Catching up

 I have finally cracked the code and am back in control of my own blog.

Here's a few photos to mark some of the things I have rambled over since I last posted in July 2022.

In August, Dad and I headed to Junee for what would end up being our last train hunt. He didn't last as long as 4497, which is still plying the rails around Harefield as it was on the 10th August.

In early September I was lucky enough to hit Bowning, just as GM10 and GM22 went north with a railset.

October was Streamliners. What an event!

At Christmas we had snuck over to Colorado for a family holiday.  One of the things I didn't expect to see was PRLX 4687 on a short San Luis and Rio Grande grain near Antonito on 29 December.

On the last day of 2022 we happened to be shopping at the Railyard Markets when a New Mexico Rail Runner left Santa Fe.

The next day we caught the Polar Express out of Durango for a great fun evening.

A week later I had a leave pass to watch the passing parade of UP power through Laramie in the snow. I saw 68 trains in a 16-hour period - not all moving. Here is one on January 6th.

The next day was better weather and I marveled at the wonders in the Colorado State Railroad Museum at Golden.

Only thing better than one Shay is two Shays....

We finished off the States with a bit of time in LA, which meant plenty of trains around Pasadena and Palm Springs.

Finally, back in Australia, the past few months have been too busy to chase too many trains.  But I did manage to catch 4532 and 44204 leaving Goulburn on a ballast on 14 March.

And that is about it for a catch up. I will finish with this snap from the young bloke, who  got VL354, 4917, 4911, 4904 and CLF2 on an up grain approaching Moss Vale on 3 June.

Back to normal transmission soon, I hope.

Cheers

Don

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

Doot doot doot looking out my back door

For about five years, my train hunting was sorted.  I usually just sat in my backyard, pretending to garden.  It got the usual parade of about 40 daylight trains - like 26 September 2016 when G516 worked an up trippy past the back fence.

If feeling athletic I went down to the either ends of the street, or even the local stations (Hurlstone Park and Canterbury), both about 600 metres away. But mostly, it was 'head out the kitchen window' stuff, like it was on 19 December 2015 when S317, GM22 and VL356 popped through at breakfast time with 8146 up containers.

But now I am up country, an hour away from any decent railway action unless garbage trains are your thing. Not complaining, but I miss the whine of a Helga pulling a trippy with a load of flat wheels at 11:45pm.

But not anymore.  The last time I looked, Australia has fewer than five decent, live streaming, webcams.  We are lagging the world, even the USA.  I have since happened upon two sites Virtual Railfan (virtualrailfan.com) and Rail Stream (https://railstream.net). Both are brilliant! 

Virtual Railfan has 81 camera at 50 locations, covering 25 states and 22 railroads. It will come as no surprise to readers to learn that so far I have satisfied myself with the 15+ free cameras, although I am seriously thinking about upgrading.  Subscriptions equal the cost of a Netflix subscription,so wifey may be a disappointed very shortly because we don't need both.

I will admit that I have never heard of some of these locations, but boyo, the trains. I started in the terrific town of Flagstaff, even sorted the local scanner so I am a bit ahead of the action.  It is a bit gritty, but BNSF rocket through here about every 15 minutes. This screen shot shows a little consist - up to five units regularly work through, with mid-train helpers and pushers too. Amtrak turns up here when it wants to.

I have since moved to the mid-west, to places like Fort Madison with its preserved steamy watching double stacks roll by.

Viewing Kansas City got more interesting this week when some auto-racks derailed on the overhead bridge. No pontiacs were injured in the preparation of this blog. Heere's another screenshot, again with two BNSF locos. I fluffed the screenshot of seven Norfolk Southerns locos, showing that my actual rail-fanning photography traits are transferable to the virtual world.

There are many things this world lacks... two in particular are diamonds and street running. I am getting my fill of both.  Two diamonds I have been watching are at La Planta in Florida and Deschler, Ohio.  Here is the latter, keeping with my BNSF theme. 

