A Little Bit of Puffing Billy Railway History.
********************THIS IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS************************
5A at Upper Ferntree Gully 1904 | The Beginnings of Victorian Narrow Gauge Lines By the mid 1890s the massive growth of the Victorian Railways, due to the Octopus Act of 1884, was slowing due to a financial depression. The Act authorised construction of approximately 60 new lines, plus other works, almost doubling the network to 2,903 route miles (4,672 km). There were large costs associated with building new 5 foot 3 inch (5' 3") gauge lines. A Parliamentary Committee had looked at overseas narrow gauge railways and recommended using a 2 foot gauge (2') for some branch lines to reduce expenditure. |
More on the 1884 Octopus act, and the narrow gauge 'fad', at the following link: |
The Victorian Railways management were against a narrower gauge however, they were finally forced to compromise on a 2 foot 6 inch gauge (2' 6") for some branch lines. Four of these narrow gauge lines were eventually built and opened in the following order:
1899: Wangaratta - Whitfield, 30 1/2 miles (49km).
1900: Upper Ferntree Gully - Gembrook, 18 1/4 miles (29.3km).
1902: Colac - Beech Forest, 29 1/2 miles (47.7km).
1910: Moe - Walhalla, 26 miles (41.9km).
1911: Beech Forest - Crowes, 14 1/4 miles (22.7km) (Extension of the Colac - Beech Forest line).
There was also a horse drawn 2' 6" tramway from Welshpool to Port Welshpool.
Anticipated savings of the narrow gauge lines were not realised and no more were built after 1911.
These narrow gauge lines did perform an important service to more remote regions of Victoria. In the early 1900's, good roads were few and far between and could easily become impassable in bad weather. The narrow gauge railway branch lines were the community's link with the main lines and big cities. They carried a large variety of goods including animals to market, timber for Victoria's growing housing requirements, vegetables, fruit, nursery plants, mining minerals, beer and more. These narrow gauge lines began as mixed services, some with both first and second class passenger carriages.
The Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook narrow gauge line
The proposed Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook 2' 6" railway was surveyed and, shortly after, construction of the line was approved by Parliament in 1898. On August first 1899, construction of the railway began, and on December 18 1900, the official opening of the line occurred.
1900 to 1920 (work in progress)
Era of Significance 1920s and 30s through to mid 1950s
In the early 1920s, after WW1 and the Spanish Flu epidemic, city people wanted to take in the country air for health reasons and many guest houses sprang up in the Dandenong ranges and surrounds. A popular weekend day trip was a ride on the Puffing Billy service to picnic locations such as Paradise Valley (Clematis). Purpose built carriages were provided, however when it was very busy, passengers travelled in converted goods wagons with rudimentary seating and canvas roofing. The era of the NBH fleet of open sided, covered carriages began in 1919.
| The Puffing Billy Preservation Society The Gembrook line was operated from 1900 by the Victorian Railways, however, by the 1950s, the railway was suffering massive annual losses, mainly due to improved road transport. A landslide blocked the line in 1953 and the future looked bleak. The Victorian Railways made plans to close the line, dismantle the tracks, and scrap the engines and rolling stock. |
| Strong public support for the railway and a small but determined group of enthusiasts saw the formation of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society in 1955, one of the first of its kind in the world. The Society's initial goal was to provide a financial guarantee to Victorian Railways for operation, and to restore a railway service to Menzies Creek. |
| Up until 1958, the Society supported operation of special trains from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave. These were greatly appreciated and loved by the people of Melbourne. This part of the line was then closed to narrow-gauge in 1958, as the suburban broad gauge electric service was to be extended from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave. The Society's group of enthusiastic volunteers created a new narrow-gauge station area at Belgrave, and continued to work tirelessly to clear and restore the line to Menzies Creek. This was a success and the line was reopened in later stages through to Emerald, Lakeside and finally Gembrook. |
| The triumphant return of an operational service from Belgrave to Menzies Creek happened in July 1962. Volunteers, in conjunction with VR train crews, operated the service. At the same time volunteers continued working on rebuilding the line and restoring locomotives, rolling stock and other infrastructure. Trains returned to Emerald in 1965 and to Lakeside in 1975. Service to Gembrook was finally restored in 1998, all possible through the hard work of volunteers many of whom were long term Society members. The hard and sustained work of Society volunteers had seen the Puffing Billy Railway restored and developed to become a major tourist attraction. It continues to provide great enjoyment to those involved in preservation and operation as well as those members of the public who enjoy travelling on Puffing Billy Railway. |
The formation of The Emerald Tourist Railway Board (ETRB) in 1977
By the 1970s, the Victorian Railways wanted to exit steam operations and the Society's vision was to continue the development of the railway. To operate going forward, a statutory authority, the Emerald Tourist Railway Board was formed in 1977. This Board had representation from both the Puffing Billy Preservation Society and from various Government departments. All Board members were government appointed, with the Society nominating members to the government for appointment to Board positions.
