On track for fun

By Kath Gannaway
KEEPING younger generations interested in steam engines and the evolution of train travel is a life-line for the future success of the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway.
Model engine enthusiast Garry ‘Tex’ Houston found no trouble at all in gathering a young following as he worked on his Walt Disney model loco and a beautifully crafted British Pacific engine at the annual Healesville Railway Show on the weekend.
“We all want to keep the passion for rail going to another generation and probably the success of Thomas the Tank Engine is one of the best things that has happened to keep younger generations interested in trains,” said Mr Houston who caught the train bug from his father.
While the weather, with storm warnings for the Yarra Valley on Sunday and torrential rain through into Monday did put a damper on visitor numbers compared to last year, there was good support for the show on the Saturday.
YVTR treasurer Brian Huntley said 193 people climbed aboard the trolley for the trip from the historic Healesville railway station to the tunnel and there was keen interest in Croydon Model Railway Clubs’ displays at the Memorial Hall and the local scout hall.
The green and gold tramways bus was pressed back into service ferrying people between the railway station and the Memorial Hall and transporting at the same time back to another, bumpier, era of road transport.
A 1923 Foden steam wagon and a vintage steam roller provided a glimpse into the brave new world that opened up with the invention of the steam engine. The restored 1948 diesel-driven Walker motor rail, destined one day to run again on the Healesville tourist line, highlighted another leap forward in rail transport.The group’s Heritage Festival in September will give a new generation of rail enthusiasts the opportunity to discover what it is that makes Yarra Valley Tourist Railway’s 200 members tick.