Why Region's Favourite Train Journey Is At Risk
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday June 3, 2006
THE Cockatoo Run is likely to be axed at the end of the year when Australia's best known steam locomotive, the 3801, is placed in a museum.
The decision has prompted an outcry from its operators, who have launched a campaign to maintain control of the flagship engine.The fully restored locomotive has rumbled through the Illawarra for the past 11 years on the Cockatoo Run, whisking passengers from Sydney through the Illawarra and over the escarpment to Moss Vale.The not-for-profit organisation 3801 Ltd has leased the locomotive for 20 years, during which time it established the Cockatoo Run and ran tours across the country.However, the company's lease expires on November 26, when the NSW Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere intends to take it back.State Transport Minister John Watkins confirmed that the NSW Rail Transport Museum would be entitled to custody of the locomotive when the lease expired, "unless further agreement is reached".The tug-of-war is now heating up, with the Crown solicitor reviewing the original lease agreement and 3801 Ltd engaging a top Sydney law firm to review the document.At stake is the Cockatoo Run, which has delighted thousands of tourists and train buffs.The 3801 only travels on the Cockatoo Run several times a year now, while heritage diesel locomotives haul carriages at other times.However the Cockatoo Run is a division of 3801 Ltd, and without its flagship locomotive, the company is likely to fold.The State Rail chief executive at the time the original lease was signed, David Hill, has written to government ministers to argue for an extension of the lease."The threat to the future of 3801 is causing widespread concern throughout the rail heritage sector and the wider community," he said.Mr Hill, who is the president of Rail Heritage Australia and formerly headed the ABC, said the steam train's condition had deteriorated when it was formerly housed at the museum.He helped restore the steam train in the 1980s, and at the time decided to limit 3801 Ltd's lease to 20 years in case the project was not viable.However, since then the company has been extremely successful - more than 500,000 people have ridden on the loco in the past 20 years.NSW Rail Transport Museum president Peter Berriman said the Government - which owns the locomotive - had signed a formal legal agreement in 1978 which placed the steam train in the museum's custody.The museum would establish a taskforce to determine the loco's future operations when it returned in November."We are committed to operating (3801), but in a sustainable way that recognises its heritage value, in a way that balances conservation with getting it out there so people can enjoy it," he said."We will be operating it; during periods when it's not operating it will be on display at the museum."Minister for the Illawarra David Campbell said he had been a strong advocate of the Cockatoo Run, however it's fate appeared sealed when the lease was signed. He said he would be happy to help 3801 Ltd with its negotiations.Tracking the 3801's history? The 3801 is Australia's best known steam locomotive, often referred to as Australia's version of the Flying Scotsman.? It was the first of the Class 38 locomotives built in Australia. Only 30 were built and, of these, only the first and the last have been restored to operating condition.? The 3801 was nicknamed the Grey Nurse owing to it's all-grey colour scheme. It holds the record for the fastest rail journey from Sydney to Newcastle.? It was decommissioned in 1972. NSW Railways retained ownership, but placed it in the custody of the NSW Rail Transport Museum in Thirlmere.? It was restored in the 1980s, and the company 3801 Ltd was formed and signed a 20-year lease to operate the locomotive on heritage journeys.? The lease expires on November 26 and there is now a dispute about what will happen to the steam train and the Cockatoo Run.
© 2006 Illawarra Mercury