Now, street running and, more relevantly, the perils of street running.  La Grange is a lovely looking place, especially when CSX work to the nearby Ford Motor plant. A couple of nights ago one such working took place.

This train rolled into La Grange at 7:51am last Thursday morning, local time, just as the town was coming to life.  When the last car rolled past 42 minutes later, the locals got their town back.

Anyway, it is time to get back to train watching, this time in Galesburg.  It doesn't quite equal sitting in your backyard, but it is better than watching the weeds grow.

Cheers,

Don

Vale Phil Clarke

Earlier this week the sad news arrived that Phil Clarke, long time rail fan from the Illawarra, had passed away.  I wrote a short piece on Ausloco - Phil's favourite online medium - but its also appropriate to acknowledge his great friendship on this blog.  It also gives me a chance to run a few photos and (hopefully) his videos.


Phil (aka PVC) was a habitual rail photographer.  He had his favourite spots and trains, Cowan, Rhodes, Canterbury, Dulwich Hill, Picton and Werai curve. So regular were his visits to some of these locations he would be invited to share a cuppa with the station staff while videoing the passing trains.  He has left a rich tapestry of the changing nature of NSW railways over the past two decades.  Here is the quintessential, steady-from-the-shoulder, Phil the Video-er shot, from 1998.

I have realised I have more photos of Phil's back than his front, and for once I have a shot of him not videoing.

Phil was not just a rail fan - legend has it he served the warmest muffins on the Cockatoo Run when it operated out of Port Kembla. He was also a long time member of the RTM’s Illawarra Group and the Illawarra Model Railway Association. During a period where he sported a dashing mo, Phil (left of picture) rests in the cab of 3801 after another arduous muffin run.

Phil’s railway modelling reflected his taste for the contemporary. No sooner had a piece of new rolling stock entered service than Phil would use his considerable skills and his former employer’s considerable resources to create a HO model. If delays occurred to a loco’s release in real life, Phil would sometimes beat the prototype into existence (such as the Silverton Cs). One of those Cs is lurking in the background of this shot of his now demolished layout.

Outside of railways, Phil was an accomplished football (he called it soccer) referee and administrator. He was an active volunteer, driving elderly people to medical appointments and participating in his local church. He was devoted to his wife Joyce, his extended family and his wide circle of friends. 


Phil loved a yarn, especially when trackside. He was an avid video recorder, who has left a rich legacy of rail videos. These were spread far and wide as he was generous in sending his videos freely to anyone who asked. His videos grew to be really professional affairs, with annotations and printed discs.

So, time for a couple of Phil's video efforts.  This first one of 4468 and GM27 on a trippy at Canterbury c2003-04 comes from one of the first DVDs he made.  I picked this one because Canterbury was pretty much home base for him for many years.  He would be there by 8:00am and not leave until 4168 had rolled through, usually just before 2:30pm.

And now for one of his last efforts - from late November 2018. This one is from Dulwich Hill, where the station staff were magnanimous and friendly, and Phil could avoid using the steps to get across platforms.  I picked this snap of a track inspection vehicle because Phil loved the new stuff as much as the old, and he had a keen appreciation for the technical side of railways (which he would patiently explain to this knucklehead).

If you are lucky enough to have a PVC rail video or one of Phil’s trains (he divested his collection a few years ago), please give them a run in memory of Phil. If you have a Toohey’s Old handy, Phil would reckon you have the making of a good night.

RIP.

A few more from the river

Every time I post photos from the collection of Ian Brady I feel a bit conflicted, but I figure that if you or your loved ones decided to sell photos then they are accepting of a somewhat wider audience.  And all I can see is the absolute public benefit in giving these five masterpieces an airing before their current owner shuffles away, in one form or another.

