Around the traps in 2026

I suppose this blog entry should really be titled, "999 combinations of cement trains". 2026 has surely been a weird year for living in the NSW Southern Highlands.  If not for the liveries, at times I thought I had woken up in 1983 in Wodonga. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I suppose. Anyway, the range of locos used by SSR to service the Boral Works at Berrima has been very welcome.  Here's a selection, along with a few scant details about each snap.

4 February 2026 - T363 and C509 on the branch.

12 February 2026 - 44204 and X31(!) headed up the branch. 

12 April 2026 - C503 and 4908 about to head up the branch into the sunset.

14 May 2026 - 44220 and C509 about to head off the branch.

I do go to places other than the Berrima branch, so I demonstrate this.  But before I do, I just loved this face-off between C501 and C507 at the junction sidings on 15 February.

One last face-off - 4911 shading T409 in a slow race to rust on 28 April 2026. 

Enough of that branch! I do travel - to both ends of Moss Vale, too.  At Mossy's southern end at dusk on 16 February 2026, 47s 08, 01 and 02 did the honours on a rail tour.

In recognition that I spend far too much time on the footbridge at Moss Vale station, here's autumn's picture train - CLP12, CLF3, B61 and CLP9 on an up SSR grain train on 15 May 2026.

My one big trip in the last four months has been to Werris Creek, principally to see the most excellent railway museum and memorial. It really is worth checking out. The odd coal and grain train got checked out too, like this coalie headed by 9312, 9201 and 9314 on 24 March 2026.

I will wrap up with a run of steam locos, which remain at the core of what I find interesting about this hobby, pastime, or sport. In order, here is 1076 steaming on a bitterly cold morning at the Goulburn Roundhouse Open Day, R766 at dusk at Moss Vale, 3001T on a trundle to Buxton and 3265 and 3526 on the Southern Highlander tour leaving Moss Vale.

  

While the steam has been a highlight, the real highlight has been the chats (short and long) with various railfans and loco crews as I have been taking photos. It is a pretty good way to lose a few hours a week!

Cheers

Don (who promises to ramble further afield over the next three months)

January 2026 rambles

**** TRIGGER WARNING **** This post contains no V sets *****

Well, it is now nearly one month into 2026 and it has been a good month of watching weird and wonderful things wander around NSW's rails. If, 20 years ago, I had described some of the lash-ups I have seen (and others that I have missed) this month, you would be recommending a good 12 step program.

Here's a few sights from the month.  Some have been taken by my young bloke, as I have slumped into senior camera assistant role due to general age and laziness.  His shots were done with an iPhone 17. Unbelievable results for a phone camera.

Anyway, I started the year on Platform 1 at Junee Station.  Actually, I was in bed by the time the new year arrived. But I did sit around while the youngster did some arty shots on his iPhone.

We checked out Junee's rotten row on the first morning of 2026.  These units make me look healthy (everything is relative). I hope their year is better than it looks.

It was a lively New Year's Day. Triple QLs on an up steel left Harefield as we arrived.

I jumped a train home but the youngster traipsed over to Stockinbingal to find three MANs (MEN???) on a grain train. At least he wasn't trespassing when he took this photo.

Back in my neck of the woods, SSR's assumption of the Boral contract was just getting underway on 2 January.  I have always thought that the CEY livery was pleasing.

Train loadings have been pretty reasonable for a January, including the SCT trains.  Here is another offering from the fabulously refurbished Moss Vale footbridge.

I do leave the southern highlands sometimes.  On 5 January I ventured to Sawyer Reserve in Hurlstone Park.  When I lived there, someone unnamed would trim all vegetation obstructing this view.  However, it seems that that activity ceased simultaneous with my departure from that suburb.  Go figure that coincidence!   Anyway, it was good to get a blurry snap of a CF heading the PHCs on 4190 up containers.

I also nipped up to the Blue Mountains where it was, err, nippy.  And foggy and wet and atmospheric.  And it was good to see another "foreign" unit on NSW rails... this time the GM loveliness of QR's 1741. It is well worth an afternoon.

Mid-month I was back in Goulburn. I have never lost a fascination for the industrial ugliness of MZs. I know, under that fluting, it is just an 81 class. but I judge a loco by its cover. And 1428's skin is disappearing into rusty gashes, so I was pleased to catch it before someone decides to hit it with the bog filler.

For most of this month, it has been a daily diet of variations on the following two combinations.  I don't know which one is the most aesthetically pleasing, but both can raise the dead at 3:00am (my bed is about 80 metres from the main south - yes, I am a romantic devil).

So, it has been all this...

Or this...

But with one day to go, my combination-of-the-month is one I discovered shunting Berrima Works on the 28th. Boy oh boy, these little Ts turn heads every time they hit Mossy!

So, I hope for many things for February 2026. Things like fewer sharks, no heatwaves, a bit more rain and the chance I may see a few Y classes teaming with their erstwhile Victorian colleagues on freights on the NSW southern highlands.

Cheers,

Don

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