Our big feature article for January sees us travel to Wonthaggi in 1976 when local boy Andy Main, recently qualified as a rail motor driver, got a transfer back to his hometown to drive the Walker rail motor. Andy’s joy at this posting was short-lived; only weeks after he arrived came the news that the passenger service would be discontinued. Despite this, Andy enjoyed a 17-month posting driving trains on this most scenic of Victorian railway lines, a posting that ended with Andy driving the very last regularly-scheduled passenger train out of Wonthaggi Station at 6:35pm on Sunday 4 December 1977.
Andy recalls the details that made this line special, including the exceptional beauty of the sea by day as the train rounded the curves into Kilcunda and headed on to its famous trestle bridge, or by night as the distant lights of Wonthaggi came into view. He remembers how he had to watch out for surfers and swimmers jumping across the track at Kilcunda as they made their way between the road and beach, the interesting personalities of some of those who rode the train, and the lucky escape he and two passengers had when just six weeks prior to the closure of the line, the rail motor he was driving (30RM) was wrecked after being struck by a truck at a level crossing near Nyora.
We have yet another amazing assortment of photographs of the line during its last year of passenger service. These photos include a few of Andy’s own, capturing such sights as the special train organised on 20 August 1977 to take townsfolk to Melbourne to publicly protest against the closure of the line.
Also in this edition, we also report on some modern day developments, including the opening of the new Metro Tunnel, the commencement of Port Rail Shuttles to the new Somerton Intermodal Terminal, and the far-reaching changes to safeworking and other infrastructure that have taken place on the Shepparton Line, and take a closer look at the new G Class tram.
This month’s Tourist and heritage rail column takes a look at the project currently underway at Daylesford Railway to replace the original 60lb rail with 80lb plant, which will help to keep the railway running safely and reliably into the future.
And our usual other columns are there:
- Operations and sightings
- PTV service quality
- Where is it?
- Taildisc
What a teriffic way to begin the new year! I can’t wait for this issue to appear in my letterbox. I realize that 40 pages involves a lot of production work (and extra expense), but the high quality of the magazine and its contents puts it right up there with the very best. Many thanks to all involved.