Semi-Retired Foamer

Strange Modelers Of Universal Trains

At Semi-Retired Foamer Media, we believe railway preservation, railway history and railway modelling are best served by people working together, not endlessly arguing over who is "doing it wrong."
Our aim is to promote the museums, heritage railways, historical societies, and volunteers who quietly keep our railway heritage alive. While some seem convinced that the hobby's greatest threat is someone else actually achieving something, we'd much rather celebrate the people who roll up their sleeves and make things happen.
This website continues the philosophy of the old SMUT group, which was established to support regional railway preservation and give something back to the hobby. Sadly, it also proved that no good deed goes uncriticised.
Fortunately, locomotives don't read social media, and preservation continues thanks to dedicated volunteers rather than keyboard warriors who continually defecate their hatred online.
Here, we'll continue promoting the people, projects and events that help our hobby grow—because preserving railway history is a far better pastime than trying to derail everyone else's enthusiasm.

Monday, July 20, 2026

SRF MEDIA: PRESERVATION AUSTRALIA

Soft Opening

Welcome to the test relaunch of our former preservation news site.

Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be publishing occasional news, updates and features covering some of Australia's leading railway museums and preservation organisations. Our aim is simple: to help promote these museums, highlight their activities, and hopefully encourage more people to visit, volunteer and support the incredible work they do in preserving Australia's rich railway heritage.

Semi-Retired Foamer Media is an independent publication and is not affiliated with any museum, preservation society or railway organisation. We've simply had a long-standing passion for Australia's railways and the people who work tirelessly to ensure their history isn't forgotten.

Please note that this website is currently operating in a testing phase while we refine its layout, content and overall direction. There may be the occasional change, tweak or unexpected hiccup along the way, but we hope you'll enjoy following the journey as the site gradually returns to life.

Thank you for visiting, and we hope you'll call back regularly as new content is added.

Updates.

Note: Latest updates noted in (brackets).

Latest site update: 6th October 2026

VICTORIA - (July 2026)

NEW SOUTH WALES - (October 2026)

QUEENSLAND - (August 26)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA - (September 2026)

NORTHERN TERRITORY - (Yet To Open)

WESTERN AUSTRALIA - (August 2026)

INDUSTRIALS - (Yet To Open)

TRAMS - (Now Open)

SRF RAIL MEDIA UPDATES - (October 2026)

In the meantime, feel free to visit our main websites and YouTube Channel.

Semi-Retired Foamer Website.

Semi-Retired Foamer YouTube.

Semi-Retired Foamer Travel.

Australian Locomotive (& Tram) Rosters.

Let's Make The Hobby Great Again.

Steamranger Website

Thursday, July 16, 2026

RAIL PRESERVATION - WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Bennett Brook Railway - Hotham Valley Tourist Railway

Bassendean Railway Museum - Merredin Railway Museums

The South West Rail & Heritage Centre

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September 2026

Hotham Valley Railway

August 2026

Rail Heritage WA

H2 and H3 arrive at the Bassendean Museum following donation by a generous SCT Logistics.

One unit will be preserved in it's current SCR livery for permanent museum display, with the other being restored to operational condition for heritage railway use.

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Visit Today.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

RAIL PRESERVATION - VICTORIA

707 Operations, Daylesford Railway, Mornington Tourist Railway, Newport Railway Museum, Steamrail

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Semi-Retired Foamer Media

To be upkept on everything we add to the internet.

Photography - News - Heritage

Feel sorry for us and all our hard work?
Keep us caffeinated. :-)

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18th July 2026

Newport Railway Museum reports a delivery of new merchandise from Peak Transit.

Photo: Courtesy of the Daylesford Railway Facebook page.

The Daylesford Railway are urgently seeking donations to restore this historic Tiger Railcar.

Can you help here?

RM74 when still at Newport.

Mornington Tourist Railway

Depart Moorooduc 10:00am, 11:15am, 12:45pm & 14:00 every Sunday
Return Mornington 10:30am, 11:45am, 1:15 & 14:30 every Sunday

Steamrail Website

Monday, July 6, 2026

SRF MEDIA UPDATES

Semi-Retired Foamer Website.

Semi-Retired Foamer YouTube.

Semi-Retired Foamer Travel.

Australian Locomotive (& Tram) Rosters.

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Semi-Retired Foamer Media

To be upkept on everything we add to the internet.

Photography - News - Heritage

Feel sorry for us and all our hard work?
Keep us caffeinated. :-)

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Click on each image to view content.

Hawaiian-Philippines Sugar Co Railways

Part 8

Australian Locomotive Rosters

CLICK

CLICK

jj

Sunday, July 5, 2026

RAIL PRESERVATION - AUSSIE TRAMS

Ballarat Tramway Museum (Vic)

Bendigo Tramway Museum (Vic)

Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association. (Vic)

Melbourne Tramway Museum (Vic)

Perth Electric Tramway Museum (WA)
Portland Cable Tram (Vic)

Sydney Tramway Museum (NSW)
The Tramway Museum (SA)
Tramway Heritage Centre (Bylands) (Vic)
Victor Harbor Tramway (SA)

Yass Railway Heritage Centre (NSW)

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Semi-Retired Foamer Media

To be upkept on everything we add to the internet.

