There was a wonderful sound coming out of the train shed at Glenreagh!!
For the past year, keen and experienced volunteers under supervision from a professional engineer, have been working long hours restoring Locomotive 1919, thanks to a grant from the Fire to Flourish- Clarence Valley(which was voted by the Glenreagh locals.
The steam train is 148 years old and the last time the sound of that steam whistle echoed through the valley was almost 20 years ago. Since that time, she has been sleeping like a gentle giant in the train shed at Glenreagh.
Last Saturday, Loco 1919 was fired up and tested and she passed beautifully, with the final close-out being the steam test and safety valve settings scheduled for later this year. The next step is accreditation from the Rail regulator before she will be ready for passengers in 2026.
Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers for their hard work! As one volunteer described it:”Yesterday 1919 could be described as 60T of inanimate steel – today 1919 has a soul – and it can only get better”.