Puffing Billy Railway

The Puffing Billy Railway is a 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. It is close to the city of Melbourne and is one of the most popular steam heritage railways in the world,[1] attracting tourists from Australia and overseas. The railway aims to preserve and restore the line as near as possible to how it was in the first three decades of its existence, but with particular emphasis on the early 1920s.

For other uses, see Puffing Billy (disambiguation).

Puffing Billy Railway
Victorian Railways NA class 6A at Belgrave station in 2002
Overview
LocaleMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Termini
Connecting linesBelgrave line
Former connectionsUpper Ferntree Gully line
Stations11
Websitepuffingbilly.com.au
Service
TypeHeritage Railway
SystemPuffing Billy Railway
Services3 to 6 services daily (except Christmas Day)
Rolling stockVictorian Railways narrow gauge
History
Commenced1899
Opened1900
Completed1900
Closed1954
Reopenedfrom 1962 in stages
Technical
Line length25.1 km (15.6 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
Track gauge2 ft 6 in (762 mm)

The primary starting point is Belgrave station which houses the railway's operations and administration centre. The line runs through Lakeside Station where a visitor information centre provides catering and an indoor interpretive space.[2] The south-eastern terminus is Gembrook railway station. In 2022 the railway also returned the traditional Puffing Billy Railway dangling of legs[3] from the train carriages which is a core part of the charm of the railway.

History
Locomotive 12A on the famous Monbulk creek trestle bridge near Belgrave.

The original line was opened in 1900 to serve the local farming and timber community. It ran from Upper Ferntree Gully station, the terminus of the broad gauge line from Melbourne. The section of the line from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne suburban electric trains, which was rebuilt to 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge between 1958 and 1962.[4]

The railway had attracted a number of colloquial names locally before Puffing Billy became the dominant one. Services stopped in 1953 after a landslide blocked the line between Selby and Menzies Creek, and it was formally closed in 1954.[5] At the end of 1954, the Victorian Railways sought to minimise their financial risks if the railway was to reopen. Harold L. Hewett, a teacher at Melbourne Grammar School, organised a rally attended by 400 people at Upper Ferntree Gully station on 4 January 1955 to try to save the railway.

Preservation

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.[6] On 28 July 1962 trains resumed running between Belgrave and Menzies Creek.[7]

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. [8][9][10]

The railway operates daily (except for Christmas day) between Belgrave and Lakeside, with services to Gembrook on Sundays. 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.

Structure
Victorian Railways NA class 6A at Lakeside station
The Monbulk Creek trestle bridge.

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.).[11] 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. This arrangement continued until the Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section was closed in 1958.

When the line reopened in 1962 (between Belgrave and Menzies Creek), society volunteers took a larger role, manning stations, selling and checking tickets, and 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 for their staff involved in running the line.[12][13]

The Victorian Railways were not in the preservation or tourism business, and the arrangement was less than ideal, so the Victorian Government passed the Emerald Tourist Railway Act 1977 (No. 9020) to set up the Emerald Tourist Railway Board as a statutory authority to take over ownership and operation of the railway from the V.R. from 1 October 1977.[14][15] The act required that the Board have between five and ten members, four of which were to be nominated by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society.

With the ETRB defined as the operators of the Railway, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society providing the volunteer support.

In recent years, all volunteers that work on the railway have been directly engaged by the ETRB and are required to register and complete a range of induction processes. The railway still relies heavily on the volunteers that welcome guests from all parts of the world and are highly trained to supply the safe and successful operations of Puffing Billy Railway.[16]

There are many roles required to operate a heritage steam railway in a modern compliance world. These include signalmen, guards, firemen, engine cleaners, drivers, track patrollers, fire patrollers, safeworkers, Station-masters, conductors, booking clerks, refreshment staff, gardeners, maintenance workers, researchers, and administration. Staff also operate across management, finance, HR, OH&S, Child Safety, workshops, way and works, and operational staff to support the volunteer roles.

In 2022, the Emerald Tourist Railway Act 1977 was replaced by a new Act called the Puffing Billy Railway Act 2022. This act was partly influenced by the recommendations of the 2018 Ombudsman Report into the activities of Robert Whitehead at Puffing Billy Railway and other heritage railway groups around Victoria. The new Act modernised the governance of the railway and in particular the selection of Board members and reporting to the relevant minister.

