Catching up on 13 months of not posting

Thought I would demonstrate that I was still amongst the living by posting a few snaps of things I have photographed poorly since my last post, which was May 2024.

The rather surreal (for us old blokes, at least) combination of N466 and S311 on a grain at Middle Footscray on the first day of June 2024.

Yep, only a couple of V sets at Central. A scene repeated a hundred times a day for 50 years, soon to be gone forever. 14 June 2024.

Goulburn Station is always worth a look. On 15 August 2024, GM22 and 4904 were stowed in the back platform on the AK cars.

In October 2024 we moved to the Southern Highlands of NSW.  On days when you get visited by NSW P classes and Victorian R classes, it was a good move. First 3265 and then R766, both a Moss Vegas, on 26 October 2024.

Four days later at Bundy, I ruined someone's morning tea by racing across to the station for LZ3119, 4904 and CLF2 on a loaded grain.

The Highlands has an active grapevine of train hunters.  One posted that CLF2, 4904, CLP12 and CLP13 would work a down grain through Moss Vale after dark on 11 November 2024. It coincided with a run to the local bottle shop.  Oh happy days.

Most of the time in these parts, it's just modern stuff, like this empty grain train leaving Moss Vale on 18 November 2024 with QE005, QE007, and CF4412 at the pointy end.

I then had a couple of months off, thanks to an appendix that decided to quit on me.  Not recommended. But by 14 March, I was up to catching 8037 and 8040 shunting the steelie at Port Kembla.

I am still a big fan of GMs, so was pretty happy catching CLP9, 4911 and CLP12 on 8242 grain arriving at Moss Vale on 26 May 2025.

I am currently doing the near unthinkable - trying to get as many shots of 81s on cement trains as I can before the Boral contract is lost to Pacific National at the end of 2025.  On a very cold fourth day of June, 8125 was about to do the honours up the branch to Berrima.

Anyway, that is a bit of a hurried catch up on things.

Cheers

Don

2024 Rosehill Exhibition

I made it through the crowds to the Epping Model Railway Club's exhibition at Rosehill Gardens this morning. While the following photos may disappoint the show certainly didn't. In no particular order, here's action from some of the Australian-themed layouts...

Gresham

Dungog

Inner West

Goulburn

Wyee 

As the sign says... Bombo

Bullenbung Creek

Ettamogah

Glasson

Bethungra Spiral

Otham Road

Blue Mountains

Waterfall

Yarrawa

Tarana

Moruya

Borderline

Monbulk - this is 1:350 scale!

Carlingford

Mungo Scotts

A Small Depot

If the layout you wanted to see wasn't photographed, it is probably because I flubbed the photo.  Sorry.

As an exhibition, Rosehill is as good as it gets in my experience.  Carpeted floors, good lighting, great facilities, interesting workshops, decent refreshments, good company and plenty of engaged traders with interesting gear to buy. 

And the layouts - none were unworthy of being there.  We have some very talented modellers around at the moment.  Some of the newer layouts, like A Small Depot, Yarrawa and Inner West, are just terrific. And all would fit into a single bedroom.

If you get a chance tomorrow, there are worse things than getting along to the show.

Cheers

Don

2024 Canberra Model Railway Exhibition - Kaleen High School

Just a few snaps of layouts from the most excellent model railway exhibition, recreating in minature the railways of NSW.

Gresham: an N gauge layout showing just how much modelling in this gauge has taken off over the last 20 years.  Of course, its rise has only been matched by the descent in my ability to see small things.

A Small Depot: Geoff Small once again proves small can be interesting with an inspired layout.

Gunning: more N gauge goodness.

Darling Harbour: just mesmerising.

I wasn't the only person keen to capture the essence of Darling Harbour.

Yendys: a real favourite. Nannies on Yendys? Yah!

Will finish off with this cute scene from the otherwise work-in-progress freemo layout.

Stayed too long (for others), Spent too much. Chatted until I lost my voice. Can't wait for next year!

A few trams from 1958

Hi, just a quickie as I rediscovered some photos from the camera of Ian Brady, which were passed to me by a mate (after he bought them second hand).

As a younger man in the late 1980s, I had the great pleasure of living on Glebe for about seven years.  I would often trip over the tram rails that poked through the road tarmac from time to time.  As I was falling, I would often dream of the trams that plied their way through Glebe and Forest Lodge 30 years before I was falling about the place.  Thankfully on 17 November 1958, Ian took his camera and recorded several of those scenes.

Here are two from the general location of the intersection of Parramatta and Glebe Point Roads.

A few from around the location of Ross and Pyrmont Bridge Roads.  This area is technically Forest Lodge, from memory.

And finally, back in town as we called it in those days.  West Circular Quay.

Thanks to Ian we get to see a bit more of Sydney that exists no more.

Cheers

Don

 

Tumulla '63

For once, I have been scouring photos from the family collection for train composition, rather than what is up front. Must be getting old(er) and wiser. The quality of the photos leaves a lot to be desired - Dad certainly wasn't using Kodak! I have tried to remove the most egregious marks off the following snaps.

I love this first shot, which I believe is 3670 on a down goods climbing Tumulla Bank in 1963 (from the date of the slide).  Although the train is largely empty, It requires 5364 as a banker (more of that in a moment).  A CW cattle wagon is tucked in behind the Pig, then there are 10 G wagons.  I can't be certain that these are wagons returning to Broken Hill for the W44 ore concentrate run but might be. Then there appears to be an S wagon, followed by a K wagon, then a series of S wagons.  It is only this part of the train that is the 'revenue' service.

And to complete the picture, here is our banker! I may have posted this one previously. The country looks very dry and the shadows are short, so I am guesssing it is near the middle of a winter's day. This timing sort of works as Dad was never one to share a paddock with a snake.

In this next shot, 4904 in its original livery still looks to be under warranty - unlike the RU hoppers trundling behind. As these would almost certainly be loaded, the crew of the 49 would be in for a fun trip downhill.

Now this next photo is of 3812 or 3822, but not 3802. But it is the two wagons immediately behind the loco that are of interest presently, especially if they are filled with product from Arnotts Biscuits.

That reminds me, it is time for a cup of tea and a monte carlo.

Cheers

Don