A train driver has decked out a steam train in honor of a Bendigo friend who died.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The message adorned last Sunday's Spirit of Bendigo train service with a tribute to V/Line driver Graeme Kingdon, who passed away in February.
The front of the engine was adorned with his name, dates and nickname, "Bendigo Loco Man".
'Kingdo' was a dedicated driver for 47 years and the message was on the front of the train when it pulled into Bendigo on Easter Sunday with hundreds of visitors onboard.
It was a touching message, said Jeremy Lavery, the operations manager at Steamrail, which runs the train.
"That was a tribute from the loco driver on the day," he said.
Behind the 1951-built R711 engine were T and S-class diesel engines built in the early 1960s, and a mix of 10 carriages, the earliest dating back to 1906, Mr Lavery said.
Several thousand people lined the side of the track and waited at stations over the train's 160km journey to see them, he said.
"They sometimes wait an hour to see the train go past for a few seconds."
'All the people are friendly and enjoying it'
Geelong's Cheryl Kelly was appreciating the phenomenon from a first class compartment on Sunday.
"It was excellent - just the nostalgia of the old steam trains," she said.
"The old train's pretty spectacular and all the people are friendly and enjoying it.
"It's a good day out."
Ms Kelly, who was surprised by the scale of Easter fair activities, said she was glad to have opted for first class travel to and from it, which was "a lot cooler".
Passengers were generally "a bit hot and bothered" as they re-boarded the train after a few hours at the festival in 32 degree weather, Mr Lavery remarked.
Only half of the train's carriages were air conditioned.
While those from 1937 on were equipped with the feature, the older cars lacked it.
The Kellys' first class tickets also provided them with "very comfy" seats, plenty of space and their own conductor.
"Our young chap's name was Ace," Ms Kelly said. "He was brilliant - very informative and helpful."
Steamrail hoped to organise another run up to Bendigo in the second half of 2024, Mr Lavery said.
Do you have any photos from the Spirit of Bendigo's visit over Easter? Let us know at addynews@australiancommunitymedia.com.au
