May 2026 Newsrail features a great mix of latest news and historic feature articles.

The cover of our May edition features a photo (by Bernie Kelly, courtesy Nick Anchen) of C504 powering up the Great Dividing Range with a freight train on the North East Line. This image leads into our feature article by Roydon Burk, whose Victorian Railways career took him to Wodonga in 1980 on both the A and B Rosters for the North East Line. While crewing mostly on standard gauge goods trains between Melbourne and Albury, he also worked on all three standard gauge interstate express passenger trains (Southern Aurora, Spirit of Progress, Intercapital Daylight) as well as the occasional Melbourne –Albury passenger services.

Roydon kept detailed diaries of his work, and was a prolific photographer. This has allowed him to build a superbly detailed presentation on what life was like as driver or fireman on the North East Line at that time. The photography is particularly evocative; Roydon’s time at Wodonga marking the end of the VR blue and gold era, just prior to the advent of through running.

Our second feature concerns the hundredth anniversary of the inaugural run of The Geelong Flier, a flagship express service that offered a non-stop express service from Flinders Street Station to Geelong that was initially timetabled at 70 minutes, but within a few months, reduced to a remarkable 60 minutes for the journey.

Lots of people look forward to our Tourist and heritage rail column each month, and this month we visit Mornington Railway and speak to volunteer Aiden Parlby about the return to service of Hitachi trailer car 1946T. This car, well-known to Melbourne commuters from the 1970s to the 2010s, has found a new life enabling Mornington Railway to readily cater for visitors in wheelchairs, or visitors with prams or strollers, while also allowing those interested in our more recent railway history to experience riding in a Hitachi car.

Our news page looks at some of the early data on Victoria’s recent decision to offer free public transport for April and May. We also look at some of the massive works by the Inland Rail project which are transforming some of the stations along the North East Line, and also find out more about the reintroduction of the classic 1982 InterCity XPT livery to one of the XPT sets.

Our Photos in focus column returns again this month, with a poignant image of steam locomotives X36 and X29 at Newport in 1960 as they awaited scrapping, the big Mikado locomotives towering above the narrow gauge rolling stock relocated from Upper Ferntree Gully following the closure of the last remnant of the Puffing Billy Line to make way for the extension of the suburban network to Belgrave.

We have an extended Taildisc section this month with a number of readers getting in touch following our recent article on the Harris trains, with three former apprentices or fitters writing about their experiences with the building or maintenance of these carriages.

And our usual other columns are there:

Our cover image, featuring Bellarine Railway’s Klondyke being delivered to Newport Workshops ahead of the three-day Newport Workshops Open Days event, leads into an extended Tourist and heritage rail column for our April Edition.

A total 13,112 visitors attended this year’s event, and we take a look at the flurry of activity to prepare and ready three projects for display at Open Days; the repainting of Steamrail’s R711, the return to operation of Victorian Goldfields Railway’s K160, and the restoration of bodywork of Daylesford Railway’s RM74. We speak to representatives of each of these three groups to learn about all the work behind the scenes to have these historic rail vehicles ready in time.

Our News section leads with details of the significant damage caused by flooding to the transcontinental line between Peterborough and Broken Hill, which saw that line closed and various traffic rerouted via Melbourne. Among other stories, we also look at the photo that has caused quite a stir on the internet, showing what appears to be an XPT power car being repainted into its original 1980s InterCity XPT livery.

We have two feature articles, each relating to the North East Line

• Former VicRail and V/Line manager David Watson writes about flood events in the early 1970s, including one in May 1974 where David and his colleagues were called upon to assist a Vice Regal visit by incoming Governor Sir Henry Winneke as both road and rail routes disappeared under floodwaters.
• We publish the third and final part of our late colleague Greg Michael’s article about historic level crossing removals on the Seymour Line. In this part, Greg reviews level crossings that were closed without a replacement crossing being provided. One of the former crossings Greg looks at was a dedicated level crossing. complete with crossing gates, providing road access to the island platform at Seymour Station.

Our Photos in focus column returns again this month, with a great series of photos of the Dudley Street Signal Box in its final months of operation before being replaced by the Melbourne Yard West Tower at the end of 1968. Our colleague Trevor Penn looks at each image and explains the intricate details of railway life they depict.