Volunteers remain at the core of the operation of the railway and the new Act continues the need for volunteers to be registered with the Board. The Preservation Society does not have direct management or involvement in the operation of the railway.

Operation
Victorian Railways NA class 7A at Menzies Creek on 12 April 1971 with fireman clearing ash from the smokebox

Belgrave houses the main offices of the railway, the locomotive running shed and locomotive workshops; it is the base for track maintenance operations. Other offices are located at Emerald). Trains from Belgrave generally travel to Lakeside. The railway operates every day of the year except Christmas Day.

A popular feature of a ride on Puffing Billy was sitting on the ledge of the open-sided carriages. After a crash between a train and a minibus at the Menzies Creek level crossing on 5 March 2018,[17] this practice was suspended. The suspension was permanently lifted on 4 February 2022.[18]

There is a narrow-gauge railway museum at Menzies Creek station, which reopened in March 2022 after re-development.[19][20] It is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Scandal

In 2014, Robert Whitehead, a long-serving volunteer on the railway, was convicted of multiple sexual offences against young boys. He died in prison in 2015, while serving a sentence of more than 8 years.[21] Whitehead had been convicted and jailed in 1959 for molesting a Boy Scout, but returned to his job on the railways at the request of Murray Porter, a state government minister. He joined the Puffing Billy Railway as a volunteer in 1961[22] and rose to become Secretary of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. He used his position to meet and molest boys into the 1990s.[23] In 2018, the ombudsman's report on the case found that the board of the railway had known about Whitehead's activities and had actively protected him.[22] Significant changes have occurred at the railway since the Ombudsman Report that includes implementing the recommendations and supporting an open and transparent complaints and feedback process. In 2022 a new Victorian Parliament Act was passed that replaced the Emerald Tourist Railway Board with the Puffing Billy Railway Board.[24] The Act modernised the governance of the railway which was noted by the Ombudsman to have failed.

Locomotives and rolling stock
NA7 crossing the Monbulk trestle bridge
Puffing Billy Garratt G42 01

Locomotives

The railway owns all the surviving Victorian Railways narrow-gauge locomotives and has restored all but one to operating condition, although not all are running at any one time. This includes 2-6-2T NA class locomotives 3A (unrestored), 6A, 7A, 8A, 12A and 14A, and G class Garratt locomotive G42.

In December 2019 NG G16 Garratt locomotive 129 imported from South Africa entered service. It had been purchased in 1996, and was rebuilt and re-gauged for the Puffing Billy. It complements the operational capabilities of G42. The NA class locomotives are limited to pulling a maximum of 12 carriages, while the Garratts can haul up to 18.

The railway has a number of smaller steam locomotives at museum at Menzies Creek, either on static display or in operating condition. These include a Peckett 0-4-0ST, 2 Decauvilles (one is a 0-4-0T, and the other a 2-4-2ST) both from the West Melbourne Gasworks, and a Climax geared locomotive from the Tyers Valley Tramway. They occasionally operate special trains and at events such as Thomas the Tank Engine days.

Puffing Billy Railway also offers driver experience days on the smaller steam engines. The Climax engine has been restored for this purpose as it has a large driving cab and is unique in Australia.

The railway operates three diesel locomotives which are used on days of total fire ban, plant or works trains, or when too few steam locomotives are available, including in emergencies. D21 is former Tasmanian Government Railways V class V12, while DH5 and DH59 are ex Queensland Railways DH class. All were regauged and rebuilt for the railway.[25] Diesel Rail Tractor (NRT 1) is mainly used for shunting rolling stock at the carriage workshops.

