weeks to ensure that
the project was completed on time and the railway could
reopen the track for trolley rides. The restoration
of the bridge represented a major project for the YVR,
with work completed on time and to budget. The Victorian
State Government funded this project providing $100,000
for the restoration of the Watt’s River Bridge.
The results speak for themselves and prove that the
YVR is more than capable of restoring the railway line
and operating a major business in the Yarra Valley.
 
First Ballast Train
On Saturday the 24/5/08, the YVR operated a ballast train
to and from the Watts River Bridge. The ballast was donated
by Boral and was distributed onto the track with the use
of the restored ballast trucks. The trucks performed perfectly
despite the fact that the trucks would have not been used
for this purpose for about 30 years. This train was the
first train to run outside station limits at the YVR for
well over 10 years.
 
Ballast wagons restored and ready for work
  May
2008 - In the preparation for works trains, QN100 and
QN33 have received a new coat of paint. Both vehicles
are expected to be on the first ballast trains when we
get to the end of the proverbial ‘piece of string’…
 Restoration
of Guard’s Van ZLP68 May 2008 - ZLP68
is nearing completion. The body and roof have received
the most attention, having had all of the rotten wood
replaced and de-laminated beams repaired. The doors
have been rebuilt, and after consulting with several
experts, we are expecting to trial a water proofing
product called emmer-clad. A full under gear exam has
been started, and it is expected that it will be in
regular use very soon.
Bridge Repairs
 The
Watts River Bridge is undergoing a complete rebuild with
most piers, cross beams and decking to be replaced. This
picture shows work completed on the bridge as of the 8th
of February 2008. Four bridges require repair to enable
the YVR to run trains to tunnel hill. The first 2 bridges
are now complete and ready for trains. The Watts River
Bridge is the third bridge to be repaired and the largest
of the four bridges and will be completed in the coming
weeks. This will leave just the fourth bridge to complete,
not a large project compared to the Watts River Bridge.
Exciting times ahead for the YVR as each step forward
brings the YVR closer to realising our objective of return
trains to
the Yarra Valley.
Fully Restored Operating Steam Locomotive
We are proud of the consortium of Yarra Valley Railway members who have purchased shares in Steam Engine J541 (Nov. 2007). The locomotive was recently restored at Puffing Billy and is now as good as new. The agreement with the current owner of the locomotive is to gradually transfer the ownership over a number of years, making it available for Yarra Valley Railway in future years. During this time the Steam Engine has been leased to the Victorian Goldfields Railway (Castlemaine and Maldon). A fully restored operating steam locomotive will have enormous benefits as its presence on our railway will attract greater attention and patronage.
 
Yarra Valley Railway Receives Grants
Small Govt. Grant
The YVR has successfully applied for a Small
Govt. Grant form
the Federal Government. We received $2700 which will
be used for the purchase of the following equipment:
Husqvarna Chainsaw, Chainsaw
Safety Equipment, Fire Rakes, Fire Shovels and a Portable
Scaffolding
Tower for the workshop.
The YVR would like to thank Tony Smith MP for his encouragement
and direction in obtaining the grant . We would also
like to thank Tony and
Fran Bailey for letters of support submitted with the
funding application.
Fosters
"You Care, We Care Community Grant"
The Fosters grant is given to a non profit organisation
to which a Fosters' employee volunteers their time. Our
volunteer Ivan Hon submitted an application which was
successfull and recently we received a $500 grant from
Fosters for the purchase of a new Husqvarna Chainsaw.
Well done Ivan.
 Bridge
Repairs
November, 2007
During November 3 weeks of concentrated work was conducted
on the first 2 bridges from Healesville behind the racecourse.
Both bridges have been completed and pending paper work,
both are fit for train operation. Well done to Adam,
Ray, Matt and all those who assisted with the bridge
restorations. The next bridge will be the big one, Watt’s
River Bridge. Work is due to commence on the Watt’s
River Bridge in the new year. Once complete some work
will be required on the small bridge at 38 mile curve
and then it will be trains to the tunnel.
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