Albury town

A Wednesday lunchtime contribution... working from home has its advantages/distractions. 

As another distraction,I thought I would start an occasional series of location reviews, using an alphabetical sequence.  You can look forward to Zig Zag appearing on this blog - but not yet as I am staring at the other end. If I have them, I will post up to 5 shots of the particular location... might need to be a few roughies so bear with me.

So, A for Albury. The next five shots have one thing in common - they leave the viewer with the impression that Albury was a busy and crowded yard once.

I am going to start in black and white from one of Dad's Nurail trips he took while he left me in primary school around 1975 (thanks Dad, that extra 2 weeks of education certainly paid dividends).  This is an early morning shot of 4416 (or 4418) with what passed for the Riverina Express that day - it looks like 3 cars was considered sufficient to manage the patronage that day. A 421 is ready to follow the Riv north, while an interstater is ready to cross the border.

Now, three shots, all from 1983 I think, if memories and notes are accurate. Here is a basking 42105 and 4894.

(From memory) the following day  42202 and X44 rumbled by Albury signal box.

One the same day, the 40s appeared - X40 and a freshly candied 44240 sharing the platform roads.

And finally, never let it be said big engines don't shunt. Here's 8133, a shunter's float and van, going about their daily duties around 1985.

Will be back with the Bs soon (I hope).

Don

4499 after being a ghost

A couple of years ago (2016) I published some shots of 4499 shortly after it had been repainted into its unique grey ghost livery in January 1986. If you are wondering what I am talking about and can't be bothered scrolling down to find the article, here is another shot of 4499 heading north through Sawtell with a little Alco cousin - am thinking this was around September 1986 (photo snapped by the Senior on one of his numerous holidays).

I had forgotten that this livery only lasted until the following September (according to the Digest), whereupon it got the candy treatment. So here are a few shots of it in its candy scheme...

Well, here's a bit of '99 but to be fair, this was the shot I wanted - one of Keira Signal Box at Gipps Street, Wollongong.

I am guessing that 4499 spent its last years working out of Broadmeadow depot? I only saw it up north, like this day when I caught it squeezed between 44225 and 4448 near Tamworth at dusk.  The day was 13 April 1992 by the way...

The last time I saw the penultimate member of the 44 class was 22 August 1992 when it rolled by on a container train at Maitland. A nice train to remember it by!

Cheers,
Don