Red Trolley - BN Class Trolly Class: BN* * Trailers marked (*) are classified as Rail Mounted Tools or Tool Carriers for the purposes of Section 1 of Appendix 1 of the General Instructions. Number: 1, 2 & 3 Name: - Description: Flat top dummy Load Capacity. - Goods : 1 ton (1 tonne) - Persons. ---Puffing Billy Railway - Narrow Gauge Track maintenance Vehicle - BN Class TrollyRed Trolley - BN Class Trolly - Flat top dummy made of wood and wrought ironpuffing billy railway, pbr, red - trolley, bn class trolley, trolley, trolly

Yellow Trolly - BN Class Trolly Class: BN* * Trailers marked (*) are classified as Rail Mounted Tools or Tool Carriers for the purposes of Section 1 of Appendix 1 of the General Instructions. Number: 1, 2 & 3 Name: - Description: Flat top dummy Load Capacity. - Goods : 1 ton (1 tonne) - Persons. ---Puffing Billy Railway - Narrow Gauge Track maintenance Vehicle - BN Class TrollyYellow Trolly - BN Class Trolly - Flat top dummy made of wood and wrought ironpuffing billy railway, pbr, rolling stock , yellow - trolley, bn class trolley, trolly, trolley

This Victorian railways constructed turntable is used for turning around locomotives. It is 16.2 meters long and is hand pushed either direction. Originally broad gauge (5 foot 3 inches) and located in the Newport Locomotive workshop area it was relocated to emerald and 2-foot 6-inch railway track fitted to it and is used by the Puffing Billy Railway to turn their locomotives and carriages Historic - Victorian Railways - Turntable used at Newport Narrow Gauge Turntable made of metal and steelturntable, victorian railways, puffing billy, emerald, newport

DH5 Diesel Hydraulic locomotive The DH class was a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by Walkers Limited, Maryborough for Queensland Railways between 1966 and 1974. In 1966 Queensland Railways tested a Walkers Limited built diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive. This was later purchased and by 1974 the 73 DH class locomotives had taken over shunting duties in most Queensland yards. They were also used on short distance freight services. With the closure of many freight yards and the move to longer trains withdrawals started in the 1980s. Many were sold for further use on Queensland sugar cane railways. Locomotive's Queensland Railways Service History : Locomotive : DH5 Serial No: 587 In Service : 27/08/1968 With drawn from Service : 7/07/1992 LOCOMOTIVE DETAILS DH class No. originally constructed : 74 No. in service : 2 No. stored : Wheel arrangement : Bo-BoDH Roadworthy weight : 40T Maximum axle load : 10T Tractive effort (85%) Length overall: 33' Height overall : 12' 6 1⁄2" Driving wheel diameter : 36" Date of manufacture :1970 Manufacturer :Walkers Place of manufacture : Maryborough, Queensland Locomotive type : Diesel Hydraulic DESCRIPTION - B-B DH FORMER CLASS AND NUMBER - 8/1968 Built By - Walkers, Maryborough, Queensland Service History Date built - 1968 Original owner - Queensland Government Railways Original gauge - 1067mm Withdrawn - Next owner - State Electricity Commission of Victoria DH5 8/1968 Sold to SECV as CC2, In service 8-1993 Sold to Mackay Sugar CC02 (Ex DH5). CC02 was purchased by Cooks Construction in 1992 and used on the 900mm Yallourn railway in Victoria. Mackay Sugar purchased in 2001. Title Value Status Preserved - Operational Gauge Narrow 2ft 6in (762mm) Owners Puffing Billy Railway Operators Puffing Billy Railway Manufacturer Walkers Ltd - Maryborough, Queensland Builders number 587 Associated locos Renumbered from CC02 Liveries carried VR Blue & Gold Puffing Billy Service History or Notes Date acquired - 2008 Acquired from - Mackay Sugar Mill ? State when acquired - Operational ? Work done - Regauged, overhauled Restored to service - Current State - Operational Historic - Queensland Railways - Diesel Hydraulic locomotive DH5DH 5 Diesel Hydraulic locomotive made of steel and metalDH 5puffing billy railway, dh5, locomotive, cc02, diesel,, queensland railways, diesel hydraulic locomotive dh5, walkers diesel hydraulic

