TOURISM and the preservation of history are the motivations of a group of train enthusiasts to go all out in getting Rosewood’s historic railway back on track.
The Australian Railway Historical Society’s Queensland Division president Steve Lamprecht is advocating for the railway’s reawakening.
The society had a stall at the Rosewood Show where they talked with showgoers and told them about their plans.
“It was an opportunity to talk to the community, especially people who remember the railway when it was operational,” he said.
“I don’t think some of the locals understand the historical significance of the old Marburg rail line.
“It opened in 1912 and was a community driven railway back then.
“Politicians had to be convinced work needed to be done on it and the line opened in 1912, it’s déjà vu because we are back to trying to be a community railway once again.”
While the community showed interest, that alone doesn’t put people on the ground or money in the bank.
Steve said around 20 people indicated they’d like to volunteer with the railway and help get it going again.
“There is a percentage that will drop off and we understand that, it was the engagement that excited us,” he said.
“It’s about aligning our projects and our structures around people’s skills.
“If we haven’t bothered to find out what their skill set is, we could be handing a boilermaker a whipper snipper.”
A key position they’re looking to fill is that of operations manager.
“They don’t even have to be a railway person or want to do manual labour, we need someone who is skilled with administration,” Steve said.
“That would free up board members who could then concentrate on bigger projects like liaising with council and the State Government.”
The first task at hand is finding the money to build a large railway shed to store the carriages and train engines they have on site.
“They are not going to last under the elements and without protection,” he said.
“We will also be able to work undercover and restore what we already have, this is an important first step.”
