After our 1 April 2025 edition got quite a reaction on Facebook, it’s time to take a look at our actual April edition, which has a wonderful mix of historic and contemporary Victorian rail material.

Our cover photo this month by Daniel Sciberras headlines an eventful month for the Albury Line. It has seen works by Inland Rail that include demolition of the Benalla A signal box and Wangaratta’s Docker Street footbridge, and a series of fires caused by a southbound freight train that at one point threatened the historic Barnawartha Station building. Lastly, March saw the return to Albury of a VR R Class Hudson loco for the first time since 2008, and for the first time ever, it arrived there from Sydney on standard gauge track, rather than from Melbourne on the broad gauge.

Our Tourist and heritage rail column has a fascinating update from the Victorian Goldfields Railway team on the restoration of steam loco K160, which has reached another major milestone in its restoration. VGR’s mechanical engineer Mick Compagnoni takes us through the interesting process of how you reunite a locomotive with its wheels, and it’s by no means an easy or simple process! Mick’s words are accompanied by some amazing photos courtesy of Peter Lorenz.

Our feature article this month is by Ross Rowley, who worked as Area Stations Manager for the Western District of the VR and later V/Line network and was witness to near constant, far-reaching changes to the network. He also has a few interesting stories to tell about vice-regal and royal trains to the district, diesel loco horns been rendered inoperative by snow, a bomb scare for The Overland, and the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. The article is superbly illustrated with photographs from the author, Chris Wurr, Neville Gee, the Geelong and South Western Railway Heritage Society, and other collections.

Our occasional Rolling Stock column makes a return as Michael Menzies details a range of new locomotives (predominantly UGL C44 derivatives) expected to come onstream for several major operators in coming months, and the likely change this will bring in the use of older GM-EMD units such as the X Class and even G/81/BL Classes.
Our News column includes details on the new V/Line timetable that consigns locomotive-hauled Warrnambool trains to history, as well as the recent review of the Suburban Rail Loop business case by Infrastructure Australia, and more details of the new Town Hall Station.

And our usual other columns are there:

• Operations and sightings
• General works
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?

Our March edition is another one with an interesting variety of topics, both historic and current!

1 March 2025 marked 25 years since the Freight Australia brand came into being, and we thought we’d mark the occasion by featuring one of the locomotives still wearing that branding 25 years alter (albeit in a slightly modified form): S301. Photographer Benjamin Boehle-Mitchell snapped our cover photo was the veteran bulldog streamliner lead a Steamrail Victoria tour to Dunolly recently.

Phil Dunn, who recently authored a collection of articles about the Victorian Railways “standard” locomotive designs by Edward Jeffreys, has now turned his attention to another example of state-of-the-art engineering on the 19th Century Victorian Railways: the Dudley Dynagraph. Way back in 1878, Victorian Railways took delivery of precision machinery to record the drawbar pull of locomotives and rolling resistances of various types of carriages over different railway lines, a forerunner of the Victorian and South Australian Railways Joint Stock Dynamometer Car.

Norman Houghton presents another of his fascinating histories of less-well-known railway lines of Victoria, and this month it’s the Warrnambool Pier Line. Norman describes the history of the line, the fortunes of which rose and fell with the port, which at one point was one of the busiest in Victoria. Norman also investigates the various industrial sidings running off the line, servicing a range of local industries, including the concrete casting plant used to create the blocks that today form the breakwater.

Our Photo in focus column has attracted much attention, as one of our panel of experts dissects all the detail in a historic VR photo. This month we take a look at Williamstown Station in the year 1961, and what a very different station it was back then.

We also have a delightful couple of shorter stories from old VR railwaymen, as edited by Nick Anchen. This time it’s a story about an oily J at Warburton, an a story about being stuck on the Melton Viaduct.

Our News section covers the recent level crossing incident at Kilmany, some surprising political developments regarding the Champion Road level crossing removal, the new CF44 locomotives and an update on the tap and go fare system. Our Tourist and heritage rail section looks at some major recent successes at the Ballarat Tramway Museum.

And our usual other columns are there:

• Operations and sightings
• General works
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?

February Newsrail is one with great stories and exceptional photography, both historic and current.

