By Mikayla van Loon
The Mooroolbark and District Miniature Railway has celebrated 40 years of providing the Yarra Ranges with a unique experience and activity for train enthusiasts.
What began in June 1979 when the Shire of Lilydale purchased a five inch gauge locomotive, track and some carriages from the Junee Council in New South Wales, has turned into a well loved community attraction.
After the purchase of the locomotive, the Lilydale council held a community meeting, gaining the interest of over 50 people and selecting the first interim committee on 28 February 1980.
Picking Kiloran Park, next door the Kilsyth swimming pool, as the location of the railway, plans got underway to build the track.
One of the original members of the club and treasurer of 42 years, Richard Knight, said what was just a pile of dirt in the ‘80s has finally been finished decades later.
“We’ve done a lot of beautiful, marvellous things…you can see the difference in 40 years. There were hardly any trees on the site, it was basically the fill that came out when the swimming pool was dug,” he said.
“So we planted lots and lots of trees, we’ve planted garden beds now and the site really does look a treat.”
With the council pitching in money at the time for the steel work, concrete and club room materials, the Kiloran Park site transformed thanks to the dedication of volunteers.
The first 210 metre section of hand dug track was finished by 1983, ready for the official opening in April, with an expansion to take over two decades to complete.
“In about 1995 we approached the council and said we’d like to expand our tracks, we need a little bit of extra land,” Mr Knight said.
“We then put a proposal to them that we’d like to build a carriage shed, a tunnel, bridges, enclose the station and signal box, as well as nice picnic areas for people to enjoy.
“The council granted us this. It’s taken us nearly 25 years to get all of this completed and running. We now have 950 metres of mainline track.”
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteers who lived close enough to the track were able to complete the 1995 vision by finishing a further 300 metres of track.
Mr Knight said while the vision “was a bit bigger than what the council had envisaged”, with grants from the Bendigo Bank and support from Yarra Ranges Council, the park is now a beautiful location, with picnic tables, barbecues and shady trees.
Having been running community train ride days since the first loop was constructed way back in the ‘80s, it has been a highlight for young and old ever since.
“Once we got the first loop circle constructed, there were advertisements in the local paper at the time to say look, we’re up and running, come down and see us,” Mr Knight said.
With only 90 miniature railway clubs across the country, it’s quite a privilege for the Yarra Ranges to have such a location for visitors and the community to take advantage of.
“We’ve got a dozen members with locomotives, the club has two locomotives with two more under construction and I believe the club has 14 passenger carriages.
“On a normal monthly run day, we’d have six or seven trains running at various times with owners then the club locomotives at the same time.”
Mr Knight said the club has been trying to move ahead with the times over the last 40 years by using recycled plastic sleepers since 2005.
With over 40 members who build locomotives and maintain the grounds, Mr Knight said while there are always repairs, the club is happy with the size and course of the railway.
“We’re all getting older. Members that were there 40 years ago, now we’re all in our 70s.
“So what we’re trying to do is encourage younger people to join to assist in making and building locomotives or carriages or whatever their interest is.”
Another future desire of the club is to return to using steam locomotives, with members currently only using electric and petrol powered ones.
Having been a lover of trains all his life and passing that onto his children, Mr Knight said for him at least, the miniature railway is an important part of his routine, something he hopes others can enjoy for many more years to come.
“My hobby is building miniature railway locomotives. I’ve finished five and I’ve got three more, some of them are taking nearly 30 years but I’m still persevering with them.”
Although celebrations of 40 years were curbed by some poor weather on Sunday 16 April, it was still enjoyed by existing and new members.
To commemorate 40 years, a mural of Mooroolbark Train Station from the 1920s has also been painted on the carriage shed, a stellar sight to see.
