MORNINGTON Railway Preservation Society has trucked its steam train K163 to Newport for repairs where it became a drawcard during the Steamrail Victoria Open Day, 7-9 March.
The arrival of K163 was a homecoming of sorts as it was built at Newport in 1941 at workshops which were built in 1882.
The K class locomotive was a mainstay of the Victorian railway network from the 1920s up to the end of the steam era in the 1960s.
Renowned for their dependability, the locomotives ran mostly on branch lines and several have been preserved and are operating around Victoria.
The Mornington preservation society restored K163 in 1986, and it now regularly hauls restored timber “red rattler” carriages on the six-kilometre line from Moorooduc to Mornington stations.
The society wants to raise $25,000 for the steam engine’s Sunday trips.
Incentives to donate include being able to drive the overhauled K163 when it returns to service. Details: gofundme.com/f/keep-k163-going
For details about train rides go to morningtonrailway.org.au
First published in the Mornington News – 24 March 2020
