ROLL 3. Puffing Billy, 31st July 1965.

 

All photos © Les Brown. Not to be used for Publication.

 

3-1. Belgrave. NAL1, the “State Carriage”. Puffing Billy was to be officially re-opened to Emerald on this day and this carriage was to convey the Governor of Victoria for the opening. This carriage was used for all further official re-openings to Lakeside and Gembrook.

 

3-2. Belgrave. Note the “Yard Master’s Hut” to the right.

 

3-3. Menzies Creek. These ex Mt. Lyell Railway coaches had only recently arrived from Tasmania and fitted with standard Puffing Billy 2 foot 6 inch bogies. Compared to the usual Puffing Billy NBH excursion coaches, these were positively luxurious.

 

3-4. Menzies Creek – Selby. I decided to walk back to Belgrave from Menzies Creek and took the opportunity to photograph the scenic views along the way. It might have appeared to be waste of film, but these views have changed over the decades.

 

3-5. Menzies Creek – Selby. The site of the 1953 landslide. The original track went to the right of the picture.

 

3-6. Menzies Creek – Selby. Looking back to the landslide site.

 

3-7 Menzies Creek – Selby.

 

3-8. Selby. It was possible to request a stop at the station to set down passengers.

 

3-9. NA7. Selby – Belgrave.

 

3-10. Selby – Belgrave. The famous Monbulk Creek trestle bridge. I think this must be the only picture I have ever seen of the bridge, which doesn’t have a train on it.

 

3-11. Selby – Menzies Creek. The official re-opening train to Emerald.

 

3-12. NA6. Emerald. The Governor, Major-General, Sir Rohan Delacombe. Governor of Victoria from 1963-1974. He was the last of the British-born Governors.

 

NA6 was meant to haul the next official re-opening train to Lakeside, 10 years later on 18th October 1975, but It failed along the way and so the extension was officially re-opened by NA7.

 

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