Progress Updates

Something a little different on track today at Cooma with the re-commissioning of our Suzuki Sierra Hi-Rail vehicle. After recent repairs, the Hi-Rail had a shakedown today, running out to Snowy Junction as it prepares for a busy few weeks of weed spraying activities. This vehicle is no stranger to the Bombala line, having spent time roving the rails between Canberra and Michelago during tourist train operations on the northern end of the line. It's exciting to see such a cool little vehicle back on the rails, and it may be the only remaining Suzuki Hi-Rail that is still [...]

Over the last several months, our master carpenter Daryl has been working on the replacement and reconstruction of the drivers cabs across our 3 CPH railmotors CPH 22, CPH 8 and CPH 6. The work has been slow and intricate due the roof not only curving across the vehicle, but towards the front as well. Each railmotor is also built slightly differently, so each drivers cab had to be custom built to fit in each end of each unit. With the structure of the cabs completed, we're now working on applying all the trim pieces and re-fitting the cab [...]

During the steam era, watering facilities at NSW railway stations were vital to the operation of trains across the state. Steam locomotives required a constant supply of water for their boilers, but only had limited capacity to carry water with them. Locomotives would stop at planned destinations along their route to take on water, often giving passengers the opportunity to visit the local refreshment room. Larger railway yards, like Cooma, had dedicated loco facilities which included a coal stage for replenishing coal supplies, overnight stabling, turning facilities and often more than one water column. Recently, our volunteers have started [...]

Our volunteers have been busy working on the static restoration of the refuelling facilities at the southern end of the platform and the operational restoration of Ground Frame B. Today, the team spent the day clearing decades of dirt and rock that has fallen down the bank, covering large sections of the ground facilities as well as clearing dirt, rock and gravel from the spill pits under the track. The team also finished the re-painting of Ground Frame B that has been both operationally and cosmetically restored. Check out some of the work from our volunteers today. Looking good [...]

Our volunteers have commenced the static restoration of the diesel refuelling facilities at the southern end of the station platform. Hoses, pipes, framework and rigging is being reassembled and painted, while new doors have been installed on on the cupboards. The refuelling facilities were used by diesel hauled trains from Sydney, who would refuel before heading back north, as well as the southbound diesel railmotor and freight services with multiple refuelling points available along the main platform road. The ground frame that controls access to the southern dock platform, is also receiving some attention as the interlocking system is [...]

After being entirely stripped down, sand blasted, repaired and painted, our volunteers have now started to re-assemble the vehicle. Fresh decking boards have been installed while the wheels and brake system have also been put back together. It's taken a while to get to this stage but the result is looking amazing. 🙌 With a few more body pieces to attach, the restoration of the body and running gear will be complete, and our volunteers can turn their attention to the motor. Unfortunately, the motor isn't looking as good as the rest of the vehicle and requires a complete [...]

The restoration of the Cooma Railway Institute Tennis Courts is starting to take shape. The transformation has been exciting to watch and the surface is starting to look amazing. 🤩 Originally constructed in 1928 from Ant Hills or Termite Mounts, the courts are almost 100 years old and were built for the railway workers at Cooma and their families. As part of the Cooma Railway Institute restoration, a new retaining wall has been constructed between the oil siding above, new fencing has been installed around the courts, services have been reconnected to the toilet block, and a completely new [...]

With school out for a couple of weeks, some of our Cadets took the opportunity to join our weekday team and continue work on the restoration of one of our VM Ganger Trolleys. This trolley has been completely disassembled and repaired both structurally and cosmetically. The team has been busy priming and painting all the components while learning about how the vehicle is constructed, with reassembly planned for next week. Once the mechanical work has been completed on drivetrain, this vehicle will go in to service with our track crew to assist with inspection and repairs on the track [...]

It was back to the classroom for our volunteers yesterday as we ramp up our training program to increase the number of people that are qualified in various areas of our operation. One of the exciting aspects of our recent training activities is that we've been able to use the recently restored Cooma Railway Institute building to facilitate our training. For decades, railway workers in Cooma would have used this space for their training and education, so it's great to see this occurring one again. We are still putting the finishing touches on the building restoration, but this space [...]

Thanks to the dedication of our brush cutting maestro Caelan, the Snowy Junction railway precinct is slowly coming back to life. With the majority of the vegetation now cleared, we've been able to expose the various remains of the original Snowy Junction yard, as well as a decades worth of wire and rubbish.The waste and remains of the Polo Flat level crossing that was removed a few years ago have also been dumped throughout the grounds which is disappointing, as we will now have to pay for it's disposal. We are currently working on the re-instatement of this level crossing.We [...]