The Victorian Goldfields Railway between Castlemaine and Maldon in Victoria, Australia is a near perfect example of a 5'3" gauge Victorian branch line of the late twentieth century. Around 10 miles long and running over quite difficult terrain at its Maldon end, with numerous timber bridges, operations on the line are seen in this entertaining film with ex-Victoria Railways 'J' & 'K' class 2-8-0s on passenger and 'freight' trains, much of the freight train run being shot on the footplate. Not that well known outside Australia, this is clearly a neat preserved line.

Central Victoria was honeycombed with small goldmines during the last half of the nineteenth century. As the trunk lines to Ballaarat and Bendigo were completed, a network of branch lines was constructed, serving the smaller centres. The line from Castlemaine to Maldon opened in 1884 and closed in 1976. It was acquired by the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society, and is now marketed as the Victorian Goldfields Railway.

The initial 1km run on re-opening in 1986 was gradually extended, reaching Muckleford in 1996. The final 8km into Castlemaine opened in 2004. It is a near-perfect example of a Victorian branch line of the late twentieth century, with steam and diesel locomotives and a selection of typical VR rolling stock.

Produced by - Railstuff
Running time - 108 Minutes
DVD only