Walhalla Goldfields Tourist Railway Gippsland Australia

<body> <p style="text-align:justify"> Started in June 1904, the Moe to Walhalla railway, one of four experimental 2'6" narrow gauge railways built by the Victorian Government, reached its destination in May, 1910 - too late to do much but witness the gradual decline of Walhalla as a premier mining town, with the closure of the Long Tunnel Extended Goldmine in 1911 and its other record-breaking goldmine, the Long Tunnel, in 1914. In 1944 the service to Walhalla ceased operating beyond Platina and in June, 1954, with only one mixed train operating to Erica each week, the line from Moe finally closed. In 1956 the line was pulled up and ceased to exist, except within the memories of many who had witnessed its operations and in the dreams of some who would like to see it operate again. <br> <br> <br> A number of attempts to restore the line, with varying degrees of success, were tried until, in 1991, with only the remains of derelict bridges on the right of way, the Walhalla Railway Taskforce was formed with the aim of restoring the line from Erica to Walhalla. This became the Walhalla Goldfields Railway, Inc., in 1993 and restoration began with the establishment of Thomson Station and its accompanying yard. The railway commenced operations in April, 1994, simply running up and down the Thomson Station yard. Gradually the line progressed, first over the Thomson River Bridge in May, 1994, then to Leachville, over the Three Span Bridge, to Cascade Halt, to Happy Creek and finally, after the construction of the six railway bridges in the last kilometre, into the Walhalla Station yard for the opening of this section of the line on the 15th of March, 2002. </p> <a href="About/All-Aboard.html">Walhalla Railway</a> <br> <a href="About/History.html">Railway History</a> <br> <a href="Events/Events.html">Walhalla Goldfields Railway Charters & Special Events</a> <br> <a href="Contacts/Contacts.html">Contact Information for Walhalla Goldfields Railway</a> <br> <a href="Map/Location.html">Gippsland Location Map</a> <br> <a href="TimeTable/Timetable.html">Walhalla Goldfields Railway Timetable</a><br> <a href="Steam-Locomotive/index.html">Steam Returns to Walhalla Goldfields Railway</a> </body>