39-462: The Rail Motor Society , based at Paterson, New South Wales , is a community owned collection of preserved self-propelled railway vehicles and equipment from the former New South Wales Government Railways and its successors. The items in its collection date from 1923 through to 1972. The Society was established in 1984 as a community based not-for-profit organisation and is registered with Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) as
78-519: A 32-kilometre (20 mi) branch line to St James , at the same time as the extension of the main line to Albury in New South Wales . In 1886, the line was extended another 32 kilometres (20 mi) to Yarrawonga , on the southern bank of the Murray River , which formed the colonial and, later, the state boundary between Victoria and New South Wales. Under the 1922 Border Railways Act ,
117-518: A charity. The Society's primary aim is to collect, preserve and operate a representative fleet of New South Wales Government Railways rail motors. The Society's sole focus was to be on self-propelled or diesel multiple unit rolling stock, a principle that it still adheres to today. The Society is accredited as a rail transport operator in New South Wales , Victoria , Queensland , the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia by
156-546: A number of heritage-listed sites, including: There is an active historical society that maintains sites of historical importance in the area. The society has a museum collection in the Paterson Court House that is open once a week. The area is also serviced by Paterson Public School, and the local newsletter The Paterson "Psst" . During March, Paterson holds an annual festival at Tucker Park, with market stalls and local produce. The nearby Tocal Agricultural College holds
195-465: A sawmill, a tannery, four blacksmiths, two butchers, a bakery and a boarding school for girls. Shipbuilding also commenced with the development of the river trade and considerable supplies of tobacco were grown, as well as grains, grapes, wine, citrus fruits and cotton were transported by steamboats to Morpeth, Newcastle and Sydney. By the time the railway arrived in 1911 the long-term decline of river transportation had taken its toll. With ironic symbolism
234-526: A small farms Field Day on the first weekend in May, showcasing the college and local agricultural interests. Paterson Classic Car show is held mid September with a mixed collection of vintage cars, trucks and bikes, with market stalls and live music throughout the day. Also Paterson Gallery hosts a collection of talented local artworks available for purchase, celebrating an open night the first Friday of every month with an open invitation to all. The Rail Motor Society
273-559: A twice-weekly service began, operated by a rail motor . That service had been discontinued by the early 1950s. The last regular passenger service on the line was between Benalla and Yarrawonga on Saturday 9 December 1978, operated by DERM 56RM. With the opening of the North East standard gauge line in 1961, the Oaklands line had standard gauge track at both ends, in addition to the existing broad gauge line via Benalla. Gauge conversion of
312-506: Is currently under restoration to operational service by the Society, while 600/700 Class vehicles 602 and 707 are in the early stages of restoration. In June 2023, the Society purchased 620 Class rail car 629/729 from a private source. It is planned that 629/729 will be returned to operational condition for mainline service. The Society's Depot and Museum is situated in the old Goods Yard adjacent to Paterson Railway Station. This one hectare site
351-576: Is located on the north-western side of the North Coast Railway Line , 213 kilometres north of Sydney and 20 kilometres north of Maitland . The site houses the Society's rail motor fleet, a large three-road storage shed, maintenance facilities and the old station Master's cottage. The cottage houses a small museum with a collection of railway memorabilia. Member facilities are provided in two carriages (TAM 503 and BR 1395) located on an isolated track segment. A former FreightCorp training car FZ 663
390-524: Is located opposite Paterson railway station. Oaklands railway line, Victoria The Oaklands railway line is a freight-only railway line in north-eastern Victoria , Australia . The line branches from the main North East railway at Benalla station and runs across the Victoria-New South Wales border to the town of Oaklands, New South Wales . The first section of line opened in 1883 as
429-568: Is situated on the Paterson River . It is in the middle of what was once dairy, timber and citrus country and is now more significantly a feeder town for the nearby mining industry in the Upper Hunter and the city of Newcastle . It was named after one of the first known Europeans in the area was Colonel William Paterson in 1801 surveyed the area beside the river. It is approximately 15 minutes drive north along either Tocal or Paterson Roads from
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#1732859189894468-448: Is used for a meal room and training facility. During 2017, the Depot facilities were expanded and improved with the construction of a 30-metre by 4-metre extension to the shed to create a weather-proof workshop. This work was funded by a NSW Heritage Grant. During 2020, the Depot site was increased in size with the inclusion of the abandoned ARTC siding located in the railway corridor adjacent to
507-774: The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR). The Society's origins stem from the Newcastle Branch of the Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW Division) where a small group of members proposed a local organisation to preserve and operate some of the CPH rail motors that were planned for withdrawal at the end of 1983 by the State Rail Authority (SRA). The nucleus of the Society
