South Gippsland Railway
Encyclopedia
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, public holidays (except Good Friday and Christmas Day) and wednesdays during Victorian school holidays. The line passes through the rolling Strzelecki Ranges
and lush dairy farmland.
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.
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 class corridor compartment carriages being transferred to the railway, and cleaning up and repainting to original colours of various goods wagons.
15 June 2010 saw the arrival of railmotor 61RM. 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 South Gippsland Tourist Railway at Korrumburra loaned out K 190 during the summer of 1995-1996, repainted the engine and tender a more noticeable green. She was once again returned for service with the S.G.T.R during the summer of 1996-1997.
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.
The services are operated on Sundays, and during school holiday periods, on Sundays AND Wednesdays.
These include the Dinner Train, a service providing in-train hospitality, beverages and snacks, with a barbecue-style dinner evening at Korumburra Station. These services run approximately every two months.
Another special service is the Murder Mystery Train - by group booking only - providing an entertainer / host and passengers participating in character costume.
>colspan="3"|
|}
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
located in south Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, 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...
. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora
Nyora, Victoria
Nyora is a town in south Gippsland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Nyora had a population of 545.The Post Office opened around September 1890 replacing an office at nearby Lang Lang East open since 1885....
and Leongatha
Leongatha, Victoria
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora
Nyora
Nyora may refer to two locations in Australia:* Nyora, New South Wales* Nyora, Victoria...
via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays, public holidays (except Good Friday and Christmas Day) and wednesdays during Victorian school holidays. The line passes through the rolling Strzelecki Ranges
Strzelecki Ranges
Strzelecki Ranges, also known as Strzelecki Hills is a low mountain range in the Gippsland region of south-eastern Australia between the Latrobe Valley to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
and lush dairy farmland.
History
Koo Wee Rup, Victoria
Koo Wee Rup is a town in Victoria, Australia, 63 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
, Nyora
Nyora, Victoria
Nyora is a town in south Gippsland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Nyora had a population of 545.The Post Office opened around September 1890 replacing an office at nearby Lang Lang East open since 1885....
and Loch
Loch, Victoria
Loch is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia which was established in 1876. The town was named in honour of the Governor of Victoria, Henry Loch....
in 1890, Korumburra
Korumburra, Victoria
Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area....
and Leongatha
Leongatha, Victoria
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
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.
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 is scheduled to be completed by 30 June.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 class corridor compartment carriages being transferred to the railway, and cleaning up and repainting to original colours of various goods wagons.
15 June 2010 saw the arrival of railmotor 61RM. 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 South Gippsland Tourist Railway at Korrumburra loaned out K 190 during the summer of 1995-1996, repainted the engine and tender a more noticeable green. She was once again returned for service with the S.G.T.R during the summer of 1996-1997.
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.
Regular train services
Regular weekend train services are provided by three train types. These are:- VR Y class locomotive 135, which can haul up to two or three passenger carriages and freight rolling stock.
- VR Railmotor RM55.
- SAR Rail Motor "Red Hen" as 1 or two car sets.
- SGR also own a VR T Class diesel locomotive number 342. It is currently leased out to the Australian freight operator El ZorroEl ZorroEl Zorro can refer to:*El Zorro , Mexican professional wrestler*El Zorro , Australian railway operator...
.
The services are operated on Sundays, and during school holiday periods, 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" rains are operated by the railway.These include the Dinner Train, a service providing in-train hospitality, beverages and snacks, with a barbecue-style dinner evening at Korumburra Station. These services run approximately every two months.
Another special service is the Murder Mystery Train - by group booking only - providing an entertainer / host and passengers participating in character costume.
Stations
>
|}
External links
- South Gippsland Railway - (official site)