Puffing Billy Railway

About

Puffing Billy Railway is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge heritage railway in the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, Australia. The railway was one of the five narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways which opened around the beginning of the 20th century. Situated near the city of Melbourne it is one of the most popular steam heritage railways in the world, attracting tourists locally and overseas. Opened in 1900, the railway branched off the broad gauge network at Upper Ferntree Gully winding its way through the Dandenong Ranges and ending in the township of Gembrook, passing through stops such as Belgrave, Emerald and Cockatoo on the way. Puffing Billy now operates between Belgrave and Gembrook, offering various tourist experiences related to the train and local area. The railway is popularly known for its open air carriages that allow passengers to sit on the side and dangle their legs off the moving train, a tradition that has existed since the introduction of the open air "NBH" carriages in the 1920s.

Main article: Gembrook railway line The original line was opened in 1900 with the intention of serving timber traffic out of Gembrook as well as local farming produce along the whole route of the line and to serve the Nobelius nursery & orchard. Holiday goers heading to Belgrave also became a massive draw card in the 1920s for passenger traffic. The railway was popular with locals living in the area throughout its operational history as public transport and services never ceased although they reduced with the end of world war 2 and dwindled in the early 1950s reduced to 1 train a week and a road motor service. Operations stopped in 1953 after a landslide blocked the line between Selby and Menzies Creek, and it was formally closed in 1954. with the Victorian Railways not deeming the endeavour financially viable to reopen as the railway had not made a single profit since its opening in 1900.

Following closure, a few farewell specials operated on the remaining usable section to Belgrave, and these proved very popular. On 1 October 1955, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed by Harold L. Hewett to keep the railway running indefinitely. The Society arranged for the Victorian Railways to run the train on weekends and holidays, with the Society guaranteeing the Government against losses from insufficient ticket sales. Society volunteers took the roles of conductors, selling and checking tickets on the train, and fund-raising. This arrangement continued until the Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section was closed in 1958, when services again ceased for conversion to a broad-gauge, electrified suburban line.

The Society immediately started work on restoring the Belgrave to Lakeside section. Rover Scouts attending the 7th World Rover Moot held at Wonga Park assisted in the clearing of the line between Belgrave and Menzies Creek as part of the event's community service component.

On 28 July 1962 trains resumed running between Belgrave and Menzies Creek. When the line reopened, Society volunteers took a larger role, manning stations, selling and checking tickets, and doing non-safety-critical maintenance on the train, and track maintenance under the supervision of a qualified, recently retired Victorian Railways track repair expert. As with the weekend and holiday trains in the mid to late 1950s, ticket revenue went into an account on which the Railways drew to pay for their staff (primarily the drivers, firemen and guards) involved in running the line.

Operations were extended over the remainder of the original line, opening to Emerald on 31 July 1965 and Lakeside on 18 October 1975 before reaching Gembrook, which was opened on 18 October 1998. The first trains to Gembrook carried children from the primary schools along the Belgrave–Gembrook corridor, two of which directly adjoin the railway and the remainder not more than a street away.

The railway operates daily (except for Christmas day and adverse weather days) Its infrastructure is restored and recreated to reflect the heyday of the line between 1900 and 1930, and is operated with some of the railway practices from the Victorian Railways of that era, such as using the "Staff and Ticket" safeworking system. In the 2016/17 financial year, Puffing Billy carried 487,237 passengers, up more than 60,000 from the previous financial year. [ citation needed ]

Following closure, a few farewell specials operated on the remaining usable section to Belgrave, and these proved very popular. On 1 October 1955, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed by Harold L. Hewett to keep the railway running indefinitely. The Society arranged for the Victorian Railways to run the train on weekends and holidays, with the Society guaranteeing the Government against losses from insufficient ticket sales. Society volunteers took the roles of conductors, selling and checking tickets on the train, and fund-raising. This arrangement continued until the Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section was closed in 1958, when services again ceased for conversion to a broad-gauge, electrified suburban line.

The Society immediately started work on restoring the Belgrave to Lakeside section. Rover Scouts attending the 7th World Rover Moot held at Wonga Park assisted in the clearing of the line between Belgrave and Menzies Creek as part of the event's community service component.