Greenbat Battery Loco Built by Greenwood & Batley Ltd Builders No. 420363/2 This Greenbat Battery Loco has been loaned to the Museum by the Walhalla Goldfields Railway, who had acquired it in 2013 along with a large quantity of narrow gauge trollies and light rail from Orica’s now closed munitions factory in Melbourne’s western suburbs. The trolley on display was one of two in use from the 1970s. Orica - Deer Park Munitions factory Orica Deer Park in Melbourne’s west has been used since circa 1875 for various forms of manufacturing and storage of chemicals. Although the site is bounded by Ballarat Road, Station Street, Tilburn Road and the Western Ring Road, the current entry point for industrial operations is situated at Gate 6 off Tilburn Road. Operations include: • a specialty chemicals facility producing products for mining services operations • quarry services • other chemical manufacture activities. The Deer Park factory complex is of historical significance as the location of the first plant for the manufacture of high explosives in Australia and has been, for its entire history, the most important, if not only, commercial manufacturer of high explosives in Australia. It commenced operation under the importer Jones Scott and Co, and then the Australian Lithofracteur Company (Krebs Patent), a rival to Nobel's dynamite patent. The factory was producing nitro-glycerine based explosives in Australia only a couple of years after Nobel's Ardeer factory began operating in Scotland. The explosives factories complex is of historical significance for the association with the Australian Lithofracteur Company, Australian Explosives and Chemicals, the Nobel company and later ICIANZ, which grew to become one of the largest explosives, chemical and plastics manufacturers in Australia. It was the pioneer of the industry and retained its dominance through monopolistic practices, taking over most of its competitors in the Australasian region. Substantial parts of the pre-Second World War layout of the site remain which, with a number of significant buildings dating back to the 1920s and '30s, indicate past and present processes of manufacturing, the necessary safety measures required and the integrated nature of the explosives and chemical industry. The narrow gauge tramway, which ran through the explosives section, was a rare survivor of nineteenth century materials-handling methods into the 21st Century. Greenwood & Batley were a large engineering manufacturer with a wide range of products, including armaments, electrical engineering, and printing and milling machinery. They also produced a range of battery-electric railway locomotives under the brand name Greenbat. The works was in Armley, Leeds, UK. Greenbat was the trade name for the railway locomotives built by Greenwood & Batley. The company specialised in electric locomotives, particularly battery-powered types for use in mines and other hazardous environments. Historic - Industrial Narrow Gauge Railway - Battery Locomotive - Orica - Deer Park Munitions factory - Deep park, Victoria, Australia Battery Locomotive - made of iron puffing billy, greenbat battery loco, battery locomotive, industrial narrow gauge railway, orica - deer park munitions factory

