Steamrail Victoria will host its annual one-way or return journey from Camperdown to Warrnambool on Saturday, February 12.

Passengers can travel in the red rattler heritage carriages, hauled by a 1960s-era streamliner diesel locomotive S313.

The train, complete with two engines and eight carriages, will transport about 230 passengers in style, with century-old wooden carriages and pressed tin ceilings.

It has become a much-loved pastime for train spotters and lovers, as well as families who line the tracks along the route to catch a glimpse of the train as it travels through the region.

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It's been a labour of love for Allansford's Eddie White, a train enthusiast who came up with the idea of bringing the tour to the region. For more than a decade it was his dream to see a steam engine back in Warrnambool and in 2018 it became a reality.

Not even COVID-19, which has managed to stop a number of events in their tracks, has prevented the annual tour from happening.

Mr White, a Steamrail Victoria board member and Otway Tour operations team member, gets the same thrill when it returns to the south-west.

"It's bringing the train back to my hometown," Mr White said. "For me, it's the last 70-odd kilometers from Camperdown to Warrnambool, with people out beside the line waving and watching.

"It's about bringing it back home and be able to talk about it. That's what I love about it," he said.

The diesel engine, used in warmer conditions, will be accompanied by a regular V/Line N Class engine to help pull the longer-than-usual special-edition train.

"It's advisable to run two engines on a train of that length because we're getting up there on weight," Mr White said.

There is a separate Otway Explorer from Melbourne or Geelong to Colac or Camperdown on the same day. For more information go to steamrail.com.au