OBERON TARANA HERITAGE RAILWAY INC.

NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2017

.bringing your rail heritage back to life.

PO Box 299 Oberon NSW 2787

Website: www.othr.com.au

Email: admin@othr.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OTHR.Inc

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/2mhftk44

Proudly sponsored by

Committee:

President: Tim Arnison

Vice President: Peter Culley

Secretary: Elaine Boxer

Treasurer: John Brotchie

Track Manager: Graham Williams

Public Officer: Elaine Boxer

General Committee:

David McMurray: Fundraiser, Acting Newsletter Editor/Publicity

Ian Davis: Document Writer

Martyn Salman

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Editors thoughts
In life everything seems to boil down to whats relevant and whats not.

The same applies to the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc. Many say that our past, present and future
endeavours are totally irrelevant. Critics say that restoring and refurbishing the Oberon to Tarana railway is
pointless. Trying to save a part of Oberons history is immaterial and really has nothing to do with a modern
town of Oberon. Other critics are simply pedants looking for any minor flaw or fault to hold against the
association or its committee as an argument to say that your members and committee strident efforts are
inconsequential. Some even criticise the recordings of the day to day machinations of OTHR, points of interest,
revelations of Oberons history, etc., for all members, burgers of the town and any other interested person is
irrelevant.

Indeed your editor says that what you members and committee are achieving is most relevant, whether
physically or administratively. Restoring and refurbishing the Oberon to Tarana railway, associated rolling
stock and trying to preserve a very important part of Oberons history is right on the button. Reawakening the
sleeping giant of a railway past has a demonstrable bearing on Oberons history.

Every single Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc. member and every single person who contributes financially
certainly has the given right to be absolutely proud that what we are in the process of achieving is relevant to
Oberons history and railway history.

Sometimes staying strong feels impossible but giving up is not an option

Nishan Panwar

9th June 1963

Pulling into Hazelgrove Station

Photo E.A.Downs

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Know Barry Webb

Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc. has many volunteers who fly under the radar; they neither seek nor want
publicity for themselves but rather work tirelessly to help our vision succeed.

Born and bred in the Oberon district, Barry hales form the prominent Webb family, a family synonymous with
Oberons early development.

Barry has been an OTHR member almost from its inception and is somewhat a history buff having published a
number of books on Oberons social history through the decades.

Working quietly as a volunteer, Barry can turn his hand to most tasks and he is notable for tending the railway
precincts grass and garden areas. He also looks after the historic cattle yards adjacent to the precinct just to
the North.

Further, Barry can often be found tending the grounds and gardens of the Oberon Showground, various
prominent lands around town and the Old Presbyterian Cemetery. He is often seen doing roadside rubbish
collection duties.

Its no wonder Barry was honoured as Citizen of the Year 2012. That honour couldnt have gone to a more
worthy person.

Barry Webb
Volunteer, Publisher, Citizen of the year 2012.

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 NEXT MEETING
General Meeting

5th April 2017

7.30PM

General meeting
Save the date, 5th April 2017, and come to our next general meeting. Oberon RSL is the venue; location is the
old dining room and time is 7.30PM.

Canberras Surprising Rail Heritage!

A 45 minute presentation with 15 minutes for questions will reveal some of the surprising railway stories from
our nations capital.

Canberra Railway Museum volunteer and rail history enthusiast, Garry Reynolds, has taken a keen interest in
writing the story of the Oberon-Tarana Railway and our endeavours.
Now, we have invited Garry to share the intriguing stories of railways that were built at significant human and
financial cost and several that ended up as pipe dreams in his home city of Canberra.

Hear how lofty ambitions and logic is defied and political deals win out yet again.

No alternative facts here, just years of research to celebrate the achievements and expose the quirks and
stuff-ups of railway planning and construction in the National Capital Region.

An entertaining and educational evening awaits.