On 28 July 1962 trains resumed running between Belgrave and Menzies Creek. When the line reopened, Society volunteers took a larger role, manning stations, selling and checking tickets, and doing non-safety-critical maintenance on the train, and track maintenance under the supervision of a qualified, recently retired Victorian Railways track repair expert. As with the weekend and holiday trains in the mid to late 1950s, ticket revenue went into an account on which the Railways drew to pay for their staff (primarily the drivers, firemen and guards) involved in running the line.

Operations were extended over the remainder of the original line, opening to Emerald on 31 July 1965 and Lakeside on 18 October 1975 before reaching Gembrook, which was opened on 18 October 1998. The first trains to Gembrook carried children from the primary schools along the Belgrave–Gembrook corridor, two of which directly adjoin the railway and the remainder not more than a street away.

The railway operates daily (except for Christmas day and adverse weather days) Its infrastructure is restored and recreated to reflect the heyday of the line between 1900 and 1930, and is operated with some of the railway practices from the Victorian Railways of that era, such as using the "Staff and Ticket" safeworking system. In the 2016/17 financial year, Puffing Billy carried 487,237 passengers, up more than 60,000 from the previous financial year. [ citation needed ]

The railway runs daily (except Christmas day), with a timetable of between three and six services leaving Belgrave for Menzies Creek, Lakeside and/or Gembrook. As of 2025, tickets must be purchased in advance and cannot be purchased on the day. Passengers are required to check in an hour before scheduled departure, and may only travel in specific carriages and on return trips.

As of February 2026, the timetable for Mondays to Thursdays inclusive has 10 am, 11 am, 12:30 pm and 2:15 pm departures from Belgrave to Lakeside, returning 1:20 pm, 3:10 pm, 4:10 pm and 5:10 pm respectively, plus a 10:35 am departure from Belgrave to Menzies Creek which returns at 11:55 am. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays trains are extended to Gembrook, so departures from Belgrave are 10 am Lakeside (return 1:20pm), 10:35 am Menzies Creek (return 12 pm), 11:10 am Lakeside and Gembrook (return 4:50pm, whether travelling to Lakeside or to Gembrook; passengers may also travel Lakeside-Gembrook return), 12:30 pm Lakeside (return 4:10 pm), and 2:15 pm Lakeside (return 5:30 pm). Special timetables apply for certain event days.

The Lakeside trains give passengers one to two hours at Lakeside (depending on the specific trip), while the Menzies Creek train gives only half an hour there. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the Gembrook train has a 1 hour 50 minute turnaround time, or passengers may choose to spend 2 hours 55 minutes at Lakeside.

Until relatively recently the railway offered dining services on their lunchtime departure from Belgrave and occasional Dinner Train services, though no reference is made to these sorts of services on the Puffing Billy website as of February 2026. Similarly, the "Day out with Thomas" events, "Drive a Steam Train" and other themed events which were advertised as late as 12 January 2020 are now absent.

When the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed in 1955, the line was still under the control and ownership of the Victorian Railways (V.R.). The society arranged for the V.R. to run the train on weekends and holidays, with the Society guaranteeing the V.R. against losses from insufficient ticket sales. Society volunteers took the role of conductors, checking tickets on the train, and fund-raising. That arrangement continued until the Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section of the line was closed in 1958.

When the line reopened in 1962, between Belgrave and Menzies Creek, society volunteers took a larger role, staffing stations, selling and checking tickets, doing non-safety-critical maintenance on the train, and track maintenance under the supervision of a V.R. ganger. Ticket revenue went into an account on which the V.R. drew to pay its staff involved in running the line.

The V. R. was not in the preservation or tourism business, and the arrangement was less than ideal, so the Victorian Government passed the Emerald Tourist Railway Act 1977 (No. 9020), which set up the Emerald Tourist Railway Board (ETRB) as a statutory authority to take over ownership and operation of the railway from the V. R. after 1 October 1977. The act required that the Board have between five and ten members, four of whom were to be nominated by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. The ETRB was defined as the operator of the Railway, with the Puffing Billy Preservation Society providing the volunteer support.

All volunteers on the railway were directly engaged by the ETRB and were required to register and complete a range of induction processes. The railway still relied heavily on the volunteers, who welcome guests from all parts of the world and are highly trained to supply the safe and successful operation of the railway.