This 2 foot 6 inch (762mm) gauge wagon was used for carrying explosives and was used with the Greenbat Battery loco. It was donated to the Walhalla Goldfields Railway on long term loan in 2013 along with a large quantity of narrow gauge trollies and light rail from Orica’s now closed munitions factory in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Orica - Deer Park Munitions factory Orica Deer Park in Melbourne’s west has been used since circa 1875 for various forms of manufacturing and storage of chemicals. Although the site is bounded by Ballarat Road, Station Street, Tilburn Road and the Western Ring Road, the current entry point for industrial operations is situated at Gate 6 of Tilburn Road. Operations include: • a specialty chemicals facility producing products for mining services operations • quarry services • other chemical manufacture activities. The Deer Park factory complex The factory complex is of historical significance for the major role it played in Australia's manufacturing and mining industries through the development of progressively more efficient and safer explosives. It also contributed to wartime production in ammunition, initiators and the development of synthetic ammonia production and construction of the Defence Explosives Annexe No 5 (later the Albion Explosives Factory) during World War Two. The factory complex is also of technical significance for the unusual and specialised design of many of the buildings and structures, both in the layout of the works and the individual design of buildings. Blast protection and safety measures such as mounds around the buildings, 'cleanways' and buffer zones between production areas were employed extensively. A characteristic of many production buildings was the elimination of cavities where explosive compounds could lodge. The combination of concrete barriers and light-weight construction was designed to direct explosion debris away from operators or other buildings. The narrow gauge tramway, which ran through the explosives section, is a rare survivor of nineteenth century materials-handling methods. Historic - Industrial Narrow Gauge Railway - Wagon for carrying Explosives at the Orica - Deer Park Munitions factory, Deer park, Victoria, Australia Wagon for carrying explosives made from Timber and steelwagon for carrying explosives, puffing billy, industrial narrow gauge railway, orica - deer park munitions factory, explosives wagon

Axle box cover from a Tasmanian Main Line Railway rail vehicle from 1874 The Tasmanian Main Line Railway Company (T.M.R.L.) was a privately owned railway company that existed in Tasmania from 1872 to 1890. The company were the first operators of rail services between Hobart and Launceston, where it connected with the Launceston and Western Railway (L.W.R.) It started construction of a 3' 6" gauge line between Hobart and Launceston in 1873 which was completed in December 1875. and was officially opened on 1 November 1876. The route of the railway was selected largely as a result of vocal local interests and accordingly traversed some reasonably unfavorable topography, particularly in the southern section. Because the TMLR had limited finances, the line was built to the narrow (1067 mm) gauge and included long sections of steep gradients and sharp curves. The final eighteen kilometres of the route from Western Junction to Launceston used the existing broad gauge alignment of the Launceston and Western Railway, with a third rail being laid for use by the narrow gauge trains A close but uncomfortable relationship with the Government was resolved in 1890 with the purchase of the company's assets by the Crown and their incorporation into the Tasmanian Government Railways on 1 October 1890. Historic early Tasmanian Main Line Railway - Vehicle Axel Box cover Axle box cover from a Tasmanian Main Line rail vehicle from 1874.T.M.L.R - 1874 -axle, tasmanian main line railway, axle box, tasmania, main line,

Photo of Puffing Billy coming around the horseshoe bend at Selby and beginning to cross the trestle bridge, heading away from Belgrave. The engine is only part shown. It is hauling four open-sided carriages with canvas covers, and a further six or so enclosed carriages. There appears to be no wind as the smoke is hanging above the train. Railway infrastructure (barrier fences) can be seen in the foreground, and there are wires across the left side of the photo. c. 1920

B&W postcard sent to Jean Hermon's mother, Jane Beazley. It shows two men standing on a railway jigger and a third man in front of them, seated on a small three-wheeled vehicle on the track. All are dressed in hats, waistcoat, trousers and shirts. The railway line passes through thick bush. 'Narrow Gauge Rly. Gembrook' is printed at the bottom right corner. The original postcard has three patches where the surface is missing.

Copy of the Australian Railway Enthusiast - Vol 9, No. 4, December 1971, which contains seven photographs of the closure of the Ballarat Tramway System on 19/9/1971 by Greg Triplett. Item 579 refers for centre page photograph. Magazine has articles on the Beech Forest Narrow Gauge, The Atjeh Tram (Indonesia), cable cars preserved in Melbourne and a derailment at Yering Vic. in 1900. Ballarat Photos 1 - 40 in Lydiard St. 2 - Bogie car in Wendouree Parade from the wheat silos 3 - Intersection of Sturt and Lydiard Street from the Town Hall 4 - Tram at City Centre with Boer War (?) statue in front of the tram - night photo 5 - 35 at Sebastopol Terminus - night photo 6 - 42 at the Lydiard Street terminus - night photo 7 - 40 leaving Sebastopol as the last tram - night photo (see item 579) Second copy added 31-8-2017. Second copy has a "Technical Book & Mag. Co." yellow label on the front cover.trams, tramways, ballarat, closure, lydiard st, sturt st, sebastopol

