After the great news about a week ago announcing that the LVR had received a government grant to reopen and refurbish the Cowra to Holmwood section of the Blayney to Harden line, it has just been announced that the full restoration of 5367 is officially starting along with the restoration of 3026T as a side project

The wheels of the 30T have been removed and are expected to be sent to Goulburn for major repairs and turning in the coming days

Current hopes are for the 53 to be back in service before the end of the year with the 30T expected to be back soon afterwards
3026T is of course most well known for it's major troubles in this video by Bevan Wall-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liPWF6bkHQA

News article- https://www.cowraguardian.com.au/story/6763260/movement-at-the-station-golden-age-of-rail-to-return-to-cowra/
Facebook post-https://www.facebook.com/LachlanValleyRailway/posts/3132467226852655

5367 more than likely looking to do trials this time next year, not the end of the year.

3026 getting wheels turned at Goulburn then being put back undeneath the loco for Static Display at Cowra for a short/medium time. While the wheels are out from the loco, taking the opportunity to get them turned. It will be the locos last turn, next up is new tyres for 3026.

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

For the benefit of an aged Mexican, what are the R Cars please?

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

For the benefit of an aged Mexican, what are the R Cars please?

A good example: http://infobluemountains.net.au/locodepot/exhibits-large-pass-rbr.shtml

Basically a lightweight wooden carriage on steel underframe, re-built from older "dogbox" stock for short trips out of Sydney in the 1930's.

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

For the benefit of an aged Mexican, what are the R Cars please?

A good example: http://infobluemountains.net.au/locodepot/exhibits-large-pass-rbr.shtml

Basically a lightweight wooden carriage on steel underframe, re-built from older "dogbox" stock for short trips out of Sydney in the 1930's.

Until now I had not heard of the cars so what a good discussion and facts. How are car and loco transfers done to LVR IIRC the line was closed from the NSW main network?

I really hope they get it running at Cowra. It would be a good excuse for another trip.

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

For the benefit of an aged Mexican, what are the R Cars please?

A good example: http://infobluemountains.net.au/locodepot/exhibits-large-pass-rbr.shtml

Basically a lightweight wooden carriage on steel underframe, re-built from older "dogbox" stock for short trips out of Sydney in the 1930's.

Until now I had not heard of the cars so what a good discussion and facts. How are car and loco transfers done to LVR IIRC the line was closed from the NSW main network?

The carriages were likely transferred in by rail when LVR was founded in the 1970s as with 3237, 5367, 3026 and 5917
The line was only closed in 2009 and luckily the CPHs, 3237, 5917 and some carriages were already stored elsewhere

As an additional note about the R cars - some were refitted with Beclawat windows from the single deck electric cars. The Macquarie Valley Railways Society bought three of them and it gave them a quite modern appearance. So much so that when the Society ran a charter train for the local Scouts from Wellington to Trangie with the three R cars and a couple of SRA cars - I think they were MFA or similar - those people in the SRA cars complained about being put into the "old" carriages. They were a very comfortable car even at 110 km/h doing the dash from Dubbo down to Wellington empty. Pity they weren't kept in service

As an additional note about the R cars - some were refitted with Beclawat windows from the single deck electric cars. The Macquarie Valley Railways Society bought three of them and it gave them a quite modern appearance. So much so that when the Society ran a charter train for the local Scouts from Wellington to Trangie with the three R cars and a couple of SRA cars - I think they were MFA or similar - those people in the SRA cars complained about being put into the "old" carriages. They were a very comfortable car even at 110 km/h doing the dash from Dubbo down to Wellington empty. Pity they weren't kept in service

No wooden bodied passenger car should have been kept in regular service. They are a fatality looking for a place to happen.

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

For the benefit of an aged Mexican, what are the R Cars please?

On site at Cowra the other week I pretty much said the same time. Was taken to them to have a look then a google search.

I'm more excited about the R Cars coming back into service!

For the benefit of an aged Mexican, what are the R Cars please?

