Kurrajong

This second installment from Frank Barrett is shorter than the first (posted 26 March 2017) but just as interesting - for the all too few people in the world who care about the Richmond to Kurrajong railway. The line was closed in 1952 so if these photos are from that location - and I think they probably are - I am guessing they were taken shortly before its closure.

The photos show 2024 arriving and then ready to leave the terminus. 

I love many things about both photos, including the driver who appears in both, the timber load in the yard, the beaten look of 2024, the panelled carriages and the imperious stance of the station master. But nothing beats the bloke in the white shirt looking into the camera as 2024 arrives.  The mixture of bemusement and seeming annoyance that someone would waste scarce camera film on such a mundane scene is as apparent now as it was when Frank got the original shot developed nearly seven decades ago. 

And sadly that is all we have of Kurrajong.  Next installment we head north.

Cheers,
Don

Don't try this at home

I thought I would toss up a few photos showing health and safety issues from earlier times. Its supposed to be light hearted so please, no comments either for or against what is happening in these photos!

First up, only one bit of soot in the eye from the standard goods' exhaust and its backwards off that tender!

That was 4913 being banked by 5364 on Tumulla Bank in January 1965, by the way.

Next up, look at these two lads taking the shortest possible route in front of 2010.

It was the last train to Camden and it was stationary at the time.

Next up, laying a 30 class down to rest.

Those men inspecting 3137 were railwaymen.  I am not sure that all of the people in the following shot were, and it would seem that not too many were sun-safe either!

The last snap was from New Year's Day 1964 when 4529 ran off the rails at Unanderra.  Nice start to the year for that crew.  Next up, the ordinary, but with the potential for so much to go wrong.

I love how 3 kids appear to be climbing into the cab, all at once.  That was the sort of thing you did in Wollongong in the late 1970s and nothing ever went wrong.

Next up a toast-rack tram at SPER's old site.  These were great fun and the conductors encouraged the kids to hang out.  Also from the 1970s. 

  

 In 1980 the Railways ran a successful celebration of 125 years of service at Central.  I just love the angle that this interested patron takes whilst on 4836's running board.

 Definitely don't try this at home.  How do you test  for hot boxes on express trains? Well, you use the back of your hand...

That was also from 1980 - at Taree as the North Coast Daylight rolled through.

And what could go wrong with slippery soapy water to clean 44234's windscreen???

And to finish up, imagine getting that hair caught in the buffing plate....

Things are certainly safer and maybe just a bit more boring these days.

Seeya!
Don

More from Norff Gong

Don's stupid photographic rule #37... don't waste scarce film on light engine movements.  I never did, anyway, until about 1994.

Here is another installment of 'what ran past the back fence at my grandmother's place at North Wollongong'.  In the case of light engine movements, thanks to my stupidity, this will be a short but fairly interesting blog.

Lets start with a couple before I could hold a camera.  This first one is pretty notable, he says immodestly.  It is of 2001 and a PWD loco - thought to be 1803 - headed on a one way trip to Thirroul and points north after the closure of the Reid's Hill loco depot in 1964.  I think the 18 class is just along for the ride.

Going the other way, here's double 55s headed to Unanderra to take up banking duties on goods trains to Moss Vale.  Nice to see both a Wampu and a turret tender in tow.

Nothing says 1970s in Wollongong like a 48 class, so I need to include at least one.

And to wrap up, the other form of traction to work past the back fence.  This was taken in May 1994 and by then I was taking photos of light engine movements.

Ciao for now!
Don

RIP - Reid's Hill loco depot - 50 years ago this month

Time for another blog post - I just lurve being on holidays; gives you so much more time for the important things in life.

Continuing with the theme in recent postings of steam on the south coast, I thought I would show a few snaps of the former Reid's Hill locomotive depot operated by the Public Works Department of NSW, which had responsibility for shunting Port Kembla's wharves and undertaking breakwater maintenance for the first half of the 20th century. This responsibility was assumed by the NSW Government Railways (NSWGR) in 1949, and to their credit largely kept these operations separate from mainstream railway operations until the early 1960s.

The Public Works Department had purchased or somehow procured a motley collection of former NSWGR steam locomotives over the years, augmented by several locos obtained in its own right.  I will stand corrected, but all were tank locomotives with short wheelbases - the latter aspect was needed to negotiate tight radius curves around the Port Kembla waterfront.  As an example of this, in 1940 the NSWGR had sold tank locomotive 2002 to Public Works for a princely ₤800.  It became PWD 80 and was sent to the Illawarra for work on the wharves.

This post is not going to be able to deal with operations at Reid's Hill, as I have next to no knowledge about such things. I can however relay a little information about the demise of the depot and its occupants, which will be shown to be somewhat timely and relevant to my earlier posts on North Wollongong.  Before I go further please note that I will suspend my usual abhorrence for acronyms to use the moniker ‘PWD’ throughout this posting in reference to the Public Works Department.

Reid’s Hill locomotive depot was closed 50 years ago this month, after the dieselisation of Port Kembla’s wharves was completed by the allocation of all ten members of the 70 class to the NSWGR’s nearby Port Kembla locomotive depot.  While I have no shots of 70s on the wharves, as this blog is supposed to include photographs here is a location shot of double 70s doing their stuff in Port Kembla yard around 1980.

While Reid’s Hill depot closed in January 1964, its occupants had been leaving town well before then.  PWD 30 and PWD 78 had been scraped on site in September 1955, while PWD 27 suffered the same fate in 1961.  Luckier was PWD No. 29, which moved from Port Kembla to Enfield to become Garratt shed shunter in June 1961.

In September 1963 PWD No. 79 stored at Thirroul depot, having been donated to the NSW Rail Transport Museum.  Thirteen months later it was towed to Enfield by 5593 to commence life as a very special museum exhibit. By 1982 it could be found safely undercover at Thirlmere with its big cousin Bronzewing, and it remains at this location to the current time.

While 70 classes had assumed an increasing load of shunting duties throughout the second half of 1963, steam did not subside until the very end of that year.  On 29 December 1963, PWD 28 had the honour of being the last steam to operate a shift on the wharves.  ‘Kembla’ as it was known, disgraced itself by failing mid-shift.   

The family photograph collection does have a few shots around Reid’s Hill.  First up is a sadly scarred photo of 1076 in situ, still worth publishing in its reduced condition due to its content.  

In its last days Reid’s Hill had a fair representation of 26 class locomotives.  Here 2619 and 2612 bask outside the shed.

As a sort of a postscript, there was some steam action at Reid's Hill after the depot’s closure.  Sadly it only involved the scrapping of PWD No. 34 on-site in June 1964.

And now to the link to North Wollongong.  According to the Railway Digest, on the second day of 1964 – 50 years ago this week - 2001, 2609 & PWD No. 28 were moved from Reid’s Hill to storage at Thirroul depot.  I think that the following photograph, taken from the back door of my grandparent’s home captures part of this working.  2609 probably worked north under its own power or as part of a regular goods working, but it was necessary for PWD No. 28 to be towed to storage following its failure four days earlier.  So, unless contradictory information comes to light, I think this is 2001 towing PWD No. 28 to Thirroul on 2 January 1964.