Pulling for a purpose
For some, the idea of trying to pull a train down its tracks by hand seems an impossible and pointless task.
For strongman Troy Conley-Magnusson, it's anything but.
Conley-Magnusson, with help from fellow strongman and best mate Damian Jones, this week pulled an old locomotive 20 metres along the tracks at the Walhalla Goldfields Railway to help raise money for Little Wings, a non profit charity dedicated to helping transport critically ill and injured children and their families from rural areas to much-needed treatments at citybased hospitals.
The effort was a part of Pull 4 Purpose, a group of strongmen founded by Conley-Magnusson in 2022 who have dedicated themselves to pulling off feats of incredible strength for a variety of charities.
In front of a strong and supportive crowd of more than 30 people, Conley-Magnusson was strapped into a harness and attached to the front of the train by a tether, using his sheer strength to try and get it moving.
And while the original plan to tow the locomotive plus two of its carriages solo unfortunately fell through due to some slippery conditions, the cheers were still raucous when Jones strapped in and when the two men managed to get the train by itself, still weighing over 30 tonnes, moving.
Conley-Magnusson said he was "very relieved" to have pulled off the impressive feat alongside Jones.
"I've never pulled a train before, so to do it with one of my best mates and my brother is a special moment for both of us," he said.
Conley-Magnusson was also quick to stress just how much larger the cause was than just himself.
"I want this to be a legacy that outlives me," he said.
"Obviously there's only one of me, there's only so much I can pull, but with two of us, three of us, four us, potentially building up to eight or 10, the imagination will hopefully be the only limit."
Pull 4 Purpose's current fundraising goal is more than $40,000 to help buy Little Wings a new car, go to www.pull4purpose.com to donate, with all donations over $2 being tax deductible.