Reminiscing about the near past

When thinking about blog posts I always seem to be reaching for the file folder called '1966' or '1978'.  Sure, these were golden periods of the NSW railways, although 1978 was more brown than golden.

There has been another golden period since in my usually ill-considered opinion - from about 1998 to 2007.  So, lets wind back the clock a mere 15 years, to 1 May 2006.  It was during a period that I had many reasons to visit Canterbury, Dullo and Marrickville - almost all associated with work.  Now I am out of things I can confess to writing many a government brief on the seats at Canterbury station, stopping only to snap the passing traffic. And we think working away from the office is a new thing! Anyway, on 1 May 2006 the youngster and I snaffled many trains - here are six...

The day started with a tidy trippy led by 4483 and 4471. 

.. quickly followed by 2203 and two CLPs headed for the Illawarra... I stuffed the going away shot (at least the 422 is in focus)...

Jumping down the line to Marrick Vegas we scored 44208 and KL81 top and tailing a container train out of Port Botany....

Out of the XPT depot, 4833 did what it does best... smoke.

Just over the weeds, GL105, 4903 and EL51 arrived from points west/north.

And then 4708 and 4458 arrived... 

Ho hum... more Alcos... stuffed the arriving but not the going away shot... 4503 in its Big Red Tomato livery with a more sedate liveried 4468.

That was six trains, but the bonus seventh train involved 4701 and two dilapidated GMs.

I have just managed this entire blog without posted a PacNat blue loco, demonstrating it was a golden era indeed!

Cheers,

Don

Up the Creek

Hi all, I am still around!

Promise to get back into things as the weather turns colder, especially if Souths start losing a few.

I have coincidentally come across a real live reader of this blog - sorry if I sound surprised  but my main readership appears to come from regions of the former Soviet Union.

This 'live' reader mentioned he most enjoyed the stuff from up north so, Brendan, these are for you mate!

The back story here is that around 1982 (could have been earlier) Dad shot off for a few days with two mates.  When they got to Werris Creek they asked permission to photograph the locos.  They were given the okay to do so as long as they didn't move any of the locos around.. Turns out a group of visiting photographers several weeks earlier have 're-positioned' the locos to enhance their photographs.  Cheeky buggers!

Cheers,

Don

Getting to Dripstone

Just been trawling through  a few photos instead of working, and came upon these long-forgotten ones. I have been trying to repress the memory of this first one for four decades... I stayed with one of my non-train loving cousins instead of following Dad down to Bathurst railway station.  He, and my sister and another cousin, cadged a ride up Raglan Bank in a 47 class banker.  Here is a shot looking back at 4537 and the train.

I got the consolation prize - the next day in the same general vicinity we scored the Indian Pacific with 4485 and a sister 44. Pretty sure I have posted a version of this slide before but, hey, its double Alcos...

The other end of the train was nearly as interesting, and certainly much cleaner than the front end.

Anyway, i had been looking for photos of a little place called Dripstone, which was the station where Arthur Edward Jones had been sent in 1925.  Arthur is one-eighth of the reason why I am here today - he was my paternal great grand-father.  He was the station master at Dripstone between 1925 and 1927.  Fifty years later, both the station building and the station master's house were standing. We only took a solitary shot of each.

The station is now gone, but the house (or a bit of it) lives on in a remodelled dwelling on the same site.  Of course, Arthur is gone too and I am going to leave you with a report of his leaving of Dripstone - from the Wellington Times in April 1927.  Seems he was bit of a 'live wire'.

Cheers,
Don

59s aplenty

Just a short, contemporary one today. 5917 is steaming away at platform 1 at Sydney Terminal station right now, for the second time this week.

It is off to Tamworth this weekend, Wauchope next weekend and then Coffs the weekend after. LVR sure punches above its weight.

Snuggled at the #1 buffers is an even more rare visitor to the station, a 47 class.

But the rarest beast for platform 1 today must be this little KHG off for the ride.

Ciao for now!

Don

Broady loco

My trips to Broadmeadow loco depot were few, being a Wollongong boy. However we did drop by a few times in the 1980s.  Sadly I never recorded the dates of those visits, except that I do remember that they coincided with trips to the Newcastle model railway show at the basketball stadium nearby.  That sure narrows it down! Anyway, over to taking a peak at a few of the photos that we snapped (I think) on two separate visits. 

Before going further I also better note that whenever I visited a loco depot I sought and obtained permission to be on the premises. Never had a problem with the staff here or anywhere, just needed to be respectful and understanding that these people had a job to do.

First of all, lets start with a shot from the train travelling through the yard.  It was always 'eyes left'! I think this one and the next two photos were from 1987ish...

This is a slightly out-of-focus shot, included just for its most excellent demonstration of work, health and safety (80s-style) happening on 4463.

And for a better shot of 48101 and 4518 (I think) in fine repair...

The remainder of the photos in this blog date from a slightly earlier time. Lets start with no fewer than seven 48s lined up around the turntable. Almost sad that 4814 appears in this otherwise-candy line-up.

And for the rest of the line-up that day... a slightly more eclectic collection...

Will finish up with a few close-ups... up first, 4715 and 4472 of the same location shot from different locations. Just love this shot.

Moving away a bit I caught the same two locos in the background to 4470 and 8047...

Then a photo from across the turntable of a loco actually moving, and it was no less than a 47 class - 4718 to be precise.

  
I wasn't going to include this shot as it is a bit cropped, but 97% of a 45 is still probably worth looking at.

Ciao for now!
Don

Easter in Cowra - 1994

I am such an old coot. Can't believe its 21 Easters ago that 3801 Ltd and LVR combined to give me one of the best Easters since childhood. It all started where it should - at Central behind 3801 early on Good Friday morning.

From memory the 38 performed magnificently throughout the trip (it was off to Dubbo). We got a tow from Penriff to Katoomba from a pretty decrepit 4472.

We hopped out at Blayney for my first ever ride behind a 47 class. LVR provided the class leader and a couple of carriages for a trip I hope to have the chance to do once more, soon. And yes, this was a photo-stop. Something else I haven't done for 21 years.

The next two days were a blur of rail motor and 30T trips. Here's a couple I didn't catch.

As part of the tour we were billeted in sleeping cars in the loco yard. I forgot just how cold those carriages could get.  But it did give us the run of the loco depot, including after hours.  So please forgive the following self-indulgent 'atmospheric' shots.

 

I wasn't too good at getting up early for the start of days...

But the afternoons weren't bad to be around...

By Easter Sunday night my then girlfriend packed it in for a motel in the town. I stuck it out in the sleeping car until about 2am and then made a lonely little trudge into town to seek a bed with an electric blanket.  Best of intentions!

Anyway Easter Monday came too soon, like it always does.  4701 was strapped onto the front of our Blayney-bound train.

 
And at Blayney the big Pacific turned up to return us to Sydney.

Again it was a terrific trip. I remember being struck by the numbers of people out to see the 38 steam through. Apart from the usual train chasers (see next photo) it was just Joe and Jane Public with their kids.  I remember in particular Newbridge. Its platform was chock-a-block with the whole village.

So, its been 21 years but it doesn't feel like it. I really hope the Blayney to Demondrille cross country line is reopened this year so LVR may again flourish at Cowra. The experience offered by LVR at a country railway depot is unique and tantalising. And it hooked me. LVR scored themselves a (admittedly passive) member on the basis of this trip.

So I will finish up with a snap of what that weekend meant to me.

Happy Easter!