Black and White copy print contained within the Wal Jack Bendigo and Geelong Album, see Reg Item 5003 for more details. Copy photograph of demonstration electric locomotive (narrow gauge) hauled vehicles at the Gold Jubilee Exhibition in 1901. See page 80 of Keith Kings, Bendigo Tramways, ARHS 1972 for further details. Image 5783i3 reproduces this page. .1 - On rear in ink "Electric railway demonstrated at Gold Jubilee Exhibition Bendigo 1901". In bottom right hand corner "P.W. Duckett". trams, tramways, bendigo, exhibitions

West Otways Narrow Gauge; The story of the Beech Forest 2ft 6in gauge railway and its connecting tramways; Norman Houghton; Light Railways v.XII, no.45, Spring 1973; soft cover; 52p.; illus. mapsPrinting - Kemera Press, Caulfield, Vic.west otways; narrow gauge; beech forest; 2ft 6in narrow gauge; tramways; colac; gellibrand; the ridge; crowes;

In the earliest years of the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line all trains were hauled by NA-class 2-6-2 tank locomotives. From 1926, with the introduction of articulated Beyer Garrett locomotive G41, it hauled the majority of trains with the NAs providing supplementary service as required. Late in 1945 Garratt G41 was again out of action undergoing repairs at the depot in Colac so regular traffic again was handled by an NA for a short time. The line continued to survive on pulpwood long after other VR narrow gauge lines had ceased operation but finally, on 30 June 1962, a dilapidated G42 hauled the last train of goods wagons and vans to Beech Forest and return.Focus on Victoria's Narrow Gauge: Beech Forest Line, Part One. John E. Thompson. Puffing Billy Preservation Society; Belgrave (Vic); Jan 2004. vi, 42 p.; illus; maps. Soft cover. ISBN 0 9579792 4 Xvictorian railways; narrow gauge; beech forest; colac; crowes; edward a. downs; john e. thompson;

In the earliest years of the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line all trains were hauled by NA-class 2-6-2 tank locomotives. From 1926, with the introduction of articulated Beyer Garrat locomotive G41, it hauled the majority of trains with the NA-class providing supplementary service as required. Late in 1945 G41 was out of action undergoing repairs at the depot in Colac so regular traffic again was handled by an NA-class for a short time before the Garratt returned. After this the line survived on pulpwood traffic long after the other narrow gauge lines had ceased regular operation until, on 30 June 1962, a dilapated G42 Garrett hauled the last train of goods wagons and vans to Beech Forest and return.Focus on Victoria's Narrow Gauge Beech Forest Line, Part Two. A pictorial tribute to the late Edward A. Downs, Railway Historian. John E. Thompson. Puffing Billy Preservation Society; Belgrave (Vic); November 2006. iv, 42 p.; illus; maps. Soft cover. ISBN 0 9579792 6 6victorian railways; narrow gauge; beech forest; colac; crowes; john e. thompson; edward a. downs; railway;

On the 18th August, 1896, the question of selecting localities for the permanent survey of a narrow-gauge line to Beech Forest from Colac was mooted. Two potential lines were examined. In a memorandum to the Minister for Railways, dated 23rd March, 1897, the Engineer-in-Chief recommended that the eastern and longer route via Lardner's Track be adopted. The second route, while identical from Colac to Gellibrand River, differed. By a more direct route the Beech Forest terminus is reached 5 miles sooner and cost approximately L24,500 less. The direct line would also serve a larger lot of settlers and would obtain a larger lot of traffic than the alternate proposal. The Parlimentary Standing Committee on Railways examined the proposal in situ and recommended that the direct route from Gellibrand to Beech Forest should be adopted and the Lardner's Track route should be abandoned at once.Photograph, Railway Survey Camp, 4 April 1897. Inspection of alternative routes by Parliamentary Committee on Railways.People named in the photograph.beech forest; railway; survey; victorian parliament; calcutt; fraser; e.h. cameron; d. mciville; a. harris; n. mcinnes; j.s. white; j. wood; t. baker; j. gardner; t.g. watson; standing committee;

