Tumulla '63

For once, I have been scouring photos from the family collection for train composition, rather than what is up front. Must be getting old(er) and wiser. The quality of the photos leaves a lot to be desired - Dad certainly wasn't using Kodak! I have tried to remove the most egregious marks off the following snaps.

I love this first shot, which I believe is 3670 on a down goods climbing Tumulla Bank in 1963 (from the date of the slide).  Although the train is largely empty, It requires 5364 as a banker (more of that in a moment).  A CW cattle wagon is tucked in behind the Pig, then there are 10 G wagons.  I can't be certain that these are wagons returning to Broken Hill for the W44 ore concentrate run but might be. Then there appears to be an S wagon, followed by a K wagon, then a series of S wagons.  It is only this part of the train that is the 'revenue' service.

And to complete the picture, here is our banker! I may have posted this one previously. The country looks very dry and the shadows are short, so I am guesssing it is near the middle of a winter's day. This timing sort of works as Dad was never one to share a paddock with a snake.

In this next shot, 4904 in its original livery still looks to be under warranty - unlike the RU hoppers trundling behind. As these would almost certainly be loaded, the crew of the 49 would be in for a fun trip downhill.

Now this next photo is of 3812 or 3822, but not 3802. But it is the two wagons immediately behind the loco that are of interest presently, especially if they are filled with product from Arnotts Biscuits.

That reminds me, it is time for a cup of tea and a monte carlo.

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

Out west with Phil

Here's a few more from the lens of Phil Clarke to ease us all through a wet Friday here in NSW. This time the photographs come from a trip to Broken Hill in October 1978. 

First up, 4905 acting as Broken Hill's yard shunter on 9 October 1978.

Phil then captured 600, 703 and 864, all in South Australia's mustard pot scheme.  Sadly for us he was shooting black and white. Not sure who the young fella is hanging off the locos. Suspect it is Phil's son.  This would have been unheard of in our family. Any child straying in front of a loco was promptly told to get out of the way (in more colourful language than is permissible on this blog).

 

 

And two shots of the Indian Pacific - the first at Broken Hill with GM27 at the front. Noice combo.

No trip out west would be complete without a change-of-loco shot at Lithgow. So here you have 4607 heading another 46 on a down Indian Pacific at Lithgow on 11 October 1978.

Cheers!
Don

Preservation is not for ever

Was cruising through some shots from 2007 this morning and was just surprised by how much things have changed in the 'heritage' or 'preservation' scene in NSW.

It has to be said. I miss the Cocky. A regular heritage train, keeping the momentum of preservation alive. 4908 and 4833 on the Cocky on 14 March 2007.

A few from Koolewong on 14 April 2007 as positioning runs were made for the Maitland Steam Festival that year. Will start with 01 doing what it had done for 60+ years.

Thankfully (at least one) 01 is still going. And looks better than ever.

3112 is a terrific little loco. Hope it runs once more.

While we are in Koolewong, here's a resplendent 4918 on 4 August 2007.

Some other things were different in 2007 - like the cameras in mobile phones were truly crap. Here a night shot of MZ1432 at Gosford on tour on 7 May 2007 tested my phone's capabilities and found them wanting. 

So, jut like the 'real thing', photograph the preservation scene before it too has gone.

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

Pig in the 'burbs

Well, more correctly, Steam in the Suburbs. The (former) Rail Transport Museum's 3642 is 90 years young this year and it has spent longer in captivity (preservation/heritage) than it did in revenue service, having been retired for the first time in September 1969.

3642 would have to be one of my most photographed NSWGR steam locomotives, which is only appropriate given that it is one of my favourites. It was black when we first met but I do think the green suits its stout appearance.

Anyway, nearly 25 years ago I took a ride behind it on the last day of August 1991 as it worked its way from Redfern, down to Darling Harbour, out through Glebe and Annandale to Rozelle, then back along the Metro line to Enfield, Flemo and then finally back to Sydney Terminal.  Here's a few shots of that great day.

The first series covers tracking across the Wentworth Park viaduct.

And then as it heads into the tunnel under Glebe.

 Out the other end into Jubilee Park and off to Rozelle.

A few trains snuck past the other way, but not 4903 which was on a sleeper train at Dulwich Hill.

And all too soon we were into the wide open spaces of Enfield. Count those 48s! 

 The odd GMs were lurking around too, like these two.

 As we scooted past Flemington car sheds I noticed two parcel vans - the very things I was hunting for a couple of blog posts ago.

So, it was a very good interlude with the old girl.

Seeya,
Don

49 Call of the Board

Haven't tried to run through a class for a while, mainly because I run out o things to say.  Still, its raining here in Sydney and there is ironing to do so I was thinking about running through the 48s I have known... better go with the 49s.

Here's the class leader at Bathurst, sandwiched between two air-conditioned 80 class locos. Must have been summer.

In 1993 a mate of mine at work mentioned there was a green loco shunting Rozelle yard when he came to work.  That evening I raced over there at dusk, to find a shiny green 4902.  Then I slightly blurred the photo - and only found out that I had 3 weeks later when I got the film developed. Still a favourite.

Then its off to Dubbo for 4903 which, with GL109 and EL64, was about to travel to Sydney on 8178 containers on Dubbo 16 April 2006.

The name on the numberboard might say KL80 but underneath 4904 lurks - Braemar, March 2002.

Once more to Dubbo - 4905 is shut down in the loco depot in 1987.

I'll do a separate blog post about this outing at some stage, but here's 4906 with friends around 1980.
 

And again, back to Dubbo - 4907 in 1988, getting some TLC

I think I have more photos of 4908 than any other loco.  Here it is at Canterbury in 2001, pressed into freight service with 3801 Ltd.

You are going to have to trust me on this one.. it is 4909 (along with 4898 and 4918) on a metro trip.  By the time that this train turned up at Rozelle, I had run our of film. It was 30 August 1993.

 Way out west - 4910 at Broken Hill - 17 June 1988.

4911 powering out of Eumungerie to Gilgandra.

Still in the west, but the near west. Its Lithgow in 1977 or so, and 4912 is on the front of the Central West Express.

This is another 'trust me'... I do have a close up of 4913 but this shot from the bridge at Parkes in January 1981 gives a better panorama of the Forbes Mail it was hauling that night.
 

4914 in the shed at DELEC Open Day in 1996.

OK, I had to do it - bot of a trade mark when calling the board.Trainorama's 4915 is a mighty fine model.

4916 made it into preservation with the RTM.

One last trip out west - to Bathurst in the early 1980s for 4917.

Finally, another to make it all the way to preservation. 4918 at Robertson. The crew was probably off getting a pie.

So that's enough.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Ciao for now!
Don