We have an extended Taildisc section this month with some extra detail and reader feedback on our Harris train feature from the March edition, including a striking photo of Harris motors 797M and 794M running the overhead inspection train.

And our usual other columns are there:

This month we have a special edition to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the introduction of the Harris trains; a train that dominated the suburban scene for three decades, and then remained a part of the interurban fleet for a further four decades.

We have three articles concerning the Harris train.

• Our first article looks at the history of the fleet, including the factors that influenced their design and construction, the various running changes that were made even as each series was being built, and some of the quite interesting developments towards the end of their construction. We also take a look at the way that plastics and asbestos, two materials that Victorian Railways were proud to promote as part of their construction when new, had by the 1980s led to calls for restrictions or banning of the use of the Harris fleet. We take a look at some of the proposals to extend the life of the Harris cars, including the ultimately unsuccessful grey Harris suburban trains, and the very successful H set interurban trains.
• Our second article is an interview with former suburban driver Ross Jepson as he steps aboard preserved Harris motor 795M and recalls his experiences in driving the cars.
• Finally, our popular Photo in focus series this month looks at an image from 1976, when an empty Harris train heading from the Jolimont yards into Flinders Street Station brought down a signal bridge, throwing that day’s evening peak into complete chaos.

Beyond our Harris feature, we present a round-up of recent news and events from across the Victorian rail scene. Our News pages take a look at the announcement of a contract to deliver 250,000 sleepers to the Portland Line, enabling that dilapidated railway to once again support 80 km/h running of freight services, and support axle loads on loaded wagons of up to 23 tonnes. We also take a look at the ATSB report into an XPT overspeed incident on the Moonee Ponds Creek viaduct, changes to the Murray River railway bridge at Albury, and the devastation that January’s bushfires have brought to the rail trail along the former Mansfield Line.

Our Tourist and heritage rail column visits Yarra Valley Railway where rail and sleepers have recently been laid at lightning speed as that railway presses forward with its Destination: Yarra Glen project.

And our usual other columns are there:

Our February edition features a photo of R711 in brown primer as the locomotive receives its first complete repaint in 19 years. This project by our friends at Steamrail Victoria is one of the many projects that the four rail heritage groups at Newport are currently progressing, and the upcoming Newport Workshops Open Days running from 7 to 9 March offers railfans a once-in-only-two-years opportunity to visit the workshops and see the amazing work of these groups first hand. We have a guide to the event, detailing many of the attractions already confirmed for 2026.

Our News page leads with the news of the likely destruction of almost all of the historic timber bridges along the former Cudgewa Line between Bullioh and Shelley, including the spectacular 21-metre high heritage-listed Darbyshire No.2 bridge, as a result of the Walwa bushfire that rapidly spread on 9 January. Our thoughts are with the dedicated volunteers who over the last 25 years developed the rail trail that allowed rail fans and the public in general to visit and in some cases travel over these historic structures.

Our feature article is the second part of our series on the Box Hill Brickworks Siding. The term ‘siding’ doesn’t seem to do justice to what was a privately run railway that branched off the yard at Box Hill Station and continued south to the brickworks located near the corner of Elgar and Canterbury Roads. Mark’s article covers the operations of this railway during the 1920s through to its closure in the late 1930s, including the unique four-wheeled locomotive ‘Cleis’ that worked the siding. In the 1960s and 70s, this locomotive was an attraction for railfans visiting the gypsum sidings at Nowingi where the locomotive sat abandoned after its new owners discovered it routinely consumed 44 gallons (200 litres) of petrol to travel just 16 miles (26 km)! Mark’s article is authoritative, thoroughly researched, and extensively illustrated with photos, maps and plans.

For our tourist and heritage rail column, we catch up with Stuart Harrod, a fitter who has been busily working on K160’s tender. Stuart, whose experience includes working at heritage railways in the USA, UK and Denmark, was fascinated by the methods of construction evident in K160’s tender, which was originally built at a time when VR had recently embraced welding over riveting as its preferred method of construction.  Stuart shares his observations with us, along with photos that detail the extensive work undertaken in recent months.

