Hotham Valley Railway

Hotham Valley Tourist Railway
W920 at Wellard in July 2005
Terminus	Pinjarra 32°37′48″S 115°52′16″E
Commercial operations
Name	Hotham Branch
Built by	Western Australian Government Railways
Original gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Preserved operations
Owned by	Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (WA) Inc
Operated by	Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (WA) Inc
Stations	3
Preserved gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
1910	Opened Pinjarra to Holyoake
1913	Extended to Dwarda
1926	Extended to Narrogin
1961	Section closed: Boddington–Narrogin
1969	Section closed: Dwellingup–Boddington
1984	Westrail services cease
Preservation history
1974	Preservation society formed
1976	Heritage railway operations commenced (Pinjarra–Dwellingup)
1986	Forest Railway reopened (Dwellingup–Etmilyn )
Headquarters	Dwellingup
Website
www.hothamvalleyrailway.com.au

The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (commonly Hotham Valley Railway) is a tourist and heritage railway in the Peel region of Western Australia.

The railway operates over a 32 kilometre section of the original Pinjarra to Narrogin railway line, and has its origins in a small group of enthusiasts who met together in 1974 with the object of preserving both Western Australian steam locomotives and the railway line itself, from Pinjarra at least as far as Dwellingup. Dwellingup is now the primary centre of Hotham Valley's operations.

Today the railway operates a vastly scaled back operation out of Dwellingup and down the hill to a siding at Isandra. One W class steam locomotive is currently in operation. The railway staffed almost exclusively by volunteers but headed by a paid General Manager, Mr Ian Willis who has full say in how things are run. He has stored much of his own private rolling stock from the former Pemberton Tramway at the railway including V1213. Most of the locomotives are owned by HVR except XA1401 which is owned by several member. PM706 which hasn't steamed for 20 years is the subject of a move by the Narrogin Shire to relocate it back to Narrogin.

It is one of only a handful of heritage railway organisations in Western Australia, and as of 2018 is the only heritage and/or tourist railway in the state regularly operating original 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge Western Australian Government Railways steam locomotives.

History

In 1974, four local residents of Pinjarra formed the Pinjarra Steam & Hills Railway Preservation Society that later became the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway with the aim of operating steam trains on the Pinjarra to Narrogin railway line.

Initially four former Western Australian Government Railways W class locomotives were purchased. The first three (W920, W903 and W945) were returned to service in the 1970s, followed by the fourth (W908) in 1988. A fifth W class was purchased in 2013 (W947). Eight former Albany Progress carriages were leased and ultimately purchased outright in 1979.

In March 1976, the former Pinjarra Locomotive Depot was leased, officially opening on 17 July 1977. On 12 September 1976 the first train operated, a special from Perth to Dwellingup hauled by W920.

Appeals

Hotham Valley Railway host a number of appeals, some of which are ongoing. The appeals relate generally to restoration projects but have included an appeal to replace the seats in AV426 - Hotham Valley's 1919 vintage dining carriage, used regularly on the Etmilyn Forest Diner restaurant train.

Two appeals run during 2012 were to enable the complete purchase of steam locomotive W947 from Rail Heritage WA with a view to restoring it to operational condition. Although Hotham Valley already owns four W class engines, W947 will considerably strengthen the steam locomotive fleet and provides added interest with a unique pattern sand-dome which ultimately served as a prototype for those later employed on the WAGR V class. Work on W947's boiler continues as funds and resources become available, with one future option of marrying the boiler with W903's or W920's frame.

Another long-running appeal (dating back to 1977) is for the restoration of G71 'Menzies. G71 was built as a sister engine of Hotham Valley Railway's G123, part of a batch of 22 built by Dübs & Co of Scotland in 1897. Unlike G123, G71 spent most of its service years away from the WAGR operating instead with various privately owned timber companies. Whilst it will be some years (if not decades) before G71 will be operational, it is important to ensure equipment like this is kept for future generations of members as the funds and resources may become available.

Motive power

Overview

As of 2018, Hotham Valley railway owns and/or operates some twenty-two locomotives (eight steam and sixteen diesel), of which a total of seven are currently operational. In addition, the railway currently owns two ex-Western Australian Government Railways diesel railcars.

