Hello Brad,

I must congratulate you on asking this question. The responses to date
have been extremely interesting and will provide a lot of useful
information for the LRRSA Council and other Office Bearers when we
look at stategies for the Society's long term survival at a conference
probably later this year.

How did I come to join the LRRSA? The easy way to answer is to quote
from "Five to 500", the LRRSA's twenty-fifth anniversary book (and
looking at this it has just dawned on me that the LRRSA is 48 years
old today!):


"[In] May 1958 ... I made my first visits to Powelltown, where I found
that very little had changed from the days when the tramway ran.

"In January 1961 I again visited Powelltown, with the specific
intention of measuring and photographing rolling stock and buildings.
Unfortunately almost everything I went to see had been cleared away,
the old offices, rolling stock, and much of the trackwork. Devastating
disappointment!

"On reporting this discovery to four fellow railway-enthusiasts at
Camberwell High School (Robin Fellows, Geoff Gardner, Ross Murray, and
Sandy Stewart) we resolved that something should be done to attempt to
record the history of Victoria's timber tramways in particular, and
its light railways in general.

"So, on about 17 February 1961 we formed the Victorian Light Railway
Research Society, with an annual subscription rate of five shillings
(50c), the intention to publish a quarterly journal, and the hope of
attracting more members.

"At this time there were many school railway clubs in Melbourne, and
the VLRRS was then virtually an unofficial Camberwell High School
railway club. Being unofficial had the advantage that the Society was
free to accept any members, and the executive could remain in power
and keep the organization going after they had left school. As the
Society was concentrating on a specialist subject which at that time
was not being actively pursued by other organizations, it had the
potential for growth."

The reason there was a three year break between my first (two) visits
to Powelltown in 1958 and my next visit in 1961 was not lack of
interest, but lack of public transport to Powelltown, so I had to rely
on others to get there. The tramways near Warburton were so much more
accessible, since they could be reached by an absolutely delightful
train trip.

Regards,

Frank



--- In LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au, BLI BLI <alcogoodwin@...> wrote:

Howdee,
This is a question borne out of our recent lively debate on

the group.

How did you come to join the LRRSA in the first place?

For me it occured around 1993-4 after a visit, not surprisingly,

to Moreton Mill. It was the first time I ever saw sugarcane railways
and started a yearly obsession with that mill for me.

At the time I was unaware of the LRRSA.
I sent some photos to a couple of magazines, including Continental

Modeller in the UK. My friend Andrew, editor of CM, who told me about
the association after I mentioned a lack of information on them.

I subsequently joined and have remained a member ever since.

Whats your story?

Cheers
Brad

Dear Brad,



I officially joined the LRRSA at the 8th Australian Narrow Gauge
Convention, Melbourne, Easter '07.



Prior to this, I had been involved in researching and modelling East
Coast Australian and US logging operations,

and had selectively obtained various LR issues via Train Shows and
Newsagents if the content was pertinent/relevant to my preferred field
of interest.



From 2001, I "got serious" and made concerted efforts to "get into the
bush" in Vic and NSW.

These missions resulted in meeting and learning from a number of LRRSA
logging luminaries,

inc Peter Evans, who strongly encouraged me to join :-)

(Peter is nothing if not a "Straight Shooter" :-) ).



I have had stints with various NSW-based NG preservation groups, but
there are few that are aligned with period timber tramways...

(I recall with the humor of hindsight, standing amongst a group of
Preservation bods,

and being the only one to put my hand up when "logging tramways" were
mentioned...)



Ergo, I therefore spend the majority of my efforts connecting with other
"loggers",

and using hi-resolution photo-accurate scale-modelling to bring "Light
Railways",
(and particularly the logging tramways which played significant parts in
the development of Eastern Australia),

Into the "public eye"...



Happy Researching,

(and Modelling),

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

I get lost without some overall maps showing the various lines mentioned in articles in context.

Perhaps some proper track maps of these lines could be done and published.

David in Avenel.

John Dennis wrote:

Goodness me, some years ago, & I forget how many, I had a quick look at the Light Railway's publication in a newsagency, whilst the proprietor wasn't looking.

It looked interesting to me, and being a railway aficionado, I purchased it, and found it to be an excellent publication of a little known facet of railways. Bought a couple more copies and then joined. Have been a member since.