We have another wonderful feature article by Graham Bishop, who previously wrote about his experiences as a ganger in the 1950s. Graham now recounts the moment in 1960 when he realised he wanted to work on the footplate, and his career progression over the next five years at the Ararat and later Bendigo Locomotive Depots, through locomotive cleaner and fireman roles to finally becoming a driver. It’s a not-to-be-missed first-hand account of life on the Victorian Railways, illustrated with a superb collection of photographs from the collections of Des Jowett, Ian Cutter and Leon Marshall-Wood that we believe have not been previously published.

Our beautiful cover photo (by Jay Kittelty) features a Down Swan Hill pass crossing the Jacksons Creek Viaduct, the N Class/N set consist becoming an increasingly rare sight. Our columnist Michael Menzies reviews the V/Line network service plan that went into effect in December 2024 and the significant changes that it reveals.

Our Tourist and heritage rail column for this month takes us to Daylesford Spa Country Railway, where Steve Fiume reports on the work they have been doing on restoring their workmen’s sleepers. These old cars are not simply museum-pieces; they are being used by DSCR to accommodate volunteers who travel from far away to work on the railway and need to stay overnight, just as they once accommodated workneb on the Victorian Railways. Steve shows us the extensive and painstaking work that has gone into their restoration.

Our Photos in focus column makes another return. This month, Trevor Penn and Mark Cauchi dissect two photographs of train operations at the Bendigo racecourse platform back in 1974.

Our News pages look at recent developments on the Albury Line, the installation of lifts at Flinders Street Station, the tap-and-go trial underway at Wangaratta, footbridge designs for Ballarat Station and a heritage grant for the Stony Creek trestle bridge.

And our usual other columns are there:

• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?

Our January edition is a special one: it is the 800th in a series that began in November 1957 when some Victorian railfans assembled a handful of typewritten pages on rail developments in the state and called it ‘Divisional Diary’. 182 editions later, in January 1973, ‘Divisional Diary’ became ‘Newsrail’.

The front cover for this 40-page edition features a photo by Newsrail correspondent Martin Bennet of a test train running through the Metro Tunnel. Martin, who was fortunate enough to be invited to take a ride through the tunnel from Parkville to Anzac Station, has presented a report of his interesting journey.

Our main feature is something very special: an article by former V/Line boss John Hearsch on the first five years of his railway career, which began in January 1959 with a humble clerical position at Camberwell Station, followed by a transfer in 1961 to Bairnsdale when the Orbost Line was at its peak. John was a keen railfan and kept detailed notes and photographs of what were then everyday operations. What makes these photos particularly special is that John used colour slide film, rather than the black and white film that was more typical of the era, and the photos capture the final years of steam operations through both locations. John’s article provides a fascinating historical account of both the railway and its people.

We were delighted to meet with Warren Hall and Tim Harris at Steamrail during December, and hear about the various works that have been scheduled over the summer months to keep the iconic Steamrail steam fleet in peak operating condition for the busy year ahead.

Our other regular sections are there:

• Rail works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?

And further to our recent article on Warrenheip, we round out a landmark edition with a wonderful letter from a reader about travelling from Ballarat to Geelong by Walker railcar in the early 1960s, when track conditions were particularly poor!

Our December edition has a great mix of contemporary and historic content, including two articles from renowned writer and publisher Nick Anchen.

Our front cover photo features steam K160 as it appeared just a few days prior to this edition’s publication, and those who saw this locomotive at the Newport Workshops Open Days in March of this year will no doubt notice that a lot of progress has been made on its restoration during 2024. We speak to Mick and Peter from Victorian Goldfields Railway, who walk us through the considerable work that has been done to date and share their excitement at the completion of the project drawing nearer.

Our news section covers a number of current developments, including the roll-out of VLocity Trains on the Warrnambool Line, criticism of the service changes, and V/Line’s response to those comments. We also take a look at the V/Line annual report for 2023-24, which saw a new record of 23.78 million passenger journeys for the regional rail and coach operator, and considerable growth in the volume of grain being transported by rail.