Steam locomotives

This is a list of steam locomotives currently in service with Hotham Valley Railway. Note: some items in this list are privately owned; or on long term lend and/or lease arrangements.

The In service date refers to original date of entry into the original owners' service.

Number and name	Locomotive	In service	Builder	Notes	Operational	Photograph
W903 Marrinup	WAGR W class 4-8-2	1951	Beyer Peacock	Out of service pending overhaul	No	W903 at Waroona in the early 21st century
W908 Dwellingup	WAGR W class 4-8-2	1951	Beyer Peacock	Stored - used for heavy spares.	No
W920 Pinjarra	WAGR W class 4-8-2	1951	Beyer Peacock	Currently out of operation pending long-term overhaul; W920 is the "Flag-Ship" of the fleet, being the first steam locomotive to be operated by HVR. Last HVTR W to work on the public network - to Collie 10 September 2005	No	W920 at Mundijong when Hotham Valley was still conducting mainline tours
W945 Banksiadale	WAGR W class 4-8-2	1952	Beyer Peacock	Now in service, After 8-year overhaul.	Yes	W945 at Pinjarra
W947	WAGR W class 4-8-2	1952	Beyer Peacock	Acquired as surplus from Rail Heritage WA in 2011; delivered November 2013, under long term overhaul	No
Pm706	WAGR Pm class 4-6-2	1950	North British	Leased from the Narrogin Apex Club in 1987; swapped for XA1415, returned to service 1990, Worked last HVTR train on the public network 31 December 2005 stored out of service pending overhaul.	No	Pm706 at Fremantle in 'Wizards Express' livery in the early 2000s
G71 Menzies	Millars ex-WAGR G class 4-6-0	1897	Dübs & Co	Previously G111 – sold into private use in 1897, working first as a railway line construction locomotive in the Eastern Goldfields and then as a timber lines locomotive with Millars from 1898. Currently unassembled; subject of the 'G71 Menzies appeal'.	No
G123	WAGR G class 4-6-0	1897	Dübs & Co	One time 'Koombana Queen'. Stored, inoperable pending long term overhaul.	No	G123 when in service at Dwellingup

Diesel locomotives and railcars

This is a list of diesel locomotives and diesel powered railcars in service with Hotham Valley Railway. Note: some items in this list are privately owned; or on long term lend and/or lease arrangements.

Number and name	Locomotive	In service	Notes	Operational	Photograph
C1701	WAGR C class Co-Co	1962	Stored, used for spares	No	C1701 at Wonnerup in January 1987
C1702	WAGR C class Co-Co	1962	Operational; at Dwellingup.	Yes	C1702 at Dwellingup in July 2011
C1703	WAGR C class Co-Co	1962	Operational, at Dwellingup	Yes
XA1401 Pedong	WAGR XA class 2-Do-2	1955	Operational; not currently scheduled for regular use on trains.	Yes	XA1401 at Pinjarra on a mainline tour
XA1411 Weedookarri	WAGR XA class 2-Do-2	1956	Stored on the west side of Pinjarra yards	No
XA1415 Wurara	WAGR XA class 2-Do-2	1956	Plinthed at Narrogin, requires long term overhaul. – Exchanged with Hotham valley for Pm706.	No
G50	MRWA G class Co-Co	1963	Undergoing overhaul at Pinjarra.	No	G50 at Pinjarra
F40	MRWA F class A1A-A1A	1958	Privately owned. Operational; used on trains.	Yes
F44	MRWA F class A1A-A1A	1958	Privately owned. Source of spare parts for F40.	No
SEC1	SECWA example of TGR V class 0-6-0DM	1950	Under overhaul; in Pinjarra.	Yes
V4	TGR V class 0-6-0DM	1948	In service; used on the Forest Train service.	Yes
V5	TGR V class 0-6-0DM	1948	In service; used on the Etmilyn Diner service.	Yes
Z1152	WAGR Z class 0-6-0DM	1953	In service - sees occasional use on work trains, shunting duties within Dwellingup yard, and is usually on display during the annual September Festival.	Yes
ST2	WAGR ST type 1A	c1973	In service. Privately owned. Used on work trains. Chain driven.	Yes	ST1 at Isandra
MA 1862	WAGR MA class B-B	1973	Currently out of service pending transmission replacement in the near future. Potential running on the Etmylin Forest and diner train to relieve V5 or V4.	No.