Public benefit? I think it is demonstrated by the following shots, apparently taken on New Year's Eve, 1956. Lets start with what I believe to be round top 3606 - though it could be the super pig(?) on what looks like a long distance day train - or it could be a relief given the time of the year.  Perhaps to Kempsey, Werris Creek or Cessnock? Just magic.

Next in the deck was a more prosaic P class - but these days it would be the stand out shot. An obedient BOB set trails? The loco crew may have decided to give the photographer a show.

Time for some Pacific action! First 3824 on an up service and then 3816 on what I guess is the down morning Flyer (going from shadows).

Lets wrap up this series with a return to the 19th century conveyance - the dog box! This train too is quite eclectic - LFXs, steel cars, R cars and a heavy van.

More from Mr Brady and yours truly later this month.

Cheers,
Don

PS - for the back story as to how I was lucky enough to receive these photos, see my post from October 2017.

South of the border, down Footscray way

When I was a nipper in the early 1970s the family's white Cortina 440 was pointed south to Melbourne on a couple of school holidays.  Its destination was Geelong Road, Footscray - a gritty place in the 1970s but within a couple of blocks of the mainline (surprise surprise).

You have never experienced cold weather until you too have stood on a pedestrian overpass at Footscray on a May evening waiting for the night trains to come out of Spencer Street. And they were always running late so you ended up just being frozen and Dad would get into trouble... 

It was only marginally warmer in the afternoons, even when the sun was shining.  On Saturday afternoons you could stand at a certain point on the bridge and look westward through a gap between two grandstands to watch the Footscray Bulldogs getting their weekly whipping. That started another passion which went unrequited until last September when they rewarded me with a premiership. But that is another story.

On the upside locos I had never seen before trundled by - along with prehistoric red suburban Tait sets which we never photographed because they were suburbans!   Here's a couple of blurry Agfa images that we did manage to keep from those days (May 1973). Lets start with a W249 with a few four wheelers.

More serious horsepower was caught in nearly the same spot when double Ss came through on the broad gauge.

I do remember the 1974 holidays as being sunnier. And it brought out X37 and GM34 (GM24?) on an interstate freight.

Triple Ts, including T409, were caught the same afternoon... evidence of the third T is circumstantial...

And this T nearly snuck past us the other way...

And I think I'll finish with something that probably nearly didnt make the cut because it was a railmotor but I am kinda glad the trigger was pressed.

Happy Easter all!

Don

Epic fail at Waterfall

Time for a whimsical look at Waterfall, to give those IMRA folk something new to model...

There are many definitions of failure, and I have invented a few myself.  Here are a few at Waterfall.

First up, 3526 disgraced itself at Waterfall en route to Wollongong in the early 1970s.  I was pretty young and impressionable at the time, and was deeply affected by an RTM tour train arriving in Wollongong with a diesel at the front end.  But enough about me, Waterfall yard held the Nanny captive for a few days until it was towed back to Enfield.

Here's an epic fail of another dimension. Taken on the night of fires in the Royal National Park (with tragic loss of life) around 1979, it is less a photo about trains and more a photo about life's struggle in Australia.

Back to the rails.... the prosaic Metro coal scored a newly repainted 48119 at Waterfall in 1993 after the original combination of 4842 and 4839 couldn't do the job.

I think the failure in the following photograph will become evident in the next decade. As the Aussie dollar drops back to usual levels and world oil prices creep up again, we may be well be ruing the decision not to invest more heavily in electric freight traction.

Next one is an epic fail on my part - I actually drove to Waterfall in the early 1980s to photograph a V set on its trial.  Then, for the next 30 years, V sets ran through Waterfall about 50 times a day, every day.

Another loco is down... this time its 2005 and GM42 expired when on ARG's Manildra flour train. So it got a visit to the outer reaches of Waterfall's yard.

And finally an epic fail.  A shunting accident in 1995 left a substantially shortened version of a suburban carriage, so what was left was parked on the turntable, as one does.

So, Waterfall seems to be a harsh place. 

Ciao!