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Some Oberon Facts

It was the wish of local labour MP Valentine Carlyle Ross Wood Johnson, the lobbyist who succeeded in
bringing rail to Oberon to have his ashes scattered on the Oberon branch line on his death. Thus duly
happened in 1957 and his ashes were scattered on the line in front of the Oberon Station.

During its construction approximately 300 workers were employed on the Oberon branch line.

Bathurst was the home depot for the locomotives that were used on the Oberon Branch Line.

21st January 1963 was a significant date for the Oberon Branch Line. This was the day that diesel
replaced steam.

In 1975 an organisation called The Oberon Tarana Steam Company Ltd was formed to bring life back
to the Oberon Branch Line. This was the forerunner to the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc.

Facts attributed to Rick Fletcher, Col Bembrick and Garry Reynolds.

Snakes Gully Creek Carlwood 12th April 1941

Photo E.M.Stephens

Who will be our customers?

To be successful in operating a tourism business we need to know who our customers might be. Do people just
turn up when we eventually start operations? Is it that easy?

Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc. believes that our target market covers a broad spectrum of tourists and
groups. There doesnt appear to be a dominant tour operator in the area, but rather dozens of small operators
that bring tourists and visitors to the Oberon Shire particularly the Jenolan Caves, daily. During busy periods
that number could exceed 40,000 visitors in a week. We plan to work with those tour operators in an

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endeavour to encourage them to also come to Oberon for a railway experience. The target market covers
amongst other interested groups:

Railway enthusiasts

Casual day trippers from Sydney and environs, Blue Mountains, Canberra, Central Tablelands, Central
West and beyond.

Local community

Domestic tourists

International tourists

Retired people including grey nomads

Social groups.

Heritage and old machinery groups

Younger people including backpackers

Families

Tour groups

Potential customers will be made up of all community members.

The next step is to see how OTHR intends to attract and manage those potential customers, a brief overview of
which will be examined next month.

Oberon Line 14th July 1974

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 Photo N. Hatcher

Next Working Bee

Saturday 4th March 2017
To
Wednesday 8th March 2017

Working Bee News

President Tim advises that activities to be undertaken at the next working bee will be in accordance with the
priorities list taken from the latest Strategic Plan.
Tasks to be tackled include:

Completion of the store room. This has been under construction for the last couple of months.

Commence work on the Plough Van

Reposition the Signal ladder.

This is an ambitious task list so it would be appreciated that anybody up to it comes along and helps out.
Remember to old saying: many hands make light work.

Remember the conditions of offering up your labour for a day or two:

Morning and Afternoon tea.

A great lunch

Accommodation for out of towners at Oberon Mens Shed

Hot showers at the caravan park.

Come on, be a part of it; you wont regret it.

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 .

Welcome New Members

Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc. is always looking for new members.

Interested in railways or the Oberon to Tarana line in particular, why not give your support by becoming a
member?

Welcome Kevin Charlton of Parkes, NSW.

You will be most welcome

Not so well.

If anyone hears about any member on the sick list, please let the editor know via Secretary Elaine so we can
send get well wishes on behalf of the association.

In Memorium.
If anyone hears of the passing of one of our members please let the editor know via Secretary Elaine so we can
make a special mention.

Congratulations!

Committee Member John Brotchie has been awarded a life membership of the Oberon Show Society.

Many of our committee and volunteers hold multiple positions with local associations and John is no exception
being the membership secretary of the Oberon Show.

Hearty congratulations John; it was a happy surprise and is well deserved.

Say Whaaat???
I went to the air and space museum but there was nothing there.

Or

Hold the door open for a clown its a nice jester!

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What you missed at the last General Meeting.

Janelle Middleton, Acting Manager Museums, Bathurst Council addressed the gathering at the General Meeting
on 1st February 2017.
Bathurst Council controls the National Motor Racing Museum, Mt Panorama, the Australian Fossil and Mineral
Museum and the soon to be Railway Museum.

