With work ramping up to remove 3 dangerous and congested level crossings and build new stations in Pakenham and East Pakenham, construction crews on the ground have lent a helping hand to a group of hardworking volunteers further down the line in Gippsland.
Walhalla Goldfields Railway is a not-for-profit, narrow-gauge tourist railway, located around 125km east of Pakenham near the former mining town of Walhalla. The 4km of track is maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers, with trains running 3 days per week and carrying around 35,000 passengers per year.
With a recent construction blitz on the Pakenham level crossing removal project replacing soil, ballast, fencing and tracks from Pakenham, the team donated around 1600 surplus railway sleepers to the tourist railway.
These sleepers were cut down to size by the volunteers and are currently being used to replace existing sleepers on the Walhalla Goldfields railway line.
Walhalla Goldfields Railway Vice-President Ken Vickers says there is always more work to be done, with the seemingly never-ending task of railway maintenance. Most of the sleepers being replaced are over 20 years old.
Ken, who has been volunteering at the railway for more than six years is a ‘jack of all trades,’ and credits the whole team of volunteers for keeping the railway running.
“Rail passengers are always amazed that we’re all volunteers but far from it. I tip my hat to them, Peter Wilson is one of the guys I drive with and he’s 86 and sharp as a tack. His lovely wife, Wendy is 85 and she runs Thomson Station, and she keeps it spotless, shows the younger volunteers up.”
Replacing the worn-out sleepers for new ones is a slow and manual process, using old hand tools that have long performed the various elements to this task. On a good day, the crew can replace 10 sleepers.
Meanwhile, at Pakenham, the sleepers will be replaced with a concrete variety, as construction continues on the removal of level crossings at McGregor Road, Main Street and Racecourse Road by building an elevated rail bridge over the roads.
The crossings will be gone for good and new, modern, accessible stations at Pakenham and East Pakenham will open to passengers in 2024.