Dick
Broken Hill

I have had a love of all things railways for as long as I can
remember. I first started buying Light Railways when I saw it in the
local (Yass) newsagent. I think I bought all of two issues before I
decided to join the LRRSA.

I find Light Railways to be a great resouce for finding out about
railways that supported industries in areas that I did not know
existed. The recent article on the railways that existed around
Mollymook & Lake Conjola being a classic example.

I visited Cobar a couple of years ago & was able to relate to the
remains of the Great Cobar Mine. This had been well documented over
a number of issues.

The Heritage section is another area I find interesting as I often
plan trips based on some of these operations. I contribute to this
section myself as well as having put in a letter about the Fordson
Tractor loco at Burrinjuck. I do this as I find I get a lot from
what others have done in a similar way & I hope that others learn
from my contributions. If it wasn't for our contribution Light
Railways would not be the great magazine that it is.

I find the forum a great place to find out more about lines that I
know very little about. Thanks to the help of others I have found
out a great deal about the Kerang to Kondrook Tramway, The Rottnest
Island lines & the Bennett Brook Light Railway.

We have a lot of members of the LRRSA who have a wealth of
knowledge. To them I thank you for sharing that knowledge with the
rest of us.

Regards
Alf

David,

I believe that the TACL now at Puffing Billy was still at Erica until at
least late 1969.

Not long after I got my first car in mid '69 (A Mini Cooper), two
friends and I travelled to Walhalla, stopping off at Erica to look at
the sawmill.

I photographed the remaining NQRs and the TACL at the time.

Regards,

Bill Hanks



From: LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au] On
Behalf Of Marie and David Lowe
Sent: Monday, 16 February 2009 3:35 PM
To: LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au
Subject: [LRRSA] TACL tractors of the Tyers Valley Tramway



Trying to sort out which TACL tractor is preserved at Puffing Billy.
In 'A Day in the Life of G42' pages 18 and 19, The Climax is pictured
with a somewhat dilapidated TACL tractor.
Is this the one that is now restored, or is it the other mentioned on
p19 that was still in active service at the mill in the early 60's.
I have LR168 Dec. 2002 regarding the launch of the restored TACL (great
article) and note from 'On this Day ' site that it arrived at Emerald in
December 1974.
However it was not moved with the Climax as that occurred on Wed 5th May
1965.
And if it is not the one still in active service in the early 60's where
is it now?
It would be great to find out.
David.

Make Yahoo!7 your homepage and win a trip to the Quiksilver Pro. Find
out more

Hi all,

I need some help.

As I understand steam engines, (Peter Evans being my tutor), there are
different kinds of throttles. Some pivot and some have a push pull
arrangement.

Can anyone tell me what type of throttle was most likely used on:
1. Tyers Valley Harman Loco?
2. Ezard's hybrid loco, the boiler is most likely from a 50hp 0-4-0
O&K?

Or even more preferably, has anyone got photos of the backhead of the
above locos?


Regards
Rod Hutchinson

Email sent to LRRSA and Ausnarrowgauge

Timber tramways, timber tramways and more timber tramways.



Cheers,

PeterE.



Peter Evans

Production Management, Corporate Writing and Heritage Services

0407 537 837

www.peterevans.com.au <http://www.peterevans.com.au/>

peter@peterevans.com.au



P please consider the environment before printing.
This electronic mail contains information that is privileged and
confidential, intended only for use of the individual(s) or entity named. If
you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, copying or use of the
information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission
in error please delete it immediately from your system and inform me by
return email and destroy the original message

Sadly, I learned last night that one of the tramway bridges has been burned
- which one and how badly I do not know. The sawmill at Royston (restored
some years ago by ATT volunteers) as apparently OK. I believe the power
generation infrastructure (which is on the Victorian Heritage Register) is
OK.



PeterE.



Peter Evans

Production Management, Corporate Writing and Heritage Services

0407 537 837

www.peterevans.com.au <http://www.peterevans.com.au/>

peter@peterevans.com.au

Eddie,
The section of track going over the Mirani bridge, was formerly QR, but all of the other lines in the for videos is mill track, if you note the dog leg in the track going through Mirani township, this is where the track changes from QR alignment back to mill track, where I blow the horn at the level crossing before the bridge is where the mill track originally joined the QR line.
Cheers
Brian Millar
Qld. Aust.

