In our June 2020 edition…

Buy an individual print copy of June 2020 Newsrail here

We have three feature articles for the June edition of Newsrail:

  • New long-distance VLocity: with the completion of the North East Line Upgrade by 2021, a new fleet of standard-gauge VLocity carriages will be operating Albury services at speeds of up to 130km/h. Compared to the existing VLocity fleet, the new variant features a significantly revised interior design that better suits the needs of the long-distance passenger, with catering facilities, folding tables, USB charging and mobile boosting facilities, to name a few features.
  • June 2020 marks 100 years since the opening of the Kulwin railway line, a railway through Mallee wheat-growing districts which today still remains, albeit closed to traffic beyond Sea Lake. We present a concise history of the line and the district, illustrated by a wonderful collection of historic photographs from the 1960s to the 21st Century.
  • The Selkirk Siding: an interesting history of both the Selkirk brickworks in Ballarat and the railway siding that was built to service it. It is a tale of a local industry that flourished as a result of its connection to the railway network, but which ultimately found new technologies that did away with the need for that rail connection.

There’s also an update on the work being done to restore Australian Standard Garratt locomotive G33 to operating condition, news on the reopening of the Dimboola-Rainbow section of the Yapeet line, comprehensive details of recent works on the Warrnambool line, along with tramway news, calendar anniversaries, letters from readers and the always-interesting “Where is it?” photo.

If you’re interested in subscribing to Newsrail, please visit our main page to register your contact details there; we’ll be happy to organise your subscription from there.

This month’s wrap-around cover photo features a pair of GM Class locomotives hauling the AK inspection cars, and was taken by Marcus Wong.

3 thoughts on “In our June 2020 edition…

  1. I’ve been intending to make a comment on the May issue, and now the next one is due!
    I wanted to congratulate you on an excellent product, one that I am glad I’ve subscribed to. In particular, I enjoyed the report on the ICK & WIGGLE tour.
    I know that the magazine is NEWSrail, but I for one would enjoy similar historical reports of other ARHS (and other) tours. My time travelling on tours was during the late 1960’s and through the 70’s and I’m sure that your younger (as well as we “grey beards”) readers would enjoy reading of the lines we were able to visit, the 6 or so set back photo stops which were run on most tours. After we had all clamored down to line up in “farmer Joe’s” paddock and (on ARHS tours) the yellow flag had been waved to the driver who may have set back maybe 1/2 a mile, the train would steam forward then, having pulled up way down the line, would set back to collect the couple of hundred photographers. All this along with tour features and safe-working practices that would never be even considered by today’s very different rail administrators. Then we’d all front up on the next Saturday or in a few weeks for another helping.
    Well after all that ramble, I just wanted to say thanks.

  2. I thoroughly enjoyed the May edition. I have been reading Newsrail since I was a ten year old all the way back in 1980- so this is my 40th year of reading this magazine. Congratulations to the team for putting together a magazine of such quality and continuing a “tradition” that has a long history but with a new context. I hope that both old and new readership embrace the new Newsrail, and may it continue for along time to come.

  3. Thanks for continuing with this great magazine & congratulations to all involved. Thanks also to Andrew Blair on his excellent article based out of Wangaratta in the April edition. Just like Andrew I also spent a lot of school holidays at Wangaratta hanging around the station. Being a bit younger than Andrew I didn’t adventure out of the wang area but did go south as far as the Bruck Mills & wandered through the narrow gauge yards that were still there in the 50’s. Watching the Spirit go through in the morning taking the Staff on the auto Was a highlight. Thanks Andrew for you article it brought back wonderful memories.

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