ARARAT - Ararat's rich rail heritage will not be forgotten thanks to a small but dedicated band of ex-railway men.
When the line between Ararat and Ballarat was closed in 1994, a group of ex-railway workers formed the Ararat Railway Heritage Association to preserve the history of the district's railways.
As other artefacts became available, the association expanded its focus to include the rest of Victoria and set about acquiring the most comprehensive collection of railway memorabilia in the state.
In order to display its collection, the association formed a committee of management and turned the old V/Line Operations Depot into the Ararat Railway Heritage Museum.
Although the museum was officially opened in 2000, it took until the railway line between Ararat and Ballarat was reopened in 2004 for the museum to really take off.
Today, the museum welcomes many visitors over its two days of operation, including school groups, community clubs and train passengers in transit.
It is run by a small group of eight to 12 men, most of whom spent their entire career working at the Ararat rail yard.
Former driver Noel Grigg, like the rest of the association members, is happy to give up his time to show visitors around the museum.
"We're happy to walk through the museum and explain things to people," Mr Grigg said.
"We get a lot of probus clubs. We get all sorts of clubs really and we're happy to show groups through by appointment."
The museum's extensive range of memorabilia dates back to the 1860s and includes a map of the original rail routes proposed for Western Victoria following the railway's arrival in Ballarat from Geelong.
Ararat received the railway sooner than expected after winning the 'Battle of the Coloured Lines'. Two special trains brought the official guests to Ararat for the official opening on April 6, 1875, which was designated a holiday for the town's residents. Everyone enjoyed a picnic on the recreation reserve and the celebrations were carried on into the night, with guests attending two balls.
By the end of the 19th century, Ararat had become a major junction. Every train stopped to change crews or locomotives. Today, standard gauge trains pass through at 80 kph and only stop when required.
Visitors to the museum can view a diverse range of memorabilia, including the original telephone exchange, two model train sets, break and steam pressure gauges, old engine numbers, a fitter's locker and guard's kit along with photos of train wrecks, railway bridge construction and the original layout of the Ararat railway yard.
The museum also hosts the brass bell that used to be rung to signal the arrival and departure of trains (according to Mr Grigg it was pinched by the Yanks during the war, but someone tracked it down in Queensland and it was returned).
Mr Grigg said the association members were currently in the process of organising the 'library', which is a huge collection of V/Line newsletters, weekly notices, photographs, newspaper articles, certificates and other assorted memorabilia.
The highlight of the museum's collection, however, is the signal box.
The historic Signal Box Ararat 'A' was commissioned on October 26, 1891 and was in operation for more than a century before it was decommissioned in May 1995.
The signal box was included on the Historic Building Council Register in September that year. It faces south and has 19 sets of windows with 105 panes of glass, which allowed the signalman to have a clear view of arriving and departing trains in all directions, along with the Ararat yard.
Mr Grigg said more than 600 people were employed at the Ararat yard in the 1950s, but by the year 2000, all the town's V/Line employees had been terminated by redundancy, or re-employed elsewhere.
Mr Grigg said the museum served as a reminder of the importance of the railways to Ararat over the past 130-odd years.
"People come from all over the place to visit, which is great," he said.
"We love showing people around and there are so many good old stories - we've got stacks of them!"
The Ararat Railway Heritage Association Museum is located on the corner of King Street and Birdwood Avenue. It is open on Fridays between 1pm and 5pm and Saturdays between 1pm and 4pm.
To organise a group tour, phone Alan Butt on 5352 2818 or Noel Grigg on 53524155.
Historical information taken from The Ararat Story, Royal Historical Society of Victoria.
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