Newsrail

05/08/2026

August Newsrail has been published online for subscribers and the printed edition will soon be on its way to retail outlets and subscriber mailboxes.

If you're interested in subscribing, why not try out a six-month subscription for July to December 2026? Visit newsrail.com.au/subscribe to find out more!

In January this year, a terrible bushfire swept through Victoria’s High Country and burned down 14 historic timber railway bridges along the former Cudgewa Line. Some of the structures destroyed in the blaze were listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for their special cultural significance. To commemorate these structures, we have two feature articles.

We interview Nick Anchen, who famously drove along the former rail formation in a Suzuki Sierra in the 1990s, long before the establishment of the popular High Country Rail Trail that opened up the former Cudgewa Line to hikers, cyclists and enabled sightseers. Nick tells us about his experiences in exploring the line as he gradually researched his book, A Railway to Cudgewa, eventually published in 2013

We present an excerpt from the book that Nick felt strongly should be republished in Newsrail, his interview with bridge ganger Bill Pleming. Bill was kept busy as part of bridge gangs that maintained the many bridges along the line, working from 1955 until the cessation of regular services in 1978. In many ways, the team were still using construction and repair techniques little changed from the early 20th century when the bridges were originally built.

Our Tourist and heritage rail column looks at Bellarine Railway as it prepares to mark 60 years since the end of operations on the narrow-gauge Batesford to Fyansford railway, an event that led to the formation of the Geelong Steam Preservation Society, operators of the Bellarine Railway.

Our News section looks at a range of developments, including ONRSR action to suspend the accreditation of SSR, the failure of train radio systems following a Telstra outage in July, and details of the forthcoming upgrade of the Portland Line.

And our usual other columns are there:
- Infrastructure
- Operations and sightings
- PTV service quality
- Tramways
- Where is it?
- Taildisc

06/07/2026

A media release from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) at https://www.onrsr.com.au/publications/media dated Sunday 5 July 2026

Holdco Holdings Accreditation Suspension

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has exercised powers under the Rail Safety National Law to suspend the accreditation of Holdco Holdings (trading as Southern Shorthaul Railroad).

This action has been undertaken based on a determination that there is, or would be, an immediate or serious risk to safety unless Holdco’s accreditation was suspended.

The suspension follows a serious incident at Berrima in New South Wales on 4 July 2026 in which several wagons rolled away and derailed at a level crossing on a public road. Fortunately, there were no injuries resulting from the Berrima incident which ONRSR is investigating.

The derailment at Berrima is the latest in a series of safety incidents involving this operator which are subject to regulatory oversight from ONRSR.

ONRSR accredits rail transport operators under the Rail Safety National Law on the basis that they demonstrate the competence and capacity to manage risks to safety associated with their railway operations.

ONRSR’s priority is to ensure that risks to the safety of those in the rail industry and members of the public are effectively managed. Understanding the potential impact, the decision to suspend Holdco’s accreditation has not been taken lightly.

Rail transport operators that interact with Holdco have been notified so they can manage impacts to their operations.

ONRSR will continue to work with Holdco in relation to its accreditation status.

No further comment can be made at this time.

Ends.

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator’s (ONRSR) vision is Safe Railways for Australia. In pursuit of this goal its primary objectives are to encourage safe rail operations, enforce compliance with the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL), and promote and improve rail safety.

03/07/2026

July Newsrail has been published online for subscribers and the printed edition will soon be on its way to retail outlets and subscriber mailboxes soon.

If you're interested in subscribing, why not try out a six-month subscription for July to December 2026? Visit newsrail.com.au/subscribe to find out more!

Our July edition features a gleaming K160 on the cover, hauling its first passenger train since 2012. The photo was taken by Lynley Quedley, who is also one of the hard-working volunteers who assisted Steamrail Victoria and Victorian Goldfields Railway staff in overhauling the locomotive. Our Tourist and heritage rail column has a brief update on the project, as well as the latest roof project at Newport Railway Museum.

