Top Point on the Kerrisdale Mountain Railway. It certainly is a great view! Image by courtesy of KMR.
On Friday 02/07, Pete’s Hobby Railway had the pleasure of entertaining Andrew and Duncan from the Kerrisdale Mountain Railway in Central Victoria — another 2-ft gauge operation, but very different from ours at PHR! The two arrived shortly after 0900 and stayed for the whole day until being “dragged off” for a quick gander at our other local railway attraction — the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum, before it closed for the day at 1600 hours.
Our Hunslet locomotive had been steamed for the first time in many months, after having passed its bi-annual boiler examination with flying colours earlier this year.
There was a minor delay when “Torpedo” blew a gauge glass when a nut was tightened a little too much to take up a minor weep. The gauge glass protector did its job well; the steam and waterway cocks were immediately closed off, pressure dropped as a safety measure and a replacement glass fitted.* All completed in about an hour or so, thus allowing operations with both “Torpedo” and the Ruston diesel to continue unabated for the rest of the day – apart from a break for lunch, of course… freshly made rolls and sandwiches from our local Junee Bakery, washed down with copious cups of tea and coffee!
PHR volunteers and KMR wait patiently as steam pressure is again built up in “Torpedo”.
It was a sunny but cool day, with minimal wind — a perfect winter’s day.
A great day was had by all, thanks to our volunteers who seemed to enjoy the smells of coal smoke and steam, plus some diesel. A reciprocal visit to Kerrisdale is in the planning. We can only hope that the weather conditions will be as perfect as they were for this visit.
* Andrew subsequently supplied some very detailed instructions as to how PHR could undertake permanent improvements to the water gauges on “Torpedo”.