The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (SRHC) is a railway preservation group based in Seymour

Seymour, Victoria

Seymour is a township in the Shire of Mitchell in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Seymour had a population of 6,063...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...

s and rolling stock

Rolling stock

Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...

 as used on the railways of Victoria

Rail transport in Victoria

Rail transport in Victoria, Australia, is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. Victorian lines use broad gauge, with the exception of a number of standard gauge freight and interstate lines, a few experimental narrow gauge lines, and...

.

The group is an accredited railway operator under the Victorian Rail Safety Act 2006, permitting it to move trains within its own depot. The group is also accredited to maintain and provide rolling stock on the Victorian railway network, running charter

Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...

s, tourist

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 and railfan

Railfan

A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...

 specials across the state with their fleet of restored trains

Restored trains

Restored trains are historic trains that have been removed from service and later restored to their past condition, as opposed to having never been removed from service, like UP 844, the only U.S. steam locomotive to never be retired. They are operated in present day service as moving examples of...

. It is also a provider of locomotives to freight operator, El Zorro

El Zorro (railway)

El Zorro is a railway operator based in Victoria, Australia. It is a private company that was founded in 1999, based in Spotswood, and named by director Ray Evans who has a taste for things Spanish. . The company has three shareholders: director Ray Evans, business manager Geoff Tighe, and Lisa...

.

Fleet

The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is the custodian of a number of heritage pieces of rolling stock owned by the Victorian Government (by either VicTrack

VicTrack

VicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....

 or V/Line

V/Line

V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...

), as well as other rolling stock owned outright.

Locomotives in the custody of the group include steam locomotive J515

Victorian Railways J class

The J class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1954 to 1972. A development of the successful Victorian Railways K class 2-8-0, it was the last new class of steam locomotive introduced on the VR...

, mainline diesels C501

Victorian Railways C class (diesel)

The Victorian Railways C Class GT26C mainline diesel locomotives are a hood unit heavy freight locomotive introduced from 1977 which are mechanically identical to American EMD SD40s, and used on interstate freight services...

, S303

Victorian Railways S class (diesel)

The Victorian Railways S class mainline diesel electric locomotive were built from 1957 by Clyde Engineering for the Victorian Railways of Australia...

 and B74, a number of smaller branchline T class

Victorian Railways T class (diesel)

The Victorian Railways T class diesel electric locomotive are a small branch line and shunting unit built by Clyde Engineering . They were the most numerous class of diesel locomotives in the state....

 locomotives, (T320, T333, T341, T357 & T378) and smaller shunting locos Y133 and F202. Also 600hp diesel railcar DRC43.

Locomotives owned by the group are: GM36, T378 & J512.

J515 & Y133 are currently on long term loan to the Victorian Goldfields Railway

Victorian Goldfields Railway

The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a broad gauge tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon and Castlemaine.-History:...

 based in Maldon, Victoria. Whilst T333 is owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway

Victorian Goldfields Railway

The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a broad gauge tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon and Castlemaine.-History:...

 and on long term loan to the SRHC. T341 is also on long term loan from the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway

Yarra Valley Tourist Railway

The Yarra Valley Railway is a tourist railway operating on a section of the former Healesville railway which operated between Lilydale and Healesville in the Yarra Valley area northeast of Melbourne, Australia.- History :...

.

Carriages in the group's collection include 1906 'E' type

E type carriage

The E type carriages were wooden express passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. Introduced by Victorian Railways Chairman of Commissioners Thomas James Tait and based on Canadian carriage design, the class remained in regular service for 85 years.-Design:Carriages on...

 wooden sitting and sleeping carriages as used on the Adelaide Express and The Overland, the majority of the original 1937 Spirit of Progress

Spirit of Progress

The Spirit of Progress was the premier express train passenger service on the Victorian Railways in Australia, running from Melbourne to the Victorian border, and later through to Sydney.-Route:...

consist, and carriages used on Victorian Railways Royal Train

Victorian Railways Royal Train

The Victorian Railways operated Royal Trains to transport members of the Monarchy of Australia on their Royal visits to Australia. The same carriages were also used for a number of vice-regal trains for the Governor-General of Australia and the Governor of Victoria...

s.

In 2007 the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre was provided with funding from the VicTrack

VicTrack

VicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....

 Heritage Program for the restoration of the Spirit of Progress consist and heritage diesel locomotives B74 and S303, and on November 25, 2007 a commemorative run was made for the 70th anniversary of the first Spirit of Progress service.

New additions

In late August 2009, locomotives S310 and T382 were transferred to Seymour and became part of the SRHC collection. Whilst neither unit is in operational condition, as time and finances permit both units will be restored to traffic.

In early January 2010, X31 was transferred to Seymour and became part of the SRHC collection. This event has made X31 the first of its class to enter preservation. 31 will undergo a full bodywork overhaul and repaint into Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...

 blue and gold livery, then enter traffic as a heritage unit, believed to be used exclusively on heritage tours. Until the transfer to Seymour, X31 was part of the Pacific National

Pacific National

Pacific National is one of Australia's largest private rail freight businesses. Originally a joint venture between Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings; it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Asciano Limited following the restructure of Toll Holdings....

fleet and had spent many months in storage.

In early March 2011, X31 returned to service as a heritage unit in Victorian Railways blue and gold livery, on hire to El Zorro.

External links

• http://www.srhc.org.au - Official Site