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.