Project – Track Restoration

Thanks to the generous donations from our supporters and the hard work from our volunteers, our perway team were delighted to receive fresh batch of new timber sleepers this week to continue their work on the southern end of the platform road. This section of the track is being repaired to allow our rolling stock, including our CPH Rail Motors to travel around the yard and up to the platform. After being delivered yesterday from Sydney, the team didn't waste any time in laying them out along the track, ready for them to be installed. While it's great to [...]

More progress in the yard today as the team finished installation of more replacement sleepers, serviced the points to the loco and carriage roads and the catch points on the through road. We then started to cleanup the splintered remains of sleepers that have been removed over the past few months. It's a big job, but the team are doing some great work and we're making some good progress. It's also great to see some of the amazing mechanical engineering in action with the signal and interlocking system. (and yes, we know that we weren't using a rag and [...]

Our track crew continued their work on the railway corridor with a new temporary stop block and stop sign installed before the missing crossing on Polo Flat Road at Snowy Junction. The team also cleared the vegetation around the section. While work continues on getting the level crossing reinstalled, this will be our northern limit of operation for the short term. It was great to see so many people waving and stopping again. It's really heartening to have so much community support and it really motivates our team to keep working hard to get our trains running again. -------------- [...]

With the commencement of operations and the repairs to the Yareen Road Level Crossing completed, one of our track teams were able to complete an installation run out to Snowy Junction (as far as the Polo Flat Road Level Crossing) to clear vegetation and assess the current state of the railway infrastructure. It was extremely exciting to see railway vehicles back out on this section of line and it was great to see so many people waving and watching as we travelled along. It's amazing to see so much local support and it means so much to our volunteers. [...]

A big thank you to the team from UGL Regional Linx who completed the repair work on the Yareen Road Level Crossing. After completing road surface repairs earlier in the year, the team returned today to cut the flange gaps back into the crossing, allowing our trains cross the road and continue on to Snowy Junction. The team has done a great job, and the crossing is looking amazing after all the work that has been completed over the past several months. 👉 If you are travelling on Yareen Road, please slow down as you approach the crossing and [...]

We talk about it a lot, but what is actually involved in repairing track and replacing sleepers? Quite a bit actually, and it's hard work! Check out some footage today of our volunteers replacing a section of sleepers (or where there once were sleepers 🤷) and some of the work involved. Luckily, today we had the assistance of an excavator, which makes huge difference compared to digging everything by hand, which is often what we have to do. This section is on Loco Road No. 1, which is being repaired to allow our CPH Railmotors to travel from the [...]

Thanks to a huge effort from the team today, where the Yareen Road Level Crossing has now been reactivated. Check out this quick snapshot of our volunteers at work following by the exciting sound of bells with flashing lights. Today, the team were able to complete: 🔹 Removal of vegetation around the approaches 🔹 Painting of the control hut 🔹 Repairs to the roof of the control hut 🔹 Repairs to damaged wiring in the bell circuits 🔹 Painting of fences 🔹 Painting of light and bell housing 🔹 Re-install warning signs 🔹 Install new Railway Crossing signs 🔹 [...]

The journey to return tourist trains to the rails took another step today as the team started rejuvenation work on the Yareen Road Level Crossing. This crossing hasn't seen a train for the best part of a decade, so it was definitely in need of some TLC from our track team, who have made some great progress. So far they have: 🔹 Cleaned and removed old paint from the lights 🔹 Removed the old stop and crossing signs 🔹 Cleaned and removed old paint from the control hut 🔹 Painted the light posts and barriers 🔹 First coat of [...]

The perway team have been putting in the hours recently as we work towards the return of train operations at Cooma. Not only have the team been repairing track to allow our Rail Motors to traverse the yard, they've also been toiling away on a number of the Goods roads in Cooma yard to allow rolling stock to be moved to different locations around the yard. While replacing sleepers around the yard is already hard work (especially when over 30 years worth of oil and sludge has turned the surrounding dirt to concrete), replacing point timbers is a whole [...]

With the station and yard back under control, we've turned our attention back to the railway corridor where our volunteers have been busy on the southern approach to Cooma station. They've done an amazing job clearing the vegetation and removing the build-up of debris. Once again, Caelan has been relentless as he continues to plough through some substantial growth, and the team have done a great job following up with preventative weed spraying to ensure that the railway corridor remains clear. And moving forward, we'll need it to stay clear. A very exciting announcement on that one coming soon 😉 [...]