By Engelbert Schmidl
STEAM trains still have the power to inspire a sense of wonder and adventure, and the 150th anniversary celebration of the Newport to Geelong train line last Sunday provided the perfect opportunity to relive that golden age.
Ralph Jinks devotes a lot of time, up to 20 hours per week, to preserving these iron beasts from the past. He’s just one of about 60 volunteers with 707 Operations, a steam train preservation group, who volunteer their time to keep alive an important link to Victoria’s history.
Mr Jinks has been part of the group for almost 20 years and is a fifth generation railway man.
The group has poured its sweat and resources into restoring and maintaining the R707 City of Melbourne – a passenger engine that served all over Victoria from the 1950s to the 1970s.
It was among the last steam trains to be decommissioned from service in Victoria.
The anniversary celebrations on Sunday were especially noteworthy because of the important role the line had in connecting Melbourne and Geelong, Mr Jinks said.
The R707 City of Melbourne would be restricted to about 80 km/h on Sunday, but the 200 tonne engine had been capable of far higher speeds.
The speed and efficiency of steam trains had totally transformed life and the Victorian economy when they were introduced in the 1850s, he said.
The 707 was built by the North British Locomotive Company and was among the last and most modern of steam trains, a factor Mr Jinks says makes it a little easier to maintain than older models.
It’s a labour of love and at any time in the Newport sheds you’ll find a carriage being repainted or a boiler being tinkered.
Events like the Sunday celebrations make it all worthwhile for the hardy bunch of train buffs down at the Newport brick shed headquarters of 707 Operations.
