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

Double headers

A Facebook group that has graciously permitted me to join has been running a theme for December 2016 which involves double-headed steam, or a double header involving a steam loco to be more precise.  It has been a very good month! The better half has commented a couple of times about how much time I seem to be spending on Facebook.

Anyway, I have dug a few up which I am about to post. Thought I would pop them up here too so I can have a bit more of a ramble on about them.  First up is 5395 and 5593 just south of Wollongong on a tour train around 1965. 

It is on the short north that our photo collection seems to have most of the steam era double headers. Here is 3509 and a 36 at Gosford in 1965 - appearing to be refuged to permit a 44 to pass.

The next photo comes from a location a few hundred yards further north.  It is of 3532 and a 60 on what appears to be W44 April 1967.

A third one from the short north - 3654 and a Garratt on Hawkemount around 1969.

Then t the west for the final two shots this year - and both are black & white so please do not adjust your monitors. It is 1965 and 3653 and 3825 are approaching the climb on Tumulla Bank with gusto. 

Further west still, 3652 and another pig are climbing away from Molong.

So folks, that was 2016 in a blog.  I still managed a post a fortnight, even after blowing up a computer and managing to lock myself out of Blogger for a couple of months. Thanks for reading and commenting on my posts throughout the year. I will be back (in 2017)!

Cheers,
Don

Katies in the Gong

In 1966 two tours using 55 class locos were run to Wollongong.  By this time I think the two locos used were the last two of the class - 5593 and 5597. Could be wrong there!

First off, on 12 March 1966 5593 arrived in Wollongong looking very spruce.

5593 was on its way to Port Kembla to collect South Bulli No.2 for restoration.  While all this was being arranged, the then rather exotic 7003 took the train around the Inner Harbour.

 Here is the little loco all loaded up on a well wagon, ready for transport back to the Big Smoke.

Another industrial loco apparently wandered around the precinct to take a look at these proceedings. 

The second tour was run in October of the same year, this time with 5597. Here it is in Wollongong and later at Coniston.

Would be good to see 5597 ride the rails once more.

Cheers,
Don

Richmond

This weekend the mighty LVR are running steam shuttles along the Richmond line.  Which got me thinking about when steam locos were king out that way. It looks like no one in my family was sufficiently motivated to ever head up that way to record the steady stream of C30 tanks and 32 class locos doing the commuter shuttles, but they did get there a couple of times. So its time to review snaps from a couple of those trips.

First up there is a slightly blurry offering of what looks like a flat out 3042 on one of those commuter trains.

 

 Next up is one of my favourite photos... what more could you want on a winter's afternoon in 1964 than a trip from Wollongong in a Hillman Minx to Richmond loco?

Another shot of 3313 in the winter sun...

And here is one of the few photos Dad took with a child obstructing the view of a loco. As I was only about 8 months old at the time, my uncle got the duty of holding yours truly.  Start of a lifelong love affair with 30 class locos.

Clearly this afternoon was so successful it would be another three years before we would venture that way again.  This time most of the locos were situated near the ancient loco shed.

The keen observers of the last photo would have picked up the little gem in the background and thankfully, someone walked down the yard to photograph it.Yep, a dreamboat 55 class.

And that is it for steam era photographs of Richmond yard in my possession.  I did head back up that way just as electrification was upon the land.  It was a less than speedy trip by two car diesel, but we made it.

I never got a run on CPHs on the Richmond line, those these specimens called Richmond home for a number of years whilst in the employ of the Macquarie Valley Railway.
 

Sun's out - hope I get to see good reports of 3237 and 5917 doing their stuff up Richmond way.

Ciao for now!

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

Illawarra goods by steam

Happy New Year to all!

This is the third of a series of blog postings covering photographs taken just south of North Wollongong station, at the location of my paternal grandparents’ former home. 

For those unfamiliar with the history of railways on the Illawarra, its probably worth noting that this line was dieselised relatively early in the piece – around April 1964. This means that photos of steam services were pretty limited in the family collection.  And those that exist are in fairly ordinary condition, albeit they are now 50 years of age or more.  Still, here are a few of the more interesting examples.

First up, 5364 is caught on the up milky in April 1964.  This is pretty much the quintessential South Coast goods train in my view.  Its headed to Darling Harbour with a full load of creamy products.

The backbone of Illawarra freight services was and is still one commodity – coal.  I have chosen one coal operation – that from South Bulli Colliery – to showcase the use of standard goods locomotives in the last days of steam on the Illawarra.  First up is what I believe to be (but could be mistaken) 5056 on a down service.

The next two photos have the ‘improved’ version of the NSWGR’s standard goods locomotive – the 53 class.  The first photograph is of 5395 headed south in 1963, while the second shows 5487 treading the rails in the same direction. (Do not adjust your computer's settings - these are black and white photographs!)

The third and final version of the NSWGR standard goods locomotive, the 55 class, is usually never described as an improvement on the 53 class and it is not really remembered as an Illawarra-based class of locomotive.  However there were exceptions.  55 class locos were used extensively on the Unanderra to Moss Vale line as bankers. They also got to work the South Bulli coal run on occasions.  The next photograph shows 5595 headed south, while the one following has its younger sister 5619 headed the same way.

Outside of coal and coke headed south, a bit of steel headed north and milk trains, there wasn’t a real lot of freight action.  I am going to finish up with the sublime, 3816 relegated to a general freight service. I am going out on another limb here to guess that the 38 had worked a passenger express to Thirroul, and then had been commandeered to worth the freight further south.  It is a bit unusual as turning a loco of this size was easiest at Thirroul.  

As 3816 trundles off to Wollongong I will sign off for the time being.  Plenty more to come so please stay tuned!