Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc.
Issue 2 – July 2005
Editor – Rick Fletcher 6336 1787
Website:
“On Track” July 2005 – Issue 2 Page 1
Welcome to the second issue of the OTHR Newsletter. Thanks to Keith Jones and Arthur Robinson we have been able to distribute this newsletter at reduced cost as they are hand delivering issues around the Oberon town area. Keith and Arthur will also collate the mail-out envelopes – many thanks.
I will temporarily edit the newsletter until we can find a volunteer to take over the task. It is not a mammoth exercise but would require access to a computer with basic word processing software. This edition has been produced using Word™.
Membership Drive:
Our Board has decided that it would be desirable to set a short-term target of 200 members. We are half way there and encourage each of you to actively seek out new members. We have attached a spare membership form to this newsletter to help your recruitment. It is very useful to encourage prospective members to be forthright when filling-in the “expertise” section as we need a wide variety of skills.
Skills:
There is no limit to the range of skills and expertise that we can use. In the immediate future we will need labourers to work on refurbishing the line. This will vary from light duties, such as restoring a small batch of “dog spikes” to heavier work in removing and laying sleepers.
Dog spikes (as shown to the right) are used to hold the line to the sleepers. Mostly they will just need wire brushing and a coat of preservative.
We will organise teams to collect the spikes and other bits of “jewellery” (the fittings used to hold line to the sleepers). If you have a wire buff and are interested in making a start on your contribution to restoration of the line then give me a call on 6336 1787.
We will store them at a central location for collection and return.
Tracklaying Machinery:
We have written to RailCorp and to the Australian Rail Track Corporation requesting the donation of surplus sleeper and rail laying machinery such as that shown below.
Requests to ARTC now have to go through Rail Heritage Australia. We have complied with that procedure andnow we wait!
Fathers’ Day:
On Sunday September 4th, 3801 will be making a whistle stop at Tarana station. On the down journey (from Sydney) it will arrive at 11.22 and on the up, it will return at 18.36 (6.36pm).
OTHR is making a feature of this visit to celebrate 150 years of railways in NSW. We will also be fund-raising and conducting a membership drive. Fund-raising will involve selling raffle tickets, food and drinks. Your help on the day would be much appreciated so give me a call if you can help.
A big crowd is expected at the Tarana Hotel and proprietors Chris and Jenny Robbins will be participating in the organisation. Bands will be on hand to entertain the crowds and visitors are encouraged to wear period costume. Bring your camera.
Grant Applications:
We have completed the application for an Australian Tourism Development Grant for the total sum of $200,000. This for the section we are calling Stage 1 – between Oberon and Hazelgrove. It is to be a shared project between Rail, Walking & Cycling. The grant required the guarantee of $100,000 of the amount provided in cash. It is pleasing to report that the Oberon Council has made that guarantee to the sum of $50,000 per year for the 2 years of the project. Our chance of getting the grant is far from certain but we would definitely have no chance without applying.
If we succeed in getting the grant, $100,000 will be allocated to OTHR and will be used predominantly in re-sleepering the section. The grant does not cover road crossings and they are a separate issue to be resolved by joint co-operation between Council, local industry, OTHR and other interested parties.
An additional Grant is being sought for rehabilitation of the Carlwood Station area.
Considerable damage has been caused by off-road motor cycles using the area. This work will involve levelling the site to its original profile, stabilising banks, re-seeding native grasses and vegetation and fencing the area. The Central West Catchment Management Authority is being approached to fund the fencing and seeding. Once again, Council has come to the party by offering machinery to re-profile the site and restore drainage patterns.
OTHR plans to reconstruct replica stations at Carlwood and Hazelgrove so that we may see the original type buildings as depicted below.
Pleas for Equipment:
So far, our requests to other heritage groups and to the Rail authorities for materials and rolling stock for construction purposes havelargely fallen on deaf ears. With one exception – 3801 Ltd has very kindly offered us some ballast wagons and we need to consider how to pick one up and then how to propel it on the track.
