Ah, the South and the Deep South!

Happy New Year to the entire readership!

Although Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Flickr seem to dominate our social media lives these days, I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to wax lyrical through blogging.It seems so 90s these days!

For no particular reason I thought I would reproduce a few of the family's deep south shots from the early 1960s in this edition.  Lets start with a couple of 1210 from a dull day in 1963. Lets hope 2019 brings an improvement in this loco's fortunes - certainly the recent announcement about the Canberra Railway Museum seem to indicate such a trajectory.

Jump forward a year to April 1964 and just up the road in Goulburn sits 5718 among other goods locos awaiting scrapping - including several 58s. 

It can't be all about 'dead' locos so off the same roll of film we have 5118 at Cootamundra and 5157 at Junee - both the epitome of activity.

And now to wrap up with my usual conundrum for a final photograph. The writing on the slide frame says '3817 on down Melbourne Express at Holbrook 1960'. It may well be 3817, but it definitely isn't Holbrook as the Main South doesn't pass through that town. Based on the silos in the background it could be either Culcairn (which is just a few paddocks away from Holbrook) or even perhaps Henty. And it is technically not a 'Melbourne Express' either - it is either the Riverina Express (most likely) or an InterCapital Daylight Express (less likely? - I am only guessing). 

Regardless of these quibbles, it is a lovely snap of a black 38er on an air-conditioned set, and I am grateful in 2019 that one of my forebears stopped the Hillman to photograph. I can be certain about the Hillman because this family only ever drove Hillmans!

Anyway, once more - Happy New Year!

Don

A Few Hours on the River

The River Hawkesbury, that is.  In this second installment from Ian Brady there is a selection of action shots from 24 November 1956.  In my humble opinion just about every one of them is brilliant, even if they may have seemed a bit prosaic at the time to him. Read my previous post if you want to know more about how and why I am presenting another photographer's efforts, but lets get on with the action.

I have no way of knowing what order these are supposed to be so lets start with the start or the end of the journey.  It is labelled as the 'Chips' which seems reasonable.  What I didn't know is that the Railways Administration were guilty of inflicting FGs on the good citizens of the Blue Mountains.  Thought only the southern highlanders and south coasters were that unlucky.  Anyway, here's 4607 at the head of the Chips.

Now, up to the River.  In the hope that someone recognises Ian or whoever this person is, here's a partially obscured tender from 5611. The tender lettering looks like one of my decalling efforts.

Onto the steam action.  Ian may have reflected that he hit the button a fraction early on this shot of a 59 leading a Garratt down Cowan Bank, but I love the result. Poles are up, but no wires at this stage.

Anyone who wants to guess the number of this 38, you are welcome to post your guess in the comments below. Guessing its the Midday Flyer. I reckon its number is somewhere between 06 and 30 (inclusive) and not 13. Yes, I am being a smarty pants.

Better job on working out this one - 3816 also moving a seven car Flyer service at great speed.

And Ian wrapped up his photography that day with snagging 4014 as it emerged from the tunnel. Might even be a greenie?

More to come at a later time.

Cheers,
Don

A lucky find

Through the generous efforts of my mate, Mad Dog, I have received a collection of photographs from the mid 1950s.  These photographs appear to have been taken by a member of the Australian Railway Historical Society, who could have been a Mr Ian Brady.  

I am probably never going to find out how these photos went out of Mr Brady's possession (or his family's possession) and into mine, but I will be eternally grateful for the diligence and awareness that Mad Dog showed in snaffling these packets for photos at Rozelle Markets a couple of months ago. If any one knows more about Mr Brady or these photos, I would appreciate comments on this post.

Anyway, Mad Dog sent me the following photo a couple of months ago out of the blue.  It shows 3501 at Zig Zag at the head of the 1954 ARHS Annual Outing - as rail tours were called in those days.

Its funny what the brain stores away.  It took about 10 minutes to discover nearly the identical photograph leading the January 1955 ARHS Bulletin, with the credit going to Ian Brady. 

It was only yesterday when I got the full batch of photos (which I will paste here in due course and over on my Flickr page (Don5617) that it we were able to confirm that there shots were from the same person.  

So, I never met you Mr Ian Brady but you were a fine photographer and, as the following and other posts will show, had a sense of getting into the right spot to get something a bit special. I have started scanning a few in low res, as its the scanner most accessible at the moment. At some stage I will re-scan them to the level they deserve.  

So, lets have a look at just a few more from that day - which was 14 November 1954, incidentally. Sneaking a shot from platform 16 at the start of the day caught the sunny side of the loco, along with the crew setting up the headboard.

 I think this next shot is taking water at Lawson. The report in the Bulletin lists this as the location where this occurred. The Bulletin noted that the train did not stop at Valley Heights for an assistant engine which meant the Nanny 'put her back into it' on the climb up the Hill.

Leaning out of the carriage, Mr Brady almost pulls off a ripper of a 58 at the landmark - near Katoomba.

And leaving Katoomba, headed west. Apologies for the wonky scan.

Then at Zig Zag where the tour stopped for a 2 hour picnic.

The loco worked into Lithgow for a spin on the table.

It wasn't all 3501 - 2608 got snapped.

Double standard goods locos worked east with a fast goods.

Then the last shots of the day from the Zig Zag where the train is approaching to collect the 207 happy picnickers.

