South Gippsland Railway

South Gippsland Railway
Line details
Completed	1891
Closed	14 December 1994
Reopened	15 December 1994
Stations	Leongatha to Nyora
Type	Tourist
Rail transport in Victoria
Closed railways

The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes. Trains operate on Sundays and public holidays (except Good Friday and Christmas Day), and also on Wednesdays during Victorian school holidays. The line passes through the rolling Strzelecki Ranges and lush dairy farmland.

History

The South Gippsland line was opened from Dandenong to Cranbourne in 1888 and extended to Koo Wee Rup, Nyora and Loch in 1890, Korumburra and Leongatha in 1891. The section from Lang Lang to Leongatha was transferred to the South Gippsland Railway in 1994. Freight trains continued to use the line from Dandenong as far as Koala Siding near Nyora until 1998.^[1]

Projects

Station works are in progress at both Nyora and Korumburra stations. Korumburra works include the establishment of works sheds and locomotive and rollingstock stabling sheds. The work commenced in February 2009, and was scheduled to be completed by 30 June.^[2]

Nyora works include the repairs to the station building, including repair of internal and external wall cladding, establishment of a new Safeworking Office and public space/meeting facilities in the main room of the station.

Rollingstock refurbishment projects include two ABU First/Second class corridor compartment carriages #32 and #40 being transferred to the railway,^[2] and cleaning up and repainting to original colours of various goods wagons.

On 15 June 2010 railmotor 61RM arrived. This unit is owned by Victorian Goldfields Railway and is on a long term loan to the South Gippsland Railway for use on its services. The 61RM was supplied with a motor unit that was well overdue for refurbishment. The motor unit was not suited to the gradients and hills on the South Gippsland Railway line, and has been since withdrawn from service pending a major reconditioning and mechanical overhaul.

Steam locomotive K 190 was on loan to the railway during the summer of 1995–1996, and repainted the engine and tender a more noticeable green. She was once again returned for service with the SGTR during the summer of 1996–1997. The locomotive was withdrawn by its owner, Steamrail Victoria, just prior to the permanent line closure between Nyora and Cranbourne. This section of rail has now been partially dismantled, and due to no maintenance is unable to carry rail vehicles without full repairs and in some areas complete replacement of rails and embankments. The SGR is now on a "landlocked" line, no longer able to connect with the Greater Melbourne network.

Future projects also include possibly restoring/reserving the line north of Nyora to Cranbourne, which is the current suburban limit for Metro trains. While the line between Cranbourne and Nyora is unused, obstacles to the development of the whole line include toilet blocks built over the line at the Koo Wee Rup Bus Interchange, and unstable bridges in some locations. After research into the viability of restoration, the line between Nyora and Lang Lang (15 km) is the easiest section to restore, and discussions continue with regard to this project concept and its associated costs.

Rollingstock

South Gippsland Railway has a collection of ex Victorian and South Australian passenger rollingstock.

·Y 135 Shunting/Branchline Diesel Locomotive (In Service)

·RM 55 Diesel Electric Rail Motor (Under Restoration, Completion 2015)

·RM 61 Diesel Electric Rail Motor (Engine Repairs, Transfer to Maldon 2015)

·RM 402 South Australian Rail Motor (In Service)

·RM 311 South Australian Rail Motor (In Service)

·17 CW Passenger Guards/Mail Van (In Service)

·63 ABW First/Second Class Passenger Car (In Service)

·32 ABU First/Second Class Passenger Car (Under Restoration, Completion 2015)

·40 ABU First/Second Class Passenger Car (Under Restoration, Completion 2015)

·34 BE Second Class Air Conditioned Pass Car (In Service)

·19 BE Second Class Air Conditioned Pass Car (Stored Pending Restoration)

·36 BE Second Class Passenger Car (Stored Pending Restoration)

·200 MT Railmotor Trailer (In Service)

·24 ZF Freight Guards Van (In Service)

·40 C Passenger Guards Van (Stored Pending Restoration)

·SGR also has a varied collection of freight rollingstock in service or awaiting restoration.

