THEY were chugging along, then a grant came their way and chugs became whoops of joy.
The Grandchester Model Live Steam Association is a beneficiary of the latest round of Gambling Community Benefit Fund grants to the tune of $15,940.
The money will be used to extend the association’s storage facilities.
Association President Peter McGovern said land the train tracks are built on was known to flood.
There is also not enough space in the sheds to keep all of the engines stored safely and out of the elements.
“We had a grant to build a facility above flood level a few years back,” he said.
“It was very effective and kept most of our things out of the water when the floods came through.
“The club has grown over the years and we have more members joining.
“We’ve also been building and acquiring more locomotives and rolling stock, and we’ve run out of space.”
Last year’s floods were a warning of what could happen to prized engines and the tenders if not secured and out of reach of the water.
“Last year our site washed away, not the track itself but the railway ballast that supports and stabilises the tracks,” he said.
“We decided we needed to flood-proof ourselves and we’ve been fortunate with a couple of grants of late.
“We were given one from Bendigo Bank’s Rosewood Community branch and we used it to raise our workshop by 200mm.
“The latest grant will be used to extend our shed but it’s the organisation’s birthday in August so we won’t start that job until afterwards.”
The steam engines at the Grandchester site are genuine models and replicas of working steam locomotives.
They need fire and water to run and there are lots of people getting into electric and petrol powered trains because those are easier to build and run.
“The genuine enthusiasts still play with steam but a lot of people who get into the hobby go for the electric or petrol powered engines because steam is fairly expensive to get into,” Peter said.
“The engines are expensive to build, keep and maintain which is why we needed more shelter to store them out of the elements.
“Some of our members are a bit older and the process of putting [the model train] into a trailer, taking it home then unloading it can be a bit of an effort.
“Being able to keep them here where it’s safe and locked up in a shed makes life easier for everyone.”
