Leschenault Lady back to her best after restoration works

In a project 15 years in the making, a much-loved steam train has been returned to its former glory.

The South West Rail & Heritage Centre held an open day at its Boyanup headquarters recently to celebrate the Leschenault Lady’s return to steam.

The Leschenault Lady, which had been in Boyanup for the past 15 years, underwent restoration work last year as part of a long-running project to get the steam train back up and running. The Leschenault Lady and sister train the Koombana Queen were saved from scrap after they were acquired by former town councillor George Baxter.

The hard work of those involved in the project paid off in a big way with hundreds of people attending the South West Rail and Heritage Centre to watch the Leschenault Lady ride the track again.

South West Rail and Heritage Centre president Philippa Rogers said it was “stunning” to see so many people support the project and turn out for the Leschenault Lady’s relaunch.

“The biggest indication of how important it is to the community is the number of people that have turned up to see it,” she said.

“We had almost 1400 people pre-book tickets to come and see the Leschenault Lady.

“If that doesn’t say the South West loves the Leschenault Lady, I don’t know what does.”

The Leschenault Lady is expected to have more demonstrations in October.