By Helena Adeloju
Commuters at Pakenham railway station may catch a glimpse of a century-old steam train chugging by on its way to a Warragul festival this weekend.
The vintage train will pass through Pakenham about 9am on Saturday 13 May, carrying 260 passengers from Melbourne to spend the day in Warragul, where it will be unveiled after a 30-year restoration project.
The steam engine will be welcomed to Warragul by a parade of vintage vehicles and a town fair before being officially named ‘The Spirit of Warragul’.
The A2 Class steam train 986 began its working life more than 102 years ago, but was retired in 1963 and written off by Victorian Railways in January 1964.
The steam train has special significance because it was the last A2 in service in Victoria.
Fortunately, the historic treasure was preserved, being plinthed in a Warragul’s Latrobe St Park with the assistance of Warragul Rotary Club.
It remained there until acquired for restoration by Steamrail Victoria in 1986, which saw the A2 986 move from Warragul to the Steamrail Victoria depot at Newport.
It was stripped right back to its frames as part of the restoration process.
After three decades of painstaking work by Steamrail volunteers, the A2 986 is now ready to hit the tracks once more.
The Spirit of Warragul celebrations will be centred around the Queen Street Park area between 9.30am and 1pm and will include an art and photography exhibition, music, entertainment and a jumping castle and face painting for the kids.
Market stalls will also be featuring mouth-watering offerings from local wineries and restaurants.