A good example: http://infobluemountains.net.au/locodepot/exhibits-large-pass-rbr.shtml

Basically a lightweight wooden carriage on steel underframe, re-built from older "dogbox" stock for short trips out of Sydney in the 1930's.

Until now I had not heard of the cars so what a good discussion and facts. How are car and loco transfers done to LVR IIRC the line was closed from the NSW main network?

All items to be used on the Branch Line operations is pretty much on site at Cowra now. Just need to finish off the Restoration. Some items may arrive by road and some may depart by road.

Steamranger in South Australia have been using wooden bodied end platform former Adelaide suburban cars without any problems for their Cockle Train and suchlike workings from Mt. Barker to Victor Harbor. Being on a private line probably helps. Who can remember the R and L cars being piled up in Wollongong yard and set on fire once the line was electrified? Using a 25 tonne car with 50+ bums on seats is a very economical operation for heritage operations

No wooden bodied passenger car should have been kept in regular service. They are a fatality looking for a place to happen.

I'd be interested to hear the reasoning behind that statement.

No wooden bodied passenger car should have been kept in regular service. They are a fatality looking for a place to happen.

I'd be interested to hear the reasoning behind that statement.

Agree with you on this Valvegear.

How many wooden carriages have been in fatal accidents in the last 50 years?  I know of at least two, the interurban that ran into the back of tour train on Cowan bank owing to some nutcase applying the hand brake on a carriage which made the 38 up front having to work hard and use excessive sand that caused signal failure and IU to proceed and run into the last carriage as the train had stalled.

The other one of more rememberance is Granville, but lets not allow facts to destroy a  theory.  Fact one is relating to the track conditions and the lack of maintenance on the 46cl with what was or should have been condemned wheel with thin flanges.  The track conditions aspect was something that was state wide owing to the Shirley era of cost cutting and make a few bucks in doing it.

The aspect of that was how under Shirley he withdrew the vast number of steel carriages, such as the BS & FS, along with most others, a vast number of wooden bodied that were kept on the mails but also converted to Masonite/ply bodies for the supplementary IU trains, also to be swingers as needed.

While the steel bodied carriages MAY have withstood the Bold St Bridge collapse on them, up to a point and MAY have saved a few other life's the simple fact is that just because a carriage has wooden bodies they are no more fatality awaiting to happen than any other carriage, especially those made with relatively flimsy aluminium bodies.

How many fatalities have been found in Aluminium car body trains since those days?  While not as many life's have been lost in at least two that I am aware of, there still have been more than enough as it is.  Thing is that those wooden body accidents could have been prevented had the circumstances under a particular regime and government not acted in the way they did. Nor having a 2 legged loose nut on the train doing what he did.

As an additional note about the R cars - some were refitted with Beclawat windows from the single deck electric cars. The Macquarie Valley Railways Society bought three of them and it gave them a quite modern appearance. So much so that when the Society ran a charter train for the local Scouts from Wellington to Trangie with the three R cars and a couple of SRA cars - I think they were MFA or similar - those people in the SRA cars complained about being put into the "old" carriages. They were a very comfortable car even at 110 km/h doing the dash from Dubbo down to Wellington empty. Pity they weren't kept in service

No wooden bodied passenger car should have been kept in regular service. They are a fatality looking for a place to happen.

You mean like wooden cars at say Puffing Billy?

Steamrail is doing pretty well with its W and E cars in Victoria. They've carried a lot of passengers over many years and thousands of kilometres,  and I don't remember hearing of of hundreds killed.

There is no doubt that modern steel passenger cars are a lot more robust in derailments than wooden bodied cars. However, we are talking about heritage operations here and there is a world of difference between a TF plodding along at 30 kph and the XPT at 130.
The R cars were comfortable, and rode well at speed on the southern commuter expresses. The heavier FS BS and 6 wheel bogie cars were, of course, better again and were very steady at 70 mph. All these cars ride better than the later air conditioned cars which were hard riding and rattled on poorer track. Whenever I was on the Intercapital I always tried for a seat on the VR cars that were often attached.
Yes, I agree, those R cars will be very welcome.

