One of the enduring railway tales of the Monaro is that of the time the freight got 'lost' in a snow storm.

A heavy snow drift isolated a Cooma-Bombala freight, and conditions were so bad the crew could not report in. Hence the lost train.

No doubt it will be one of tales recalled when ARHS members, families and friends make a day trip along the Cooma-Bombala line on Saturday, April 16 (NOTE: this has changed from the original February date).

The 100 km line makes it way through scenic Monaro country (click on the picture for a larger image).

Stations, sidings or stops located at Rock Flat, Coonerang, Nimmitabel, Maclaughlin, Holts Flat, Jincumbilly, Bukalong and Bombala have all been experienced by some ARHS members on past trips.

For our April 16 Cooma-Bombala bus trip, we expect to have some of our Cooma Monaro Railway friends providing local information and access to off-the-highway railway locations.

As it is now 18 years since the line's closure, the infrastructure is rapidly disintegrating but there are still many features to be seen.

Bombala station itself has an 88 metre platform on the up side of the line (click on the yard diagram above to see a larger image of the overall layout).

Directly opposite were a run-around loop and goods siding, the latter having a loading bank, goods shed and gantry crane.

A footbridge allowed pedestrians access to the platform and across the yard (click on station building image for a larger picture).

North of the station was a stock siding with stock yards, and on the other side was the Loco Road, leading to the coal stage and turntable.

Our transport will leave from Cooma Railway Station at 9.30am (on Saturday, April 16) and return late afternoon in time to allow for a leisurely stroll around Cooma's old station and workshop.

The plan is to then take a Cooma Monaro Railway's CPH dinner train 19 km north to Chakola, returning to Cooma later that evening.

The excursion can be taken as a day trip but a Saturday night stop-over in Cooma would be more comfortable.

Some accommodation will be available in The Barracks, the building adjacent to the station where train crews used to stay the night (click on image to see a larger picture).

For several years after the formation of the CMR, a community group had control of the building.

When the CMR gained control of the premises, members began restoration work - internal walls were put back in place and the building was refurbished to create comfortable accommodation, usually for the benefit of visiting CMR members from outside of Cooma.

So what else has our sister organisation achieved?

The formerly-neglected Cooma station and precinct have been brought back to working life through restoration and improvements and by the re-introduction of Tin Hare services.

Their rail motor project is worthy of a visit in its own right.

 
- Continued next column

The Cooma Monaro Railway had its origins in 1992, when a group of local people decided to restore the station.

Subsequently, looking for new challenges, it was resolved to try and set up a tourist railway. Several alternatives were explored and then came a breakthrough - four venerable CPH rail motor cars became available at nearby Tumut.

Brought to Cooma in April 1994 on the back of a low-loader, they were a sorry sight.

However, with members' talents and determination, restoration proceeded.

One by one, three of the four CPHs - two motors (6 and 2) and trailer car 55 - emerged from the shed in pristine condition.

Finally, negotiations with State Rail obtained the right to run on the line north from Cooma and this saw services begin in December 1998.

Some of our members have travelled on earlier excursions to ride these restored cars.

While all the restored cars are a credit to CMR members, the trailer car is a most beautiful vehicle.

It has been set up as a dining car, with a food services area in the front compartment and with a more open seating area at the back.

Today the three-car sets regularly operate north from Cooma, passing Snowy Junction on the outskirts of Cooma where originally a line branched off to service the Polo Flat industrial area. It now has a purpose-built platform for CMR services.

The next station is Bunyan (click for larger image), another purpose-built station which has a siding which the CMR uses occasionally to run a two train shuttle service - one train from Cooma to Bunyan, connecting with a second from Bunyan to Chakola.

The CMR's current terminus is our destination - Chakola, 19 kilometres from Cooma and on the banks of the Numeralla River.

Since the CMR came to Chakola, the station has received a new waiting room/ticket office building, station name sign and platform lighting.

The building is a replica of the original, which can still be seen from the station, being used as a work shed on a nearby property.

And a little north of Chakola is the old massive trestle railway bridge over the river (click on picture for larger image).

This was damaged during flooding and currently prevents the CMR from progressing any further towards Canberra - a situation we in Canberra well understand!

So, you are invited join this full and interesting day.

To firm up on costs, we need to get an idea of numbers so that the Cooma-Bombala coach on April 16 can be organised.

Please indicate your interest before 4 April 2005 to Lainie Loewe on 6299 0886 or email Lainie at .

Cost of the rail motor dinner trip will be $39.50/head, while accommodation at The Barracks is $10 per person per night.

- Acknowledgements: Our appreciation goes to:

• Rolfe Bozier and his New South Wales Railways website (www.nswrail.net/index.php), for the Bombala track diagram and to Rolfe and Geoff Allcock for the picture of Bombala station;
• Phil O'Regan and Cooma Monaro Railway (www.cmrailway.org.au) for much of the Cooma information, and for the CPH and Barracks pictures; and to
• John Hurst (www.csse.monash.edu.au/~ajh/trains/) for pictures of past Bombala excursions.

 
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