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‘Grumpy old men’ warn of rail exhibition’s final days

Residents of Gippsland have only a week to take advantage of an exhibition displaying the history of Gippsland railways, currently open daily at the Civic Centre in Kay Street, Traralgon.

By Latrobe City Council - 19th August 2005 - Back to News

The ‘Making Tracks’ presentation is based on a state-wide travelling exhibition developed by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV), to celebrate 150 years since the first line was opened between Melbourne and Sandridge (Port Melbourne).

Gippsland advisor to the RHSV and Traralgon Historical Society President, Jim Hood, said that the Gippsland presentation was crammed full of railway memorabilia and photographs loaned by rail fans from all over Gippsland. "The presentation reflects the numerous branch lines that once used to wind their way into the Strzeleckis, the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and into our coastal hinterland," Mr Hood said.

"I urge school groups and the public at large to visit this unique and free exhibition while it is still on show. Numerous rural communities were developed around the railways; and signs of cuttings, embankments and station sites are often still visible today. School kids can match their present-day knowledge of their local area and topography such as earthworks, with photos showing how it would have looked around fifty years ago when trains plied their way through their community.

"It’s a great opportunity to see how communities such as Narracan, Dalyston, Erica, Briagolong, Maffra, Glengarry, Thorpdale, Boolarra, Neerim South, Jumbunna, Port Albert, Swan Reach, and Mirboo North, would have looked in days gone by and compare the photos with how the historic sites look today," Mr Hood added.

Some of the enthusiasts who have contributed to the Gippsland component of the displays, met to discuss the exhibition recently. Former Warragul signalman Bruce Lougheed who is Latrobe City Mayor, former Traralgon loco depot foreman Geoff Pianta, and fireman/loco driver of forty-two years - Robert Morton, joined Jim Hood at the exhibition.

"In the current vernacular it could be described as a gathering of ‘grumpy old men’," Cr Lougheed said.

"I’m sure we all actually enjoy the comforts of modern society but, when you gather rail enthusiasts and historians together and talk about old railways, there has to be an element of nostalgia generated for ‘the good old’ bygone days," Cr Lougheed said.

"I urge anyone who wants to be reminded of those days, or who would like to take a step back in time to see how their community once used to look, to take advantage of the last few days of the exhibition."

Geoff Pianta said the exhibition was not just about the branch lines, but naturally extended to the mainlines running through Warragul, Traralgon and Bairnsdale to Orbost; and through Korumburra, Leongatha and Foster to Yarram. "There’s not just old photographs, railway tickets, timetables and descriptions of the track, but signalmens’ lamps, ticket punching machines, uniform components, and models of the engines," Mr Pianta said.

Robert Morton, who is still an engine driver, said the spirit of camaraderie also came across in the displays. "There were some great characters working for the railways who left their mark with their fellow employees and with their numerous passengers. You hear tales of drivers on the branch lines who’d stop to drop off or pick up a passenger outside their house, or days when they ‘saved the day’ being alert to a landslip or loose stock on the line ahead. You tend to pick this up through the exhibits, and also by chatting to other exhibition visitors," Mr Morton said.

Mr Hood added that visitors to the exhibition are also encouraged to become involved by contributing personal stories to the ‘Making Tracks Memory Album’. "This will become a permanent record of what the railways have meant to us all," Mr Hood said.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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