Historic locomotive rail-roaded

Operators of the 3801 locomotive - Sydney's equivalent of Britain's The Flying Scotsman - say it could soon be taking its last journey after the Government refused to renew their lease.

The 1943 locomotive, the first of its class, is Australia's most widely used steam engine.

It led the Bicentennial train in 1988 and was thrust into the public eye in more tragic circumstances when an intercity train ploughed into its rear near Cowan in 1990, killing six people.

Instead of the 3801 making day trips from its historic Redfern home, the 1880s rail shed will be demolished to create an apartment block and the train will be relocated to a museum in Thirlmere, 75km southwest of the city.

The move has outraged the train's operators, who warn it will deny thousands the chance to experience the locomotive.

The non-profit group 3801 Limited has operated and maintained the train for 20 years at no cost to the taxpayer and carried more than 500,000 passengers.

Chairman John Glastonbury said the decision defied belief.

"The decision is incredibly hard to understand," he said.

The Government says the decision is up to Thirlmere's Rail Transport Museum, the official custodian of the 3801, but legal advice is believed to dispute this.

Museum president Peter Berriman said his group was the proprietor of the train and denied it would be taken out of service.

"Any suggestion the locomotive will be placed in a museum, never to run again, is nonsense," he said.

RailCorp said it was also committed to ensuring the 3801's services continued.
 

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19826843-1242,00.html