VR Original
Image Number Type Builder Serial
number		 Year built Status Notes
3A NA class
2-6-2T		 Newport Workshops 1900 Display The first of the VR-built NA class locomotives, built at the Victorian Railways Newport Workshops, utilising spare parts supplied with Baldwin-built 1A. Stored disassembled for future restoration. In 2015 it was placed on static display at the Menzies Creek Museum. In June 2020 it was moved to Lakeside for Display in the new Discovery Centre.
6A 1901 Overhaul Operational Has been restored as near as practicable to "as new" condition (1901–1906) of two-tone green with white lining, low-height bunker, extended side tanks, etc. It was fitted with a Lempor Exhaust System between 2002 and 2017, now taken out of traffic in March 2019 for a D exam and Overhaul and as of January 2021 is awaiting new boiler tubes prior to reassembly, but will return to service in December of 2023.
7A 1905 Has been restored as near as practicable to as new condition (1905–1910) of Canadian Pacific red & brown with white lining, low-height bunker, small head lamps, etc.
8A 1908 Has been restored as near as practicable to its 1923–1937 era of all-over black, modified front end with tapered smoke stack, large head lamps, extended bunker, etc.
12A 1912 Has been restored as near as practicable to its 1911–1921 era of Canadian Pacific red & brown with white lining and low-height bunker, however has been given the large-style headlamps rather than the small head lamps, plus a full-width ash chute rather than the narrow ash chute.
14A 1914 Has been restored as near as practicable to its later era (1938–1946) of all-over black, extended bunker, large head lamp, guard irons instead of cow-catchers, etc. It underwent conversion to oil firing during 2017 and testing in early 2018 before full return to service.
G 42 G class
2-6-0+0-6-2		 Beyer, Peacock & Company 6268 1926 The last remaining G class Garratt locomotive from the Victorian Railways. Restored to steam in 2004 as near as practicable to its 1946–1954 era of all-over black with extended cab roof, original style smoke stack, kerosene-style lamps, cow-catcher, mid-height marker lamps, etc.

G42 was withdrawn in 2021 for a major overhaul, And is currently stored in the Menzies Creek Museum on display until the time comes for it to enter the workshops at Belgrave.

Other steam
Image Number Type Builder Serial
number		 Year built Status Notes
129 NG/G16
2-6-2+2-6-2		 Beyer, Peacock & Company 7430 1951 Operational South African Railways 2 ft (610 mm) gauge NG/G16 Garratt locomotive, imported to Australia in 1996.[26] Rebuilt and re-gauged to 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge as a backup for G 42. Entered service in December 2019.[27]
1694 Climax,
Two-truck		 Climax Locomotive Works 1694 1928 Operational Climax geared steam locomotive, the last built and the only one ever built to 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge. Purchased by the Forests Commission Victoria and used on the Tyers Valley Tramway to haul timber trains until 1949. After decommissioning the locomotive in the 1950s it was stored (abandoned) at the State Sawmill site at Erica until it was transferred to Puffing Billy's museum for static display in 1965. Restored to steam by the PBR in the 1980s. A major overhaul has been finished and it returned to service in September 2013.[28]
861 Decauville 2-4-2ST Couillet for Decauville 1886 Stored Operational Previously owned by Melbourne Metropolitan Gas Company for use at the West Melbourne Gasworks. Extensively rebuilt in the 1970s as part of an attempt to restore a section of the Walhalla railway line. Privately owned and leased to the PBR. Used on Footplate Experience Trains. 861 is currently on display in Menzies Creek Museum pending a boiler inspection.
986 Carbon 0-4-0T Couillet for Decauville 1890 Undergoing Overhaul Previously owned by Melbourne Metropolitan Gas Company for use at the West Melbourne Gasworks. Used at a park in Frankston in the 1970s. Privately owned and leased to the PBR. New Boiler fitted in 2013 and due to return to traffic once final works have been completed.
Peckett 1711 "Sir John Grice" 0-4-0ST Peckett & Sons 1711 1926 Under Overhaul Previously owned by Melbourne Metropolitan Gas Company for use at the West Melbourne Gasworks. Often used at PBR decorated for Thomas the Tank Engine events. It has also run in an alternate guise as Peter Peckett from 1991 to 1999.
127 NG G16
2-6-2+2-6-2		 Beyer, Peacock & Company Display South African Railways 2 ft (610 mm) NG G16 Garratt locomotive previously used on the Banana Express, imported to Australia in 2012. Currently in storage as a source of spare parts for sister locomotive 129 and for possible future rebuild and regauging to 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge as a second backup for G 42. Currently on display in the Menzies Creek Museum.
14 Shay Shay
Two-truck		 Lima Locomotive Works 1912 Display Shay geared locomotive formerly used on the Alishan Forest Railway in Taiwan, gifted by Taiwan Government in 1972.[29] On Display in the Menzies Creek Museum.
3 Sub Nigel 0-6-0WT Orenstein & Koppel 12331 1931 Display Formerly used by the Sub Nigel Gold Mining Company in South Africa. On Display in the Menzies Creek Museum.

