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Puffing Billy Railway
Puffing Billy Railway is a volunteer operated 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge heritage railway in the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, Australia. The railway was one of the five narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways which opened around the beginning of the 20th century. Situated near the city of Melbourne it is one of the most popular steam heritage railways in the world, attracting tourists locally and overseas.
Opened in 1900, the railway branched off the broad gauge network at Upper Ferntree Gully winding its way through the Dandenong Ranges and ending in the township of Gembrook, passing through stops such as Upwey, Tecoma, Belgrave, Emerald and Cockatoo on the way. Puffing Billy now operates between Belgrave & Gembrook, offering various tourist experiences related to the train and local area. The railway is popularly known for its open air carriages that allow passengers to sit on the side and dangle their legs off the moving train, a tradition that has existed since the introduction of the open air "NBH" carriages in the 1920s.
The original line was opened in 1900 with the intention of serving timber traffic out of Gembrook as well as local farming produce along the whole route of the line and to serve the Nobelius nursery & orchard. Holiday goers heading to Belgrave also became a massive draw card in the 1920s for passenger traffic. The railway had attracted a number of. The railway was popular with locals living in the area throughout its operational history as public transport and services never ceased although they reduced with the end of world war 2 and dwindled in the early 1950s reduced to 1 train a week and a road motor service. Operations stopped in 1953 after a landslide blocked the line between Selby and Menzies Creek, and it was formally closed in 1954. with the Victorian Railways not deeming the endeavour financially viable to reopen as the railway had not made a single profit since its opening in 1900.
Following closure, a few farewell specials operated on the remaining usable section to Belgrave, and these proved very popular. On 1 October 1955, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed to keep the railway running indefinitely. They operated trains to Belgrave until 1958 when services again ceased for conversion to a broad-gauge, electrified suburban line. The society started work on restoring the Belgrave to Lakeside section. Rover Scouts attending the 7th World Rover Moot held at Wonga Park assisted in the clearing of the line between Belgrave and Menzies Creek as part of the event's community service component. On 28 July 1962 trains resumed running between Belgrave and Menzies Creek.
Operations were extended over the remainder of the original line, opening to Emerald on 31 July 1965 and Lakeside on 18 October 1975 before reaching Gembrook, which was opened on 18 October 1998. The first trains to Gembrook carried children from the primary schools along the Belgrave–Gembrook corridor, two of which directly adjoin the railway and the remainder not more than a street away.
The railway operates daily (except for Christmas day and adverse weather days) Its infrastructure is restored and recreated to reflect the heyday of the line between 1900 and 1930, and is operated with some of the railway practices from the Victorian Railways of that era, such as using the "Staff and Ticket" safeworking system. In the 2016/17 financial year, Puffing Billy carried 487,237 passengers, up more than 60,000 from the previous financial year.[citation needed]
When the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed in 1955, the line was still under the control and ownership of the Victorian Railways (V.R.). The society arranged for the V.R. to run the train on weekends and holidays, with the Society guaranteeing the V.R. against losses from insufficient ticket sales. Society volunteers took the role of conductors, checking tickets on the train, and fund-raising. That arrangement continued until the Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section of the line was closed in 1958.
When the line reopened in 1962, between Belgrave and Menzies Creek, society volunteers took a larger role, staffing stations, selling and checking tickets, doing non-safety-critical maintenance on the train, and track maintenance under the supervision of a V.R. ganger. Ticket revenue went into an account on which the V.R. drew to pay its staff involved in running the line.
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Puffing Billy Railway
Puffing Billy Railway is a volunteer operated 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge heritage railway in the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, Australia. The railway was one of the five narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways which opened around the beginning of the 20th century. Situated near the city of Melbourne it is one of the most popular steam heritage railways in the world, attracting tourists locally and overseas.
Opened in 1900, the railway branched off the broad gauge network at Upper Ferntree Gully winding its way through the Dandenong Ranges and ending in the township of Gembrook, passing through stops such as Upwey, Tecoma, Belgrave, Emerald and Cockatoo on the way. Puffing Billy now operates between Belgrave & Gembrook, offering various tourist experiences related to the train and local area. The railway is popularly known for its open air carriages that allow passengers to sit on the side and dangle their legs off the moving train, a tradition that has existed since the introduction of the open air "NBH" carriages in the 1920s.
The original line was opened in 1900 with the intention of serving timber traffic out of Gembrook as well as local farming produce along the whole route of the line and to serve the Nobelius nursery & orchard. Holiday goers heading to Belgrave also became a massive draw card in the 1920s for passenger traffic. The railway had attracted a number of. The railway was popular with locals living in the area throughout its operational history as public transport and services never ceased although they reduced with the end of world war 2 and dwindled in the early 1950s reduced to 1 train a week and a road motor service. Operations stopped in 1953 after a landslide blocked the line between Selby and Menzies Creek, and it was formally closed in 1954. with the Victorian Railways not deeming the endeavour financially viable to reopen as the railway had not made a single profit since its opening in 1900.
Following closure, a few farewell specials operated on the remaining usable section to Belgrave, and these proved very popular. On 1 October 1955, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed to keep the railway running indefinitely. They operated trains to Belgrave until 1958 when services again ceased for conversion to a broad-gauge, electrified suburban line. The society started work on restoring the Belgrave to Lakeside section. Rover Scouts attending the 7th World Rover Moot held at Wonga Park assisted in the clearing of the line between Belgrave and Menzies Creek as part of the event's community service component. On 28 July 1962 trains resumed running between Belgrave and Menzies Creek.
Operations were extended over the remainder of the original line, opening to Emerald on 31 July 1965 and Lakeside on 18 October 1975 before reaching Gembrook, which was opened on 18 October 1998. The first trains to Gembrook carried children from the primary schools along the Belgrave–Gembrook corridor, two of which directly adjoin the railway and the remainder not more than a street away.
The railway operates daily (except for Christmas day and adverse weather days) Its infrastructure is restored and recreated to reflect the heyday of the line between 1900 and 1930, and is operated with some of the railway practices from the Victorian Railways of that era, such as using the "Staff and Ticket" safeworking system. In the 2016/17 financial year, Puffing Billy carried 487,237 passengers, up more than 60,000 from the previous financial year.[citation needed]
When the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed in 1955, the line was still under the control and ownership of the Victorian Railways (V.R.). The society arranged for the V.R. to run the train on weekends and holidays, with the Society guaranteeing the V.R. against losses from insufficient ticket sales. Society volunteers took the role of conductors, checking tickets on the train, and fund-raising. That arrangement continued until the Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section of the line was closed in 1958.
When the line reopened in 1962, between Belgrave and Menzies Creek, society volunteers took a larger role, staffing stations, selling and checking tickets, doing non-safety-critical maintenance on the train, and track maintenance under the supervision of a V.R. ganger. Ticket revenue went into an account on which the V.R. drew to pay its staff involved in running the line.