Can you remember the peculiar, pungent smell of coal dust and soot, that wonderful hissing of excess steam and the ear-splitting screech of brakes?

How many times have you stood on a cold platform or at a crossing just to watch one of those great tin dinosaurs come lumbering down the track with the driver's blackened face peering out the side?

There's little doubt that when steam trains began to disappear, there was in many cases a feeling of sadness.

But now, years later, only the real enthusiasts have maintained the fight to preserve that important part of our history. Lachlan Valley Railway, at Cowra, is a group of dedicated rail buffs who spend most of their spare time restoring old steam locomotives and carriages.

So it's disappointing their plans to base their historic steam and diesel trains at East Fork have gone nowhere. The rail group has done some clearing and other work at the Orange site but nothing substantial since it announced the move from Cowra back in January 2017.

The group wants a $240,000 state government heritage grant to build two large sheds to house its steam and diesel trains after being left isolated 10 years ago when the government shut down the Cowra line.

But there doesn't seem much interest here in helping develop what could become a huge tourism attraction with train and historic rail motors running short tours on weekends. The group planned monthly shuttle runs from Orange to places like Molong, Stuart Town, Blayney and Tarana and weekend trips to Dubbo, Parkes and Bathurst. We can only hope any problems are sorted out and Lachlan Valley Rail gets some assistance from the council and tourism people here to get a full head of steam up and running.

More on trains. Orange people have shown solid support for a petition seeking an early morning express passenger service direct from Orange to Central and its return in the afternoon. More than 10,000 people signed Orange Rail Action Group's petition and it will be presented to State Parliament this afternoon by Orange MP Phil Donato who will support it with a speech around 4.30pm. It will be streamed live on the NSW Parliament website.

It's time some of the Orange petrol stations installed directional signs on their driveways or employed lollipop controllers to sort out the thoughtless drivers who think they're in a 40-acre paddock.

Drivers park and wait over the footpaths and into the street traffic lanes but worse, they still enter the driveways from opposite directions and often cars at the pumps are nose-to-nose while others queue behind them, forming an effective blockade so nobody can move.

READ ALSO: Liberty service station renovations almost complete

Drivers seem to believe they have to park with the fuel filler cap next to the bowser and that's one of the reasons why we get cars in opposite directions. But the hoses are long enough to stretch and there's no need for creating the traffic mess that's become normal on most days. So filling the tank can be a painful experience.

You'd think drivers could at least all go in the same direction.

But then that probably takes a bit of common sense.

Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...