Carriages

The mainstay of the carriage fleet are the 15 NBH open-sided carriages built specially for tourist traffic on the Gembrook line by the V.R. between 1918 and 1919, and a further 10 vehicles built to the same or similar design in the preservation era.[30] However, there are also a number of enclosed carriages, both saloon and compartment cars. In addition, four carriages were obtained from the Mount Lyell Railway in Tasmania after its closure in 1963, and regauged and reclassified for Puffing Billy use, numbered 1 to 4 NBL. They are named Mt Lyell, Rinadeena, Teepookana, and Dubbil Barril respectively, reflecting their Tasmanian heritage. During the 1980s and 1990s they were all upgraded to first class carriages, recoded 1 to 4 NAL, and are now primarily used on the Luncheon train and Dinner trains.

Several carriages have been temporarily converted to include a guard's compartment. A number of NQR low-sided goods trucks have also been modified for passenger use, making them similar to the NBH carriages. Another three NQR trucks have been fitted with seats but no roof and are only used during the summer peak season.

Number Image Year built Builder Status Notes
NB

Goods vehicles and brake vans

Representatives of all classes of goods vehicles and brake vans (including combined brake van and passenger carriage) used on the narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways are to be found on the Puffing Billy line, and are used for works trains, storage, and occasional heritage trains recreating the look of trains in the 1920s.

Solo One was a TV police drama series produced by Crawford Productions that screened in 1976, filmed and set in Emerald, Victoria, about a local (fictional) policeman dealing with crime in the town, however it was aimed at a younger audience than most Australian TV police dramas. It featured Puffing Billy in the opening credits scene as well as being part of most story-lines.

The ABC children's drama Come Midnight Monday [31] was filmed in and around Belgrave, Emerald & Cockatoo and featuring Puffing Billy locomotive 12A—renamed "Wombat"—as the main character.

Filming of A Country Practice in the fictional town of Wandin Valley (the towns of Wandin, Wandin North and Wandin East are however 30 km north of Emerald) was moved to Emerald when the show moved to Network 10, and occasionally featured Puffing Billy.

The 1966 television special The Seekers at Home filmed a segment at Puffing Billy, where The Seekers sing "Morningtown Ride" to a group of children.[32]

Filming of Round the Twist was in and around Belgrave to Lakeside.

In 1997, the soap opera Neighbours filmed scenes set on and around the train. The characters of Darren Stark and Libby Kennedy lost young Louise Carpenter and chased after the train en route to Belgrave on a motorbike to catch up with her after discovering she had boarded it.

Line guide
Puffing Billy Railway
km
Up arrow
Belgrave line
to Flinders Street
41.3
 Belgrave (Broad-gauge)
●Belgrave railway station#Transport links
41.4
End of Metro area
42.0
 Belgrave (Narrow-gauge)
Old Monbulk Road
Monbulk Creek
Belgrave-Gembrook Road
Greenwell Road foot crossing
foot crossing
Long Pockitt Lane
45.2
 Selby
foot crossing (Former Station Street)
Selby-Aura Road
School Road
48.99
 Menzies Creek
School Road
Belgrave-Gembrook Road
50.99
 Clematis
Edenmont Road
Pinnocks Road
Belgrave-Gembrook Road
52.67
 Emerald
Kilvington Drive
foot crossing
Beaconsfield-Emerald Road
53.45
 Nobelius Siding
54.85
 Nobelius
56.59
 Lakeside (Emerald Lake)
Former Park Access Road (Pedestrian Only)
Park Access Road
Wright Road
57.79
 Wright
Cockatoo Creek
60.59
 Cockatoo
Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road
Doonaha Road
62.59
 Fielder
Farm access
Orchard Road
foot crossing
Belgrave-Gembrook Road
66.99
 Gembrook (heritage platform)
 Russell's Siding
67.18
 Gembrook (town platform)
km
broad gauge
2 ft 6 in narrow gauge

Regular Puffing Billy services usually only stop at stations shown in bold print at the right. Stops at other stations can be made by request. Distances are from Southern Cross station.

