Phone +61 3 5799 0515 | ||
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Address Victoria St, Seymour VIC 3660, Australia Similar Victorian Goldfields Railway, Seymour railway station, Yarra Valley Railway, Daylesford Spa Country, Mornington Railway | ||
Seymour railway heritage centre open day including r707
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (SRHC) is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 as the Seymour Loco Steam Preservation Group to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.
Contents
- Seymour railway heritage centre open day including r707
- Seymour railway heritage centre t378 and c501
- Fleet
- New additions
- References
The group is an accredited railway operator under the Victorian Rail Safety Act 2006, permitting it to move trains within its own depot. The group is also accredited to maintain and provide rolling stock on the Victorian railway network, running charters, tourist and railfan specials across the state with their fleet of restored trains. It is also a provider of locomotives to freight operator, El Zorro.
Seymour railway heritage centre t378 and c501
Fleet
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is the custodian of a number of heritage pieces of rolling stock owned by the Victorian Government (by either VicTrack or V/Line), as well as other rolling stock owned outright.
Locomotives in the custody of the group include steam locomotives J515, mainline diesels C501, S303, X31 and B74, a number of smaller branchline T class locomotives, (T320, T333, T357 & T378) and smaller shunting locos Y133 and F202. Also 600 hp diesel railcar DRC43.
Locomotives owned by the group are: GM36, T378, K176 & J512.
Y133 is currently on long term loan to the Victorian Goldfields Railway based in Maldon, Victoria. Whilst T333 is owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway and in the care of the SRHC.
Carriages in the group's collection include 1906 'E' type wooden sitting and sleeping carriages as used on the Adelaide Express and The Overland, the majority of the original 1937 Spirit of Progress consist, and carriages used on Victorian Railways Royal Trains.
In 2007 the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre was provided with funding from the VicTrack Heritage Program for the restoration of the Spirit of Progress consist and heritage diesel locomotives B74 and S303, and on 25 November 2007 a commemorative run was made for the 70th anniversary of the first Spirit of Progress service.
New additions
In late August 2009, locomotives S310 and T382 were transferred to Seymour and became part of the SRHC collection. Whilst neither unit is in operational condition, as time and finances permit both units will be restored to traffic. As of May 2013, neither unit has returned to service but restoration work continues.
In early January 2010, X31 was transferred to Seymour and became part of the SRHC collection. This event made X31 the first of its class to enter preservation. 31 underwent a full bodywork overhaul and repaint into Victorian Railways blue and gold livery, then entered traffic as a heritage unit on hire to El Zorro in March 2011. Until the transfer to Seymour, X31 was part of the Pacific National fleet and had spent many months in storage.
In early 2012 the SRHC purchased diesel locomotive GM28 (displayed as GM22) and three carriages located in Port Pirie, South Australia. Two of the carriages being sitting lounges and one a kitchen and dining area (All carriages have been burnt and vandalized after the train was moved behind a building in 2009). The group paid $33,000 in total, the train is still sitting at Port Pirie station until it can be removed. Trashed former display locomotive GM28 masquerading as GM 22 departed Port Pirie bound for the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre, 26 June 2012. The trashed carriages have been moved out onto railway land out near Coonamia.