Railway Digest Magazine August 2021 Back Issue

Melbourne Suburban Railway Report
Aside from its well-known trams, Melbourne operates a vast suburban heavy rail network, with 998 kilometres of track, 222 stations, and prior to the Covid-19 crisis, a yearly ridership of over 243 million. It was Australia’s first, beginning operation on 12 September 1854, when the country’s first steam train made the four kilometre journey from Melbourne city terminus to Sandridge, and from 1919 it became the first Australian system to begin electrification. David Campbell gives a broad overview of Melbourne’s present-day suburban railway network, showing the routes and train types currently in use, which despite the effects of Covid-19, are still kept busy.

Geraldton area grain trains
Aurizon has been kept busy running grain trains in the Geraldton area of late, even re-activating some stored P class locomotives to help keep up with the demand. Phil Melling reports.

Rail motors, Rhinos and Relics
An air of excitement was evident when 48 passengers, including Neville Pollard, boarded rail motors CPH 1, 3 and 7 at Broadmeadow for the June Long Weekend rail cruise to Binnaway and Dubbo, returning through Orange and Lithgow with liberal portions of coach travel along the way. Would there be snow on the Warrumbungles? What is the present state of the long-closed line from Binnaway to Gwabegar? What does the Diprotodon creature look like? What will we see at Siding Spring observatory? These were some questions travellers wanted answered.