Brian Millar wrote:

If you like Brad, next season I'll try to take notes on different runs and write up the happenings on a typical shift, I can't remember If I posted this link on here, but for those that are interested, the link below will give you 4 videos of a cab ride in Gargett loco, hauling 218 bins [62 x 6t./156 x 4t.].
<http://www.youtube.com/user/rallim56?gl=AU&;hl=en-GB>

Thank you! Most instructive.

Is this one of the lines that was originally a QR line (regauged)?

I wonder if anyone knows whether the fires in the area have consumed
any parts of the Rubicon Tramway tramway or the haulage.
When I last walked in the area from Royston PS to Rubicon PS along the
aqueduct and down the haulage, I noted that the transporter car seemed
to be vulnerable in the extreme to weather or anything worse and was
clearly not being maintained at all. The small loco shed adjacent to
Royston Power Station was leaning further over and the loco inside
could be clearly seen - (but that was three years ago).

Perhaps Peter Evans, with his local contacts may be able to find out
what the status is now. I realise it will be some time before the
road closures are lifted due to the danger of falling trees.


JohnM.

John,



The current issue of Railway Digest has an interesting operational article
with many illustrations in the field.



Bruce



From: LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au] On Behalf
Of John Dennis
Sent: Monday, 16 February 2009 9:07 PM
To: LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au
Subject: Re: [LRRSA] How Did You Come To Join The LRRSA?



On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:24:38 +1100, Eddie Oliver
<eoliver@iprimus.com.au <mailto:eoliver%40iprimus.com.au> > wrote:

John Dennis wrote:

I'm interested, Eddie, in your dislike of the Sugar Cane.

I don't dislike, I just see nothing interesting, with the exception of
the very occasional description of the lines themselves (eg some good
articles by Rod Milne).

Ah, I see. I can't help with an article on their operations, but have
thoroughly enjoyed my handful of visits to the cane fields, the odd
cab ride, and listening to the chatter on the scanner. I agree, an
article on the operational aspect of the cane railways would be very
valuable and enjoyable.

John
==========================================================
John Dennis jdennis@optusnet.com.au <mailto:jdennis%40optusnet.com.au>
Melbourne,Australia Home of the HOn30 Dutton Bay Tramway
and the Australian Narrow Gauge Web-Exhibition Gallery
Dutton Bay URL: http://members.optusnet.com.au/duttonbay
WebX http://members.optusnet.com.au/jdennis/ng_webex.html



No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.10.24/1954 - Release Date: 02/15/09
18:09:00

If you like Brad, next season I'll try to take notes on different runs and write up the happenings on a typical shift, I can't remember If I posted this link on here, but for those that are interested, the link below will give you 4 videos of a cab ride in Gargett loco, hauling 218 bins [62 x 6t./156 x 4t.].
<http://www.youtube.com/user/rallim56?gl=AU&;hl=en-GB>
Cheers
Brian Millar
Qld. Aust.

On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:24:38 +1100, Eddie Oliver
<eoliver@iprimus.com.au> wrote:

John Dennis wrote:

I'm interested, Eddie, in your dislike of the Sugar Cane.

I don't dislike, I just see nothing interesting, with the exception of
the very occasional description of the lines themselves (eg some good
articles by Rod Milne).

Ah, I see. I can't help with an article on their operations, but have
thoroughly enjoyed my handful of visits to the cane fields, the odd
cab ride, and listening to the chatter on the scanner. I agree, an
article on the operational aspect of the cane railways would be very
valuable and enjoyable.

John
==========================================================
John Dennis jdennis@optusnet.com.au
Melbourne,Australia Home of the HOn30 Dutton Bay Tramway
and the Australian Narrow Gauge Web-Exhibition Gallery
Dutton Bay URL: http://members.optusnet.com.au/duttonbay
WebX http://members.optusnet.com.au/jdennis/ng_webex.html

Probably I would indeed become interested if the write-ups of them

dealt

more with how they are operated and controlled, rather than the

apparent

concentration on which loco has pink polka dots and heliotrope stripes
and how many spots of rust it has.>>>>

Howdee,
Think I have to partially agree with Eddie on this occasion.

As a locomotive record keeper I do enjoy finding out which locos
have pink polka dots and heliotrope stripes, although I found keeping
up with the rust spots a little hard to do.
If I have one complaint, I feel there is not enough attention paid
to amounts of road grime on locomotives.

