PLAYING TRAINS -
COLLIE HERITAGE GROUP
Everyone knows that maybe the
most important part of playing with the train set
is getting things set up. The building part of the
game is where a good day's play is really had.
Bill Weir and a bunch of his mates
know this only too well, and they're really committed
to getting the set right. Collie is a town with
a history of mining and power generation which is
integrally linked with the steam train. The rail
line is still the central spine of the town, and
the great diesels rumble through with tonnes of
power for the state on a daily basis doing the job
with little attention, but not really providing
the joy that the noisy, smoky old steam engines
did for hundreds or even thousands of enthusiasts.
When an opportunity came for Bill
to retire, somehow lawn bowls didn't seem like the
way he would be happy to spend his days. Fortunately
there are a few other toilers in the town who have
adopted the rail heritage of the centre. In part
of the steady upgrade of the centre of Collie that
has happened over the past several years, the Heritage
Group was formed. Having seen the loss of the old
railway station, several men undertook to save one
part of the heritage that was left. Bill and some
mates secured the old goods shed. It wasn't in it's
best shape, but day by day they came down and piece
by piece they repaired and rebuilt a shed which
now stands as an authentic record of the way WAGR
ran the show when CY O'Connor was designing the
state's public infrastructure.
With one really successful restoration
behind them, the men had the opportunity of patting
one another on the back and going somewhere to fish
and tell stories, but the restoration bug seems
to have bitten pretty hard. The Shed has now become
like a home base and Collie now rings to the sound
of old fashioned tools being used to do an old fashioned
job. Locals and visitors alike recognise the mystique
of the shed making all sorts of noise and every
so often another project rolling out. Some months
ago what looked for all the world like a brand new
wagon rolled out of the shed. Rolling stock for
a full scale train set, some might guess.
Then there was a bunch or raw timber
dumped to one side of the shed. Darned if a mobile
mill didn't arrive and the same crew, who between
them seem to have every hand skill on the planet,
didn't cut up enough timber to sit in a significant
pile drying. Those of us not in the know get to
entertain ourselves guessing it's purpose.
Being a desk jockey, I'm not clear
on how a rail line is laid, but I've seen the Heritage
Group putting one down in a manner which looks low
tech and time consuming. I've noticed a bunch of
guys who might really want a day off grinning like
madmen, and the centre of town getting ever more
interesting.
Back to the pile of timber. The new
rail line runs out and away from the goods shed.
Some short way from the goods shed there is now
another shed being constructed, which I'm told is
according to the plans of the day for an engine
shed. Lots of hand milled jarrah and steel reinforcing.
Can't wait to see what the guys do inside it.
Collie looks better and better all
the time. The things being built or restored by
the Heritage group continue to add to the attraction
of the town, but maybe the most unique thing about
all this is the guys themselves.
September 2002
