Down Mexico way...

Apologies to those who may have logged on earlier today.  I was experimenting with the use of scheduled publications of blog posts and it seems that I have some more experimenting to do to before it works out properly.

Now, time for a re-posting - this time hopefully slightly more intelligible....

After a hectic Christmas I have found a bit of time to sneak another post for 2012 into the blogosphere before returning to paid employment. Lets travel back to the near future, or the near immediate past - to 29 years ago.  That Christmas in 1982 was very special as I had just taken possession of the keys to my first car, a maroon Holden Gemini with the ominous number plate ‘MAL’.  Having survived that Christmas, I decided to take the Gemini on a solo shake down cruise to Albury. 

My enthusiasm for the new car and this venture saw me setting out from Wollongong in the pre-dawn hours on 27 December 1982.  That was my first mistake. 

My second mistake was to set an unrealistic goal - to get to Goulburn in time to capture the Spirit of Progress.  Well, bad weather and over optimistic navigating got me nearly to Goulburn just in time to see the Spirit depart northwards.  Hoping that the darkness would lift, I paddled back to Marulan just before 6:00am.

I did have time to set up for a shot which I knew wasn’t going to work, and it didn’t.  Still, 29 years later, if you look hard, you can work out that that the Spirit was truly once a majestic train being hauled by a 422 and a 42 class combination, making up time.

 Having stuffed one photograph at dawn, I should have headed for home.  Instead I pressed on to Goulburn for the second time that morning.  Pleasingly, 42106 was in charge of an up morning passenger.  Here it sits in Goulburn station, about to haul two nicely repainted carriages as part of its consist to Sydney.

So far we have two photographs - one blurred, the other with a pole growing out of the centre of the train.  Did I mention that I’m not good in the mornings?

Pressing on southwards, nothing was running at all, it seemed.  Arriving at Cootamundra at least the loco depot had some interesting exhibits. 

Apart from the 600 class diesel train, the 421, 48 and 80, lurking down the yard was CTH trailer No. 55 and a 600 class trailer which I think was numbered 728 as it was the only ‘candy’ member of its class at this time.  Here’s a closer snap of the pair.

I am not sure just why I didn’t stop at Junee on the southward journey.  Youthful inexperience I suppose.  Anyway, I pushed onwards towards my destination and was mighty pleased to see a blob headed my way near Henty.  The blob turned out to be the Intercapital Daylight Express, with 42207 and a 44 on the front of a power van, eight passenger cars and two vans.  A very tidy load, even for holiday times.

Because its such a mixture, Mr Smarty Pants must have decided to take a second shot of the rear end.

As I had my passport I crossed into Wodonga where a reasonable stable of fine blue beasts were corralled, as evidenced in the next four snaps.  First up, a couple of Y class shunters, Y138 and Y170.

The next steed was S302, sadly quite as a mouse.

A couple of T classes rounded out the depot’s allotment - T351 and T366.

Although it was only late afternoon, I was stuffed from my early start.  Lodgings at the Albury Caravan Park were secured, and then it was back out to North Albury to catch a glint shot of an under-threat South Mail.  Although it was well into the twilight, magnificent light streamed across the fields until two minutes before 42211 appeared in charge of its train.  So, the day finished much as it started, in the dark – curses!  So, 29 years later I present a ‘post glint shot’.

And then, owing to my first mistake of the day, I fell very fast asleep for about 12 hours.

The return journey was similarly bereft of trains.  I did capture two of note.  The first was 42108 and 4431 on a Sydney-bound freight, carrying a load of bulk paper bound for use in the newspaper or magazine industry.

The second train was 42202 on a rake of empty steel wagons heading north from Junee.  I tried to chase it, but lets just say that its crew were even more keen to get to civilisation than I was.

I arrived in Cootamundra, still with hours to go, the weather closed in completely.  As my nice new Gemini was getting pounded with wind and rain, I gave up on photographic pursuits in favour of a nice sedate return to the Illawarra.

I really learnt a lot that trip, about driving long distances, believing bad weather forecasts and staying at home, the futility of chasing trains between Christmas and New Year and the limitations of 4 cylindered cars on the Hume Highway.  Still, rack it for experience and move on, I say...

New Year's Day tours

Today’s mention in a number of news groups of the NSW Rail Transport Museum’s (RTM) triple-header New Year’s tour to Grafton reminded this old timer of the halcyon days four decades ago when this same organisation ran steam-hauled day tours to the Illawarra on New Year’s Day.

From what I recall, plus what the Roundhouse publication recorded, I am pretty certain that these tours ran from 1968 to 1975, each year using a different steam locomotive.  The tour called for a leisurely mid-morning departure from Sydney, which allowed many to disembark at Austinmer beach around lunchtime.  Almost every year the train would continue through to Wollongong for servicing.  If I recall correctly, on a number of years passengers were given the option of being bussed to North Wollongong beach for the afternoon.  The return trip was made at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, I have very few photographs available of these tours, for a reason I will explain later.  But, back to the trains themselves...

I think that the first such tour was on New Year’s Day 1968, when black streamliner 3803 ran the beach tour down the coast.  The following year, the tour was a complete contrast, this time worked by branch-liner 3090T. 