Beech Forest. Narrow gauge locomotive No.5A, 1902. Seven men (unknown), five on train, two on ground.beech forest; locomotive no.5a; railway; narrow gauge;

Leaving Colac the narrow gauge train goes through Tulloh. Coram, Barongarook, Kawarren, Lovat, Gellibrand, Banool, Wimba, McDevitt, Weeaproinah, Devitt Bros., and Ditchley before it reaches Beech Forest, and vice versa. The distance in miles, the height above sea level and the timing from the starting point is given. Note that Weeaproinah W NC changed its name to Dinmont when the Crowes line extension is built. Colac-Beech Forest timetable for May, 1911 showing the DOWN train from Colac to Beech Forest, and the UP train from Beech Forest to Colac plus annotations.colac; melbourne; tulloh; coram; barongarook; kawarren; lovat; gellibrand; banool; wimba; mcdevitt; weeaproinah; devitt bros.; ditchley; beech forest; railway; timetable;

On Tuesday, 4 October 1904, the first serious railway accident occurred on the Colac-Beech Forest line near Beech Forest. As no train was scheduled that day in the afternoon the crew decided to fetch some wood from down the line. They fired the boiler on locomotive 3A, attached two trucks to the locomotive and moved out of the station. When they arrived opposite the Ditchley Park Hotel they stopped the engine and adjourned to the bar for some refreshments before beginning work. While they were engaged some local children boarded the unattended engine, started it, panicked when it began moving and jumped out leaving in to speed away and tip on a curve in a cutting at Ditchley. The engine was severely damaged. However, its cause remained an Otways secret. The official reason given for the accident is that the driver had fallen out of the engine while engaged in shunting allowing it to run away out of control.Locomotive No. 3A and goods wagons following their derailment at Beech Forest, 4 October 1904.beech forest; railways; narrow gauge; derailment;

From late in 1960 VR took what were the first definite steps to close the Colac-Beech Forest line. 1,101 tonnes of freight per year flowed from Colac to Beech Forest because of increasing competition from the roads. From 1 July 1960 onwards, when pulpwood (hardwood) stopped being shipped from Beech Forest, a maximum of only 7,000 tonnes/year would be shipped to Colac. Including special trips passenger revenue earned a little more than $200 per annum. The issue of second-hand sleepers stopped entirely and the two track gangs only patrolled the track and tightened loose bolts. The line did not earn its way and on 4 November 1960 it was recommended that services over the narrow gauge line be discontinued.The rear of a goods train from Colac arrives at Beech Forest on 9 August 1961. The other line is the former Crowes line truncated at Weeaproinah in January 1955. In the background is the Beech Forest Hall and Shire of Otway offices. Colour.colac; beech forest; railway;

The last train to Beech Forest ran on 30 June, 1962. The train had a particularly motley look to it; 180 passengers were loaded into NU goods vans which had been hastily fitted out with temporary seats and tarpaulin roofing. The train was hauled by the dilapidated G42 locomotive, kept alive through patch-up repairs and cannibalised G41 parts, which intending travellers looked at with some trepidation. The train made it without mishap. When it returned to Colac on that cold, gloomy June day it signalled the end of narrow gauge operations in the Otway Ranges.B/W. Locomotive G42 with the sign " Australian Railway, Last Train to Beech Forest, 30-6-62, Historical Society" is departing Colac. NC guard's van and NU louvred van are attached. A woman and man watching. .colac; beech forest; railways;

