Thread: My Steamfest dream.

Evening all.
I was just thinking today about this year's "Maitland" Steamfest and i'm wondering how it will be run (if at all). For the people who are unaware, the Newcastle line has been closed to all rail traffic with the view of tearing the tracks up as soon as a court injunction has been resolved. The station has been there (in various guise) since 1858 and is in my opinion an iconic part of a Novocastrian's surroundings.
So where will the steam trains terminate now?
I have a new proposal but I know it's pie in the sky though....
Let's remove the center of steam locomotive activity from Maitland to the old Broardmeadow roundhouse ?. It could be turned into a working steam museum. Sure it would require a whole swag of funding and infastructure but imagine how many locomotives that the public will be able to get up close and personal with instead of the usual station viewing or watching it speed past line side? The trains can still run to Maitland and the static displays and road steam can still be at Maitland, but with shuttle trips to Fassifern return as well.
To do this we will need a few of the iconic NSWGR locomotives that are in operational condition, let's see:
6029 (a 60 class Garratt would certianly cause a stir in the ranks here!!) hauling 1210+tender on a low loading rail wagon with suitable passenger stock in tow, 1709, to double head with 1210, 3237 & 5917 from LVR, 3801 (yep, now I know i'm dreaming!!) 3112 and our best 10 class to double head or run shuttles with the regulars like 3642, 3265 and 3526.
Just imagine something like that.......ah well, I can deram

Regards
Robbo

Dream or not, approach other steam fans, in newcastle and broadmeadows,
approach the local council at broadmeadows, pitch it along the lines of sa's rail museum... that still gets good volume through the doors...

National Railway Museum | Port Adelaide

and contact the Peterborough steam museum, theirs is also a roundhouse...

Steamtown heritage rail museum Peterborough, Tourism South Australia

get letters into the paper, but first get some rough idea of what you are trying to get sut up,

is it just a steam museum for working engines etc or are you going to try and get hold of older rail or town wood buildings to line edges of museum like a town?

Will you be trying to arrange an area to do other events, (concerts, steam days, 'steam punk festivals', car display days etc etc, anything to add to your profile and potential revenue) Get google images of the area you are after and start sketching on it what your ideas are...

so get your ideas together even if loosely in a folder so you can show people, Im sure peterborough and adelaide will assist you if they can...

Give it a go!

then go for it... you may surprise yourself