It is annoying to be notified about used mainline railway material which we cannot seem to get our hands on. It is not in service or has been taken out of service and is “lying about” yet there seems to be no mechanism for Heritage groups to gain access to this material. I receive regular updates of what I call the “Monk Report” (some will know why it is so-called!) which includes the location of “S” trucks, brake vans, rail, dog spikes, fishplates, sleepers etc. Requests for access to this material then goes through Rail Heritage Australia. If anybody sees this material up for tender or auction or, better still, if you “know somebody” please let us know.
President Shane Moorhead and Track Mgr. Matt McMahon observed and photographedsome of the heritage rolling stock held by the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum on a recent visit up north. It is heartbreaking to see carriages which are rotting away and being destroyed by vandals.
Such valuable items should be conserved and if they can’t be, then why not re-distribute them to another heritage group so that they can be restored?
Heritage Policy:
By the time you read this your Board will have met to formulate a draft policy regarding restoration of heritage items. The issues we are concerned about relate to the methods and materials used to rebuild the infrastructure. The trestle bridges are a good example – they certainly have heritage value but if we can’t get appropriate timber sections, is it acceptable to use other materials? The vertical piles would be a case in point. It may be more sensible to replace them with reinforced concrete piles which would have a similar appearance on all but the closest inspection.
Should the replacement sleepers be timber as per the original? It is more than likely that we can’t get the same quality species. Should we use steel sleepers at random intervals to help hold the line in gauge? What is the situation with regard to concrete sleepers? (other than the fact that they are too heavy at 300kg and need about 6 persons to handle each one).
We also need to consider the type of rolling stock and locomotives to be used. Already we have suggested use of a timber bodied CPH rail motor. These never ran on the line. However we can’t afford the $2 million + restoration cost for a steam locomotive and there are few suitable types (in fact only 2 that ran on the line). A rail motor would be easy to maintain and quick to get into service.
These are the types of questions we need to face and a realistic policy is needed to keep the line looking like it was in its heyday but able to be run in a meaningful way.
Meetings:
1st Wednesday of the Month 7.30pm
Hazelgrove Ph - 6336 1787
Coach Trip:
On the Fathers’ Day weekend “150 Years” celebration, we will be running a coach trip for members and the public from Oberon to Tarana to coincide with the arrival of 3801. The trip will be a guided tour of the railway line and will pause to view features you may not have noticed. We will include the stations at Hazelgrove and Carlwood (weather permitting) and provide a commentary on the history of the line.
The cost for the return trip will be $10 per head with funds raised going to preservation of the line. Seating will be limited and is being offered first to members and their guests and then to the public (on a first-in first-served basis). The coach will leave from the vicinity of Thrifty Link Hardware in the main street at 9.30am. Travelling by coach will enable you to enjoy the celebrations at Tarana without worrying about driving.The coach will return after lunch.
Thanks go to Kellam’s Coaches and Peter Culley for providing this service.
TaranaValley Tour:
We have generated a self-guided tour of the TaranaValley with an emphasis on the railway features observed during the trip.
Member Aiden Clark, proprietor of the JenolanCaravanPark in Oberon, and other members will test run the draft version for errors. The tour proceeds via Oberon Station, the stock yards, Hazelgrove Station, Carlwood Station, Tarana, Sodwalls, Lake Lyell, Bowenfells, McKanes’ Bridge, Hampton & return. Options allow an early return via Hazelgrove Rd, trips into Lithgow and eventually a big loop via the Zig Zag Railway.
We will make the file available on the website so that it can be downloaded. Printed versions will also be available – perhaps at the Tourist Centre.
Historic Photos:
If you have any access to historic photos of the line we would be grateful for access to them for scanning, preserving and presentation on the web and in the paper.
“On Track” July 2005 – Issue 2 Page 1