Pie in the sky unfortunately

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1520942218004404&id=416823881749582&__tn__=CH-R

Try the find the article on farcebook near impossible.  These publishing companies need to sock to their websites as farcebook just doesn't work for this type of thing.

The locals will need to learn and understand: Track up-grade and maintenance ($$$$$$'s), Rolling Stock ($$$$$$$'s), Qualified People (???????) Accreditation ( $$$$$$$$$$$$$$'s). The idea is great; the execution is mind-boggling.

Would it be possible for the museum to offer rides over a short distance of track?

Id would be a very short ride - The museum is, effectively, built-in. And there's still the very real question of demand.

Id would be a very short ride - The museum is, effectively, built-in. And there's still the very real question of demand.

Don't know how much track is actually left in situ, but one thing that won't work is trying to run a full sized train. The numbers in the town at any one time I doubt would ever justify it.

However if there is some track, then section cars with option of self propelled track cycles might work? Don't even really need sleepers for either of these if the rails are well buried in the dirt.

Id would be a very short ride - The museum is, effectively, built-in. And there's still the very real question of demand.

Don't know how much track is actually left in situ, but one thing that won't work is trying to run a full sized train. The numbers in the town at any one time I doubt would ever justify it.

However if there is some track, then section cars with option of self propelled track cycles might work? Don't even really need sleepers for either of these if the rails are well buried in the dirt.

The formation is completely built over between the Museum and the A32
I think there is only a short section of track that remains at Silverton

Id would be a very short ride - The museum is, effectively, built-in. And there's still the very real question of demand.

Don't know how much track is actually left in situ, but one thing that won't work is trying to run a full sized train. The numbers in the town at any one time I doubt would ever justify it.

However if there is some track, then section cars with option of self propelled track cycles might work? Don't even really need sleepers for either of these if the rails are well buried in the dirt.

The formation is completely built over between the Museum and the A32
I think there is only a short section of track that remains at Silverton

Thanks, apart from that, is there any other track in place?

In a word, no. Even the track at Silverton is not original. As I understand it, it was built to shoot an advertisement, and has only ever carried a trike. The concrete bridge piers at Silverton were built in the 1960s, anticipating conversion to standard gauge (which never happened), and appear to be in good shape. The line carried relatively heavy traffic, if very slowly (25 mph...) until 1970. Even then, the possibility of keeping the line to Silverton open for tourist traffic was discussed, but rapidly dismissed.

Do note my avatar, badly pixelated - STCo locos 27, 28 and 29, photographed by my father, while I was at school!

The $$$ needed are not that far out of reach. It can be a slow burn project. The streets are wide enough that tracks can be laid on the roadway ( like tram tracks) outside sulphide street. the gulflander in FNQ is a great tourist attraction. A rail link between Silverton and BH would be a boon for the local economy in the long run...

If it is a heritage thing or maybe something like the solar train in byron bay it shouldn't be too hard to do this. Especially as it could get access to indian pacific traffic as well as the nsw trainlink xplorer traffic.

If it is a heritage thing or maybe something like the solar train in byron bay it shouldn't be too hard to do this. Especially as it could get access to indian pacific traffic as well as the nsw trainlink xplorer traffic.

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

It is the Ghan Preservation Society located just south of Alice Springs
They ceased running the train in late 2006 apparently due to accreditation problems.
Now a static museum.

https://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11307996-0-asc-s0.htm

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

It is the Ghan Preservation Society located just south of Alice Springs
They ceased running the train in late 2006 apparently due to accreditation problems.
Now a static museum.

https://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11307996-0-asc-s0.htm

and track washouts

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

It is the Ghan Preservation Society located just south of Alice Springs
They ceased running the train in late 2006 apparently due to accreditation problems.
Now a static museum.

https://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11307996-0-asc-s0.htm

and track washouts

The services stopped long before any flood damage occurred

If it is a heritage thing or maybe something like the solar train in byron bay it shouldn't be too hard to do this. Especially as it could get access to indian pacific traffic as well as the nsw trainlink xplorer traffic.

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

How many of them have the indian pacific or a weekly xplorer service stopping overnight to feed a connection to silverton? It doesn't have to run every day and a lightweight vehicle means track quality doesn't have to be that great.

How many people visit the current museum, do they honestly think people will travel 1100 km for a short train ride?

Most people won't travel 1100km for a short train ride, but it would be another attraction for those who go to Broken Hill as a tourist. I would not make a special trip from Melbourne to Rockhampton just to ride the steam tram, but when we were passing through Rocky last year it was added to the list of "things to do".

If it is a heritage thing or maybe something like the solar train in byron bay it shouldn't be too hard to do this. Especially as it could get access to indian pacific traffic as well as the nsw trainlink xplorer traffic.

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

How many of them have the indian pacific or a weekly xplorer service stopping overnight to feed a connection to silverton? It doesn't have to run every day and a lightweight vehicle means track quality doesn't have to be that great.

You would need every Xplorer Passenger to justify running the train.

IP is basically twice (1 each way), again you would need many passengers to transfer across between the two locations to justify. I doubt it would make it viable.

Drive through tourists would be in high enough numbers to justify running a train. Maybe a few gangers bikes.

If the track was there, maybe, but its not and how many other heritage groups are succeeding wth 50km of track to maintain closer to major population centres?

If it is a heritage thing or maybe something like the solar train in byron bay it shouldn't be too hard to do this. Especially as it could get access to indian pacific traffic as well as the nsw trainlink xplorer traffic.

There are heritage rail operations in far more populated areas than Silverton that are struggling to attract riders and raise funding for projects. Seriously how well do we think this project will succeed and even if built, be viable. Didn't the Old Ghan line have a section left for heritage running that eventually failed?

How many of them have the indian pacific or a weekly xplorer service stopping overnight to feed a connection to silverton? It doesn't have to run every day and a lightweight vehicle means track quality doesn't have to be that great.

For starters, a trip out to Silverton and back on a relayed track with a "Heritage train" will take over an hour each way.
So that's a minimum of 3 hours round trip.
Now because of the fact that the old alignment has been built over, a new station would need to be built to the North of the Barrier Hwy (Rakow St) which is approx. 4 kms from the Crystal St Station requiring transfer buses

The IP from Sydney (4SA8 ) arrives in BH at 06:30 AM on Thursday mornings and departs 1 hour 50 minutes later at 08:20AM so not long enough to head out to Silverton.
The East bound IP (3AS8 ) arrives at BH at 17:25pm on Tuesday and departs 2 hours 35 minutes later at 20:00pm, once again not enough time to head out to Silverton plus for Non daylight savings time it's dark so you don't get to see much scenery

The Xplorer service arrives at 21:30pm on Mondays and is gone at 08:15am the next morning, so precious little time again for Heritage tours.

Not conducive scenario for a successful cliental.

I reckon that if this proposal got off the ground the number of potential passengers who would arrive by train would be the same as ride on the Gulflander or the Pichi Richi railway. Which, given the location of those lines, is zero. The target is surely tourists passing through, either on a coach tour or driving themselves.