All aboard...

The Melbourne Limited

Thomas Binns and a steam engine friend, Micheal Muter conceived the train idea in 1979. Mike was an add agency art director and artist.

Tom floated the concept with the Victorian Premier in 1980 and got his support, which then led to the VIC RAIL board who agreed with our concept.

However the VICTORIAN RAILWAYS ACT had to be amended as non Victorian Rail trains were not allowed on the Victorian network. The amended act went thru. We had the support of the member for BENDIGO and I knew the president of the upper house, who got me the ear of the premier.

VIC RAIL gave us licence to use the then empty Spotswood workshops.

The loco had to be a R CLASS express passenger engine as was the NSW 38 CLASS. The best surviver of the class was in a council owned park in Bendigo. We had a meeting with the council, and told them if we could have the loco, the smoke deflectors would carry the name CITY OF BENDIGO and the cities coat of arms.

We presented the meeting with a picture of the locomotive in our proposed livery with the smoke deflectors named. Council agreed with our request.

The rolling stock were carriages built by SOUTH AUST RAILWAYS in 1937/38 in AMERICAN style regarded as some of the finest passenger rolling stock built in Aust. S.A.R. was taken over by the federal govt. known as AUST NATIONAL RAILWAYS.

ANR, who now owned the cars, had retired them. But I could not get ANR to agree to sell the 14 cars to us.

The Melbourne media TV, print and radio followed our progress with a passion. We were to be the 1^st private train in the 130 year history of Aust railways to run on a govt owned network.

When we were running the L.A. TIMES did an article about our train!!

THE MELBOURNE LTD was a media star!!

The huge amount of media attracted some very powerful people, not as investors, but who were willing to help us reach our goal.

One notable person was the late SIR PETER ABELES ,when ANR refused to sell us the rolling stock Sir Peter took up the case with the federal transport minister. At a lunch with ABELES he said to me "Thomas you will go in with the small arms, I will go in with the heavy artillery !!” ANR agreed to sell us the stock 12cars!

The club car was an open plan car which we stripped out to put our own design art deco, interior. We knew the account exec at the agency who had the JOHNNIE WALKER account, they paid us for the name on the car.

All promotion and advert copy was done in house by Mike and myself. We based the concept and style on the most famous train ever, "THE TWENTIETH CENTURY LTD.”

Owned by THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD. The “CENTURY” was at its peak in the 1930s. The MELBOURNE LIMITED was 1930's style with stewards who gave service wearing white gloves. The MELBOURNE LTD was a tourist excursion and convention train.

A number of companies supplied us with products to complete the restoration of the train. Wattle Paints, Invicta Carpets, Phillips Sound Systems, to name a few! The companies supplied products at no charge in return for using the train in their advertising and the use of the train for conventions.

The train ran a number of excursions. The most popular being BENDIGO SUNDAY LUNCHES, SWAN HILL WEEKENDS.

GEELONG EVENING DINE ON BOARD and COUNTRY RACE MEETINGS. These events were always fully booked with waiting lists.

TOM BINNS

FORMER MNG.DIRECTOR

STEAM AGE AUSTRALIA LTD.