Our main feature article is on a tram, but not just any tram! With the kind permission of Yarra Trams and Teksol International, we go for a ride on the survey tram, which travels the network using cameras, lasers, accelerometers and gyroscopes to record the condition of the track infrastructure; it captures everything from how close trees are growing to the overhead above, to the profile of the rail and groove on the track below. Much of the technology Teksol has fitted to the survey tram is also used to monitor the condition of the suburban rail network, so the article is a very interesting read for tram and railfans alike.

You might think that we’d already published all there was to say about the former Kew Railway Line, but new records keep being discovered! Nick Anchen has been provided with a written essay about the Kew Line by the late Lewis Campbell, a Melbourne solicitor who commuted on the line every day, starting in the days of steam, through to closure in the 1950s. To illustrate this article, we have photographs from the collection of Ian Barkla that we believe have not previously been published.

Nick has also presented us with a wonderful story by the late Keith Foster, an engineman at Ballarat during the Second World War who talks about his time working the Y Class steam locomotives based there, whether banking or double-heading. This article is beautifully illustrated with photos by Ballarat-based rail photographer Wal Jack, and a couple from the collection of Brian Goodwin.

Our other regular sections are there:

• Rail works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?
• Taildisc

Buy an individual print copy of November 2024 Newsrail here

Our November 2024 edition has an interesting selection of topics for you to enjoy.

Our front cover features a photo by Braiden Beer of the recent first-ever use of R Class locomotives to operate a day tour to Bairnsdale, a story we explore in our Tourist and heritage rail section. Our other big story from the T&HR sector is from Bellarine Railway, where the restoration of Australian Standard Garratt locomotive G33 to operating condition has reached a major milestone with the successful pressure-testing of its boiler.

Our News section explores the introduction of VLocity sets to regular service on the Warrnambool Line that commenced today (November 1), as well as the proposed rationalisation of stations on the Upfield Line.

We have two interesting features: Chris Banger concludes his definitive feature of Warrenheip, tracking the modernisation and rationalisation of this once-important junction station. Ross Rowley provides another colourful account of a career on the Victorian Railways, this time, his stint at Moonee Ponds Station in the late 1960s.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, Horsham-based loco driver Brian Brooke would phone his rail photographer friend Ian Scutt to let him know when the No.25 Dimboola passenger train would run with a steam locomotive rather than the usual diesel. We present a wonderful assortment of the photos that Ian took further to those tip-offs.

We also have another of our Photos in focus series, this time a detailed analysis of a DDE and Y Class double-headed suburban goods ascending Royal Park Bank.

Our other regular sections are there:

• Rail works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?
• Taildisc

Buy an individual print copy of October 2024 Newsrail here

October Newsrail has forty pages of great content that starts with an eye-catching image of current and former V/Line passenger power on Ballarat’s Warrenheip Bank, taken by Brenden Schonfelder.

Generations of railfans have watched locomotives doing battle with Warrenheip Bank, hauling heavy loads heading east from Ballarat, whether grain trains heading for Geelong, or the former broad-gauge Overland to Melbourne. At the top of that famous bank, for over one hundred years, stood Warrenheip Station, where the direct line to Melbourne and the line to North Geelong diverged. Noted rail historian Chris Banger has written another of his superbly-researched articles on the history of this station and the trains that serviced it. The article is superbly illustrated with steam-era photos that, in many cases, we believe have never before been published.

Our tourist and heritage rail column has a brilliant photo essay of the restoration project at Mornington Railway to return classic guards van 457ZL to service. Ben Swaine takes us through a project that began as a simple ‘spruce up’ but quickly became very much more involved when work to prep the exterior revealed deeper problems with this century-old van.

Our news section includes details of life-extension upgrades to the XPT fleet as well as news of the arrival of the first of their replacements from manufacturer CAF of Spain, which are now at the new train maintenance facility at Dubbo. These trains will eventually operate into Melbourne.

Our other regular sections are there:

• Rail works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?
• Taildisc

Buy an individual print copy of September 2024 Newsrail here

September Newsrail, another big 40-page edition, has a major feature article from the renowned author Nick Anchen, and news about the laying of new track through Tarrawarra Tunnel on the Yarra Valley Railway (YVR), part of a wider project to reconstruct the line through to Yarra Glen.

