Not too far into 2007, we are anticipating hearing again the long-awaited whistle of our 104-year-old steam veteran 3016, as she again hauls trains through the Melrose Valley to Royalla, or on longer trips to Bungendore and beyond.

For newer members of the Society (and the public), it will be the first time they have seen this loco operating (click on the picture below).

It has been a long (eight years) and expensive task (more than $100,000) to get 3016 back into steam.

She last hauled our trains back in January 1999 when she was temporarily retired for want of major repairs.

For five years, 3016 was stabled at the Canberra Railway Museum with occasional work being done in between other pressing loco jobs.

Then our Council decided that the best way to return her to work was to outsource this work.

In October 2004 she was hitched to a small train and moved to the Rail Transport Museum workshops at Thirlmere, where the RTM undertook restoration work at ARHS (ACT) expense.

This restoration has included 127 new crown stay bolts, re rivet the boiler to the smokebox, riveting around the firebox, new bearings and renew the front end valves.

3016 has now operated on the mainline twice, a trip from Thirlmere to Moss Vale and a second test run from Thirlmere to Wollongong.

Both were successful and the locomotive will be officially handed over to the ARHS ACT during the first weekend in March at the Thirlmere Steam Festival.

Since August 2006, 3016 has been used on RTM trains both as an exhibit and as a way of thoroughly testing her before she returns to Canberra, to take over the workload which our other steam veteran, 1210, has been carrying.

3016 has had many overhauls since she began life in 1903 as a S(636) class 4-6-4 tank engine on the Sydney suburban network.

Built by Beyer Peacock and Co in the UK, she was one of the first batch of 35 of these locomotives.

(Eveleigh Workshops built another 50 of the class, while over the years the English company supplied a further 60 engines).

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The class saw service handling the growing Sydney suburban traffic, particularly over the heavy grades on the Northern, North Shore and Illawarra lines.

Following electrification of the Sydney system, 3016 was converted in 1930 from a tank engine to her (now) more familiar appearance of a 4-6-0 engine with tender and put to work on the wider NSW network.

She saw many years on country service, working from such depots as Narrandera, Cowra, Werris Creek and Temora.

After steaming 2,033,200 miles or 3,253,120 km (the most for any of the 30 class), she was withdrawn from NSWGR service in February 1972.

3016 was bought by the Society in 1977 and members restored it to working condition between 1986 and 1989. For many years, she was a familiar sight on the Michelago Tourist Railway.

Her return to work in 2007 will take a lot of pressure off 1210 which in recent years has carried out our steam program single handed.

1210, now 127 years old, will now handle a much less demanding role which we hope will help keep her operational for many more years.

Together, 3016 and 1210 will handle our requirements, plus any 'guest appearances' which arise from time to time.

The first of these will be 3rd and 4th March, 2007 at Thirlmere and possibly later the same month in the Newcastle area.

Be aware - maintaining these lovely engines takes times and effort!

If you would like to become involved in this important work, please contact Peter Anderson on 4474 4122 (ah), . Any assistance will be welcomed.