Cooma Monaro Railway
Cooma Monaro Railway
We have mentioned elsewhere that the CMR is ready and able to cater for charter operations such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, social groups, bus tours and the like. Our page heading has become almost a motto of the CMR over the last few years. We certainly have our fair share of all three, but it is probably the weddings which have been some of the most enjoyable and memorable occasions.
Wedding Bells
March 2010 saw a classic example of an event that (dare I say it) CMR does very well indeed. Member Matthew Betteridge married his fiancée Melanie, with the ceremony taking place on Cooma station platform and the reception held in the hall at Chakola. CMR followed its now usual practice of picking up the bridal party at Snowy Junction and delivering them to the guests at Cooma for the ceremony. In the first photo, the groom and guests await the arrival of the train.The train was of course decorated with ribbons, balloons etc for the occasion.
We pick up the action at Bunyan, where the bride and groom are transferring from one carriage to the next. (They did the transfer at Snowy Junction too, so they could be with all of their guests in the three carriages during the journey to Chakola).
The next photos were taken in the decorated cars as the couple talked to their guests.
Next we see the happy pair on arrival at Chakola.
As befits a wedding, there were a copious number of photos taken throughout, including at Chakola platform. Note the flowers tied to the post. They were still there a fortnight later, provoking questions from our passengers about their origin.
And so we proceeded to the reception (train crew included), where a great time was had by all.
In every way, it was a delightful day.
Thanks to Matthew and Melanie for the photos and the memories!
Our thanks also go to John Gibson who, ever present with camera, took some of these photos and who has provided many shots in the past for the web site and the Newsletter.
Following are the photos from the wedding of Lisa Goodman and Owen Hopkins, who had wedding photos taken on the station late last year. The photographer is Julius Goboly of Tower Photographics in Canberra. You will see that an imaginative approach was taken to provide more than the usual interest in these images.
In this case the theme was 'going away on the train' and to this end the party hired the railmotor, station and a set of 'ports' from CMR President James Sullivan as props for the occasion. James commented that the ports are about the same age as the Railmotor, as his mum's father had them in The British Army of Occupation of the Rhine after WW1, and his mum was born before the railmotors were created in 1923. So the 'ports' are of an appropriate vintage!
The black and white photography also compliments the overall classic feeling of the scene.
CMR would like to thank Lisa, Owen and Tower Photographics for allowing us to be observers of an occasion that was carried out with obvious great good humour.
Here Comes the Bride....
One could be forgiven for thinking that our railmotors are brand new, judging from this photo. But no, the newly repainted motor car number 22 and trailer car 55 came out early on this Saturday late in October 2006 to convey bridal party and guests to a wedding ceremony in our hall at Chakola. (Note the old original headlight on the trailer compared to the new style light on number 22).
Before long the train was assembled and decorated with the satin ribbons that have been a feature of previous wedding services. At the appointed time the guests and bridal party boarded the train. The bride and attendants were seated on the lounge at the rear of the trailer car for the journey.
At Chakola the guests alighted and waited for the bride to appear. In contrast to the previous weddings in which the CMR has been involved, the actual ceremony was conducted in the hall, with a reception to follow later in Cooma. Overnight the CMR converted the hall back from a row seating configuration to tables and chairs for a surprise teenage birthday party the next day. (Incidentally, that party completed a run of nine straight days of continuous CMR operations. Obviously the word is spreading of the good times to be had in conjunction with the railway.)
Another Example
Saturday 9th February 2002 was another perfect example. At 4pm a wedding was held on Cooma station platform. The train, decorated with traditional ribbons (left), had collected the bridal party at Snowy Junction on the edge of town, and conveyed them to the ceremony (right). Afterwards the party had drinks and nibbles on the platform (below) before boarding the train for Chakola.
Chakola is on the banks of the Numeralla River, which had a considerable volume of water flowing in it following recent rains. The typical Monaro countryside had benefited from the showers and put on its best face.
The wedding party's destination was the CMR run hall by the riverside. Until recently, the hall was run by the Anglican Church, as evidenced by the window at one end. The hall had been beautifully decorated for the occasion, catering was provided by a Canberra spit-roast company and entertainment by a talented local singer/guitarist.
A very convivial evening ensued until 11pm when the happy guests were conveyed back to Cooma. It was almost 1am when the railmotors were finally locked away for the night, but the CMR crew were pleased to have been part of this joyous occasion.
If you have an occasion that the CMR could assist in making memorable, please contact the Business Manager Jim Hatfield at manager@cmrailway.org.au or (02) 6452 7791.
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