Railways and Tramways of Australia

Victoria’s Puffing Billy has the highest patronage of any tourist railway in Australia, and is very popular with both adults and children. The line runs a distance of 24 km from Belgrave, where Puffing Billy is based, through Lakeside to Gembrook. A total of 398,523 passenger journeys were recorded in 2023–24. A special attraction is the open-sided carriages, enabling passengers to hang their legs outside of the carriage.

 

History

Located in the scenic Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne, Puffing Billy began as one of the four narrow (762 mm) gauge lines built in mountainous regions of Victoria. Construction commenced in 1899 and the first train operated on 18 December 1900 when locomotive 4A hauled the official train from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook. Trains carried passengers and a range of goods, including timber, potatoes, fruit and dairy products.

 

By 1916 up to ten trains were running daily in each direction on the line. It became popular with tourists attracted to the mountain scenery, and in 1919 the Victorian Railways built open air excursion carriages to meet the demand. As a result of the Great Depression passenger numbers declined, and services were reduced to or three per week in 1930. The line made financial losses and following landslides in 1952 and 1953 the line was officially closed in December 1954. Farewell services operated between Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave, generating support for keeping the line open. In 1955 the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed, and Victorian Railways agreed to continue running trains from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave on weekends and public holidays as long as the Society covered any losses. Services proved to be very popular. Trains continued until 23 February 1958 when Victorian Railways closed the line between Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave to convert it into a broad (1600 mm) gauge suburban line. The Puffing Billy Preservation Society then turned its attention to constructing a new station at Belgrave, re-opening the line beyond Belgrave and restoring locomotives and rolling stock.

 

The line between Belgrave and Menzies Creek was re-opened on 21 July 1962, with public services commencing on 28 July. This was followed by the sections to Emerald on 31 July 1965 and Lakeside on 18 October 1975. Finally, the line was re-opened to Gembrook on 18 October 1998, with locomotive 14A hauling the first passenger train to operate between Belgrave and Gembrook in 45 years.

 

Locomotives

Puffing Billy operates several former Victorian Railways narrow gauge steam locomotives as well as diesel locomotives. The steam locomotive fleet includes six NA Class tank locomotives, five of which are in operational condition, a G Class Garratt, and a Climax geared locomotive that was used in the Victorian timber industry.

 

A fleet of 17 NA Class 2-6-2 tank locomotives hauled most trains on the Puffing Billy line and the other narrow gauge railways in Victoria. Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, United States of America, manufactured the first two of these engines, NA1 and NA2, in 1898. The remainder of the class were built to the same design at Newport Workshops in Melbourne from 1900 to 1915. Originally painted green, from 1905 they were panted in a red livery, and then from the early 1920s they emerged in a black colour scheme. The NA Class engines have a weight of 35.5 tonnes, a length of 9.4 metres, and a tractive effort of 54 kN. Their maximum speed is 32 km/h. Numbers 6, 7, 8, 12 and 14 operate services on the Puffing Billy Railway, while NA3 is awaiting restoration.

 

Two 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt locomotives were built for operation on Victorian narrow gauge lines. They were built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester, England, and entered service in 1926 on the Walhalla and Beech Forest lines. The G Class engines had a weight of 70 tonnes, a length of 13.6 metres, and a tractive effort of 123 kN, which made them more than twice as powerful as the NA Class. Their maximum speed was 32 km/h. G42 has been preserved by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. In regular service it operated on the Moe–Walhalla line until 1952 and then the Colac–Beech Forest line until it closed in 1962. Work on its restoration commenced in the 1980s and it was finally returned to service in April 2004. G42 continues to operate, usually on weekends and special occasions, and can substitute when double heading of NA Class locomotives would otherwise be required.

 

Puffing Billy Line

The Puffing Billy Railway operates Between Belgrave and Gembrook.

Belgrave station is 41.8 km from Melbourne and has an altitude of 227.7 metres. It is the headquarters of Puffing Billy and the location of its running shed and workshop.

Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge is a 91.4-metre bridge over Monbulk Creek and Gembrook Road. It has 15 spans and is a well-known location for photographing Puffing Billy.

Selby opened in 1904, is 2 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 229.5 metres. It is not a regular stop for Puffing Billy trains.

The location of a landslide that blocked the line in 1953 is marked with a sign and part of the original track on the left side of the train heading towards Lakeside.

Menzies Creek station is 6 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 303.6 metres. There is a crossing loop and trains sometimes pass here. The Menzies Creek Museum houses over 80 exhibits, including steam and diesel locomotives, carriages and a rail tractor.

On a clear day views can be seen of Port Phillip Bay, Arthurs Seat and Westernport on the right side of the train. The train passes Cardinia Reservoir.

Clematis was a wayside station 7.7 km from Belgrave, with an altitude of 276.1 metres. Puffing Billy trains do not usually stop here.

Emerald is 9.7 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 318.5 metres. It is the highest station on the line and has the only original station building still intact. Markets are held here on the second Saturday of each month, and Puffing Billy’s carriage workshop is also located at Emerald.

Nobelius Siding is 10.2 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 303 metres. The packing shed on the left side of the train once served an extensive plant nursery. It has been restored as a function centre and is the dining venue for various Puffing Billy special services.

Nobelius is 11.7 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 280 metres. This small wayside station on the right side of the train opened in 1927.

Lakeside is 13.2 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 242 metres. It is a popular recreational spot with the lake, walking tracks, picnic areas and playground facilities. When it opened in 1944 there was only small platform with a nameboard. Most trains terminate at Lakeside, although some continue to Gembrook. A large visitors’ centre is adjacent to the station.

Wright is 14.9 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 217.3 metres.

The railway passes through the Wright State Forest, with tall stringybarks and other trees. Puffing Billy passes over three timber trestle bridges between Wright and Cockatoo. The first has four spans and is 24.4 metres long; the second has ten spans, is 61 metres long and is 15.2 metres high; and the third bridge has ten spans and a length of 45.7 metres, which takes the line across Cockatoo Creek, the lowest point between Belgrave and Gembrook, with an altitude of 166.6 metres. From here the line climbs a 1 in 30 gradient (3.33%) for 5.2 km.

Cockatoo is 17.3 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 188.7 metres. It was a loading point for timber and potatoes during the regular operation of the railway.

Fielder is 19.5 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 245.7 metres. It opened in 1929 and is now a wayside station that is not a regular stop for Puffing Billy trains. At the end of the steep gradient the highest point on the line is reached, with an altitude of 322 metres.

Gembrook is 24 km from Belgrave and has an altitude of 311.8 metres. It is the terminus of the line, and was re-opened for Puffing Billy trains in 1998. Gembrook was the centre of a thriving timber industry until much of it was destroyed by a bushfire in 1939. Markets are held here on the fourth Sunday of each month except December. There is a small shopping centre and walking tracks in the area.

 

Tickets

Tickets for travel on Puffing Billy can be purchased online, or at Belgrave or Lakeside stations before travel. The number of services varies on different days, with more trains running at busier times. Timetables are on the Puffing Billy website. Puffing Billy operates every day except Christmas Day. Belgrave is located 42 km west of Melbourne and can be reached by suburban trains.

 

Further information is available on the Puffing Billy Railway website <www.puffingbilly.com.au>.

 

References

Anchen, N, Puffing Billy: spirit of the Dandenongs, Sierra Publishing, Melbourne, 2007.

Puffing Billy <www.puffingbilly.com.au>.

Russell, B, A history of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society 1955 – 2005, Programmed Teaching Services, Melbourne, 2010.