However I greatly enjoy any articles written by people who work on
them, either in a driver or other capacity. These give a great view of
how things operate.
I think there was a particularly good one in LR covering a night
drive on the South Johnstone system some time back. Hope it was LR ;-)
It would certainly be great to see more employees writing about
their jobs. Burt then again this may be frowned on in this day and age
by their respective employers.

As mentioned, Rod Milne's articles are ones I constantly enjoy, even
the ones away from industrial type operation.

Brad

John Dennis wrote:

I'm interested, Eddie, in your dislike of the Sugar Cane.

I don't dislike, I just see nothing interesting, with the exception of the very occasional description of the lines themselves (eg some good articles by Rod Milne).

I think they
are fascinating, and the way they are operated and controlled is even
more fascinating. I would have thought they they would have
interested you for that reason alone.

Probably I would indeed become interested if the write-ups of them dealt more with how they are operated and controlled, rather than the apparent concentration on which loco has pink polka dots and heliotrope stripes and how many spots of rust it has.

To me that is like the obsession in other groups with matters like which NR class worked which train through Woop Woop West. I just don't understand why that is interesting, let alone important, unless there is some underlying operational issue. But I would welcome gaining such understanding - can anyone help me?

My presence here is not 100%, as it happens. While I am a member of
the newsgroup, I have yet to join the organisation.

This is probably because when I did join the newsgroup, funds were
very tight here - a situation which has improved for the better, since
becoming a CityRail jackaroo :-p

So I had better stop procrastinating already.............

Cheerz

halfpilotstaff



--- In LRRSA@yahoogroups.com.au, BLI BLI <alcogoodwin@...> wrote:

Howdee,
This is a question borne out of our recent lively debate on

the group.

How did you come to join the LRRSA in the first place?

For me it occured around 1993-4 after a visit, not surprisingly,

to Moreton Mill. It was the first time I ever saw sugarcane railways
and started a yearly obsession with that mill for me.

At the time I was unaware of the LRRSA.
I sent some photos to a couple of magazines, including Continental

Modeller in the UK. My friend Andrew, editor of CM, who told me about
the association after I mentioned a lack of information on them.

I subsequently joined and have remained a member ever since.

Whats your story?

Cheers
Brad




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I joined at the 3rd Australian Narrow Gauge Convention, after having
bought Light Railways for a number of years, and deciding that joining
the organization behind the magazine must be a good thing to do. I
have certainly never regretted my decision.

I'm interested, Eddie, in your dislike of the Sugar Cane. I think they
are fascinating, and the way they are operated and controlled is even
more fascinating. I would have thought they they would have
interested you for that reason alone.

John

On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:54:51 +1100, Eddie Oliver
<eoliver@iprimus.com.au> wrote:

BLI BLI wrote:

Howdee,
This is a question borne out of our recent lively debate on the group.

How did you come to join the LRRSA in the first place?

I have been a member since time immemorial, in the era when it was
little more than a Victorian-based setup. I wanted to advance my
knowledge of anything to do with railway operations and abandoned lines,
whether "light" or otherwise. It was and still is the emphasis on the
actual railways (in the operational and infrastructure senses) that
appealed to me.

However sugar cane operations would rank at the bottom of my railway
interests, and I would never have joined the LRRSA if it had a cane
emphasis, nor even if it had any greater emphasis on locomotives and
rolling stock. If someone had Little Yarra hauling a cane train, I would
have disappeared rapidly.

==========================================================
John Dennis jdennis@optusnet.com.au
Melbourne,Australia Home of the HOn30 Dutton Bay Tramway
and the Australian Narrow Gauge Web-Exhibition Gallery
Dutton Bay URL: http://members.optusnet.com.au/duttonbay
WebX http://members.optusnet.com.au/jdennis/ng_webex.html

BLI BLI wrote:

Howdee,
This is a question borne out of our recent lively debate on the group.
How did you come to join the LRRSA in the first place?

I have been a member since time immemorial, in the era when it was little more than a Victorian-based setup. I wanted to advance my knowledge of anything to do with railway operations and abandoned lines, whether "light" or otherwise. It was and still is the emphasis on the actual railways (in the operational and infrastructure senses) that appealed to me.

However sugar cane operations would rank at the bottom of my railway interests, and I would never have joined the LRRSA if it had a cane emphasis, nor even if it had any greater emphasis on locomotives and rolling stock. If someone had Little Yarra hauling a cane train, I would have disappeared rapidly.