Tait back on track

By Melissa Donchi
A ‘RED rattler’ donated to the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway (YVTR) has brought joy to its members who have been working tirelessly to secure new carriages.
For those who don’t know, a ‘red rattler’ is an Electric Suburban Tait Car that hails back to the 1920s and comes complete with wooden bodied carriages.
It was unloaded last Monday and was put together by two 50 tonne cranes on Thursday with YVTR members looking on anxiously.
YVTR vice president Brett Morton said the Tait was between 70 and 80 years old.
“The Tait is in great condition both inside and out and is a great example of carriages of the 1960s,” Mr Morton said.
The Tait was donated by the owners and operators of Melaleuca Station, which is a tourist attraction in northern New South Wales, 30 minutes south of Coolangatta.
The cost of transport of the Tait was approximately $15,000 with the money provided by YVTR member Campbell Livingston.
“I had some money at the time and I didn’t want to see it go somewhere else,” Mr Livingston said.
“It’s an important part of our local history and it would be wonderful to restore it.”
“In the 1920 and ’30s, these electric wooden carriages carried passengers from Melbourne to Lilydale bound for Healesville and Warburton,” he said.
“At Lilydale the train was split in two and half of the train was hauled to Warburton while the other half was hauled to Healesville.”
From Melbourne to Lilydale the carriages propelled themselves via the overhead wires and from Lilydale a steam train headed the trains as the overhead wires stopped at Lilydale.
While today the Tait will only ever run as a carriage, members are already planning to attach it to their steam loco once they get it up and running again.
The YVTR will be open for rides over the Easter and school holidays from Wednesday, 4 April to Sunday, 22 April, from 10am to 5pm.
All proceeds from Trolley Rides on Good Friday will be donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital.