ECHUCA MOAMA STEAM, IRON AND TRADES REVIVAL
President’s welcome
On behalf of the Echuca Steam Preservation Society Inc., welcome to the 3rd Echuca Moama Steam, Iron and Trades Revival, an event with origins dating back 59 years, which encourages people of all generations to experience living history.
The revival continues the strong traditions established by the Echuca Rotary Club over 50 years ago, and we are pleased to honour and continue the event for future generations to enjoy.
Our exhibitors, although enjoying their hobbies, play a vital role in keeping history alive by continuing past skills, restoring, caring for, and preserving items of historical importance.
They keep everything going and pass it on, so that future generations can appreciate and enjoy the contributions they have made to the past.
Our thanks go to all our sponsors and supporters from across the community who help us put on the steam revival for you to enjoy.
I want to extend my special thanks to our major event partner, the Moama Bowling Club, as we could not have put on this event without their generous support.
Thanks go out to the team of volunteer community members who have worked tirelessly over the last six months to bring this rally together and get it off the ground.
If you’re interested in helping with future steam revivals, please reach out to ensure it will run for many years to come.
Alan Edwards
Echuca Steam Preservation Society Inc. president
What’s On
The Echuca Moama Steam, Iron and Trades Revival brings Australia’s rich history to life, offering a captivating day out for families and history enthusiasts alike.
A vast array of mobile steam engines will be on display, including a road-registered 1903 John Fowler steam traction engine, weighing 13 tonne.
The Echuca Vintage Machine Club will be on site with a collection of static steam engines, allowing you to see how these incredible machines were built and operated.
The steam compound surrounds Rotary Park Oval, so you won’t be able to miss it.
All weekend, the Clydesdale and Working Horse Showcase will be ploughing the fields and demonstrating the skills of horses and drivers in Rex’s paddock.
You can discover trades, crafts and techniques from yesteryear and the artisans who are keeping these skills alive, including demonstrations of making aluminium castings and plaques, leatherwork, traditional hand signwriting, and blacksmithing.
The Echuca and District Historic Vehicle Club is hosting a show and shine, which includes a public choice award, where you can vote for your favourite vehicle on display.
In his Pitts Special S1T 200hp beast, pilot Michael Jones will perform an
aerobatics display at 11.45am on Saturday and Sunday.
Delight your little ones at the Kids’ Zone, located at the north end of the Rotary Park oval, featuring fun face painting, exciting bushcraft activities, and the adorable Billabong Ranch Animal Nursery.
The Campaspe Valley Miniature Railway Inc. will be running train rides from 10am to 3pm each day.
The Echuca 1st Scout Group will be running a display and activities in the oval, near the revival hub all weekend.
EMFM 104.7 will hold a live outside broadcast on Saturday from 10am to 1pm from the event.
Live music over the weekend includes Echuca Federal band, Lokki Acoustic, Ryebuck, the Clan McLeod Pipe band, Zara Lindeman Duo and Lukey Luke and the Juke Box.
Each day from 11am, the American Hotel will host a licensed bar with local beers and wines at the south end of the Rotary Park Oval.
Kerry Hutchison and her crew have whipped up a couple of hundred scones, which the Lockington Pony Club will serve.
Moama Pizza has made stew
and
Snags and burgers cooked by the Echuca Moama and District Agricultural Show Society will offer gourmet delights.
Parking for the steam revival is available at the Rose St entrance and along Rose St, Crossen St and Campaspe Esplanade.
Overflow parking is available via the Northern Hwy gate exhibitor entrance.
Disabled parking spots are available at the Rose St entrance.
Friendly dogs on a short leash are welcome, but remember to pick up after your pooch.
Tickets are available at the gate, cash or card welcome, with children under six free.
For more information, go to www.steamrevival.org.au
pumpkin soup, which will be served from the camp kitchen by the Bamawm Extension CFA.
Jarrod Beers 1903 Fowlers traction engine will be at the steam revival for the first time in eight years.
