![Steam train crew Benjamin Murch, Paul Mitchell, Simone de Beuzeville and Samuel Roach at Wollongong Station in 2021. Picture: Adam McLean Steam train crew Benjamin Murch, Paul Mitchell, Simone de Beuzeville and Samuel Roach at Wollongong Station in 2021. Picture: Adam McLean](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/C5T5utnEbuCCVHhsQW5GNd/723d6f51-85fc-4c97-a29f-528644860ab3.jpg/r0_25_1121_655_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Step aboard a piece of living history as the Picnic Train returns to transport you in style.
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Steeped in history, the restored Victorian Railways locomotive R766 will take you to the Southern Highlands for a charming picnic trip.
Settle back in one of the heritage carriages and steam ahead to Moss Vale, where there will be time to explore before returning to Goulburn.
Picnic Trains operations manager Sam Roach said it would be the first time the oil steam R766 from Victoria would be in the southern part of the state.
"It's a world first. It hasn't been done before," he said.
"It will give people an opportunity to ride behind a Victorian steam carriage."
The oil-fueled steam engine was built in 1957 in Scotland for the tracks in Victoria as an express passenger engine.
"It's capable of underneath 110 km an hour," he said.
"And it runs on oil instead of coal.
"Oil was a bit more common in Victoria because coal was harder to get down there."
![The R766 steam train runs on oil instead of coal. Picture by The Picnic Train. The R766 steam train runs on oil instead of coal. Picture by The Picnic Train.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/C5T5utnEbuCCVHhsQW5GNd/796e5a8b-3035-465b-a636-4924872982c8.jpg/r0_11_988_566_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Due to the different track sizes between Victoria and NSW, the R766 steam train was modified to fit onto NSW train tracks, which was a long process.
"They're pretty expensive and labour-intensive to maintain these days," Sam said.
"It could take anywhere from a month to two years.
"It just depends on what you're working on."
The Picnic Train is perfect for the whole family and will depart from Goulburn on Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12.
According to Sam, the Goulburn to Moss Vale trip is pretty "unique".
"It's nice," he said.
"We encourage people to do the picnic thing. It's the name.
"People generally bring their picnics on board, eat on the train, and then explore the town at the other end.
"We tried to try to make it as family-friendly as possible. We love having families with little kids on board."
The trip is broken up into one-hour segments to make it easier for parents of small children.
"These trips are tailored to them," Sam said.
"We travel for an hour, stop for an hour, and then travel an hour back.
"That's why we do two trips a day instead, we try to keep it as friendly for the younger kids as possible."
And while the train trip is catered for family fun, Sam said there were options for everyone.
"We've got lounge cars for couples who want to travel, and we've got air-conditioned lounge cars that have got their private bar that couples can ride in," he said.
"It's pretty unique."
Sam is hoping the Picnic Train from Goulburn to Moss Vale will be a sell-out.
"We rely on the ticket sales to keep it all going," he said.
"The train rides are very popular. People love it.
"More often than not, we get emails asking us when we are coming back, which is great."
For more information on departure and arrival times, as well as tickets, visit https://www.picnictrain.com.au/
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