A locomotive has made its first journey along Hobart’s former Freight Lines after a nine year hiatus, since receiving accreditation from the National Rail Safety Regulator.
The monumental trip was made possible by the dedicated efforts of volunteers from the Tasmanian Transport Museum, who spent thousands of hours repairing 200 sleepers and refurbishing a train.
On Sunday, the locomotive proudly carried its first passengers.
“It’s an absolutely super special day for us. It’s the day we’ve been working for, for at least the last four or five years,” Tasmanian Transport Museum President Rod Prince told 7 Tasmania.
The response from the public was overwhelming, with all six scheduled sessions fully booked.
“We’ve had a wonderful response. We had a ticketed event, and we had to close the bookings down on Friday afternoon,” said Prince.
Looking ahead, the museum aims to reopen the four road crossings between Airwick Road and Mentor Street, with design work for the crossings at Grove Road already underway.
