Climbing Tumulla Bank

Fifty one years ago this weekend my father left his heavily pregnant wife and his baby son at home to chase trains for a weekend. These photos are a bit diminished and at times blurry but each has a lovely little aspect.

Dad not only photographed a few trains but he somehow managed to convince the crew on the 36 class banker (3620 from memory) to let him ride on the back of the tender on at least two trips up the bank. 

The first train was a down goods, worked by two 36s and banked by the third.  

 
I have no idea what order the photos should be in so here they are.  I just love the collection of wagons in the train, including the fuel. While it is a much shorter train than the next, its loaded and would have been a slow haul up the hill.

The second train was a down empty grain with a Garratt up front and a long train of four wheel RUs, interspersed with BWH bogie wheat wagons and what could be a couple of tarped K wagons. I'm not sure what order the photos go in so here's the three in the order I think that they were taken on the basis of the coal pile in the tender.

At some stage during the day there was also a cab ride, which produced the following shot of 6041 crossing the down train.

Now, before I post the last snap I should point out that next to no photographs in the family collection are dated.  But I know these shots were taken on 17 January 1965 because Dad wasn't the only photographer out that day. In a certain publication there is dated photograph of the down goods being banked, complete with a certain youthful photographer trying his best but failing to get out of the shot!

So here is the banker in question, darkened by its own cloud of smoke.

Cheers,
Don