546-572: The Cedar Arm due to the abundance of timber. In 1812, four convicts (Swan, Pell, Davis and Swan) and John Tucker jnr were permitted by Governor Macquarie to commence farming on the Paterson River at "Patersons Plains", a location that came to be known as "Old Banks", as a special reward for supplying the Government with 500 cedar logs. Old Banks, in an area first surveyed by Henry Dangar in 1822–23,
585-539: The Oaklands line was proposed at various times, including by the Victorian State Government in 2001, which proposed a completion date of late 2003. The last broad gauge train to run on the line was a Pacific National grain service in May 2007. In 2008, agreement was reached to convert the North East railway line from broad gauge to standard gauge , which would have left the Oaklands branch as an isolated and unusable branch. The local MP reported that
624-576: The Victorian Railways in August 1938. There was no turntable at the terminus, so steam locomotives had to operate tender-first when running to Oaklands. During World War II , additional sidings of both Victorian broad gauge and NSW standard gauge were provided, to serve Australian defence installations which were located at Oaklands. There was no passenger service to Oaklands at first but, in December 1946,
663-461: The area was the man whose name the town was to adopt, Colonel William Paterson , who, in 1801, surveyed the area beside the river that Governor King named in his honour. As with so many colonial settlements, timbercutters, after local supplies of red cedar , followed in the footsteps of the explorers and surveyors. Indeed, the Hunter River , into which the Paterson River flows, was then known as
702-502: The cost of converting the 125 km (77.7 mi) branch to standard gauge was just over $ 13m. In October 2008, the Victorian Government announced that gauge conversion of the whole line would take place. The conversion was completed in December 2009, at a cost of $ 16.5 million, with nearly 50,000 sleepers replaced. The first revenue service on the converted line was an El Zorro grain train on 10 March 2010. Since then,
741-586: The deep river port of Morpeth became the centre of the Lower Hunter Valley's connections with Sydney and the penal settlement at Newcastle. Even so, the military outpost at Old Banks (along with a similar facility 14 kilometres to the east at Seaham on the Williams River) continued to provide for the interception of escaped convicts from Port Macquarie, the imposition of law and order for the Paterson region and
780-564: The eastern boundary. The Society's own rolling stock collection – eleven of the current fourteen vehicles – was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 17 August 2001. The heritage-listed vehicles consist of 42-Foot Rail Motors CPH No.1, No.3, No.7, No.14 and No.19, 42-Foot Rail Motor Trailer CTC No.51, 400 Class HPC 402, 500 Class Rail Motor Trailer FT 501, 600 Class Rail Motors WFP 602, FPH 606 and 700 Class Rail Motor Trailer CT 707. Other units in
819-471: The farm of Pell (d.1815). However, from the early 1820s, the prominence of Old Banks as the Government's primary frontier seat of Government, and the 'original' Paterson, waned as a consequence of the establishment (from c.1818) and prolific growth of the Government's rural settlement and township at Wallis Plains (now East Maitland ) ten kilometres to the south. With the construction of an overland route direct to north-western Sydney in 1823, Wallis Plains and
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#1732859189894858-673: The fleet, 620 Class 2-car diesel unit (621/721) and locomotive 7344, that are under operational management by the Society for Transport Heritage NSW, are also listed on the NSW State Heritage Inventory. Other societies and organisations with which the Rail Motor Society is affiliated include:- Paterson, New South Wales Paterson is a small township in the lower Hunter Region of New South Wales , Australia . Located within Dungog Shire and City of Maitland , it
897-486: The line has seen numerous grain trains run by both Pacific National and Southern Shorthaul Railroad , as well as very occasional services by QUBE . The track has been allowed to deteriorate, requiring numerous emergency repairs during 2021, and there is now a 30km/h speed limit from Benalla to Yarrawonga, and a 20km/h limit from Yarrawonga to Oaklands, although with a 10km/h limit on the final 9 km of track into Oaklands. On 28 November 2021, trains were banned from using
936-479: The line was extended another 61 kilometres to Oaklands, New South Wales , where it met the existing New South Wales branch line , and Oaklands thereby became a break-of-gauge location. Although the construction of the extension was completed in 1932, trains on it were operated by the Railway Construction Branch, mostly using a rail tractor as motive power, until the line was formally handed over to
975-428: The major source of local income. Citrus production was particularly strong at the turn of the century, with an estimated 30,000 cases being handled at the port each year. At the 2006 census , Paterson had a population of 345 people. Before the church was built religious duties were done at home by George Augustus Middleton . In January 1836 local people raised money for the election of a church. On 26 October 1839
1014-408: The most successful of the farming establishments on the lower Paterson River. In 1823, Morrisett's Government Cottage and associated infrastructure was made available to Timothy Nowlan as the base for his Government-sponsored sheep breeding 'experiment', and family home. A one-mile square area situated to the west of the river at Old Banks (and about 800m distant from the river and to the south of Tocal)