Our main feature, by Nick Anchen, is a must-read for anyone interested in the final days of steam of the Victorian mainline. Nick presents the stories of the late Brian Brooke, a well-known steam locomotive driver who later went on to become the Mayor of the City of Horsham. Brian’s stories from his time at the Horsham locomotive depot from 1958 to 1970 trace both his promotion from locomotive cleaner to locomotive driver, but also follow the gradual decline of steam during this period. That much said, the western district of Victoria was the last stronghold of steam in the late 1960s, and the superb photographs that accompany this article capture R, J, K and N Class steam locomotives in regular freight and passenger service.

Our news report from the YVR traces the history of the tunnel and some of its notable construction features, as well as details of the current reconstruction project. The photographs provide some fascinating illustrations of how the tunnel was originally constructed. Victoria has relatively few railway tunnels, so this story is a rare opportunity to get to see how they were built and how they’re maintained.

Our other regular sections are there:

• News and announcements
• General works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?
• Taildisc

Buy an individual print copy of August 2024 Newsrail here

August Newsrail is high on nostalgia, with an extended feature on rail operations at Hamilton in the 1960s, suburban goods trains on Royal Park Bank in the 1970s, and accounts of driving and firing X and S Class steam locomotives.

Our cover features a striking photo, by Braiden Beer, of N451 hauling the first passenger train to visit Mildura in several years.
David Watson has already entertained Newsrail readers with his wonderfully dry sense of humour as he remembers various moments from his long career on Victoria’s railways. This time he revisits Hamilton and remembers many events, ranging from an elephant attempting to escape Wirth’s circus train, R719 quietly driving itself into the turntable pit, and sheep being unloaded on the passenger platform. David was a keen photographer during this time, and shares some superb images in the article.

We have a second short feature by driver Chris Wurr, who shares some great photographs and memories from his time as fireman on the Fitzroy Goods and Coburg Goods during the 1970s.

Nick Anchen presents two further stories from railwaymen of old: Ron Snell recounts the day when, as a fireman he found himself driving AND firing an X Class on a goods train from North Melbourne to Spotswood, and Eric Holmes recounts a literal baptism of fire when he was suddenly called on to fire an S Class Pacific on the Spirit of Progress, having only ever fired on one around the the reversing loop and coal sidings at North Melbourne.

Our other regular sections are there:

• News and announcements
• General works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?
• Taildisc

Buy an individual print copy of July 2024 Newsrail here

This month’s 40-page edition is packed with great content, starting with our wrap-around cover photo taken by Benjamin Boehle-Mitchell, capturing C501 and N451 returning to Benalla with the first locomotive-hauled passenger train to Yarrawonga in many years.

Author Jeff O’Meara has written a wonderful personal history of journeys by rail from Wonthaggi to the lonely wayside station Joyce’s Creek, the site of which today sits beneath the waters of the Cairn Curran Reservoir, along the Castlemaine to Maryborough line. It is a delight to read.

Locomotive driver and Victorian Railways historian Trevor Penn has produced another of his wonderful essays for our Photos in focus column. This month, Trevor applies his expert knowledge to interpret a series of VR photographs detailing the workings of the Melbourne Goods Yard in the 1920s, including a stunning aerial image which forms our centre pages.

In late May, we were saddened by the passing of former VR driver, long-time Newsrail contributor and Public Records Office Victoria doyen Des Jowett. Des was a veritable font of knowledge who assisted an untold number of authors and researchers in producing articles and essays on Victorian rail history. We present a tribute that also includes a selection of Des’ own photographs; photography being another of his many talents.

Steamrail Victoria’s exciting plans for an expanded presence in Ballarat feature in our Tourist and Heritage Rail column this month. Noah Clancey tells us about the huge success of recent tours and shuttles operating into Ballarat, and the work that Steamrail’s eager Ballarat-based volunteers have been doing to establish the Ballarat East depot as a staging point for tours to places like Wycheproof.

Our other regular sections are there:

• News and announcements
• General works
• Operations and sightings
• Tramways
• PTV service quality
• Where is it?
• Taildisc