End of an era: Barmah’s last sleeper cutter
Arich family legacy of sleeper cutting spanning generations is drawing to a close as the last sleeper cutter of the Barmah Forest shares his story of working with Australian red gum, sleeper cutter Doug Rosenow.
“I started with my father back in 1959,” Doug said, following in the footsteps of his father Merv and grandfather Fred.
“Dad was a sleeper cutter, and my grandfather Fred Rosenow was a sleeper cutter too.
“I don’t know how far it went back, it could have gone back further, but we have been doing it for a fair few years as the Rosenow family.”
The Rosenow family worked extensively throughout the region.
“We have cut the Barmah Forest. We cut along the Goulburn, we cut right through from Tocumwal Bridge right back to Echuca,” Doug said.
Doug explains the traditional process.
“We used to do it with a broad axe, we’d pull out trees with a cross-cut saw, and then we’d cut them with an axe,” he said.
“Take chips off the cutting edge, then we’d square them and then split the log up the middle and make two railway sleepers.” He cut sleepers for various
state railways, including Victoria, NSW, South Australia and Western Australia, each with their own specific dimensions.
The family transitioned from
Discover Colin Tyler’s journey with vintage engines and restoration
Colin Tyler’s passion for vintage engines spans decades, beginning when he was just 17 years old with the purchase of his first engine, a 1912 Lister N on an original trolley from England.
“I used to hook it up to a saw bench and chop firewood with it when I first got it because I was only young and mum and dad had a wood fire,” Colin said, who serves as treasurer for both the Echuca Vintage Machinery Club Inc. and the Echuca Moama Steam Preservation Society Inc.
His collection has grown significantly over the years.
“I’ve got 12 Listers, some going, some not and now that I’m retired, I am going to finish them off,” he says.
“Some of them were
hand-cutting to using swing saws in 1960.
“Red gum is better than concrete,” Doug said.
“Red gum was by far the better sleeper to use, because
off shearing plants, but most of them, I haven’t got a clue what they were doing.”
Colin’s collection includes several notable pieces, including a BW Bartram engine he purchased about eight years ago, which he’s currently setting up as a portable milking
of the flexibility they have, whereas the cement ones, once they break, you’ve got to rip them out.”
Today, Doug continues the tradition through demonstrations at various events including this weekend’s Steam Rally, Merrigum, the Barmah Muster and Nathalia’s New Year’s Eve carnival.
He has an interesting approach to his demonstrations, picking out a member of the crowd to make the final split of the sleeper.
“I never ask a man because every bloke looks at a nine-foot red gum log, and they say, ‘You can’t cut it,’” he said.
“So, I only ask women to do it, and it’s been that way for the last 24 years.”
“At the demos, we entertain people and tell them about sleeper cutting in the bush and what the bush was like when it was a working forest,” Doug said.
Doug proudly holds the distinction of being the last sleeper cutter in the Barmah Forest.
machine for display.
“The first milker I have, which is a Sunshine, is from about 1935 and the Bartram, the milking plant that I have got is from about 1945,” he said.
His interest in engines stems from his professional background as a maintenance fitter.
off the farm into town, they had a dairy farm and Mum bought a house cow with her and stuck it at a friend’s place on the outskirts of town,” he said.
“I’ve maintained and reconditioned them all, pulled them apart, repaired them, put them back together, painted them and used them on display,” Colin said.
The story of his first engine purchase is particularly memorable.
“When I was probably 10, mum and dad moved
“I spotted this engine there and when I got a bit older, I had a job, had a little bit of money, I got the courage to walk in and buy it.
“That’s how I started, I saw it and thought ‘That looks good’ and I tried to buy it, which I did, and I’ve been collecting the odd one here and there ever since.”
At this year’s Steam Revival, as treasurer of the event, Colin will
find himself stuck in the office all weekend, leaving the display of the two engines he is bringing along to others.
The two engines he will be bringing include a Lister D, a 1.5 horsepower petrol engine, and a Lister Junior, a three horsepower engine running a very old LKG vacuum pump.
Maintaining and restoring vintage engines is not the only vintage display in which Colin is involved.
You will also find him regularly volunteering at the Port of Echuca, where he operates the steam-driven mill.
Apart from vintage engines, Colin also volunteers at Port of Echuca, operating the steam-driven mill.
Doug Rosenow of Echuca shows how it’s done ... cutting sleepers with a broad axe.
Colin Tyler’s passion for vintage engines began at 17 with his first purchase of a 1912 Lister N engine from England. Photos: Jordan Townrow
ECHUCA MOAMA STEAM, IRON AND TRADES REVIVAL
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
10.00am - 4.00pm
SUNDAY, JUNE 8 9.00am-3.00pm
Images: Robert Taylor, Aidan Briggs
contributed.
by Jaci Hicken.
Emergency Assembly Point
MARKETSTALLS
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE
-BE SAFE - ENJOY THE REVIVAL
Children must be supervised, and dogs on short leads at all times. Please put rubbish in the bins provided. This event has operating steam exhibits, vehicles, machinery and horses. Do not enter machinery or horse compounds under any circumstances. Please make sure you follow instructions from Marshalls. If you are unsure of your safety, please ask one of our friendly marshalls for assistance.
Grand return of steam engine
After an eight-year absence, a magnificent steam traction engine is making its grand comeback to the Echuca Moama Steam Iron and Trades Revival, courtesy of passionate enthusiast Jarrod Beer.
T
he impressive 1903 John Fowler steam traction engine, as heavy as two adult elephants at 13 tonne, journeyed all the way from Leeds, United Kingdom, to Sydney’s bustling docks.
“The traction engine, they call it a steam traction engine, was built in 1903, so 122 years ago,” Jarrod said.
Jarrod, who proudly became the engine’s custodian in 2002, shared its fascinating historical importance with evident enthusiasm.
“Its general working life was hauling logs, ploughing fields, clearing land, threshing and chaff cutters.
“They helped replace the working horse because working was quite challenging on the horses and the traction engine made jobs a lot easier for the farmers.”
Jarrod’s love for steam engines runs in the family, passed down from his father, Russell Beer, a devoted Campaspe Valley Railway enthusiast.
“We have had it all our lives, we used to come up to the steam rally, before we moved to Echuca.
“In the 1980s, Dad used to bring us up from Melbourne to the steam rally, that’s how we got our interest,” Jarrod said.
Jarrod’s collection includes other notable pieces.
“I’ve got an American Case steam engine built in 1923 and a Clayton steam engine, a portable steam engine.”
“His involvement with steam power extends beyond land vehicles, having worked part-time on paddle boats since 1992.
The traction engine is currently undergoing rigorous safety certification, with its crucial boiler ticket inspection
set for June 2, ensuring it meets all modern standards.
“Mine is actually road registered, I can drive it to the steam rally, it is on rubbers,” he said.
Scones, jam, and cream: the ultimate Steam Revival treat
At this weekend’s Steam Revival, there are many options of old-fashioned tucker for you to dine on.
Scones made by Kerry Hutchison and her team, served by the Lockington Pony Club, are a staple of any country event, and the first place you will be lining up to grab a bite to eat when visiting the Steam Revival.
Thought to have originated in Scotland in the 1500s, everyone and every country has a different recipe and way they make their scones.
When making scones, some people like to use the rub in butter method, some people like to make no-fault scones using lemonade and cream and there are even people who go to a little more expense and
make scones with buttermilk.
Traditionally made by rubbing a fat, such as butter, suet, or lard, into flour, it is the fat that gives the scones their crispness.
The modern invention of baking powder and self-raising flour helped to bring about the fluffy, buttery scone we all love to pick up at any country fair. If you can’t attend the Steam Revival, here’s a scone recipe for you to make at home.
INGREDIENTS
•2 cups of self-raising flour
•½ tsp salt
•2 tbsp butter
•¾ of a cup of buttermilk
•2 tbsp milk.
METHOD
1. Heat your oven to 220°C.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Using a palette knife, gently mix in buttermilk to form a dough. At this point you may want to get your hands into the mixture to pull the mixture together into a dough.
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured bench and knead to make the dough smooth. This should only take a minute or two.
5. Roll the dough out to 1.5cm thick. Using a scone cutter, cut out scones. You should get 5 or 6 scones.
You can put back together any scraps of dough, lightly re-knead and then re-roll and cut out extra scones.
6. Place scones on a baking tray. Brush the top of each scone with a little milk.
7. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
There is only one thing you should serve on scones, jam and cream, but which goes first?
The 1903 traction engine has undergone safety certification, with a crucial boiler ticket inspection scheduled for June 2 to ensure it meets modern standards and road registration.
Jarrod Beer’s Fowler 1903 traction engine will be at the Echuca Moama Steam Iron and Trade Revival for the first time in eight years.
Dive into the delicious world of traditional recipes at the Steam Revival.
Experience historic Clydesdale displays
Josh Taylor will showcase three champion Clydesdales at this weekend’s Echuca Moama Steam Iron Trades Revival, continuing a family tradition that has lasted more than four decades.
“I will bring three Clydesdales to the event to perform all sorts of historic agricultural displays, from wool loading and ploughing to demonstrating how horses were used in days gone by,” Josh said.
The event will feature driving competitions through obstacle courses, simulating historical logging practices.
“Driving competitions are obstacle courses that demonstrate the skills of the horse and driver, depicting what would have been done in the logging industry in particular, driving in among trees and things like that,” Josh said.
Josh’s purebred Clydesdales — Macca, Bailey and Jimmy — have impressive credentials.
“Macca, he has retired from showing, but he retired as the national Clydesdale champion,” Josh said.
The horses maintain active roles on
Josh’s family farm, sowing pastures for their own feed.
Clydesdales are a family affair, as Josh’s father, Brenton Taylor, began participating in the steam rally over 40 years ago, will serve as MC for the horse section.
“Dad still helps with the horses. He is on the microphone, explaining what we do and why we do it throughout the day.”
About a dozen horses are expected to participate in the weekend’s activities.
“Everyone’s welcome to come up and meet the horses. Macca will be there for a meet and greet,” Josh said.
Participants must register beforehand and be Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society Australia members. You can find the Clydesdales and Heavy Horse Showcase in Rex’s Paddock at the south end of Rotary Park.
On Saturday, June 7, a heritage rail journey through Victoria’s countryside will offer train enthusiasts and families a unique experience to and from Echuca.
The journey will feature both steam and diesel locomotives from the 1950s.
Steamrail Victoria’s Echuca Overlander will depart Bendigo Station at 9:30am, powered by steam locomotive R711 ‘The City of Bendigo’ and vintage diesel locomotive S301 ‘Sir Thomas Mitchell’.
During the day’s stopover in Echuca, the locomotives will operate 55-minute return journeys towards Rochester,
covering 21 kilometres along the Campaspe Plains to the 229km post from Melbourne for locals.
The R711, built in Glasgow in 1951 and first steamed on August 28, 1951, spent its life hauling passenger and freight trains along with the occasional special until it was finally withdrawn from service in August 1965.
“The vintage diesel locomotive is there for a bit more horsepower for the train, especially coming out of Melbourne,” Steamrail Victoria operations team member Noah Clancey said.
“Some carriages pulled by
Ride the rails: vintage train adventure awaits
the train go back to around 1908, so they are well over 110 years old.
“There certainly is no technology, but there are a lot of creature comforts in the beautiful, comfortable old carriages.
“All of the carriages have opening windows, so if it is a hot day, you open the windows up to let the breeze in, otherwise, you can sit back and listen to the sound of the steam engine and see the world go by.”
The heritage-style compartment carriages feature wood veneer panelling, pressed tin ceilings, and
Passengers can enjoy refreshments from the onboard bar and kiosk and purchase souvenirs during their journey.
opening windows.
The return service departs Echuca at 4.35pm, arriving in Bendigo at 6.10pm.
Relive the golden age of rail travel with Steamrail Victoria’s Echuca Overlander.
Photo: Steamrail Victoria
Josh Taylor’s champion Clydesdales will perform historic agricultural displays at the Echuca Moama Steam Iron Trades Revival.
