Footplate Ride on the Victorian Goldfields Railway - Steam Locomotive J549 from Maldon to Muckleford

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Originally called Mount Tarrangower but renamed in 1862, the small township of Maldon had flourished following the discovery of gold in 1853. The branch line from Castlemaine to Maldon opened in to traffic on 16h June 1884. Built to 'light-line' broad gauge standards, the line featured wooden trestle bridges, 60 lb/yd track and steep gradients of up to 1 in 40. A trailing extension from Maldon to Shelbourne, 16km away, opened in 1891. Unfortunately, due to the onset of the great depression of the 1890s, the planned extension of this line to Laanacoorie never materialised. The Shelbourne extension continued to carry passenger traffic until 1941 and freight until 1969. Despite Maldon becoming the first town in Australia to be awarded the title of 'Notable Town' by the National Trust in 1966, traffic on the Maldon branch continued to dwindle and the line was closed on 3rd December, 1976. The Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society (CMRPS) was formed in 1980. 24 years later they achieved their ultimate goal of re-opening the entire 11 miles (18km) of line between the two towns. In this video, we enjoy a fabulous footplate ride from Maldon to Muckleford, the only intermediate station on the line. Our wonderfully restored locomotive, former Victorian Railways J Class No. 549, is a fellow Lancastrian, having been built at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows (Lancashire, UK) in 1953. The oil burning 2-8-0 entered service with VR in October 1954, being withdrawn in April 1972. The CMRPS purchased the loco in 1979 for $1,600, returning it to steam in March 1991. If you enjoyed this video, please press the like button and please consider subscribing to the channel. And don't forget to leave comments below - I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you.
Originalmente llamado Mount Tarrangower, pero rebautizado en 1862, el pequeño municipio de Maldon había florecido tras el descubrimiento de oro en 1853. El ramal de Castlemaine a Maldon se abrió al tráfico el 16 de junio de 1884. Construido según los estándares de vía ancha de "línea ligera". , la línea presentaba puentes de caballetes de madera, vías de 60 lb/yd y pendientes pronunciadas de hasta 1 en 40. Una extensión posterior desde Maldon hasta Shelbourne, a 16 km de distancia, se inauguró en 1891. Desafortunadamente, debido al inicio de la gran depresión de la década de 1890, la extensión planificada de esta línea hasta Laanacoorie nunca se materializó. La extensión de Shelbourne continuó transportando tráfico de pasajeros hasta 1941 y carga hasta 1969. A pesar de que Maldon se convirtió en la primera ciudad de Australia en recibir el título de "Ciudad Notable" por parte del National Trust en 1966, el tráfico en la sucursal de Maldon continuó disminuyendo y el La línea se cerró el 3 de diciembre de 1976. La Sociedad de Preservación del Ferrocarril de Castlemaine y Maldon (CMRPS) se formó en 1980. 24 años después lograron su objetivo final de reabrir los 18 kilómetros (11 millas) de línea entre las dos ciudades. En este vídeo, disfrutamos de un fabuloso paseo desde Maldon hasta Muckleford, la única estación intermedia de la línea. Nuestra locomotora maravillosamente restaurada, antigua Clase J de Victorian Railways No. 549, es una compañera de Lancaster y fue construida en Vulcan Foundry en Newton-le-Willows (Lancashire, Reino Unido) en 1953. La 2-8-0 de combustión de petróleo entró en servicio. con VR en octubre de 1954, siendo retirado en abril de 1972. El CMRPS compró la locomotora en 1979 por 1.600 dólares y la devolvió. se lanzó a Steam en marzo de 1991. Si disfrutó este video, presione el botón Me gusta y considere suscribirse al canal. Y no olvides dejar comentarios a continuación: me encantaría escuchar tu opinión. Gracias.

[@CalebsRailFilms]

Lovely to see John Hoy at the controls, a legendary driver of Victorian steam by far. Years of experience under his belt both on narrow gauge and broad gauge. Was this during the BRMA's visit or was it another journey you made? Love the J class! Its front end reminds me of a DB Class 52 2-10-0 steam locomotive. Great video, Karl and thanks for sharing with us! Regards, Caleb

[@kartwheelkarl]

@@CalebsRailFilms Really glad you enjoyed the video Caleb. Yes, it was filmed during the BRMA charter, and it is only thanks to the incredible generosity of a mutual friend of ours that I got to enjoy the cab ride because they gifted me their winning ticket! In fact, thanks to Driver John deciding that I was now the official cameraman and inviting me back after the run past, I travelled the entire length of the line on the footplate. Part 2 coming soon! Driver John does indeed seem to be a bit of a celebrity amongst steam fans over here - several people have identified him from my film and photos. I only wish I’d known of his legendary status when I met him. And not only does he clearly know a lot about steam locos, he’s also a really nice guy. He, fireman Andrew and indeed all of the team at the VGR made us all incredibly welcome; they were so obliging. Our charter ran to a very flexible timetable, not to mention the run past, and we were granted unparalleled access to areas of the railway normally off limits to the public. The VGR is a fabulous line, with incredibly well restored locos, coaches, buildings and infrastructure. I really can’t recommend a visit enough.