Re: [TAS] Penguin

["Steve Zvillis" <szvillis@netspace.net.au>]

<ben_scaro@my-deja.com> wrote in message 942u4e$r7b$1@nnrp1.deja.com">news:942u4e$r7b$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> After being down in Tas over Christmas, this posting is interesting.
> There are currently moves to restore railway stations to a few
> Tasmanian towns, and even to revive the withered ends of branchlines,
> such as the one to St Mary's which currently terminates a few kms out
> of town.

Some lines now terminate sort of nowhere (esp. Melba Line (ex - E.B.R.) at
Melba Flats (a mine load-out) so extending them back to their original
terminus (not very far)  will assist in creating a more viable tourist
destination, like Zeehan, in the case of the Melba Line, or St. Marys - an
improvement on Fingal.

> I'm wondering whether this is a good use of money- as I think in some
> instances, State funding is being sought to restore the stations.  The
> idea seems to be a bit of a cargo cult one- eg if we restore the
> station, then trains full of cashed-up punters will arrive to spend
> their hard-earned in our town.

Some station rebuild proposals shall also include other functions, like
tourist information centres or other miscellaneous functions to make them
useful between train visits.

> This can be a bit problematic though, if things are not thought through.

The recent government sponsored Rail Passenger Tourist Network Forums
determined that these proposals should have viable business cases. Westbury,
as an example did have a plan to have their proposed station serve a number
of other purposes other that host visiting rail tourists.

> The worst example I've seen of this was a trip to the town of Parattah.
> The station in this Midlands town was never knocked down, Parattah
> being a loop and change over point in TGR and AN days.  There is also a
> log loading gantry there.
>
> Now the station has been restored and trains actually operate there.
> The trouble is, there is, umm, not a lot to do at Parattah.  No hotel,
> no restaurant, no takeaway even.

This is a constant source of irritation to the Derwent Valley Railway's
staff and since operations resumed along the namesake line to Westerway
(soon to be extended to National Park) runs to Parattah have declined
sharply. However, on the mainline, it is a convienient location just beyond
the most scenic parts of the Main South Line, beyond which the scenery gets
much less interesting and the distance / time factor starts to count against
return day trips. The D.V.R. is attempting to schedule trips beyond Parattah
to Ross (more interesting town) or arrange better connections from Parattah
to Oatlands, nearby.

> The name I think means 'cold, windy place', and it's pretty much in the
> middle of nowhere.  The time I travelled there on a Derwent Valley
> Railway excursion, we got off the train and looked around for a shop to
> buy a box of matches.
>
> Going into the only shop in town, which seemed to sell craft items, the
> reception was pretty frosty, with this shrill voiced local harpie
> yelling after us in a voice that would have stripped paint [not that
> there was much left on the remaining buildings in the place] 'You can't
> buy matches here boys, yer in the country now . . .'
>
> Umm, great.  So much for local entrepreneurship . . . The point is that
> there actually needs to be something in these towns worth spending
> money on for the station to be viable.

The D.V.R. regularly attempt to convince the Parattah locals of that exact
point!!!!!

> The money being spent on Parattah- they are apparently putting in a
> triangle

Incorrect - that is being done by the D.V.R. to allow its 'H' class 4-8-2 to
turn, when it finally gets rebuilt.

 - I would invest in improving rail facilities further down the
> line at Ross, which *is* actually a tourist-focussed town with
> bakeries, restaurants, accommodation, nice old buildings, churches and
> a charming sandstone bridge.

Correct - being done. A loop has recently been installed purely to stable
visiting D.V.R. and D.R.R. (Don River Rlwy.) excursion trains clear of the
Tasrail main.

> The Derwent Valley Railway people themselves were very hospitable and
> our time on the train was great.  But on the return trip, there were
> more than a few comments of 'godforsaken hole' about the town we'd
> visited and determinations not to go there again.
>
> Cheers
>
> Ben
>