Also in this edition are details of G Class tram testing on the Yarra Trams network, disruptions to interstate rail services brought by the derailment at Newport of train 5BM9, details of the final report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau into the 2022 Goornong level crossing crash, and a couple of quite fascinating reader responses to our recent stories on a runaway rail trolley at Traralgon and our photo feature on Spencer Street Station in 1961.

And our usual other columns are there:

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:

Once again 22RM graces our cover, as our Tourist and Heritage Rail column covers the exciting news from Yarra Valley Railway of the establishment of their mechanical branch.. With a new, modern shed having recently been built at Healesville, the railway is now turning its attention to bringing its diesel locomotives and DERM into operating service. The railway is now hiring, with paid positions, volunteer positions and apprenticeships available in the new mechanical branch.

Nick Anchen presents another excerpt from his latest book, The Art of the Engineman. This time, it’s an interview with driver Neil Tate on what many regard to be one of Victorian Railways’ finest locomotives, the L Class electrics.

Features Editor Mark Cauchi presents a fascinating article on a spectacular train crash that happened at Croydon 90 years ago, when an empty suburban train ran away and collided at speed into a stabled suburban train in a siding. Mark presents detailed reports and many photographs of the aftermath of the collision.

We have another of our Photo in Focus series, and this time Trevor Penn takes a look at a superbly detailed photograph of Spencer Street Station in 1961 and finds many items of interest.

Our News section takes a look at the new 94 Class locomotives that recently went into interstate service, even hauling The Overland on occasion. We also revisit the issue of overcrowding on some VLocity services, and take a look at the new tunnel on the Hurstbridge Line built as part of the M80 road project.

And our usual other columns are there:

Newsrail’s November 2025 edition is packed with three feature articles. Our striking cover image of a brand new X Class locomotive X39 sets the scene for our first feature, which is the recollections of engineman Fred Rochow of working on the mighty X Class steam locomotives of the VR. Fred was interviewed by Nick Anchen, and Nick has provided us with this interview as an excerpt from his new book, The Art of the Engineman.

We publish the second part in Greg Michael’s articles on the removal of level crossings on the Seymour Line. Greg starts this latest instalment with the former Swamp Road (today’s Dynon Road) crossing at North Melbourne. It is mind-boggling to consider that as late as 1886, there was a level crossing at North Melbourne Station, which even in those days had hundreds of passenger and goods trains passing through every day. Greg also looks at other more recent removals of Hume Highway crossings at places such as Tallarook and Craigieburn, all richly illustrated with historic and current-day photos.

Our third feature is a story about a mishap that occurred in 1958 on the Gippsland Line when a ganger’s trolley ran away from a works location on the Maffra Line and found its way onto the main line to Melbourne. Des Coghlan was one of the workers at the Traralgon loco depot who scrambled into action, racing out in a car to intercept the trolley and derail it before a more serious incident potentially occurred.

Our News pages this month look at the ATSB report into the recent Clifton Hill derailment, a program by the NSW Government to investigate the retention of sleeping car service on the Melbourne to Sydney route, and recent comments by Public Transport Victoria at the West of Melbourne summit held in October.

And our usual other columns are there:

Newsrail’s October 2025 edition features a blue Harris train on the cover, a perfect choice for our main feature article by Grraham Bishop on his career as a suburban train driver from the mid 1960s to early 1990s.

We went back through the files to see when we last had a Harris on the cover of Newsrail. Can you believe that prior to this month’s edition, they’ve only made the cover twice? The last was our September 1987 edition, when we featured a colour image of a refurbished grey Harris train on the Port Melbourne Line, just prior its closure and conversion to light rail. Prior to that, our November 1975 edition featured a black and white photo of a Harris passing Melbourne Underground Rail Loop works near Princes Bridge Station.

Our feature article author Graham had the most remarkable career on Victorian Railways, starting as a track repairer before becoming a locomotive fireman, then a driver, and finally a suburban electric train driver. This latest article by Graham picks up where his last article on his time as a locomotive driver left off, and as with Graham’s previous articles, it is a window back in time to a very different age. It is superbly illustrated with a range of high quality photographs from the era. Many of these images, including the striking cover photo, were taken by Graham’s fellow train driver colleague, the late Des Jowett.