The last train ran to Beech Forest on 30 June 1962. It had a particularly motley look: 180 passengers were loaded into a series of NU goods wagons hastily fitted with temporary seats and, given the time of year, tarpaulin covers. The G42 locomotive had patched-up repairs and cannibalised G41 parts. Intending travellers faced up to the trip with some trepidation but the train made it with no problems. On this cold, gloomy day when it got back to Colac it signalled the end of narrow gauge operations in the Otway Ranges.B/W. Locomotive G42 with the sign "Australian Railway Historical Society, Last Train to Beech Forest, 30-6-62", an NC guard's van, a NU louvred van and many NQR open wagons, at a photostop near Tulloh. Several passengers taking photos while the driver is waiting to proceed.colac; beech forest; railway; tulloh;

The 1963 Victoria Railways Annual Report stated: "Owing to the paucity of traffic the provision of a regular goods train service on the Colac-Weeaproinah narrow gauge line has involved substantial operating losses in recent years . . . As it was evident that the cost of retaining the service was quite disproportionate to the small amount of traffic offering, the line was closed."B/W. On the 27 June 1962 locomotive G42, 13 NQR wagons, several loaded with wood, and an NC guard's van negotiate Scanlon's curve near Tulloh. Three staff occupy the wagon next to the engine. On the horizon a house amidst a tree.weeaproinah; tulloh; scanlon's curve; railway; colac; beech forest;

B/W. Photocopy. Crowes-Beech Forest-Colac narrow gauge line, December 1911, showing for each station the height above sea level in feet, the miles from Crowes to Colac (and Melbourne), the Station, a mixed train on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a mixed train on other days, and loading factors.. colac; beech forest; crowes; melbourne; railway;

Construction of the Colac-Beech Forest railway line began in 1900 with about 100 men engaged in laying and ballasting the track, as well as others forming the earthworks and building culverts and bridges. The result of this labour saw the railway advance from Colac until it climbed a spur hugging the side of a forty degree slope emerging on top of the ridge at Beech Forest. This photograph was taken 28 miles (45 kilometres) from Colac between Devitt Bros. Siding and Ditchley, just out of Beech Forest. Two 2-6-2 Tank engines of the narrow-gauge A class built by Victorian Railway's Newport workshop, were commonly dubbed 'Coffee Pots'. As well as pulling a load of NQR wagons a NBB saloon car ended the train. The devastation to the standing timber was deliberate: the Engineer-in-Chief of VR ruled that all trees within a certain distance of the railway line were to be cut down. This certainly saved the line from destruction several times in the future.B/W. An NA class locomotive, NQR wagons and an NBB saloon car, all with workmen, going around a bend between Devitt Brother's Siding and Ditchley on the Beech Forest line in 1901.beech forest; ditchley; devitt bros siding, railways;

In 1898 a recommendation for a railway of 2 ft 6 in gauge was handed down by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, to cost $138,000. Construction began in 1900. About 100 men were engaged in laying and ballasting the track while others, not included in the 100, formed the earthworks, culverts and bridges. Locomotive operations initially were two 2-6-2 Tank engines of the narrow gauge A class, dubbed "Coffee Pots", and these were used on the work trains between 1900 and 1902. Because of the lengthy periods of waiting time required to unload sleepers and rails or to load ballast meant that a handy replenishment of coal and water supply was necessary. With earthworks specified to the bare minimum landslips in the narrow cuttings were frequent so a repairer was stationed in each length to deal quickly with minor slips until 1904 when the cuttings were widened.B/W. The driver and seven other men on locomotive 5A and its flat cars at Beech Forest during construction of the line in c.1902. beech forest; railways; loco 5a;

