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A Railway Miscellany. This is one of those pages which comes together from time to time with a rather unpredictable content. The furthest flung photographs here come from the state of Victoria in Australia, a country which usually is not represented in these pages at all. The club is very grateful to Ali Ridgway and her husband Phil for these contributions.

Above: This is the disused station and running line at the small town of Rushworth in Victoria, Australia. The branch line here was just under 24½ miles long and was closed, like many others in Australia, in the late 1980s. Look at the date and then compare the weather with what the UK has to put up with at this time of year! November 2015. (Ali Ridgway)

 

Left: The view from Rushworth station looking over the town's level crossing reveals the railway facilities to be in very good condition considering that they have been disused for a quarter of a century. At 24½ miles, the branch was short by Australian standards; it came off the Goulbourn Valley line at Murchison East.. When open, it was used predominantly for grain traffic. November 2015 . (Ali Ridgway)
 

Left: The view in the other direction doesn't look quite so good, with a distinct wobble in the left hand rail and a gap opposite. All three of these views were taken near Rushworth Bakery. The railway does not appear to be marked on Google Maps in 'Map View', but if you switch to 'Satellite View' you can see the old line clearly running east-west through the town, just south of where the bakery is indicated. The link here will take you straight to Rushworth on Google Maps. November 2015. (Ali Ridgway)

 
Above: Walkers on New York's former High Line, an American elevated railway. This old line is now a high level park which connects Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. The High Line was built by the New York Central Railroad between 1929 and 1934, but the decline of manufacturing in Manhattan led to a corresponding decline in traffic which had reached its nadir by the end of the 1960s. By 1999, the route was owned by CSX Transportation, which commissioned the study which led to its re-birth as a recreational trail and linear park. Summer 2016. (Lionel Pilbeam)
 
Above: This striking view of the High Line, with a yard full of carriages below, features an overgrown set of tracks in the foreground. Following years of local activism and collaboration, CSX Transportation donated the High Line to the City of New York in 2005, since when it has been open to the public. Summer 2016. (Lionel Pilbeam)
 
Above: Returning to home shores, the station at Whitwell in Norfolk is now the base of the Whitwell & Reepham Railway, a working operation that runs steam and diesel services over its ¼ mile line. It has also built up a collection of interesting rolling stock, which includes this SECR mess van no. 11902. July 2015. (Rob Davidson)
 
Above: This private owner's vehicle is Esso Fuel Oil Tank no. 43929, built in 1958. Other examples include an SR full brake van and various BR 12 ton box vans. July 2015. (Rob Davidson)
 

Above: Apart from its unusual rolling stock, the W&RR also has a collection of small diesel locomotives, including this Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 no. 466629, which is operational; sister locomotive 518494, 'Swanworth', is under restoration. The development of this railway centre has created a real point of interest on Marriott's Way, the long distance railway path from Aylsham to Norwich via Themelthorpe which passes the station. July 2015. (Rob Davidson)