Visiting and past locomotives

In the past, some locomotives from other organisations have seen operation on Hotham Valley Railway services. Other locomotives have passed into different ownership after having first been owned/operated by Hotham Valley. Details of at least some of these locomotives are given in the following table:

Number and name	Locomotive	In service	Builder	With HVR	Notes	Current	Photograph
S549 Greenmount	WAGR S class 4-8-2	1947	Midland (WAGR)	1997–1999	Owned by the Rail Heritage WA, leased and operated by Hotham Valley services during the late 1990s. Currently under overhaul for possible future operational lease for seasonal use at the Shire of Dowerin.	No	S549 on a Hotham Valley service at Harvey
V1213	WAGR V class 2-8-2	1955	Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns		Initially purchased by Hotham Valley in 1980, V1213 was on-sold and restored to operation by Ian Willis. V1213 featured on many mainline tours, especially the Collie and Northam trips. V1213 is now privately owned and stored out of service in Pemberton.	No	V1213 on a mainline tour with Hotham Valley Railway in the early 1990s

Rolling stock

Passenger stock

The HVR's passenger rolling stock fleet was drawn from a number of sources: in addition to original WAGR carriages, Hotham Valley Railway also operates carriages converted from WAGR goods wagons and original passenger carriages from the Tasmanian Government Railways and South African Railways.

Riverland carriages

In 1987, Hotham Valley Railway acquired 25 second hand large Corten steel carriages from the South African Railways. Hotham Valley was expanding its mainline operations considerably and the Westrail owned carriages then in use on Hotham Valley's rail tours were no longer appropriate due to their age and other limitations.

The new fleet were converted into various types (including first and second class cars with and without guards compartments, buffet and dining cars) from SAR sleeping cars and all had been originally constructed during the 1960s and 70s. All of the cars were converted and refurbished prior to their shipment to Western Australia.

In Hotham Valley service, the cars were painted in green and cream livery with mustard roofs, reminiscent of the original WAGR colour scheme applied between the late 1950s and the mid-1970s. The cars all received names of Western Australian rivers (with the exception of AHF311 which was named Bloemfontein for the city where the cars were converted) and were given class designations and numbers in keeping with Westrail practise. The classes, names and numbers are listed in the table below.

Class	Number in class	Type	Seats	Numbers	Names
AHA	3	First Class with Guards Compartment	56	301, 302, 303	Ashburton, Murray, Fitzroy
AHB	3	First Class Buffet	28	304, 305, 306	Greenough, Gascoyne, Fortescue
AHD	1	Dining	-	307	Serpentine
AHE	3	Tourist (economy) Class with Guards Compartment	64	308, 309, 310	Kalgan, Coongan, Chapman
AHF	7	First Class	56	311 - 317	Bloemfontein, Avon, Brunswick, Denmark, Murchison, Lunenburg
AHG	1	Galley	-	318	N/A
AHL	1	Lounge?	-	319?	Hotham
AHT	7	Tourist (economy) Class	64	320 - 326	Harvey, Irwin, Preston, Blackwood, Mortlock, Canning, Dale

Until the introduction of 48 X-class diesel locomotives in 1954, the naming of WAGR vehicles was rare. Only two classes of WAGR steam locomotive were given names: the Pr class of 1938 was named after Western Australian rivers while the S class of 1943 was named after Western Australian hills. The Hotham Valley Riverland cars were also named for Western Australian rivers and thus shared many names with the Pr class engines, all of which had been withdrawn by 1971.

References

Further reading

• Purcell, John (1991). Hotham Valley Tourist Railway: Souvenir Book. Perth, WA: Hotham Valley Tourist Railway WA. ISBN 0-646-06020-1.
• Sallis, Roger W (2009). The Pinjarra–Narrogin Railway: A History of Western Australia’s Hotham Valley Line. Salisbury, SA: Roger W. Sallis. ISBN 9780646510224.
• Watson, Lindsay; Purcell, J.C. (1981). Hotham Valley Tourist Railway: Guide Book. Pinjarra, WA: Hotham Valley Tourist Railway WA. OCLC 757674698.

External links

Media related to Hotham Valley Railway at Wikimedia Commons

• Official site
• Old website