All Aboard! Steam train sells out over long weekend.

Beyer-Garratt AD6029 visited Bathurst over the June long weekend and proved extremely popular with locals and enthusiasts alike. 

 

The visit of a steam train to Bathurst over the June long weekend proved enormously popular.
PHOTO: TheBritFromOz

AD6029 is part of the Transport Heritage NSW collection which also includes 3801 and 3526 and is the largest operational steam locomotive in the Southern Hemisphere. After a long spell in private ownership, its visit to Bathurst was its first outing as a state-owned heritage locomotive.

A brief history of the engine and its significance.

CEO of Transport Heritage NSW Andrew Moritz was confident that it would draw a large crowd. In a radio interview with 2MCE-FM prior to the locomotive’s visit, he said,

“I suspect that once the weekend is done, we’ll have a sell-out weekend again in Bathurst”, referencing 3801’s sell-out visit in 2021.

 

The famous steam locomotive 3801 visited Bathurst in June 2021 and hauled eight sold-out shuttle trips. Transport Heritage NSW CEO Andrew Moritz was confident that AD6029 would replicate this success. PHOTO: TheBritFromOz

 Mr. Moritz noted the locomotive’s unique size proved another attraction.

“This locomotive has a cult following all of its own – it is extremely popular”.

  The four shuttle runs between Bathurst and Wimbledon scheduled for Saturday and Sunday proved so popular that a fifth was scheduled to satisfy demand. The round trip to Orange on the Monday was even more popular with tickets selling out over a fortnight prior.

Bathurst locals and railway enthusiasts, many of whom travelled to the region for the event, received the locomotive incredibly warmly, with many pleased to see it back in state ownership.

(Audio Only)

With 3801 in 2021 and AD6029 in 2022, which locomotive will Bathurst play host to in 2023?

All images, video and audio content owned by David "Duck" Wilson - TheBritFromOz.

Information provided by Transport Heritage NSW.

With thanks to:

Andrew Moritz, Transport Heritage NSW CEO

2MCE-FM