Buy an individual print copy of March 2023 Newsrail here
Our cover for March 2023 features a beautiful photograph of J515, by Graeme Kaufman, which leads into our story about the renewed push by Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (SRHC) to return this locomotive to operating service. We speak to John Crofts, SRHC President, who details the new “two locomotive, three boiler, three tender” strategy that now frames J515’s restoration project, a project given extra impetus with the appointment of Alan Gardner as its lead. Alan has a very notable recent run on the board for his work in the restoration and regauging of ex-South African Garratt locomotive NGG16 No. 129 for Puffing Billy Railway.
We are very excited to inform our readers that Nick Anchen is busily putting together another of his fantastic books on Victorian Railways, and he has very kindly allowed us to publish one of the many stories to appear in the new book. Nick presents magnificent photographs and an fascinating interview with Barry Dunn, who recalls his time working on the Warburton Line from 1957 to 1963. A great read!
Also in this edition, we take a look at some accidents, including two instances of Swing Door trains crashing into the buffer stop at Alamein (and decades later, that buffer stop still stands!) as well as the spectacular 1989 derailment at Bacchus Marsh of a ballast train, hauled by B61, that lost its brakes descending Ingliston Bank.
Chris Banger has written another short feature for us, this time on a famous little loco: the one-third scale model of B60.
Our regular columns are all there. Our News column features developments in the saga of the XPT replacement program, which recent reports suggest may be running up to three years behind schedule and a billion dollars over budget! We also look at potential changes to Inland Rail following a review by the new Federal Labor Government, Hurstbridge Line duplication, and much more!
Our other regular sections are there:
- Calendar anniversaries
- General works
- Operations and sightings
- Tramways
- PTV service quality
- Where is it?
- Taildisc
