Railway Digest Magazine June 2023 Back Issue

Sydney Station Stories – Kiama
In the third instalment of his Sydney Station Stories series, Chris Walters takes a look at Kiama, the southern end of the South Coast Line electrification. Like Cronulla (see Station Stories, March 2023 Railway Digest), a train to Kiama on NSW’s South Coast can take you most of the way to the beach. Unlike Cronulla, you can see the ocean from the station, such is the closeness to which this section of railway hugs the coastline.

Cobar at last!
The long postponed 2020 402 Club tour to Cobar finally departed on Friday 31 March 2023. The tour began with a run from Paterson to Broadmeadow and all participants were aboard when it departed Broadmeadow at 9.05am. Among the participants were numerous visitors, including five from Queensland, one from Victoria, two from the UK and one from New Jersey, USA. Bill East went along for the ride.

The ARTC Great Train Race
On the weekend of 29/30 April, the Hunter Valley Steamfest – cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, and in 2022 due to flooding – triumphantly returned, and in a move as impressive as it was surprising, the event came roaring back with a re-run of the four-way steam train race that was such a highlight of the 2016 event. Chris Walters was on board to experience all the excitement.

All aboard, as passenger trains return to Cowra station
On Easter Saturday, 8 April the first train conveying passengers in almost 14 years departed Cowra station for a short, return journey to the eastern bank of the Lachlan River, adjacent to the approaches of the Lachlan River railway bridge. Lawrance Ryan tells the story of how this long-held hope became a reality.