The Kew Railway Line continues to fascinate rail fans, despite its short length, and even more than sixty years after its closure. Our authors Mark Cauchi, Michael Guiney and Trevor Penn have written an authoritative piece on the decline, closure and dismantling of the line. It is extensively researched, busts one or two myths about […]

Our February 2021 edition cover photo shows the last ever train to travel via the Bungaree Loop, a 13km track that has finally been replaced as part of the Ballarat Line Upgrade. The Bungaree Loop was once the main line to Ballarat and part of the main interstate freight and passenger network. But, as our […]

The glorious cover photograph of Newport-built steam locomotive N431 chuffing out of Ararat is one of a magnificent collection presented by renowned rail photographer Bob Wilson who, in January 1964, took advantage of the Victorian Railways’ 14-day “All Lines” ticket offer which allowed the holder unlimited travel on then-extensive VR network. Bob used his ticket […]

In our December 2020 edition we have two feature articles from authors well-known to Newsrail readers: John Anderson, who authored one of the main articles in our November 2019 North Melbourne Locomotive Depot edition, has written another nostalgic piece about his days as a schoolboy railfan. This time, he recounts his expedition out of suburban […]

The main feature article for our November 2020 edition concerns the construction of the direct, cross-country line between Horsham and Hamilton which opened 100 years ago, on 19 November 1920. Michael Guiney, who previously authored two of the feature articles in our May 2019 Centenary of Electrification edition, has put together an exceptionally well-researched article […]

October Newsrail – a special 40-page edition – features a series of articles concerning the Bendigo Locomotive Depot, including stories from three former employees whose time there dated from the late 1940s to the early 1990s. These stories are beautifully illustrated as a result of the discovery of a photo collection by George Coop, who […]

It’s been quite a long time since V/Line Orange graced the front cover of Newsrail, but this photograph by Alan Greenhill was an ideal choice for a feature article by Jim Foley, who tells of his long-running connection with the South Gippsland railway through its VR, V/Line, and SGR eras. The scenes that Jim’s recollections […]

Our cover story for August 2020 Newsrail concerns the recently announced decision by Steamrail to conduct a condition assessment on K183, the locomotive involved in the Benalla level crossing tragedy of October 2002, with a view to potentially restoring the locomotive to operating condition. We speak to Steamrail’s Mechanical Manager, Warren Hall, who discusses why […]

Our July edition is a little different from most of our recent editions. There’s no single big feature article, but four “mini” features: The 1920 Royal Tour revisited: Following on from the centenary we noted in our May edition, Michael Guiney presents some fascinating details on the special arrangements for the Prince’s Royal Train, including […]

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 […]