Moira Miniature Rail Inc
Its official! Moira Miniature Rail Inc is now the official name for the group of us based in Wunghnu Victoria. A quickly growing group of members ranging from Cobram, Wunghnu to Shepparton and right out to Toolamba. We are a friendly bunch who meet once a month in Wunghnu.
We have two projects on the go, our first is a portable track to take to school fetes, local markets birthday parties or any event in need of a small railway! This has started and is well under way as you read this. Our second project and largest one at that is to establish a permanent track. This will run on weekends and will be a great chance to stretch the legs on a long journey as the location currently being applied for is right on the Murray Valley Highway in Wunghnu. It will also be a great opportunity for other miniature rail clubs like ours to socialise, plan meeting days and have a BYO trains day.
A few of the highlights in creating the permanent track are the local primary school wanting to be involved with its construction, and the location of the land has plenty of native trees and shrubs, which we intend to leave intact and undisturbed to run our rails either over, around or though. We are also on Facebook if you feel like having a peek.
We are not an all boys group either. So far we have got three female members who share our passion so don't be threatened by us fellas!
This page will show the progress of our journeys and locomotive construction. If you would like to join we can send you an information pack or you can email this website, administrator@roughly2foot6.com
An email address for Moira Miniature Rail will be available in the not too distant future. Membership will consist of an information pack with all the know how of who we are and a monthly newsletter either by email or posted to your doorstep.
Photo taken at Elmore Miniature Railway by Damien Tinker
Miniature Railway Progress
The miniature train construction photos are compliments of Laurie and Denise Kennedy.
They are of Barry Mitchell's construction at the Elmore Miniature Railway, Elmore Victoria.
2007 Moira Shire Leadership Program Project: Construct a miniature railway in Moira Shire
Since the completion of the program not a great deal has been acomplished towards this project, however, in the last couple of months things have started to happen a lot quicker than expected. This page will show photos and progress write ups of the miniature railway.
October 2007
The first images of the construction of a T class locomotive have been revealed. A chassis has been built, wheels have been turned and bogies constructed ready to have the driving gear fitted. Once this has been completed fully, the body of the locomotive can then be built and all the electrics will be installed.
The locomotive will be driven by a Honda 11 horsepower engine, however, the engine will not be driving the wheels. A hydraulic pump will be driven off the engine which will then power a hydraulic motor on the axle. This method has been chosen as the drive to the wheels can be very smooth, very slight speeds can be achieved without harsh movement and for safety reasons the hydraulics can also be used as brakes for the locomotive. This will also reduce the heavy load put on the petrol motor giving it a much longer lifespan and does not have to be revving hard which will reduce noise and increase comfort.
These images show how the driveline works. The hydraulic motor is shown in the middle of the frame where the chain is.
This image is actually not for the locomotive. It is the design for the carriages to follow the loco. No point have a train with nothing to drag behind it!
This is a photo of the loco being constructed. This was chosen for its simple shape and design, and the paint scheme this loco currently displays will also be the scheme for the miniature railway. It is the scheme of the Victorian Railways.