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• April 2026, LRRSA Members Zoom meeting - Roderick Smith - Narrow Gauge Railways in China

  • When
    9 Apr 2026
  •  
    8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • Location
    This meeting will be conducted online using Zoom

  Register

  Roderick Smith will present on the following subject:

  Narrow Gauge Railways in China

  As befits the third-largest nation in the world, China developed a large national network and a lot of private industrial railways (on multiple gauges).

  Up to 1983 it allowed tourism only in groups, and was famous for its mainline steam.  The industrial network was largely unknown, and knowledge grew only slowly.

  Since 1983, Rod has had nine holidays to China, independently and group, covering mainlines, standard gauge industrial, and around 35 narrow-gauge industrial systems (mainly 762 and 600 mm gauge), carrying coal, limestone/sand, timber, salt, seaweed/reed, passengers and tourists, using steam, electric and diesel locos, and some railmotors.

  For 2026, Rod will cover about seven operational systems in Sichuan, and a glimpse of two which got away

  * Jiayang coal railway (762 mm electric & steam; the best-known and most-visited line; aka Shibanxi/Shixi; coal, passenger & tourist, fed by narrower gauge tunnel line from the mine).

  * Jianghe (600 mm diesel fed by tunnel electric).

  * Yongrong coal railway, Guangshunchang (600 mm electric).

  * Mojiang (762 mm electric, passenger & coal).

  * Yongchuan coal railway, Yongchuan/ Honglu (762 mm electric).

  * Baishui area: a few mines in one day..

  * Dazhou area: a few mines in one day.

  * Rongshan: Prison railway (coal), visiting forbidden; a narrow window visiting while working; then visiting allowed after closure.

  * Pengzhou: Closed and dismantled, but a plinthed loco survives.

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• June 2026, LRRSA Members Zoom meeting - Richard Schurmann - The Wombat Creek Tramway, North Warrandyte Vic

  • When
    11 Jun 2026
  •  
    8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • Location
    This meeting will be conducted online using Zoom

  Register

  Richard Schurmann will present on the following subject:

  The Wombat Creek Tramway, North Warrandyte

  Is the era of the small tramway for transport needs in a bush setting long passed? In 2003, Richard Schurmann was engaged as an owner builder on a steep bush block. Two septic tank absorption trenches were needed in a dense bush setting, and the excavated soil was required 60 metres or so up the hill. Small earth moving machines were tried but could not manage the gradient. Larger machines would have destroyed too much bush. The solution was a cable hauled tramway. This was used to remove about 30 cubic metres of soil and deliver scoria and top soil to fill the trenches. Some innovation was required to provide for a sharp curve part way up the incline.

  Richard will describe the building and operation of this line. and reflect on the practicality of the small ad hoc tramway in modern times.

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• August 2026, LRRSA Members Zoom meeting - Ross Sadler - Darjeeling Action 1996

  • When
    13 Aug 2026
  •  
    8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • Location
    This meeting will be conducted online using Zoom

  Register

  Ross Sadler will present on the following subject:

  Darjeeling Action 1996

  The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) is a world heritage listed site, some 88 kilometres long which connects Siliguri (New Jalpaiguri) and Darjeeling.   In the process, this 2 ft gauge line climbs from about 328 ft above sea level at Siliguri to 7,407 ft at Ghum, before descending to Darjeeling (7,218 ft above sea level), using six zig-zags and five loops to gain altitude. Construction took place between 1879 and 1881, with subsequent modifications such as the Batasia Loop which was built in 1919 to ease the grade for trains climbing out of Darjeeling.  Over the years, the line has seen a variety of motive power, ranging from the 0-4-0ST B-Class, built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, through Beyer Garratts to diesels, which are the present-day motive power on the line.  Attempts to covert one of the 0-4-0ST B-Class into a modern steam locomotive were unsuccessful, Indian Railways turning their back on offers from DLM (formerly SLM Switzerland).

  Today, steam is restricted to running special trains on the upper sections of the line, but in 1996, the DHR was a 100% steam operation.  The presentation is the result of three days’ linesiding on the DHR in that year, at a time when the track was fortunately free of the avalanches that have bedevilled its operation throughout its history.

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