Renowned St Arnaud artist Kyle Torney has painted artworks to adorn freight trains hauling North West Victoria’s locally grown produce.
Seven paintings by Kyle of fruits, nuts and grains moved via the Murray Basin freight network will decorate a locomotive operated by Pacific National.
The painted locomotive made its debut during a community event at Maryborough’s historic station on Thursday 18 July and arrives hot on the heels of another boost to the network as part of the Murray Basin Rail Project.
A new passing loop at Elmhurst between Ararat and Maryborough enables two 50-wagon freight trains to pass each other, lifting network capacity and giving freight operators more flexibility.
Kyle has painted the oil-on-board works at his studio co-located with the gym he runs with his wife Tessa in St Arnaud, which is about 250 kilometres northwest of Melbourne.
The 34-year-old has been painting and drawing all his life - including when he attended local primary and secondary schools.
Three of Kyle’s artworks commissioned as part of the Murray Basin Rail Project show table grapes, almonds and oranges grown in the Sunraysia region.
Four others depict scenes common in the Wimmera around St Arnaud: an ear of wheat, flowering canola in bloom, grain silos and a crop being harvested.
Silo art painted by Kyle reflecting St Arnaud’s gold-mining heritage dominates the town’s skyline, attracting visitors from near and far.
There’s also a trail of his “narrative portraiture” works inspired by Renaissance artists scattered around town.
Kyle is excited about his four young children, Leon, William, Anna, and Frank, potentially seeing his art on trains pulling freight through town.
This includes on “The Fruity”, which transports the likes of table grapes, almonds and citrus grown in the Sunraysia region from Merbein near Mildura to the Port of Melbourne.
It will also be seen on trains consisting of 50 wagons laden with up to 3,000 tonnes of grain – the equivalent of 70 B-double truckloads.
Learn more about the Murray Basin Rail Project.