The Bulletin article finishes with a full half page of thank yous, as outings in those days were run with the full co-operation and grace of the railway administration. I am going to conclude in a similar vein.  Thank you, Mr Ian Brady, for your efforts nearly 63 years ago. And thank you Mad Dog for being on the spot and thinking of your railway nut mate.

Many more great shots to come!

Cheers,
Don

Stanwell Park

I have been digging around the family photo archive once more, looking for locations which would have imperiled the photographer.  My mob aren't great tree climbers so I am indebted to my ground-hogging father, grandfather and uncle who decided to set off one Sunday morning to tackle the black snakes of Stanwell Park.

Their courage/stupidity enabled them to snap a shot of a 50 heading away from the coast with a full load of Port Kembla fertiliser, bound for some lucky farmers.

Sadly, because it was a Sunday, the Railways used spare diesel loco capacity rather than steam locos.  It resulted in this rather glorious shot of a 44 headed south with what looks like the South Coast Daylight Express (in the form of a 6 car L set), top and tailed with a few additional cars of varying vintage. While its a great shot I can't help thinking what it would have looked like with a black pig up front.

Next up - same type of loco, different train.

Steam was seen on another date at this location, in the form of 3801 on a tour. Do not adjust your monitors - it is black and white.

As is this one of a five car Budd set

Back to colour and across the other side of the viaduct, another 44 on a Sydney-bound five-car set of heavies.  An independent 6th car was tucked in behind the Alco.

And though there were three photographers, there was only one camera - so the shots from this day are few.  I will leave you with just one more - a 44 snout shot.

Cheers,
Don

Sunday morning

Just reflecting that this blog has now 100,000 visits, which is brilliant and thank you to everyone who has stopped by.

When I started this blog abut 6 years ago I never figured I would stick it out for 165 posts or that I would reach 6 figures on visits.  When the mob and I started snapping away over 60 years ago I guess the thought was that the photos would be seen by about 7 people. Technology is a wondrous thing.

This little milestone (a big one for this little rambler) has reminded me that when I kicked this blog off in 2011 my only alternative way of sharing photographs was to upload them into a file folder in the Ausloco chat group.  Over the last 6 years I have created a Youtube account, a Flickr site and I now also contribute - albeit to varying degrees - to various Facebook groups. And now I lurk on Instagram,Pinterst etc.

This activity is now so much a part of my life it gets difficult to remember a time when it wasn't so all pervasive... like 50 years ago. Sunday mornings then were dominated by Sunday school (thanks Mum, a valiant effort always doomed to fail) and steam trains. Most tours to the Illawarra stopped in Wollongong for watering so it gave a good chance to catch anything once a whistle had been heard. Sometimes a RTM newsletter had given the advance notice but most times it was a mad rush to grab a camera, shove the kids in the back seat (me and my sister) and point the Cortina in the direction of Wollongong yard.  Here's half a dozen results of those mad dashes. 

First up is a back-lit shot of 5215 and 3802 on tour on 26 July 1964 - almost 52 years ago. It looks as cold and wintry as today.
 

 Two years later we found 3322 taking water for a Moss Vale tour on 17 July 1966.

3644 made a number of tour trips to the Gong, such as this one.

Now to the 1970s and here is a shot to show that we weren't just fair weather photographers - like this one of 3214 from 1972.

Its 1970s partner in P class crime was 3203, and the weather looks only slightly better.

Looking back at these shots I am amazed by the detail that my mind has forgotten - the point rodding, the wooden railing off the end of the platform, the water column. But there is one thing I haven't forgotten, which is the sound of a loco whistle.  The next photo of 5917 is captioned as having been taken in January 1979. But when I was sitting here about an hour ago watching Insiders I heard the same loco blow as it headed out along the East Hills line. The sound of a Sunday morning!

Cheers,

Don

 

 

 

Port Waratah loco

Wintry Saturday afternoons lend themselves to blogging. And so it is today.

Not really sure what made me think of Port Waratah depot. Anyway I have, so here comes a dozen snaps from that location running from April 1964 through to the end of steam.

From that earlier period, 5251 leads a line of stored steam locos.

This line of stored steam sandwiches a 35 between two standard goods locos. 

Next up, working steam, but a bit quirky.  5195 has an EHO in tow. 

5114 has a shunting tender attached, in the foreground of the coaling tower ramp.

A couple more shots from around this location. First up, 1904 up high.

 Then 3090T going about shunting duties (taken from a heavily degraded slide)

And 3246 getting coaled at this location.

1955 was caught shunting non-air four wheel coal hoppers.

Finally, to the turntable - 5475 is adjacent to the roundhouse.

And to finish off with a couple of garratts between shifts.

Cheers,
Don.

In the act of shunting

I head to work for another year tomorrow and over the next 50 weeks I'll do a lot of shunting - of paper, from one side of the desk to the next. Slightly more interesting is the shunting of railway carriages and wagons. Slightly more dangrous too.

Anyway, I have posted quite a few shots of steam locos going about their shunting duties over the years.  Here's a few more to add to the collection.

Lets take Bathurst as the location - here's someone who looks to be happy shunting in a broody hen. Just love those marker lamps!

And here's 3112 going about shunting in the final years of steam.
 

Shunting Bathurst seemed to save your skin as a steam loco (or boiler cladding I suppose) - here's the RTM's 5910 at a location thought to be Bathurst.

While a little on the backlit side, 5427 needs to be included for the fluffy clouds and the fingerprint on the slide!
 

To complete the Bathurst shunters, here's 5212 on its way somewhere down or up the yard.

Enjoy your year at work!

Cheers,
Don