Our major feature article this month is by noted rail historian Chris Banger, who presents a concise yet still comprehensive history of the Stony Crossing Line, one of the later branch lines built by the Victorian Railways. Chris looks at the construction of the original line to Murrabit, the opening of the steel lift bridge at Gonn Crossing, the most notable landmark on the line, and its extension to Stony Crossing in New South Wales. Never one of the VR's busiest lines, the line eventually closed after the partial collapse of a termite-infested timber bridge while a train was crossing, that collapse fortunately without injury!

We also have another instalment of the Railway Stories series by Nick Anchen, who presents short stories told by old enginemen and recorded long ago. This month, Nick presents stories by David Moon, who recalls his time at Echuca and the Balranald Line in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Our News section looks at the ATSB report into January's fatal level crossing incident at Cressy, progress on the Inland Rail project, latest news on Suburban Rail Loop as tunnelling awaits commencement, and latest level crossing removal projects.

And our usual other columns are there:
Infrastructure
Operations and sightings
PTV service quality
Where is it?
Taildisc

11/06/2026

For Newsrail readers who have been following our articles on the overhaul of K160, some big news from Steamrail as they announce the loco’s first run in passenger service since 2012.

02/06/2026

June 2026 Newsrail is published, available to read online and will be appearing in subscriber letterboxes and retail outlets in coming days. Subscriptions are available at: newsrail.com.au/subscribe

The covers of our June edition are all about G Classes. On our front cover is a 1961 photograph of narrow-gauge steam locomotive G42, which entered service 100 years ago this month, rumbling across the Gellibrand River in the final months of the Beech Forest Line. On the rear cover, we have a superb image of our brand new G Class tram, G1.7001, undertaking a test run along the palm-lined tramway running along Mt Alexander Road, Essendon.

5 June 2026 marks 100 years since the entry into service of the Victorian Railways G Class, which despite plans for more to be constructed, only ever numbered two locomotives. To mark their centenary, we take a look at the interesting story of these fine Garratt locomotives. While history has judged that the four 2-foot-6-inch narrow-gauge railways built by Victorian Railways were an economic failure, the G Class Garratts did much to improve the situation. With a tractive effort more than double that of the NA Class locomotives, they were able to haul able goods trains with more than double the loading, greatly reducing operating cost per ton-mile. As a result, it is probable that the two lines on which they operated remained open longer than they otherwise might have.

From history made in 1926, we move forward to history being made in 2026. Thomas Hobley took a ride on the new X’Trapolis 2.0, train, already being referred to simply as the XT2, on its inaugural run to Upfield. His report on the run includes photos that capture the jubilant atmosphere of the occasion as excited railfans packed the train.

Mark Cauchi has uncovered a trove of superbly sharp photographs of a spectacular 1957 derailment at Ballan in which a broken axle derailed a fast goods service from Adelaide, with the axle crashing into the front yard of a Departmental Residence where only a minute or two earlier, four children had been playing. Mark delves into the detail of the collision, in which some wagons and louvre vans in the consist were torn apart or crushed, while three motor body transport wagons carrying FE Holden carbodies to Melbourne for assembly remained relatively unscatched. There are excellent photographs of the recovery operations, which show the railway steam cranes at work.

Trevor Penn presents another fascinating image in our Photo in focus series. This month we take a look at Ouyen Station on a morning back in 1925 as the AEC rail motor arrives with the service from Murrayville. As is customary, Trevor examines the plethora of historic details in the image. Trevor also takes a look at a reader-sent photo of Spencer Street Station in 1986, contrasting the many changes since a 1961 photo he examined in our December 2025 edition.

Our rolling stock column takes a look at recent developments, including the delivery of VLocity set VL141, which may likely be the last set to be built, and the storage of veteran PN locomotives X48 and X50.

Our tourist and heritage rail column takes us again to Mornington Tourist Railway, where recently-retired V/Line car BZN275 has joined the fleet still clad in its PTV ‘shard’ vinyl wrap, making for interesting photography coupled to the railway’s K Class steam loco.

Our news section covers the order of 25 more XT2 sets, Melton electrification, Inland Rail, other rail expenditure in the State Budget, and TSRs affecting V/Line punctuality, while our Tramway section takes a look at G1 tram testing and the possibility of a smaller G2 variant of the G Class.

And our usual other columns are there:
- Infrastructure
- Operations and sightings
- PTV service quality
- Where is it?
- Taildisc

05/05/2026

May Newsrail is now published online and will soon be arriving in subscriber letter boxes and retail outlets.

