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Our cover story for August concerns the recent reactivation of A62 by Seven-O-Seven Operations. We’ve been following this project at Newsrail for a while, and had previously reported on the prime mover being started, and the locomotive then moving under its own power for the first time. On 1 July, A62 ventured out on to the main line for the first time in preservation. Read the details in our Tourist and heritage rail column in the August edition, along with some updates from the Bellarine Railway on a couple of their key projects.
Our News and announcements section looks at the first trains entering the new Metro Tunnel, a proposal recently discussed in the South Australian Parliament to replace The Overland with a high-speed tilt train, and some of the varying consequences of the recently-introduced $9.20 (now ($10) price cap for regional public transport in Victoria.
Our main feature article this month is by Graham Bishop, a man who began his VR career in the 1950s as a member of the Malmsbury Track Gang. Graham takes us back to another era, long before track maintenance was outsourced to contractors, with some interesting anecdotes and humorous tales along the way. Graham’s track gang was responsible for the line over both Malmsbury and Taradale Viaducts, and Graham tells us some rather interesting details about the construction of the Taradale Viaduct.
With the new Glen Huntly Station having just opened, Dave Macartney presents a story on its predecessor and its goods yard. Dave’s article is illustrated with a beautiful selection of photos, including a number that Dave took himself.
We also have another instalment in the Photos in Focus series, with Trevor Penn this month looking at repeating signals in a couple of locations.
Our other regular sections are there:
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- General works
- Operations and sightings
- Tramways
- PTV service quality
- Where is it?
- Taildisc
What a lovely collection of articles this month (again)!
The revelations about the rods and plates on the southern abutment of the Taradale Viaduct is quite fascinating – along with the article from Graeme Bishop of his time there.
The inset photo in focus of the Greensborough Signal has a great picture of Greensborough Substation in the background. It consists of two buildings, with the two not joined together. That was unique for Greensborough. The Substation was a single Rotary Convertor at that time that was automatic in operation. The Rotary Convertor was in the bigger building, and the smaller building had a transformer and switchgear for lighting and power for maintenance of the Convertor. The timing of the photo has to be prior to 1962, as it was converted to a Rectifier Substation in July 1962. This brought an aerial connection with pole that was located between the buildings (and is not present in photo). Prior to that, all the connections to the substation were by underground cables. The building was decommissioned in May this year (associated with the duplication to Montmorency, along with a new Substation located on the Up side of Main Street). It was to be demolished to make way for more car parking, but I haven’t seen or heard whether that has happened yet.
The Glenhuntly Goods Yard story and photos was very interesting. Glenhuntly was a terminating point for many years for the early electric train services on the Frankston Line, and was the end of the automatic electric signalling (from Caulfield) that came with electrification until the mid 1950’s. I am researching for when the Goods Yard was electrified. The earliest date I have so far is February 1936, but I assume it was earlier than that. I will update when I find out more.