the attraction of Puffing Billy is that it runs in the outer suburbs and is easily accessibly by electric train. A Colac to Beechy would not attract the same patronage. Many people see Puffing Billy as an outing with the kids for which Colac to Beechy would be unsuitable. Indeed some people actually opposed the extension of Puffing Billy to Gembrook as they thought it would take too long and not many people will use it. Many crowded trains ran to Lakeside and was seen to be the right travel time. I’m glad the extension to Gembrook happened.
Even as a rail trail the problem is that too much has been sold off and is inaccessible. It isn't a "simple" matter of rebuilding the track and the bridges. Then even the dirt roads would need boom gates. A lot of the forested land has been taken over for pine forests. Hardly the sort of terrain that "belongs" with the line. Even a quarry has cut out part of it. It would be impossible to relay without huge political changes. The past is the past. But I was privileged to have several trips along the line and the memories of those has continued for more than 60 years now. I feel so lucky to have enjoyed many things that the current generation can never have.
Yeah, but that's on the Bellarine Peninsula, not in the Otway's like this line was, it'd be a great tourist attraction for the area, the only trouble would be re-establishing the right of way out of Colac.
As much as the people of Bellarine Peninsula would like to be considered part of the Great Ocean Road and Otway Region it’s to far away to be even thought of as that. Same as people from Warrnambool and east as far as Portland and beyond hoping to achieve the same recognition.🇦🇺
@@raymondwelsh6028 ah okay also it would of been cool if beechy was saved that would of been a nice tourist railway and yeah I know that it's pretty far from melbourne and the reason puff is so popluar is because how close to the CBD it is and how easy it is to get from melbourne to belgrave
Interestingly at one point the PBPS did have a look at reopening the line but dropped due it being to it being to expensive, Colac being 95 miles away from Melbourne and the society being fully engaged with reopening the Belgrave Line
I think VR had plans to keep this line open for longer as i remember reading on railpage VR had plans to build diesels to run on the line and they also had plans to build two more G class garratts
The use of the image at 4:34 from March 6th, 2018 is inappropriate. There are pictures of the NA loco that was damaged in the incident you spoke about. No mention of the NQR frame and short length of track at Crowes - the most southern rail terminus on mainland Australia. Good try.
The line was never commonly referred to as the "Crowes" line, it was always the Beech Forest or "Beechy" line. _"Otaways"_ ???? It's *Otways.* Pronunciation and historical accuracy are important if you want to do videos, especially documentaries (Which I won't do). Crowes is not how you say it, it's "Crows" as in the bird. If the line was only closed around 50 years ago, that would make it 1973/74, as opposed to its actual closure date of 1962. Considering too the efforts of the existing two narrow gauge preservation societies here in Victoria, and the efforts needed to set up a base in Colac, I cannot see any works being done towards running the Beechy as a railway, any time soon.
More than 60 years on its sad to see what short sighted management of that era has lost. This railway if it was still in operation, would equal if not surpass Puffing Billy in popularity. So sad to see what has been lost through short sightedness and lack of appreciation of what we once had. These four railways were never built to make a profit but to open up mountainous regional areas to population growth and exploitation of the vast resources of these area.🇦🇺
What is the point of even considering opening a section of this line The cost of re laying track and its distance from Melbourne would mean it would be running at a loss for every trip This is not practical economically
@@VictorianTransportHistory , i asked the wrong question but you provided me with the answer to the question i meant to ask. it was at tocumwal.. the reason for my curiosity was that the sg trains at dunolly have to crawl through the side switcher and the bg trains just go full bore through it. this side switcher in this picture enables the sg trains to go full bore through it and the bg trains would have had to crawl. i didnt know there was a dual gauge section of track in toke. this is a fabulous photo. very revealing. it begs the question why didnt they put one of these at dunolly when they knew, or thought they knew that the whole lot of lines around there were going to be converted to sg.
the attraction of Puffing Billy is that it runs in the outer suburbs and is easily accessibly by electric train. A Colac to Beechy would not attract the same patronage.
Many people see Puffing Billy as an outing with the kids for which Colac to Beechy would be unsuitable.
