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Rail heritage needs view ahead

AS part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Central Station this week, Transport Minister John Watkins has the delightful task of announcing Railcorp's new heritage plan by Warren Brown The Daily Telegraph July 31, 2006.

This bizarrely involves destroying a successful not-for-profit business, 3801 Ltd, and banishing Australia's most famous steam locomotive, 3801, to the Rail Transport Museum, 75km out of Sydney.

If I were transport minister it's not an achievement I'd like to be remembered for.

All of this is a convoluted process to get rid of the locomotive from its Redfern digs, so the Redfern Waterloo Authority can redevelop the site.

If the minister is fair-dinkum about our rail heritage perhaps he should announce a plan to resurrect the locomotive the Rail Transport Museum uses on its letterhead - 5711.

The 5711 is a big locomotive described by Railcorp as "being of state significance" and listed as "preserved", yet for the past 15 years 5711 has sat uncovered, rusting in pieces, behind the museum.

RTM president Peter Berriman says 5711 won't be completed for another 10 years and then will only be a static exhibit - which means the museum will have another locomotive which doesn't go.

In a bit of damage control last week, Railcorp CEO Vince Graham made a few hazy statements on talkback radio and in a press release regarding the fate of 3801, throwing around key words such as "heritage" and "history", which he presumed would wash with the public.

But judging by the letters and emails which have been arriving at The Daily Telegraph expressing concern about Railcorp's handling of our state treasure, there is a bigger picture emerging - a clear and vocal concern as to how our heritage is managed.

So much of Sydney's heritage has been trashed by successive governments whose only vision was of a whopping real estate sign - and Sydney's unique transport heritage will be lost if our Government doesn't step up to the plate.

Mr Watkins was noticeably absent from the argy-bargy of the 3801 fiasco last week. In fairness, the minister should, quite rightly, be concerned with ensuring the people of NSW have the best rail service possible.

But like it or not, the minister is also charged with safeguarding what is left of NSW transport history. There'll be money thrown around this week for rail heritage but what is needed is passion and vision.

David Hill, when he was CEO of State Rail, had the vision to rescue the clapped-out 3801 from Thirlmere in the 1980s and put it back on the rails for the people of NSW.

Mr Graham's vision is to send the 3801 back to where it was found.