The lack of home comforts didn't bother Bruce Macdonald in his quest to revive a rare icon in the mid 1950s.
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Over many weekends, he and his mate, Don Collins, travelled from Sydney to work on the 1883 Appleby Beam Engine at the Goulburn Waterworks.
They ate, slept and worked at the Marsden Weir site with just a small bar radiator to keep them warm on cold winter nights. Equipped with the patience of Job, they stripped back layers of almost impenetrable white leaden tallow from the engine that had sat idle for years.
"We came down one weekend a month to undo about 40 years of accumulated neglect," Mr Macdonald told The Post in 2008.
The man described as the "father of Goulburn Waterworks museum" died in Canberra on June 26, aged ninety-five.
Good friend, rail author and former journalist, Leon Oberg, said Mr Macdonald's foresight and commitment transformed the site into a thriving tourist attraction that brought busloads of people to Goulburn. Today, the Abbleby engine is the only one operating in the Southern Hemisphere.
"He really is the father of the museum," he said.
"...Bruce was a very keen steam man who just wanted to see Goulburn's steam and rail heritage preserved."
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But without his tenacity, it might never have happened. Mr Oberg said many engines had been broken up for steel during World War Two. After the war, Goulburn City Council's engineer had been tempted by a scrap man's 400 Pound offer for the Appleby engine.
Aware of their rarity, Mr Macdonald, a Homebush engineer, convinced the council in 1956 to let him and Mr Collins restore the Appleby. Over 18 months from 1957, they returned the engine to working order, 36 years after it had been decommissioned on the site that supplied Goulburn's water. Mr Macdonald sourced a Fowler locomotive originally used at Kiama to supply the beam engine with steam.
It was demonstrated under steam for the first time in 40 years in 1958, which coincided with the Lilac City Festival.
![Bruce Macdonald supervising the operation of a train at Goulburn's Museum of Historic Engines during filming of a 'Flash Nick from Jindavick' in the 1970s. Picture by Leon Oberg. Bruce Macdonald supervising the operation of a train at Goulburn's Museum of Historic Engines during filming of a 'Flash Nick from Jindavick' in the 1970s. Picture by Leon Oberg.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/d40ca1ad-2143-4f56-af74-c2ddcc23ed97.jpg/r0_0_2655_1965_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The council's museums officer, Julianne Salway, said the Museum of Historic Engines operated at Marsden Weir from that date. Mr Macdonald added to the collection, using his innate ability to find locos and engines.
"It's interesting to note that the Museum and the pumping station, with its electric engines, operated together for nearly 20 years," Ms Salway said.
In early 1968, Mr Macdonald applied to extend the museum and become curator, according to council research. He moved from Sydney to Goulburn with wife, Dorothy and their four children, all of whom helped him in the Appleby's restoration.
'The Marsden Museum of Historic Engines' was opened by then deputy mayor, Terry Tilden, on April 4, 1970. It opened daily and trains ran every 20 minutes, transporting people from the Marsden Weir entry to the museum.
"It was a hit and brought busloads of people to Goulburn," Mr Oberg said.
"...For nearly two decades it hosted rail enthusiasts. The Canberra Rail Heritage Society would run a special train here...and children would come on school excursions."
When the council announced in late 1974 that it was closing the museum due to "financial pressures," the community rallied. Local media mounted a campaign and the facility re-opened in April, 1975, with the help of donations and council support. Mr Macdonald was appointed manager but 'retired' two years later. He maintained a strong interest in the museum right to the end.
Mr Oberg said Mr Macdonald helped him with his rail books and generously shared his knowledge with others. The latter also wrote books on steam engines and locos up until about one year ago.
Goulburn engineer, Ken Ainsworth took over the Appleby's maintenance in 1997, by which time Mr Macdonald had moved to Canberra. He first met him in the late 1960s and stayed in touch with him.
"Bruce was a character," he said.
"..He was one of a group of four or five, all with steam experience, who used to come up to the Waterworks. Bruce was the organiser. He was a good old stick and was sharp as a tack. They used to call him 'Hawkeye' because he used to know where every steam engine was and how to get it."
![Bruce Macdonald being interviewed by 2GN at the opening of the Marsden Museum of Historic Engines in 1970. Picture by The Goulburn Post. Bruce Macdonald being interviewed by 2GN at the opening of the Marsden Museum of Historic Engines in 1970. Picture by The Goulburn Post.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/3179e1c7-7235-4dcd-a49b-ca51f68f3d0f.jpg/r0_10_2332_1819_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Ainsworth said Dorothy was Bruce's "backbone" and the couple was inseparable. She died some years ago.
"He will be very much missed," he said.
Ms Salway told The Post that although Mr Macdonald 'retired' from his steaming days in 2008, she and longtime Waterworks volunteer, Tom Marmont, stayed in contact.
"Bruce was always happy to discuss the history of The Waterworks with me and occasionally popped in on a steaming day to catch up with the volunteers. He brought his family with him on occasion," she said.
"In my last email to him, only a week before he passed away I referred to him as my 'brains trust.'
Mr Macdonald was awarded an OAM in 2015 for his decades of work at the museum.
His funeral service was held in Canberra on Monday, July 3. A private cremation took place.
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