Regular train services

Regular weekend train services are provided by three train types. These are:

• V.R. Y class locomotive 135, which can haul up to two or three passenger carriages and goods rolling stock.
• V.R. Railmotors RM55 and RM61.
• S.A.R. Rail Motor "Red Hen" as 1 or two car sets.
• S.G.R. also own a V.R. T Class diesel locomotive number 342. It was leased out to the Australian freight operator El Zorro. T342 is currently stored at Seymour pending restoration and eventual return to the railway.

The services are operated on Sundays, whilst during school holiday periods, services are operated on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Special trains and charters

South Gippsland Railways operate regular Sunday trains on the complete Lenogatha to Nyora section. In addition, a number of "special" trains are operated by the railway.

These include the Dinner Train, a service providing in-train hospitality, beverages and snacks, with a barbecue-style evening dinner at Korumburra Station. This services run approximately every two months.

Another special service is the Murder Mystery Train—by group booking only—where an entertainer/host and passengers, participate in character costume.

Stations

South Gippsland Railway
Legend Line to Dandenong, closed from Nyora to Cranbourne 90.507km Nyora former Wonthaggi line, closed 1978 95.041km Loch Jeetho 105.792km Bena Whitelaw 111.896km Korumburra former Outtrim line, last section closed 1953 116.339km Kardella 121.510km Ruby 126.735km Leongatha former line to Yarram and Barry Beach, last section closed 1992

See also

• Welcome to the South Gippsland Railway - Website
• Tourist and Heritage Railways Act

References

External links

• South Gippsland Railway - (official site)

Railway lines in Victoria Main lines Bendigo Mildura North East (Melbourne–Sydney) Orbost Portland Serviceton South Gippsland Tocumwal Warrnambool Western SG (Melbourne–Adelaide) Branch lines Alexandra Alvie Balranald Bolangum Briagolong Bright Buninyong Carpolac Casterton Cobram Cohuna Coleraine Cudgewa Daylesford Deniliquin Forrest Grampians Heathcote Kulwin Lancefield Maffra Mansfield Mortlake Mirboo North Navarre Noojee Oaklands Outtrim Patchewollock Peechelba East Piangil Picola Portland Redesdale Red Hill Robinvale Skipton Strzelecki Stony Crossing Tatong Thorpdale Timboon Wahgunyah Waubra Wedderburn Wonthaggi Woodside Yackandandah Yallourn lines Yanac Yaapeet Narrow gauge branch lines Whitfield Gembrook Crowes Walhalla Cross Country lines Avoca Geelong–Ballarat Eaglehawk–Inglewood Moolort Toolamba–Echuca V/Line services Geelong Warrnambool Ballarat Maryborough Ararat Bendigo Swan Hill Echuca Seymour Shepparton Albury Traralgon Bairnsdale Melbourne Suburban services (current) City Loop Williamstown Werribee Sunbury Flemington Racecourse Craigieburn Upfield South Morang Hurstbridge Lilydale Belgrave Alamein Glen Waverley Pakenham Cranbourne Frankston Stony Point (unelectrified) Sandringham Former lines Inner Circle Outer Circle Rosstown Railway St Kilda - Windsor Spring Vale Cemetery Mont Park Kew Red Hill Whittlesea Warburton Mornington Healesville St Kilda Port Melbourne Goods lines Newport-Sunshine Albion-Jacana South Kensington-West Footscray Tourist railways Bellarine Peninsula Railway Daylesford Spa Country Railway Mornington Railway Puffing Billy Railway South Gippsland Railway Victorian Goldfields Railway Walhalla Goldfields Railway Yarra Valley Railway

Coordinates: 38°25′19″S 145°47′40″E / 38.42194°S 145.79444°E / -38.42194; 145.79444