Bibliography
  • Speed Limit 20— history of Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Lines, Edward A. Downes, ARHS(V), 1963[33][34][35]

References
  1. "Friends of the Trestle Bridge, Puffing Billy, Sherbrooke". Esoteric-inkworks.tripod.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. "Lakeside Visitor Centre - Puffing Billy". puffingbilly.com.au. 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. "Sitting on our Carriage Sills! - Puffing Billy". puffingbilly.com.au. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  4. A Victorian Narrow Gauge Railway The Railway Magazine issue 480 June 1937 pages 429-432
  5. Reminiscences of the Upper Ferntree Gully–Gembrook Narrow Gauge Line Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin April 1980 pages 69-83
  6. Milne, A. R.; Heward, C.B. (1987). Those Boy Scouts – A Story of Scouting in Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Scout Archives, Scouts Australia - Victorian Branch. pp. 151–152. ISBN 0949873141.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)
  7. Steam Preservation Down Under Railways Illustrated July 2021 page 76-80
  8. Puffing Billy Operations Extended to Emerald Railway Transportation August 1965 page 70
  9. Puffing Billy Preservation Society Continental Railway Journal issue 25 March 1976 page 405
  10. Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 735 January 1999 page 32
  11. Puffing Billy Preservation Society - Puffing Billy
  12. Puffing Billy Services Resume on Rehabilitated Track Railway Transportation August 1962 page 9
  13. The return of Puffing Billy Railway Gazette 17 August 1962 page 184
  14. New authority to run Puffing Billy line The Railway Magazine issue 915 July 1977 page 557
  15. Here & There Australian Historical Railway Society Bulletin issue 483 January 1978 page 6
  16. "Volunteering - Puffing Billy". puffingbilly.com.au. 20 December 2017. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  17. "One person injured in crash involving Puffing Billy tourist train". ABC News. 6 March 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  18. "Puffing Billy overturns ban on passengers riding with their legs out of carriages". The Age. 4 February 2022. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  19. The Puffing Billy Railway Menzies Creek Museum reopens Railway Digest May 2020 page 55
  20. "Puffing Billy Railway Opens Milestone Museum - Puffing Billy". puffingbilly.com.au. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  21. Flower, Wayne (23 July 2015). "Robert Whitehead, Puffing Billy paedophile jailed for child sex attacks". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  22. Eddie, Rachel (25 June 2018). "Puffing Billy paedophile facilitated by indifference, ineptitude: Ombudsman". The New Daily.
  23. Baker, Richard; McKenzie, Nick (28 June 2017). "Probe into claims Puffing Billy paedophile Robert Whitehead had high-level protection". The Age. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  24. "Victorian Parliament Legislation". Victorian Parliament. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  25. Oberg, Leon (2010). Diesel Locomotives of Australia. Terrey Hills: AH & AW Reed. p. 328. ISBN 978-0589502119.
  26. Here & There Australian Historical Railway Society Bulletin issue 711 January 1997 page 30
  27. Another articulated NGG16 Garratt steams Heritage Railway issue 260 25 October 2019 page 23
  28. "Climax 1694 steams again". Puffing Billy Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  29. Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 423 January 1973 page 5
  30. Railfan, Administration Co-operation Pays Off Railway Transportation September 1964 pages 28-31, 36
  31. Come Midnight Monday (Drama, Family, Adventure), Australian Broadcasting Commission, 4 March 1982, archived from the original on 5 June 2022, retrieved 5 June 2022
  32. "At Home and Down Under - The Seekers | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  34. "Lot 292: Book: Vic.: Downes, "SPEED LIMIT 20", 130pp, the". Invaluable.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  35. Focus on -- Victoria's narrow gauge Whitfield Line : a pictorial tribute to the late Edward A. Downs, railway historian / compiled, written, designed and produced by John E. Thompson. 2002. ISBN 9780957979222. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
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