Semi-Retired Foamer - News: RAIL PRESERVATION

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.

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.

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

Strange Modelers Of Universal Trains

Saturday, July 4, 2026

RAIL PRESERVATION - SOUTH AUSTRALIA