Our News column leads with some analysis by our editorial team of recent boarding statistics from regional stations that suggest V/Line will probably report another reccord year for patronage when it releases its annual report later this year. While some lines have seen only modest growth, the Shepparton Line in particular has had ridership increases in the order of 50% over last finanical year.

Our popular Tourist and hertiage rail column calls in to Bellarine Railway for another update on the project to restore ASG steam locomotive G33 to operation, as well as updates on Car 19 restoration, Steam Crane 30, and a new project to restore the Malcolm Moore diesel engine originally used in the regauging and reopening of the former VR Queenscliff Line as the Bellarine Railway.

And our usual other columns are there:

Buy an individual print copy of September 2025 Newsrail here

For September, we’re heading west, all the way to Serviceton! Our cover photo, showing a brand-new C510 and its classmate readying 9194 express goods train for departure to Melbourne in 1978, perfectly transports us to the time and place for our main feature article by VR engineman Roydon Burk.

Roydon joined the Victorian Railways in 1977 and regards his days with the VR as the best of his life. We are fortunate that Roydon kept all of his work logbooks and correspondence. From these records, he is able to provide a wonderfully detailed first-hand account of his time at Serviceton in the late 1970s. It is a compelling record of life on Victorian Railways prior to the huge changes that took place in the following decade. Roydon discusses the locomotives he worked with (the then-new C Class, X Class, and Y Class all feature) remembers the local Serviceton to Horsham railcar service (nicknamed The Peanut by locals) and recounts some funny stories such as the day his uniform was ruined by a tortoise! The photography, sourced from a number of contributors, is brilliant. Roydon has provided a few cracking images that he took himself, including a couple of Australian National Railway locomotives that crashed off the end of the turning triangle at Serviceton; Roydon notes that this never happened to a VR locomotive during his time!

Our Tourist and Heritage Rail column visits the Steamrail team at the Ballarat East Depot, where a range of projects have recently been successfully completed by a very active new team of local railfans. We talk to the team about their recent restoration of water truck WT49, a vehicle that will soon be used once again to enable steam locomotive Y112 (currently under overhaul) to operate with a far greater range by nearly doubling the water capacity of its tender.

Our News section includes a story on the potential threat that the new Sunshine Station Superhub project may pose to the future for freight operations between Ballarat and Melbourne. We also look into the recent Sprinter mishap on the Seymour Line, the rise in kangaroo strikes affecting V/Line services, and the increase of service frequency on the Shepparton Line.

And our usual other columns are there:

Buy an individual print copy of August 2025 Newsrail here

Our cover photo for the August edition of Newsrail, featuring S301 Sir Thomas Mitchell awaiting departure from Albury Station with the Albury Express in September 1939, heralds our feature content on the Albury Line.

Nick Anchen has compiled an interview he had with Arthur Eaton, who supervised the Seymour Locomotive Depot during the era of the legendary S Class Pacific locomotives. Arthur grew up in a house just metres from the railway line in Seymour, and a childhood fascination with the trains that thundered past the family home soon turned into a long and successful career. Arthur remembers the various qualities and quirks of the mighty three-cylinder Pacific locomotives that epitomised the VR at its peak.

Nick also presents an interview with Frank Allen, a railwayman whose long VR career began at age 15 working in the Spirit of Progress dining car. Frank describes a typical busy day that would start with helping to load the car with food at Spencer Street Station hours before its 6.30pm  departure and catching a brief few hours sleep after the train’s arrival at Albury before presenting at 6.00am to help prepare the car for its return journey back to Melbourne, and meeting such luminaries as VR Commissioner Harold Clapp.

During July, we received the terrible news that our long-time editorial team member Greg Michael had passed away. Greg had just completed a large three-part article on level crossing removals on the North East Line, from the 1890s through to the current day. In this edition, we present the first part of Greg’s final work for Newsrail.

Our News section includes details on the final ATSB report into the 2023 level crossing collision at Geelong of a truck and train at the Barwon Terrace level crossing in Geelong, as well as coverage of the recent Clifton Hill derailment.

And our usual other columns are there: