Ferntree Gully
Belgrave
Mail Covering the Dandenongs in the Yarra Ranges & Cardinia Shires
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John Dudley remembered
Tuesday, 13 March, 2018
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Mosaic magic at Selbyfest
A Mail News Group publication
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Legs in for Billy By Derek Schlennstedt
A collision between Puffing Billy and a tour bus has resulted in a temporary ban of patrons hanging their legs out the carriage windows. hope they don’t ban this tradition indefinitely because of one fool of a driver,” posted one commenter. “Part of the attraction is being able to dangle your feet,” said another. Between 150 to 200 patrons were on Puffing Billy when it collided with the minibus along School Road, Menzies Creek. The bus had been travelling down a hill towards the Menzies Creek crossing and Sergeant Paul Phillips at Belgrave Police Station said that while the investigation was ongoing there was the possibility that it was the result of a mechanical failure, which the police are investigating. “We don’t really know why it happened just
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Dangling your feet over the sides of Puffing Billy will be no longer permitted - at least temporarily as a thorough investigation takes place, following a collision between a minibus and Puffing Billy. The move was made after a small tourist bus carrying 16 passengers collided with the side of one of the Puffing Billy carriages at the School Road, Menzies Creek crossing on Tuesday 6 February at 11:45am. Puffing Billy management was quick to respond on the scene with one bus passenger taken to hospital for precautionary tests. Though, as a precaution the Puffing Billy management team has now decided to undertake a comprehensive internal review, which will focus on ‘why’ and ‘how’ the incident occurred. During this period, Puffing Billy Railway has confirmed the common practice of sitting on the sides of the carriages, which is synonymous with travel on the tourist drawcard, will not be allowed. The timeframe for this review is not yet known. General Manager Operations, Nadine Hutchins, said management had opted for their own review, in addition to those expected from VicRoads and emergency services. “I just want to reiterate it’s a temporary measure while the investigation is taking place,” she said. “We’ve appreciated all the support we’ve had from the community - as to what happened - and anticipate ongoing support. “We’re also proud of the way our team came together under the circumstances and worked cohesively with emergency services.” Ms Hutchins said this incident was a first for Puffing Billy Railway, which was one of the reasons behind the decision to conduct an internal review. Though many locals are upset by the move and vented their frustration when the Mail reported about the temporary change. “This is a typical knee jerk overreaction. Puffing billy has an excellent track record, I
yet, we are in the process of getting statements from all witnesses and are looking at whether there may have been from a mechanical fault with the bus,” Sergeant Paul Phillips said. “From what we can tell, the driver has tried to avoid the collision and turned when he got to the train, and obviously hit the carriage and been dragged.“ The lights and bells at the level crossing were working at the time, he said. To clear the track and the School Road crossing, a winch had to be used to remove the bus and a crane used to place the derailed carriage back onto the tracks. Puffing Billy chief executive officer, John Robinson, said, thankfully, there were no seri-
ous injuries sustained and that safety was always paramount. “Safety is of the utmost importance at our iconic heritage steam railway and we have procedures in place to mitigate further damage and to ensure the continued safety of all passengers on the railway,” he said. “We take great pride in our railway safety precautions and incident management plan, and are well-equipped to ensure incidents like these are handled with due diligence and with correct processes in place.” Anyone who may have information or witnessed the incident is urged to can contact Belgrave Police at 9754 6677
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