Her discussion was interesting and entertaining and for OTHR most enlightening. Essentially, the Bathurst
Council was gifted a very large scale working model of the Tarana to Bathurst main line including the Bathurst
sidings and the Oberon branch line. This model railway is renowned in the Bathurst/Oberon district.
She has secured very large funding to refurbish and extend the union building located at Bathurst Station to
house this model.
Additionally Bathurst Council has recently purchased a period railway carriage and together with the heritage
listed Bathurst station precinct, the adjacent Station Masters cottage, a refurbished steam engine, Ben Chifleys
home located nearby and an expansion to the station car park will build a substantial static display of Bathursts
proud railway history.

OTHR is exploring ways of forming a partnership with the proposed Bathurst railway museum as we feel that by
working together there will be a greatly enhanced railway experience for both of us.
Janelle is very keen to be involved and she has a great resource that will allow us to develop our project.

Locomotive 4522 on the Oberon line 21st April 1974

Photo N. Hatcher.

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Richard Webb recalls the early days.

Social history of the Oberon to Tarana railway formed a very important part the development of the town.
Richard Webb (a member of OTHR and part of the prominent farming Webb family in the districtEd) has
recalled his memories of the Oberon to Tarana trains. I came across this story recently and its certainly worth
retelling it for you.

The Tarana to Oberon Line was very busy from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Road Transport was very limited as the roads were practically non-existent and likewise trucks.

Most produce from the district had to be transported by train; likewise incoming necessities such as groceries,
fertilizers, stock and passengers.

At times there were three trains a day to carry this produce (be it peas, potatoes, wool, livestock). I consider he
district was the bread basket of the Central Tablelands. It is a very different scenario now with much of the
district sown to pine forests or cut into lifestyle blocks.

When there were livestock sales in the west such as Dubbo or Narromine or elsewhere, the stock purchased by
district graziers would be transported by rail to Tarana overnight. The early morning train would pull the sheep
or cattle trucks to Oberon.

The midday train met the Central West passenger train. On its trip Oberon to Tarana it may have been carrying
timber to be forwarded to the Broken Hill mines, livestock to be forwarded to either Homebush or to Bathurst.
Wool was also transported by train to Tarana and then forwarded to Darling Harbour where all the major wool
stores were located at the time

The evening train or pea train only ran in the peak pea season. It carried the huge amount of peas to Tarana
and then on to the Flemington Markets.

A huge amount of fertilizer, mainly superphosphate, had to be delivered to the developing district. The engine
used on the line was capable of hauling four S trucks each with 15 tons of super. In the early days this was
bagged but as Hazeltons introduced aerial spreading on the 1950s this changed to bulk super. Hauling super
sometimes involved an extra train to shuttle the full and empty trucks between Tarana and Oberon.

When a Central West passenger train arrived at Tarana from Sydney, the Station Master, Mr Tighe, ( father of
member Ross Tighe.Ed) would dress in his best Station Masters uniform, walk up and down the platform
announcing Tarana!, change here for the Oberon line. After the C.W.Express continued on to Bathurst, the
Oberon train would back into the station to collect the passengers and the freight. Sometimes it would be late
as the crew would be enjoying a long lunch at the Tarana Pub. (Long before mixing alcohol and work became an
issue).

The trains always had to have a brake van which consisted of a carriage with four dog boxes (passenger
accommodation), two first class compartments and two second class compartments. The trains ran through the
family property for a distance of approximately five kilometres so we became very familiar with the train
movements.

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 Train in Carlwood district 6th August 1960

E.G. Skiller Collection.

My sister and I travelled home each afternoon from school at Tarana from 1945 until 1951 and walked to our
home from Carlwood Station (very suburban). We travelled in the guards compartment except when there was
an inspector on board. We learned a lot about the ins and outs of train travel.

A lot of goods were transported in the guards van, groceries, bread from Bathurst bakeries, ice cream in large
canvas covered containers surrounded by dry ice, fish in large wooden boxes surrounded by ice. The ice was
well and truly melted by the time it reached Tarana from Sydney and the fishy water ran out on the floor.