Construction of the Colac-Beech Forest railway line commenced in 1900 and the first activities were the work gangs and their camps. About 100 men were engaged in laying and ballasting the track while others formed the earthworks and the building of culverts and bridges. The first camp was established eight kilometres from Colac, the second 12 km south, and the remainder spaced at similar distances as the work progressed. The camps were served by butchers and bakers from Colac that visited them as many times each week to satisfy the mens' requirements. Many of the men had their families with them. They all lived in tents that consisted of a wooden floor around which the canvas cover was built. A calico partition divided the eating and sleeping quarters, and all cooking was done in camp ovens or at open fires.B/W. 158mm x 203mm. Near Colac, a narrow gauge construction camp comprising 21 workmen, a horse, and two tipping trays.construction camp; railways; colac;

Plans for a rail connection between Colac and Beech Forest had been drawn up in 1884 and 1889 but proofed inconclusive because of the enormous cost involved in building a railway in such difficult terrain. Because of the financial depression in the early 1890s such expenditure went of hold. Towards the end of the decade planners recognised that a narrow gauge could be a viable alternative and it was taken up by the community, Parliamentary representatives and the government, although Victorian Railways administration was against the idea. This was overridden. The 1898 Parliament approved a 2 foot 6 inch gauge from Colac to Beech Forest although strict financial limits were set. The route was to be the most direct and the infrastructure the most basic. Construction began in 1900 entailing very steep grades and myriad curves until it finished in 1902. Surveyors and their assistants came before and during the track laying for the whole distance.B/W. Survey camp for the Colac-Beech Forest railway in 1901, showing nine tents, ten men including a cook, survey instruments, and three bicycles. Note the cooking fire on the right.colac: beech forest; railways; survey;

Colac was the centre of a spidery rail network over which were carted anything and everything by Victorian Railways, the common carrier throughout the area. The main line through the region was the 35 km rail route from Birregurra (and thence to Geelong) though Colac to Pirron Yallock (and thence to Warrnambool and Port Fairy) from March, 1877, to July, 1883. The first branch line ran from Irrewarra to Beeac in 1889, which then extended in stages to Cressy and on the Ballarat. The second branch line was the 31 km long Birregurra to Forrest in 1891. The cost of building railways into mountainous terrain meant the third branch line was a narrow-gauge 2 foot 6 inch line, first of all to Beech Forest in 1902, and then to Crowes in 1911, for a total of 71 km. The final rail connection was the 16 km branch from Colac to Alvie to facilitate the transport of onions, opening in 1923. Each line had its own character and peculiarities derived from its foundation, geography and economic base. As a general rule, the loadings on the branch lines had greater output tonnage than inwards, the reverse of the main line. The lines traversed agricultural and timber areas where inputs like seed, grass, fertiliser and labour were minor, compared with the output, timber, wool, cream, butter, cheese fruit, potatoes, onion, grain and livestock.Rail Centre Colac. Rail stations in the Colac Otway Shire, 1877 to 2014. Norman Houghton. 1st ed. Norman Houghton; Geelong (Vic); 2014. vi, 262 p.; illus., maps, index. Soft cover.colac; cressy; forrest; beech forest; crowes

From the 9th April until the 8th July 1896 the Victorian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, chaired by Mr. Cameron with members from both houses, took evidence on three narrow gauge extensions from broad gauge railway stations in the area, the Beech Forest Extension from Colac, the McDonald's Track Extension from Warragul, and the Drouin and Poowong East Extension from Drouin.Minutes of Evidence, Beech Forest Narrow-Gauge Extension. Minutes of Evidence, McDonald's Track Narrow-Gauge Extension. Minutes of Evidence, Drouin and Poowong East Narrow-Gauge Extension. Victorian Parliamentary Papers; Melbourne (Vic); April-July, 1896. 60 p. (VPARL1896-97 No 42)

Shows footage of G42 at work in the Otways.Brief history of Australian narrow gauge lines including G42. Film of G42 at work through the Otways.g41 narrow guage railway