Romance of the steam train returns

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By Tim Howard

The romantic age of the steam train will return to the North Coast with the arrival of The Picnic Train for a series of tours around Coffs Harbour and Grafton next month.

It will be the frst time since 2015 since the group has brought one of their feet of steam locomotives north, but the excitement locally has been palpable.

The group’s train operations manager, Sam Roach, said they had four 80-minute runs between Coffs Harbour and Coramba, plus day trips to Nambucca and Grafton.

He said The Picnic Train is a non-proft organisation dedicated to the operation of vintage steam and diesel locomotives and carriages.

The organised was relied on a dedicated team of volunteers from all walks of life and backgrounds, dedicated to bringing the magic of steam to its passengers.

“We have everything set up for families and young children for the shuttle trips to Coramba,” Mr Roach said.

“We go out over the beaches, up through the hills and into the tunnels and come out at Coramba. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

He said the longer day trips were more designed for the train lover and tickets had been going fast.

“I think one’s sold out or just about and the other one’s close too,” he said.

Mr Roach, who at 35 is the youngest qualifed steam train driver in NSW, can understand the love affair with the steam train.

“I saw one when I was young and I said I wanted to drive one of those,” he said.

Reality set in later and Mr Roach earned his keep driving freight trains on the main rail lines around NSW. But the steam train bug was still in him.

He said he spent quite a few years hanging about, “flling oil cans and that sort of thing” before he graduated to freman, where he shovelled coal into the frebox of the train.

“After a certain amount of time I graduated and after a completing a course I graduated to train driver,” he said.

“I signed on as a train driver four years ago, when I was 31.”

Mr Roach said his title as the State’s youngest driver is about to fall.

“We have a couple of young blokes coming through and it’s a title I’m more than happy to let go,” he said.

“The company has been working toward making sure we always have a group of young drivers and fremen, so we’re aiming to bring some more on later this year,” Mr Roach said.

“It’s a young person’s sport, shovelling 10 tonnes of coal a day, although some of those old blokes I started with were truly exceptional.

“Even at 80 they could get in a train and it was like they were 15 again. But times have changed, I don’t think they make them like that any more.”

While he earns a living as a train driver, it’s the work of hundreds of volunteers that keeps the romance of the steam train alive.

“If it wasn’t for all the hours they put keeping everything in shape and going, this would happen,” he said.

Mr Roach said the Picnic Train would be bringing an old favourite locomotive, 5917, north for this trip.

“It’s the same engine we brought eight years ago,” he said.”It was brought over from the USA to come into service in NSW in 1953, so it’s actually one of the most modern steam trains around.

“It’s actually a fairly common sight around the Hunter and we’ve got to the stage where it would probably be doing as many kilometres now as it was a when it was in service.”

He said 5917 was in Maitland now and would make the journey north on Wednesday, July 5.

“It’s about a 13-hour trip from Maitland to Coramba,” he said. “We have timetabled it in with the other passenger and freight train services.

“During the ride up, we’ll have to pull over onto sidings to let the XPT and freight trains pass us.

“We’ll get into Coramba, where we’re staying, on Wednesday, take a day to get set up and then we’ll start the next day.”

The program is: Coffs Harbour shuttles

Friday 7 July, 2023

Saturday 8 July, 2023 - plus special Coffs Harbour to Nambucca Heads day trip

Sunday 9 July, 2023

Monday 10 July 2023 Grafton shuttles

Tuesday 11 July, 2023 - plus special Coffs Harbour to Grafton day trip/

Prices range from $85 for two people up to a $320 for a first class private compartment with a maximum of eight people. Full details are available at https://www. picnictrain.com.au