Gembrook Railway 1947 48 

I think that the wood was used to raise the height of the coal storage area

@@petershearman9484 It is probable that it was a response to the coal shortage caused by the ongoing strikes in the NSW coal fields. With the small firebox stoking the Na on wood would have been a horrible experience. Normally they gave these engines a diet of the very best coal. Similar to what was used on the "Spirit Of Progress". Due to the very limited firebox size coupled with the steep grades and tight turns.

You still can dangle your legs out through the windows but you diffently can't ride on the running boards.

They banned riding with legs out in 2018 after a serious injury.

@@allangibson2408 It was a serious collision rather than a serious injury. No one on the train was hurt as fortunately the people in the carriage that was hit by the mini bus had their legs out on the side away from the crash. Some of the people in the mini bus were injured but not seriously. Hanging your legs out the carriage windows in now permitted between Belgrave and Lakeside but not yet from Lakeside to Gembrook. I was guarding on trains 13/26 (the half Gemmy) last Friday and there were legs out on both sides of the carriages all the way to Lakeside and back. The passengers are clearly enjoying the return of 'legs out'. All the passenger carriages were modified in the last few years so that the sills were wider and sloped slightly inwards, making it quite difficult to fall out. Only people over four can ride with their legs out and this is enforced by the use of wrist bands; up to four you get a red band and over four you get a green band.

Please no fake sound and no badly coloured video. Too things that wreck many videos.

Vielen Dank für Ihre freundlichen Kommentare zum Film. Ich freue mich, dass es Ihnen gefallen hat. Beste Grüße, Frank Stamford.

Yes, I know! Unfortunately it is a rather convoluted process to change.

13A was transferred to Newport workshops in April 1950 for overhaul. It remained at Newport until June 1953 when it was transferred to the Wangaratta - Whitfield railway. That line was closed in October 1953. It then went back to Newport where it was stored. It was scrapped at Newport in September 1958.

I can remember it well. Starting from the station dead cold and immediately into the 1 in 30 grade. With the cylinder cocks open to release the condensation. It was a slow slog up past the gantry transfer crane and then the transfer shed. Hiss, Hiss, Hiss. Once past the shed they could shut the cocks and it pulled better with the more normal Choof, Choof Choof. All this without any of the wet. Interestingly today the last bit climbing into Cockatoo seems to give more trouble because the rails are perpetually damp. Two other things that stuck in my mind. The main road had been gravel so the rails get stone chips. As we crossed that there is a high pitched hiss, followed shortly thereafter by a deep low rumble due to some movement in the bridge. The high pitched sound was repeated years later at School road Menzies Creek until they bitumened that one also.

The film was taken in 1947-48 at a time when there were post-war shortages of petrol, tyres, and good quality coal. At holiday time people were determined to enjoy themselves whatever way they could. The train speed was low. There were no fatalities!

Yes, it was built by Kerr Stuart & Co. of Stke on Trent, England in 1902 - their builder's number 797. It was a Kerr Stuart "Skylark" class 2 ft gauge 0-4-2T; and was built for the Northern Territory Mining & Smelting Co. for use at their Grove Hill tramway in the Northern Territory. In 1907 it was sold to machinery merchants Cameron & Sutherland of Melbourne. They sold it to Whim Well Copper Mines Ltd of Western Australia. It worked there until 1917 when it was apparently sold back to Cameron & Sutherland. In 1920 it was sold to Block 10 Misima Gold mines NL for use on their tramway on Misima Island off the coast of New Guinea. In 1922 that tramway was closed in 1922 and Miller & Co. of Melbourne bought the loco. They converted the loco to 3 ft gauge and sold it to EAC Russell of Gembrook in 1926 for use on his timber tramway. Unfortunately it was a total failure on the tramway, being under-powered and very prone to derailment. The loco remained at Gembrook out of use until it was cut up around 1953. (Information from "Bellbrakes, Bullocks and Bushmen: A Sawmilling and Tramway History of Gembrook 1885-1985" published by Light Railway Research Society of Australia (www.lrrsa.org.au).

Shortly after this film was taken, I think it had finished by about 1950. At the time the film was taken there was still rationing of petrol, and tyres and tubes were hard to get, as a result of World War II - so the train was hard-pressed to carry the holiday crowds.

My guess is - when all the ones who were foolish enough to do it, had all got killed under the wheels.

@@MySteaming You need to get your facts right, there were no fatalities.

Ruined is a strong term. It is certainly different from what it was. So much more regimented today. But a lot of the problems began in the 20s when they subdivided the land above the lake. It wasn't built on but two or three generations later it was built on and the pollution wrecked the lake. No more swimming. No lifesaving club. No slides and diving boards. The kiosk on the hill was replaced with a very different type of building in a different location to serve a different clientele. The world no longer revolves around having a Sunday picnic in the Dandenongs. Mum getting out the wicker picnic hamper and spreading a blanket on the ground to eat in the surroundings of the trees and the birds. For better or worse life has moved on.