Full steam ahead! Historic steam engine to make trip home to South Coast for one weekend

Andrew Moritz is one man who knows more than most what the “thrill of riding behind a steam engine” is like.

The Transport Heritage NSW CEO is working with his team to bring steam train travel back to the Shoalhaven.

Over two days in August, the Shoalhaven Steam Weekend will see a 122-year-old heritage locomotive take passengers on trips again, powered by steam locomotive 3265.

“3265 is part of our operating fleet and is on loan to us from the Powerhouse Museum,” Mr Moritz said.

“We’re very pleased and proud to be working with them to continue to operate this amazing machine.”

During the rides, people can sit in open saloon-style seating or book a private compartment for up to six family members and friends.

The carriages are from the 1930s and 1940s and have been restored by staff and volunteers at Transport Heritage NSW’s workshop.

“Transport Heritage NSW is really pleased and proud to be able to keep our transport heritage alive – in fact, that’s part of our mission,” Mr Moritz said.

“It’s a real thrill for us to be bringing this train to the Shoalhaven region to share what travelling by train might have been like.”

The South Coast line opened to Bomaderry in 1893, more than a decade after initial works began in 1882.

From 1933, it was serviced daily by the South Coast Daylight Express, which was originally hauled by 32-class steam locomotives such as 3265.

The weekend is also a milestone: it is the first time in almost a decade that a steam train has operated from Bomaderry Station. The 50-minute journeys will depart from Bomaderry and head towards Berry, before returning to the station.

Steam trains continued to operate on the South Coast line until 1961 when they were replaced by diesel railcars.

Mr Moritz said more than 191 of the 32-class locomotives once powered trains in NSW, including 3265.

“It’s probably a bit quaint to say, but they’re a bit like a vintage car, which might only be driven to church on Sunday. We look after them, but we don’t operate them every day.

“When it was regularly providing service, 3265 got to three million kilometres [travelled] because it was a workhorse engine for the railway, if you like,” he said.

Mr Moritz said the two-day event was also a chance to think about how technological developments change our lives.

“Rail – whenever it arrived in an area or a region – revolutionised the transport opportunities that the public had,” he said.

“The railway was encouraged to extend further and further into communities because it brought with it economic activity and improved people’s lives.

“It is hard to imagine, in many respects, what it might have been like before the railway was there. This is an opportunity to experience the thrill of riding behind a steam engine, but also what it might have been like for previous generations to board a train.”

The Shoalhaven Steam Weekend on 24 and 25 August will see the train depart from Bomaderry Station at 9:05 am, 11:10 am, 1:05 pm and 3 pm. People are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Tickets cost $36 per person (for individual seats) or $174 (for a compartment) and are available online.