Indeed some people actually opposed the extension of Puffing Billy to Gembrook as they thought it would take too long and not many people will use it. Many crowded trains ran to Lakeside and was seen to be the right travel time. I’m glad the extension to Gembrook happened.
Even as a rail trail the problem is that too much has been sold off and is inaccessible. It isn't a "simple" matter of rebuilding the track and the bridges. Then even the dirt roads would need boom gates. A lot of the forested land has been taken over for pine forests. Hardly the sort of terrain that "belongs" with the line. Even a quarry has cut out part of it. It would be impossible to relay without huge political changes. The past is the past. But I was privileged to have several trips along the line and the memories of those has continued for more than 60 years now. I feel so lucky to have enjoyed many things that the current generation can never have.
um there's already a tourist railway in that great ocean road region it's called the bellarine railway
Yeah, but that's on the Bellarine Peninsula, not in the Otway's like this line was, it'd be a great tourist attraction for the area, the only trouble would be re-establishing the right of way out of Colac.
As much as the people of Bellarine Peninsula would like to be considered part of the Great Ocean Road and Otway Region it’s to far away to be even thought of as that. Same as people from Warrnambool and east as far as Portland and beyond hoping to achieve the same recognition.🇦🇺
@@raymondwelsh6028 ah okay also it would of been cool if beechy was saved that would of been a nice tourist railway and yeah I know that it's pretty far from melbourne and the reason puff is so popluar is because how close to the CBD it is and how easy it is to get from melbourne to belgrave
Interestingly at one point the PBPS did have a look at reopening the line but dropped due it being to it being to expensive, Colac being 95 miles away from Melbourne and the society being fully engaged with reopening the Belgrave Line
I think VR had plans to keep this line open for longer as i remember reading on railpage VR had plans to build diesels to run on the line and they also had plans to build two more G class garratts
@@TrainBloke38 Yeah that was the plan, I know about the diesels but not the garrets. Thanks for sharing
Could you please do the timboon line
The use of the image at 4:34 from March 6th, 2018 is inappropriate. There are pictures of the NA loco that was damaged in the incident you spoke about.
No mention of the NQR frame and short length of track at Crowes - the most southern rail terminus on mainland Australia.
Good try.
The line was never commonly referred to as the "Crowes" line, it was always the Beech Forest or "Beechy" line. _"Otaways"_ ???? It's *Otways.* Pronunciation and historical accuracy are important if you want to do videos, especially documentaries (Which I won't do). Crowes is not how you say it, it's "Crows" as in the bird. If the line was only closed around 50 years ago, that would make it 1973/74, as opposed to its actual closure date of 1962. Considering too the efforts of the existing two narrow gauge preservation societies here in Victoria, and the efforts needed to set up a base in Colac, I cannot see any works being done towards running the Beechy as a railway, any time soon.
More than 60 years on its sad to see what short sighted management of that era has lost. This railway if it was still in operation, would equal if not surpass Puffing Billy in popularity. So sad to see what has been lost through short sightedness and lack of appreciation of what we once had. These four railways were never built to make a profit but to open up mountainous regional areas to population growth and exploitation of the vast resources of these area.🇦🇺
Great informative video! For further information, please see the book “Railways of the Otway Ranges”, by Nick Anchen
What is the point of even considering opening a section of this line The cost of re laying track and its distance from Melbourne would mean it would be running at a loss for every trip This is not practical economically
Little bit of fun to dream I guess
where did you get that picture at 8:05 from?
It is a photo of the Standard gauge to Broad gauge track at Tocumwal, but I cant remember where i got it from, sorry
@@VictorianTransportHistory , i asked the wrong question but you provided me with the answer to the question i meant to ask. it was at tocumwal.. the reason for my curiosity was that the sg trains at dunolly have to crawl through the side switcher and the bg trains just go full bore through it. this side switcher in this picture enables the sg trains to go full bore through it and the bg trains would have had to crawl. i didnt know there was a dual gauge section of track in toke. this is a fabulous photo. very revealing. it begs the question why didnt they put one of these at dunolly when they knew, or thought they knew that the whole lot of lines around there were going to be converted to sg.
@@vsvnrg3263There was one at Spencer St where the locos cut off to run around. Not sure it there is one today.