Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne

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Victoria's tourist railways
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
Daylesford Spa Country Railway
Mornington Railway
Puffing Billy Railway
South Gippsland Railway
Victorian Goldfields Railway
Walhalla Goldfields Railway
Yarra Valley Tourist Railway

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Image:PuffingBillySteamLocomotive.jpg Image:Puffing billy in action 2003.jpg Puffing Billy is a narrow gauge (2'6"/762 mm) heritage steam railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Australia.

The line was opened in 1900 to serve the local farming and timber community. It originally ran from Upper Ferntree Gully station (now a suburban station on the broad gauge Belgrave line); it now begins at the Belgrave narrow gauge station, adjacent to the Belgrave broad gauge station.

The Victorian Railways closed the line in April 1954. Shortly after, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed and restored services over the remaining usable section, Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave. This continued for four years until the line was closed for conversion to a broad-gauge, electrified suburban line. The society then started work on restoring the Belgrave to Lakeside section, and in 1962, restored trains operations between Belgrave and Menzies Creek. Subsequently operations were gradually extended over the remainder of the original line to Gembrook which was completed in 1998, and reopened on October 19 of that year. Today the railway operates daily (except for Christmas day) as a popular tourist activity over 24km with original steam engines, and is operated by a band of dedicated volunteers which still perform some of the practices of a railway person from the Victorian Railways era, such as using the old "Staff and Ticket" safeworking method and having conductors on board the trains.