The Rail Way

Victorian Railways 5’3” gauge J549 (Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England, No 6095 of 1954) between Muckleford and Maldon on the Victorian Goldfields Railway, 29 June, 2025.

The Castlemaine to Maldon railway opened in 1884 to connect central Victoria’s gold mining towns. It carried passengers and goods for many decades but gradually declined, with passenger services ending by World War II and full closure in 1976. Soon after, volunteers formed a preservation society to restore the line. Operating as the Victorian Goldfields Railway, they reopened sections over time, beginning in 1986 near Maldon and completing the full 15-kilometre route to Castlemaine in 2004.

South African Railways Class NG/G16 129 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt (Beyer Peacock & Co, Manchester, England, No 7430 of 1951) crosses Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge on the Puffing Billy Railway, Victoria, Australia. Purchased and transported to Australia in 1996, the locomotive was regauged from 2ft to 2ft 6” gauge and restored to service 2019,

The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow-gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia. It originally opened in 1900 as part of a government effort to develop rural areas with lighter, more economical railways. The line ran from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook and served farming communities. Due to declining use and a landslide in 1953, the line closed in 1954. A volunteer group soon began restoring the railway. The section to Menzies Creek reopened in 1962, Emerald in 1965, Lakeside in 1975, and finally Gembrook in 1998, completing the full restoration of the original 24-kilometre route.

This photo: 30 June 2025