Caged ferrets were often in the cargo. At that time the country was experiencing a rabbit plague. The ferrets
were brought in as a way to control the rabbits. As well slow greyhounds were consigned to the area in an
effort to help control the rabbits. We had greyhounds in our rabbit pack. Quire often the greyhounds would run
into trees or fences when chasing rabbits and would die as a result of their injuries. I found this very upsetting.
The train crews enjoyed taking pot shots at the rabbits with lumps of coal.

The final solution was the release of myxamotosis virus which practically wiped out the rabbits. The standard of
living was fairly low following the war as many people relied on rabbits as their meat supply.

At times there were many passengers especially in the early days. During the pea season lots of pea pickers
arrived in Oberon on the train. It was quite a trip especially in winter as there was no heating in the dog boxes.
The guard had a coal fired heater in his section. I often wondered why the train did not catch fire as often the
flue was red hot.

There were many dramas on the Oberon line over the years. Being unfenced meant there were some disasters
with stock on the line. The pea train came backwards at night without a light on the tender which caused some
problems.

Our bull settled down for the night in the cutting at the top of Charles or Commissioners Hill, out of the wind
and very comfortable. My father received at late phone call from the Night Officer at Tarana saying that the
train had collided with an animal in the said cutting, could he investigate and remove. On arrival at the cutting
he found the bull had been cut into three pieces. The train crews were always very conscious of stock and did
their best to avoid incidents.

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The aforesaid hill was notorious for problems. It was a very steep climb and made the small engine labour with
whatever load it had. One problem during summer was when the summer grass or rolly polly grass dried off it
would be blown into the cuttings. When this happened the engine lost traction and could not continue. The
crew (driver, guard, and fireman) and any capable passenger would rake the grass off the line so the train could
continue. Sometimes it had to back down to the bottom and try again.

Another annoyance to the crew was an elderly gentleman whose only mode of transport to Oberon was the
train. He would walk from his home to the hill and hold up his hand for a lift. The train would stop much to the
disgust of Mr. Tom Lee, the guard, who had to put air brakes on with a big lever in the van. I heard vocabulary I
didnt hear at school.

The train coming from Oberon had to have the manual brakes screwed on at Hazelgrove. They then had to be
screwed off just before Carlwood. Mostly the guard did the job. However the train would start to move as soon
as the brakes were off. The relieving guard, on one occasion, was left behind. The guard, Herb Cunnynghame
was not impressed..

Fires were a major problem. The engine or locomotive was notorious for lighting fires. The ashes were
supposed to be removed at Tarana before the trip up the hill to Oberon. The fireman whose job it was to keep
the boiler stoked sometimes did not bother to clear the ashes. As a result as soon as the engine started up the
hill the ashes shook back out of the grate and onto the line and quite often started fires. It was my job to follow
the train in fire danger periods and put out any danger spots on our property. Bert McKinnon, Charlie Burton
and Bill Cosgrove had the job of checking and replacing burnt sleepers. These fine men maintained the line
between Tarana and Oberon.

The worst fire occurred in November 1957. Most of the district farmers were attending a clearing sale at
Westholme on the other side of Tarana, at that time owned by Lew Hoad (the famous tennis player) when it
started.

We all noticed the smoke and rushed home. Of course we did not have the resources to fight fires then, that
we have today, probably rakes, knapsacks, wet bags and hope. Several properties were burnt out and stock was
lost. A relieving driver, Bill Osborn, was driving the day the fire started. That night he brought the engine back
with a tanker to the Carlwood area to put out the still burning sleepers.

The farmers sued the Government. However in those days there was a 3000 pound limit on a Governments
liability. The court case was heard in Bathurst in November 1959 before Justice Jacobs. I was one of the
witnesses called to give evidence. The jury found in favour of the farmers but we only received 500 pounds
although we lost 600 wethers, kilometres of fencing and approximately 1000 acres of grass.