As an additional note about the R cars - some were refitted with Beclawat windows from the single deck electric cars. The Macquarie Valley Railways Society bought three of them and it gave them a quite modern appearance. So much so that when the Society ran a charter train for the local Scouts from Wellington to Trangie with the three R cars and a couple of SRA cars - I think they were MFA or similar - those people in the SRA cars complained about being put into the "old" carriages. They were a very comfortable car even at 110 km/h doing the dash from Dubbo down to Wellington empty. Pity they weren't kept in service

No wooden bodied passenger car should have been kept in regular service. They are a fatality looking for a place to happen.

You mean like wooden cars at say Puffing Billy?

I said regular service not heritage. Apart from diesel rail cars built at Chullora and the Tulloch double deckers, I am not aware of any aluminium bodied cars being used in NSW. They were all stainless steel or steel.

To bring this thread somewhat back on topic, a plan has been released by Hilltop council to convert part of the line (Young station to Chinaman's Dam) to a rail trail. This plan was released in their 2040 vision for local planning
The idea has been slammed by numerous groups/people such as LVR, the mayor of Cowra, the MP for Cootamundra and other local councils
Plans like converting the main north from Armidale to a rail trail or converting the Murwillumbah line to a rail trail were all bad enough but planning to convert a corridor that is still in government possession and has had numerous feasibility studies for reopening done is a new low

https://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/cowra-mayor-slams-hilltops-councils-rail-trail-plan

As an additional note about the R cars - some were refitted with Beclawat windows from the single deck electric cars. The Macquarie Valley Railways Society bought three of them and it gave them a quite modern appearance. So much so that when the Society ran a charter train for the local Scouts from Wellington to Trangie with the three R cars and a couple of SRA cars - I think they were MFA or similar - those people in the SRA cars complained about being put into the "old" carriages. They were a very comfortable car even at 110 km/h doing the dash from Dubbo down to Wellington empty. Pity they weren't kept in service

No wooden bodied passenger car should have been kept in regular service. They are a fatality looking for a place to happen.

You mean like wooden cars at say Puffing Billy?

I said regular service not heritage. Apart from diesel rail cars built at Chullora and the Tulloch double deckers, I am not aware of any aluminium bodied cars being used in NSW. They were all stainless steel or steel.

I would say Puffing Billy is a regular service.

Is the plan for the LVR to occupy Orange East Fork depot still proceeding? I had presumed this would have resulted in it vacating Cowra, which obviously isn't on the agenda.

Is the plan for the LVR to occupy Orange East Fork depot still proceeding? I had presumed this would have resulted in it vacating Cowra, which obviously isn't on the agenda.

Cowra will still be isolated from the main line
3237, the CPHs and operational carriages will be stored at east fork, 5367 will just be for Cowra to Holmwood shuttles

I would expect that once 3026T is operational 5367 will be sent to orange as part of the mainline fleet

Do note that the second point is just an idea and should not be considered a fact, I am not affiliated with LVR in any way, I just follow their facebook page and website

Major news from LVR today, the two R cars have been fully restored and are ready for service with two more to be retrieved from the top shed and similarly restored after resleepering and other trackwork is completed on the top shed line

The restored R cars are HBR415 and FR1106
LVR have not made the car numbers of the 2 in the top shed publicly available

Link-  http://shorturl.at/abgvV

Major news from LVR today, the two R cars have been fully restored and are ready for service with two more to be retrieved from the top shed and similarly restored after resleepering and other trackwork is completed on the top shed line

The restored R cars are HBR415 and FR1106
LVR have not made the car numbers of the 2 in the top shed publicly available

Link-  http://shorturl.at/abgvV

How many R cars do they have?

Major news from LVR today, the two R cars have been fully restored and are ready for service with two more to be retrieved from the top shed and similarly restored after resleepering and other trackwork is completed on the top shed line

The restored R cars are HBR415 and FR1106
LVR have not made the car numbers of the 2 in the top shed publicly available

Link-  http://shorturl.at/abgvV

How many R cars do they have?

I have no idea, they do not show a list of carriages they own on their website and nothing is mentioned on their Facebook page