From 1977, the ETRB was responsible for running the railway and the Society focussed on fund raising, membership and heritage matters, although many Society members were active in ETRB operations. Close co-operation between the Society and the ETRB existed as the railway grew and extended through to 2018.
The temporary ban on 'sitting on the sills' and 'legs out' Puffing Billy Railway had always been unique in allowing passengers to sit on the window sills and hang their legs outside of the carriages. This was no longer permitted following an incident in 2018, when a tourist minibus collided with the train after failing to stop at a crossing protected by flashing warning lights. Although no train passengers were injured, the railway put a temporary ban on sitting on the sills. This decision negatively impacted the railway in several ways. |
Photographer Credit David Caird | Local passenger numbers dropped and Interstate and overseas visitors went away disappointed after looking forward to being able to sit on the sills. Railway employees and volunteers were given the difficult job of trying to enforce the new rule which was very unpopular with travellers. Whilst this was initially expected to be a short term ban, it was almost four years later, in February 2022, when carriage modifications and rail crossing improvements had been made so that travellers could again 'sit on the sills'. |
Changes occurring from 2018 In 2018, the Victorian Government department responsible for the railway, commissioned a consultant's report into the governance of the railway. A temporary Board was established under the State Owned Enterprises Act in June 2018 and they have been the operator of the railway while the Emerald Tourist Railway Act of 1977 was updated (this had been proposed since 2012) and a new Act prepared. The Puffing Billy Railway Act 2022 was passed through Parliament in May 2022, for operation from July 1 2023. Going forward, the railway is to be operated by a Government appointed board, called the Puffing Billy Railway Board (PBRB). The Preservation Society has no representation on the PBRB. Members of the Society will continue to be involved throughout the railway, as volunteers. The Society is managed by an elected volunteer Society Executive. The mutual support and friendly relationship that the ETRB and the PBPS enjoyed for many years has been reduced since 2018. |
| Covid 19 - March 2020 to 2022 In early 2020, the COVID pandemic created a major loss of revenue sources for the railway and the railway only survived through operating grants from the State of Victoria. The railway tried to carry on in between lockdowns with limited services and limited passenger numbers. Now that lockdowns are over, local, interstate and overseas visitors are returning to enjoy the railway. |
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What does the future hold for the Society?
The Society and its members, through years of commitment and support, enabled Puffing Billy Railway to survive and thrive. In the new environment, the Society is still keen to continue supporting the railway as it has for over 65 years.
Separation of the two organisations has not been easy and there are still agreements needed to cover Society owned assets, such as land, operational rolling stock and infrastructure, as well as to assist the railway to rebuild a heritage focus.
The Society is rebuilding the historic collections of documents and other media, as well as artefacts collected over time. All this is done by volunteers, who support these initiatives with time and effort. Some of these projects take time to implement, but eventually greater access to material will be available online.
Need more information? There are many excellent publications detailing the history of the Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook railway. Some are available through the Society's sales team. Details from sales@pbps.org.au
Speed Limit 20 PLUS, by Edward A. Downs (updated by PBPS)
Puffing Billy, Spirit of the Dandenongs, by Nick Anchen
Saving Puffing Billy, The First Decade 1955-1965, by David Burke OAM
Next Stop Menzies Creek, The Triumphant Return of Puffing Billy, by Nick Anchen
The Narrow Gauge, Whitfield - Gembrook - Crowes - Walhalla, by Nick Anchen
Also interested in other Victorian Railways narrow gauge lines? Society member Mr Peter Medlin has put together a comprehensive list of publications that cover the four major Victorian Railways narrow gauge lines. Some of these are still available, some are out of print. The Society may have limited copies of some of these publications for sale. Link to Peter's listing: Victorian Railways Narrow Gauge reference - Peter Medlin.pdf |