I consider the Tarana to Oberon railway had a huge influence on the district from the 1920s to the 1960s. It
was probably fair to say that at the time all produce out of Oberon was conveyed by the train. The small
locomotives that hauled the train should be under heritage protection.

It would be wonderful if the line could once again be used to convey the timber products to the seaboard and
free up our roads.

Stories like this catch a glimpse of our industrious past, and transport your imagination to another time.

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Carlwood Station, not far from Richard Webbs property Wonga

Another view of Carlwood Station with loco 1942 pulling in.

Could that be Richard Webb in front of the station?

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 Highlands Steam and Vintage Fair2017

The Wash Up

Theres no denying it, the heat was unbearable in Oberon leading up to and during the weekend of the 10th
11th February 2017. The next day, Sunday, was declared catastrophic for the Central West, only the second
time that level has been declared.

The lead up work was fantastic with plenty of radio and TV advertising; the committee had planned their event
well in advance and a huge variety of demonstrations were in place.

The traditional road run for cars took in Sydmouth Valley House and the Tarana valley was well attended but
hot and the tractor trek went to the spectacular Kanangra Walls but was hot!

Saturday Morning greeted the crowds with oppressive heat but the lap of Oberon otherwise known as The
Grand Parade was its usual exciting self if a little down on numbers but the locals and visitors still turned out in
droves to witness the event. The Parade always signals the days activities.

Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Inc. always uses the Highlands Steam & Vintage Fair as its major fundraiser.
2017 was no exception and despite heat (always the heat) we raised a considerable amount of funds to go
towards the goal of getting a tourism operation up and running.
The event is always an opportunity to renew old friendships and make new ones and the 2017 event proved to
be positive for us again this year.

Ross Tighes donated model railway was recommissioned and running for the Open Day 2017

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 The big plan for a little railway.

Oberon Council News

Oberon Review Thursday February 9, 2017

Oberon Council has moved a recommendation to give in principle support to Oberon Tarana Heritage
Railway (OTHR) for the development of a miniature train track within the state-listed Heritage Railway precinct.

Council will advocate and provide assistance to OTHR in securing grant funding for the project.

In correspondence to council, OTHR said it wants to construct a seven and a quarter inch and a five inch track
extending several hundred metres and says it will provide a unique visitor experience to Oberon.

To accommodate this layout, the track is proposed to exist within the station precinct and progress onto the
park that exists between the station and North Street.

There are a number of people in the community who have miniature engines and would be interested in
running them on the line according to OTHR.

OTHR said the development could provide a visitor experience and tourism potential.

Example of a Miniature Railway in action.

Altona Miniature Railway, Altona North Vic.

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 Whats this thing called Luv?

OTHR has steam at last! Well not quite but if you havent recognised the locomotive pictured read on.

The first locomotives for the NSW Railways were 4, 0-4-2 locomotives supplied by Robert Stephenson and Co.
which arrived in Sydney in January 1855 for the opening of the Sydney to Parramatta railway. No 1 was built by
Robert Stephenson as their builders number 958 of 1854.

No 1 was withdrawn from NSW Railways service in 1877; however instructions for its preservation were not
made until 1884 by which stage it apparently required considerable refurbishment. No 1 became an exhibit at
the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney however it did make four external appearances for special
events, the last being a display in the Central Station forecourt for the 1955 NSW Railway Centenary
celebration.

No 1 was extensively restored in 1980 in preparation for the opening of Sydneys new Powerhouse Museum,
which superseded the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. During restoration No 1 was confirmed to
predominantly comprise components of loco No 1, together with some components from sister locos Nos 2, 3
& 4. These components may relate to normal workshop attention during its service life, or the 1884
refurbishment.

On 1987 No 1 was placed on display in its current position as a prime exhibit in the Powerhouse Museum,
together with three period passenger carriages.

Sourced from the Powerhouse Museum.

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 Contacts
For all enquiries

Secretary: Elaine Ph. 02 6336-0441

Email admin@othr.com.au

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