1053-519: The nearest major township of Maitland . Paterson railway station lies on the North Coast railway line between Sydney and Brisbane with daily services north to Dungog and south-east to Newcastle . Adjoining areas include Duns Creek , Martins Creek and Vacy . The area was once occupied by the Wonnarua and Worimi peoples, who are Aboriginal Australian groups. The first official European in
1092-670: The newly standardised North East main line and the Benalla to Oaklands line in Victoria. In 2018, the Society became the custodian of former NSW Government Railways (and 3801 Limited 's) 73 Class shunting locomotive, 7344, under a custody agreement with Transport Heritage NSW. Like 621/721, 7344 is part of the RailCorp heritage fleet. 7344 was delivered to Paterson on 28 December 2018. In Society service, 7344 has been returned to its original Indian Red colour scheme. 42-Foot Rail Motor Trailer CTC 51
1131-453: The oversight of a most important centre for transportation of goods, chattels and people. The first land grant in the area was made to Captain William Dun in 1821 on land a few kilometres to the north of Old Banks. In 1822, when the area was formally opened up to settlement, James Webber established " Tocal " on his land grant immediately to the north-west of Swan's farm; Tocal to become among
1170-515: The public. The Society's collection is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register and contains CPH 3 , being the oldest surviving rail motor in NSW and the only operating 400 class rail motor . The 620/720 class rail cars NPF 621 and NTC 721 are part of RailCorp 's core heritage fleet and are managed on behalf of Transport Heritage NSW by the Society under a custody arrangement. This set
1209-519: The railway line passed directly over the wharf and a mishap during the construction of the railway bridge in 1909 sunk one of the local boats, the Anna Maria, which had been contracted to carry the BHP made girders. The boat was salvaged but was nearly destroyed again when a spark from a steam train set it ablaze. The last steam boats visited the area in the 1930s. Throughout the 20th century agriculture has been
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1248-426: The surrounding community. Many early settlers were Scots and hence a Presbyterian Church preceded an Anglican establishment. Indeed, St Ann's, opened in 1842, is said to be the oldest Presbyterian Church on mainland Australia. The river trade began to decline in the 1850s as the road to Maitland improved. Timber mills were established by the 1870s. In its heyday Paterson had four stores, five hotels, two shipyards,
1287-456: The town was appointed their first resident minister Rev. John Jennings Smith. Jennings-Smith erected a small stone building on Church land at the corner of King and Duke streets initially for a church and a school. In 1892 the large corner block was to Commercial Bank Co. in Sydney with the money used to build a parish hall . The church stated to be built and not complete until 1845. Paterson has
1326-807: Was established in 1984 with the support of four established heritage organisations – the NSW Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society, the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum , the Zig Zag Railway and the Sydney Tramway Museum . Each of these organisations purchased rail motors when they were offered for sale by the SRA and these were pooled to form the nucleus of the Society's fleet. A site for its base
1365-540: Was identified as a possible township by the early 1830s. However this was not developed in favour of the present township site. The present township of Paterson, situated six kilometres to the north of the original military station at Old Banks, was the third to be surveyed in the Hunter Valley after Newcastle and Maitland, but was not proclaimed until 1833. With the continuing settlement of the district, Paterson soon became an important tidal river port and service centre to
1404-413: Was identified in the old goods yard opposite Paterson railway station and a lease was negotiated for its use. The first rolling stock items were delivered to Paterson from Sydney on New Year's Eve of 1984. The Rail Motor Society is run entirely by volunteers and funds its day-to-day activities, restorations and construction programs from the proceeds of its heritage train operations and donations from
1443-707: Was leased back to the State Rail Authority and after an overhaul used as a radio system test unit operating across NSW. Initially leased for six months, it would not be until July 2000 that it returned to the Society after travelling some 200,000 km. It has continued to see regular main line use, often being hired by rail network owners for radio testing and for infrastructure and executive inspections. Since 2000, it has performed numerous rounds of these operational activities. Recent operations include testing interfaces for Sydney Trains Digital Train Radio System (DTRS), ARTC executive inspections and in 2013 route training for
1482-507: Was originally built in 1961 to replace steam hauled suburban services in the Newcastle area and spent its entire working life based in Newcastle. In October 1986, CPH 1 was returned to traffic painted in post-war cream and green livery. It was joined by CPH 7 in January 1987 and together these have toured NSW and beyond extensively. In July 2011 they were joined by CPH 3. In August 1986, HPC 402
1521-456: Was the true genesis of rural settlement outside of the Sydney basin. It grew to eight farms along the river by 1818, six of them belonging to convicts. This fledgling farming community subsisted under the oversight of the locality's military station and lock-up established at the river's crossing point. Commandant Morrisett established (c.1818) the first Magistrate's Court above Newcastle in his Commandant's Cottage that he constructed at Old Banks on
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