Photography - News - Heritage

Feel sorry for us and all our hard work?
Keep us caffeinated. :-)

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October 2026

Human vermin broke into the Yass Tramway Museum over October 1st and 2nd, and amongst other things, vandalised their historic Melbourne tram W5-824.

The museum has also launched new 'Rail Tales-Unsettling But True'. Details & Bookings.

May 2026

Melbourne Tramway Museum.

Saturday, July 4, 2026

RAIL PRESERVATION - SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Farina Restoration Project Group, Jamestown Railway Station Museum, Milang Railway Station, National Railway Museum (Adelaide), Pichi Richi Railway, Port Lincoln Railway Museum, Port Pirie Nation Trust Museum, Steamranger, Steamtown

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October 2026

Check Steamranger link (above) for more details.

September 2026

Steamtown

Still no advice on reopening.

August 2026

New book now available from Steamranger.

Port Lincoln Railway Museum

August marked the opening of the Kimba to Buckleboo section. The last train operating beyond Kimba in 2005.

Pichi Richi Railway

A lot of maintenance work has occured to W934 and ALCo DL531 873 this month.

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Australia's leading source for Australian (non-NSW) railway history, news, and photography.

Leedham's Lookout.

The railfan group devoted to friendship.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

RAIL PRESERVATION - NEW SOUTH WALES

Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum - Lachlan Valley Railway

Lithgow State Mine Railway - Merriwa Railway Society, NSW Railway Museum - Oberon-Tarana Heritage Railway - Sulphide Street Railway Museum

Yass Railway Museum

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NSW Railways Past & Present

The internets leading source of NSW rail heritage news and information.

Semi-Retired Foamer Media

To be upkept on everything we add to the internet.

Photography - News - Heritage

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November 2026

Join the Oberon-Tarana Heritage Railway for their Spring Lunch on November 7th.

Bookings Here.

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October 2026

We remember a railfan icon.

Tribute.

The Railmotor Society at Paterson are holding an open day on October 18th.

Details.

Transport Heritage Festival

Sydney was once again alive with old transport fun with the three day long weekend celebration centred around Central Station.

Hundreds of people partook in train and bus sides around Sydney, while it is believed some activities also occurred on the harbour.

SRF Media Report - Part 1

Regretfully, some examples of human vermin broke into their Yass Railway Museum on October 1st and 2nd, damaging both museum, and Canberrra Transport Museum, items.
Amongst other damage, they let a chemical fire extinguisher off in their tram, a preserved bus, damaged to historiocal rollingstock, then kicked in the door to the museum before setting about stealing items.

More details on their Facebook Page.

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September 2026

Bookings essential.

Lachlan Valley Railway - Bookings

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July 2026

NSW Railway Museum

5 level crossings were reopened on the loop line as part of the upgrade project.

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June 2026

Sulphide Street Railway Museum

Museum is selling locomotive and railway station prints by Cindy Jeffrey.

Visit Today.

Welcome to The Semi-Retired Foamer Media Newsdesk

Welcome to The Semi-Retired Foamer Newsdesk Welcome to The Semi-Retired Foamer Newsdesk, the spiritual successor to the preservation and channel news section that many readers enjoyed in our former SMUTTER e-zine. Rather than waiting for the next issue to roll around, we thought we'd drag ourselves into the 21st century and try this whole "website" thing. Scary, we know. As always, we'll continue trying to move the hobby forward while others seem determined to spend their time proving that reverse gear works perfectly well. We'd much rather celebrate railway preservation, promote worthwhile projects, and encourage people to get involved than waste time on the endless negativity that occasionally seems to plague our hobby. We fully expect this site to be just as successful as our previous ventures, and we warmly invite railway museums, preservation groups, heritage railways, historical societies and related organisations to send us details of upcoming events, restoration projects, new acquisitions, special trains, or any other promotional material you'd like us to share. If it helps promote railway preservation, we're interested. Our occasional Australian and Philippine publications—including those produced for our sister organisation, the Philippine Railway Historical Society—will continue exactly as before. Their mission remains unchanged: to promote our railway heritage, preserve its history, and hopefully inspire others to become involved in the hobby we all enjoy. Those publications aren't disappearing; this website simply gives us another, and much quicker, way of getting information out there. For now, The Semi-Retired Foamer Newsdesk is very much a trial run. There may be the occasional hiccup, odd layout, or mysterious gremlin wandering through the website while we work things out. Please bear with us as we continue tinkering behind the scenes—it's all part of the adventure. Finally, if you're involved with a museum, preservation group, heritage railway, model railway exhibition, railway publisher, or hobby shop and would like to promote an event, product, or news item, we'd love to hear from you. Drop us an email and let's help spread the word. After all, promoting the hobby beats arguing about it any day.

Launched 20th of July 2026
15,254 visitors as of 11-11-17