Previous posts have described the agony of family caravan holidays taken in the hottest month of the year. Forty years ago, after many supplications, the Elders agreed not to head to White Cliffs in western NSW in January, but up the NSW north coast. Of course it was a great holiday, with tons of trains and many great photographs. Unfortunately, we discovered a month later that the camera had been misfiring so the following is all that remains of that trip (plus the memories of 44s everywhere). So, enjoy a record of the start of the holiday - a couple of days and nights at Taree.
Lets start just out of Taree, at Wingham. Its one of my favourite shots because it sums up the time. Even the pole leaning admirer (Dad) of 4428 in the middle of a warm January day was dressed for the times, terry-towelling hat and thongs.
Taree loco was explored, also around the middle of the day. It took a bit of looking, but 4520 was found lurking. More accessible was 4805 and 44207.
The whole loco depot reeked of the steam era. The allusion was assisted by the fuel tanks, late of 5707.
The real action happened around this time of day too, with the cross of the two (up and down) North Coast Daylight Expresses. With some nimble footwork, it was usually possible to catch the locos doing the cross, then catch one of them sidling up to the tail of the other's train.
The following day we used up the remainder of the roll of film on another superannuated practice - a human hot box detector.
Happy with these shots, we loaded the next roll of film into the camera and headed north. And that is where the troubles started. Oh well, as I said memories....
Happy New Year!
Don
Frank Barrett was an old family friend who passed away more than 30 years ago. While that is a fair time ago I still clearly remember his 'announcing' cough and knock at the back door. He was one of those laconic and upbeat sorts of people who we need more of on this planet.
A cup of tea was never far from Frank's hand, and a cigarette was usually close by the other hand. Here is a shot of Frank enjoying one of the former whilst ensconced in the lounge car of the Indian Pacific.
Frank was active in the Illawarra
Model Railway Association during 1970s where his big Rivarossi
steam locomotives would monster those little Lima 44s on the next track. But he loved the big stuff too, having been a guard for the Queensland Railways at one stage. I don't know when he started taking photographs or why, but I am very glad he did - and that he generously handed over a selection of his photographs to the Senior Train Hunter.
I'll start with a few of his shots taken on the Blue Mountains, pre-electrification. Lets start with 5712 appearing to be in full cry.
Frank did his own film developing. I love the way he slightly over-exposed this next shot of a headlightless 5420 leading another 57 across the hill.
I am not sure this next shot is on the Mountains, but it is of 3635 as a round-top Pig so it goes in! The crew has apparently absconded.
And I will finish this installment of the Frank Barrett series with my personal favourite - and a shot that is so clear it looks like a 21st century SLR camera has nabbed it. 3258 sits at the head of end-platform carriages. We (Tom and I - see below - thanks Tom) think that this location is Mount Vic. It sort of ties in with the location of the other shots too.
Back soon with more from Frank and others!
Cheers,
Don
Never really thought much about how many steam-era items of rolling stock survived in one guise or another. Perhaps one of the most inglorious re-uses was taking the tenders from glorious and powerful freight locomotive and using them as storage tanks. I probably walked past more than I photographed for this very reason, but a few were captured.
Taree had5707's tender hoisted up onto concrete plinths when we popped by in January 1980.
In 1982 revered father and I did a 'there and back in a day' XPT trip to Dubbo. We saw this next one on the way into Dubbo and snapped it on the way out, through the carriage window. This one has always had me stumped - the tank has been butchered but I think its a turret tender. The painted number suggests 5340 or 5440, but underneath this is a fainter series of numbers ending possibly with a 3. In official terms, it was L454.
One that lasted well into the 21st century and may still be there is the tender of 5808 - at least I remember reading this somewhere as being the tender of 5808.
For the hell of it, this is what they were supposed to be... 5711's tender at Enfield in the early 1970s, sans loco.
And that's about it from 'the collection' - there may be others in there but I never coded them as such so they'll remain in obscurity for a while longer. Thought I would finish with a couple of shots of Dubbo's semi-famous 57 class boiler, come sanding tower.
Ciao for now - from the home of the mundane!
Don