If you'd like to subscribe, check out our offerings (which include our earlier 2026 editions and online access to back issues) at newsrail.com.au/subscribe

The cover of our May edition features a photo (by Bernie Kelly, courtesy Nick Anchen) of C504 powering up the Great Dividing Range with a freight train on the North East Line. This image leads into our feature article by Roydon Burk, whose Victorian Railways career took him to Wodonga in 1980 on both the A and B Rosters for the North East Line. While crewing mostly on standard gauge goods trains between Melbourne and Albury, he also worked on all three standard gauge interstate express passenger trains (Southern Aurora, Spirit of Progress, Intercapital Daylight) as well as the occasional Melbourne –Albury passenger services.

Roydon kept detailed diaries of his work, and was a prolific photographer. This has allowed him to build a superbly detailed presentation on what life was like as driver or fireman on the North East Line at that time. The photography is particularly evocative; Roydon's time at Wodonga marking the end of the VR blue and gold era, just prior to the advent of through running.

Our second feature concerns the hundredth anniversary of the inaugural run of The Geelong Flier, a flagship express service that offered a non-stop express service from Flinders Street Station to Geelong that was initially timetabled at 70 minutes, but within a few months, reduced to a remarkable 60 minutes for the journey.

Lots of people look forward to our Tourist and heritage rail column each month, and this month we visit Mornington Railway and speak to volunteer Aiden Parlby about the return to service of Hitachi trailer car 1946T. This car, well-known to Melbourne commuters from the 1970s to the 2010s, has found a new life enabling Mornington Railway to readily cater for visitors in wheelchairs, or visitors with prams or strollers, while also allowing those interested in our more recent railway history to experience riding in a Hitachi car.

Our news page looks at some of the early data on Victoria's recent decision to offer free public transport for April and May. We also look at some of the massive works by the Inland Rail project which are transforming some of the stations along the North East Line, and also find out more about the reintroduction of the classic 1982 InterCity XPT livery to one of the XPT sets.

Our Photos in focus column returns again this month, with a poignant image of steam locomotives X36 and X29 at Newport in 1960 as they awaited scrapping, the big Mikado locomotives towering above the narrow gauge rolling stock relocated from Upper Ferntree Gully following the closure of the last remnant of the Puffing Billy Line to make way for the extension of the suburban network to Belgrave.

We have an extended Taildisc section this month with a number of readers getting in touch following our recent article on the Harris trains, with three former apprentices or fitters writing about their experiences with the building or maintenance of these carriages.

And our usual other columns are there:

Infrastructure
Operations and sightings
PTV service quality
Tramways
Where is it?

28/04/2026

This morning, locomotive K160 steamed back on to the main line for the first time since 5 December 1968, an interval of 57 years, quite probably a record for Victorian steam!

The locomotive is undertaking Light Engine runs further to an extensive overhaul that has taken several years and is now nearing completion.

K160 ran on the Victorian Goldfields Railway from 1986 to 2012, however, it was not accredited for main line running during that period and never ventured beyond Castlemaine Station.

As reported in the April edition of Newsrail, it is planned for K160 to return to Castlemaine under its own power, hopefully in coming months.

Our thanks to photographer Scott Gould for this photo.

18/04/2026

A new vantage point for railfans–the pedestrian and cycle bridge that has replaced the Champion Road level crossing at North Williamstown/Newport. It has full-height fine mesh wire barriers; you can take photos with a phone, but a larger lens will probably not get such a good result.

Note the track removed from the standard gauge line (at right) in the middle distance, and the new broad gauge bridges over Maddox Road in the far distance.

16/04/2026

Further to story we ran in our April edition, NSW has gone back to the future and reintroduced the original InterCity XPT livery on one XPT set, in conjunction with the reintroduction of the Grafton XPT service.

The InterCity XPT livery took some of its cues from the original InterCity 125 livery applied to the British Rail High Speed Train upon which the XPT was based.

Will we see this set running the Melbourne XPT service any time soon?

Sydney to Grafton XPT to return after year off the rails | The Sydney to Grafton XPT is back, with services resuming later this month after a year of upgrades.

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