Lachlan Valley Railway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lachlan Valley Railway

Established	1974
Location	3 Campbell Street, Cowra
Type	Railway museum
Nearest car park	On site

The Lachlan Valley Railway Society is a group in New South Wales, Australia. They work to save and run old trains. Their main base is in the town of Cowra.

The society started in 1974. Their goal was to keep old trains from the New South Wales Government Railways running. Today, they still offer fun heritage train trips. These tours go to many different places across New South Wales.

History of the Lachlan Valley Railway

The Lachlan Valley Railway (LVR) began in 1974. They first started by running a locomotive called 5917. They also had four passenger carriages. Soon, they got more old trains. They worked with a place called the Lachlan Vintage Village in Forbes.

The LVR started running train tours. One early trip in 1976 went from Parkes to Peterborough. At that time, their trains were kept at the Parkes train depot.

Moving to the Cowra Roundhouse

On June 18, 1977, the LVR moved its main base. They moved to the old roundhouse in Cowra. A roundhouse is a special building for storing and fixing trains. It was built in 1923.

At first, they only used a few tracks inside. But in 1985, they took over the whole building. This happened when the State Rail Authority left the site.

In 1979, the LVR also started tours from Sydney to Kiama. They even had a small base in West Ryde, Sydney. However, they had to leave that Sydney site in 1987. This was because the Northern train line needed to expand.

Adding Diesel Locomotives

In November 1983, the LVR bought its first diesel train. It was locomotive 4204. Soon after, they got another shunting engine called D9. Shunting engines move trains around the rail yard.

In 1987, the State Rail Authority stopped using the train line from Cowra to Blayney. The LVR then leased this part of the line. The line needed repairs and closed in 1990. It was reopened in 1993.

Operating Freight Trains

In the early 1990s, a part of the LVR started moving wheat. This was for the Grain Handling Authority. They carried wheat between Woodstock and Cowra. These services began in September 1993. Diesel locomotive 4204 pulled the first of these trains.

Later, the LVR also moved other goods. They used their 47 class locomotives for this. In 2006, this part of the company was sold. It became known as Independent Railways of Australia.

Changes to Train Lines

In 1999, the government decided to open the Cowra–Blayney line to other train companies. This meant the LVR no longer had special rights to use it. Their trains could still run on the line, though.

In 2009, the line was closed by RailCorp. This meant many of the LVR's trains got "landlocked" in Cowra. They could not move by rail. To move them, they had to be carried by road. The society hopes to reopen a small part of the line for heritage trains soon.

Today, the society's site in Cowra is very big. It has more than 55 carriages and locomotives. They are all kept safe indoors. You can visit the site daily.

How the Lachlan Valley Railway Works

The Lachlan Valley Railway Society has about 300 members. A group of volunteers manages the society. They are allowed to run trains on the main train lines in New South Wales. This is because they follow all the safety rules.

Our Train Collection

The Lachlan Valley Railway Society takes care of many different locomotives and carriages. Here are some of them:

Steam Locomotives

Diesel Locomotives (Running)

Other Diesel Locomotives

• 45 class: 4502 & 4528. These are stored at Broken Hill.
• 47 class: 4703 (stored), 4707 (being fixed), and HTV2000 (stored at Cowra).
• 80 class: 8014. This one was taken apart for spare parts.

Railmotors

Railmotors are special trains that can carry passengers on their own, without needing a separate locomotive.

• CPH railmotors: CPH12, CPH24, CPH25 are all running. CPH16 is stored at Cowra. CPH31 is being fixed at Cowra.
• 620/720 set: 638/738 is at Cowra.
• DEB set: Several cars from this set are at Cowra. Some are owned by a member and will be fixed.

Passenger Carriages

The society also has many different types of passenger carriages, including:

• ABS Dining car: 2304 (running).
• FS Economy car: 2029, 2091, 2126 & 2133 (running). 2130 (stored).
• MFS Economy car: 2028, 2121 (running).
• RBS First/Buffet car: 2160 (being fixed).
• EAM Sleeping car: 1831 (stored at Cowra).
• MBV Lounge Car: 931 (stored at Cowra).
• MCE Corridor car: 114 (stored at Cowra).
• MHG Crew/Workshop Van: 11604 (being fixed).
• FHG Power/Guards Van: 31772 (running).
• EHG Guards/Luggage Van: 2409 (being fixed).
• OAM (ex NAM) Crew Sleeping Car: 2329 (running).
• OAN (ex LAN) Crew Sleeping Car: 2378 (being fixed).

Fun Train Tours

The Lachlan Valley Railway has run many exciting train tours, including:

• Blue Suede Express: From Sydney to Parkes and back.
• ABBA Express: From Sydney to Parkes, then to Trundle, and back to Sydney.
• Richmond Shuttles: Short trips from Richmond to Mulgrave and back.

Gallery

• 

  Lachlan Valley Railway 4204 locomotive on platform 3 at Central Station

• 

  3237 leading a triple header into Maitland at the Hunter Valley Steamfest 2009

• 

  CPH railmotor no. 12 at Wagga Wagga station in March 2011