From 1970 onwards, the Museum used its own locomotives to work the tours.  That year 3642 worked the tour, while New Year’s Day 1971 brought 3214 down the coast.  In 1972 3616 ran the tour through to Wollongong.  While not entirely sure, I believe that this photograph, shot on a Kodak Instamatic,  records this occasion.

1973 was a tour with a twist.  5910 worked the tour to Wollongong and in the process managed to break a spring which gained this locomotive an overnight stay in Wollongong yard.  Unfortunately I do not know what motive power was called on to perform the return trip.  A reasonable guess would be a 48 class!

The first day of the following year (1974), brought 3526 to Wollongong on the tour. 

The final year that I understand that the tours ran was 1975.  On this occasion, 5910’s earlier disgrace was forgotten when it again ran RTM’s tour.  So, if my records are correct, 5910 was the only locomotive to be honoured as a dual visitor to the Illawarra on these tours, as well as being the only locomotive to make a New Year’s Day tour last 48 hours.

The paucity of photographs in the collection from these tours is not just reflective of a time when fewer photographs were taken.  For a number of these years, the Illawarra Group of the RTM hosted a late afternoon repast for beach-goers from these tours at the Illawarra Liver Steamers Park in West Wollongong. 

As the Senior Train Hunter (STH) and Mrs STH were/are civic-minded types, they would ‘man’ the BBQs and salad bowls at this event.  This gave me a wonderful couple of hours lining up for free rides behind live-steamers of the type shown in the following photograph of a triple-header 32/38/59 combination.  A great start to the year for a young lad.

Happy New Year to all!

Rozelle shunters in the 1990s

Apologies for the lack of posts in recent times; I have been touring Japan and its amazing railways.  I fear it may be necessary to amend the title of this blog to the 'NSW and JR (Japan Railway) Rail Rambler' fairly soon as there is much to be impressed with in the Japanese version of railways. Still, those stories are for another time....

Its time to wander back 20 years to a bridge over the Rozelle goods yards, when it was still a goods yard.  In the early 1990s I was living in Glebe.  While the glory days of the Rozelle yard were well and truly over by then, it was still worth taking an intermittent peak at proceedings.  

A semi-regular Saturday jaunt for me was to head across to the White Bay area via Blackwattle Park, so I could enjoy harbour views from either the road bridge or the pedestrian bridge which still gives spectacular views to the west and the east ends of the yard.  Often my trusty Canon Instamatic travelled with me.

I have a slew of photographs from the 1990 to 1994 period, when the yard had a rostered shunting loco.  Quite often the same loco appeared as the rostered shunter for weeks at a time, which discouraged train hunters such as your correspondent from too-frequent visits.  

So, lets have a look at just some of the locos rostered to perform those duties during those five years.  In particular, I wish to show a subset of the photographs taken from the two aforementioned bridges.  I suspect that the crews tried to park their trusty steed in the shadow of the road bridge, especially during summer.  This made certain photographic contortions to be attempted, resulting in a pleasing range of angles when a photograph was possible.

First up is 4894, parked in an orthodox position (near the crew cars) just to the west of the road bridge.  This photograph was taken on May Day 1990, certainly justifying the long march to White Bay.

I guess my interest in Rozelle yard was really sparked when a workmate who lived near Rozelle arrived in the office one day in October 1990 to say that a green locomotive was shunting the yard.  It turned out to be the lovely 4902.

 

Its younger but equally colourful classmate, 4916, made an appearance on the 29th of the same month.

While the lusty General Motored 49 classes held sway in late 1990, over the course of the following twelve months Alcos reasserted their dominance.  In particular, 48s abounded.  Three examples from the second half of 1992 were indicative of this dominant role.

48102 appeared regularly in July and August 1992, including on the 23rd August.

Towards the end of August the very elderly 4818 arrived for service.  I hope you appreciate the weird angle at which this was photographed.  I have no idea why I did it this way... perhaps it was my arty phase.

4881 also got into the act towards the end of 1992.

Occasionally, very occasionally, one could be unlucky enough to get there when the shunter was working.  On one Saturday afternoon, I sprung a dilapidated 48 (thought to be 4819) ambling down the yard.  I include this photograph to show that I do photograph moving objects, sometimes.

Just when you were getting really bored with things, the old RailCorp could spice things up a bit for you, like they did for me in 1993 by sending a warhorse in the form of 4512.  Throughout the greater part of 1993 it showed that there was masculine life possible in Rozelle.  4512 also demonstrated that (for the modellers of that era anyway), no weathering project was too over the top.

Still, it wasn't all 45s and grunt.  48s still got a regular gig, probably while some poor apprentice was trying to kick-start the 45 back into life over at Chullora.  On 16 June 1993 I discovered two locos shunting - 4810 and 48101 - here's proof!

And just to finish off, it wasn't all Alcos in those latter days.  In August 1993 I discovered 42213 masquerading as a shunting loco instead of the mainline unit that it was.

So, I hope you have enjoyed this vignette as much as I enjoyed hanging over the edge of those bridges a couple of decades ago!

Gloucester

The Senior Train Hunter (STH) spent most of the last week in the Gloucester to Bulliac region armed with a paper version of the working timetable and camera.

The traffic reports I was receiving throughout the week weren’t good - indeed not many of them could even be printed. Trains were running early,  others running late, some not turning up at all and then others appearing where they shouldn’t be.

These days if you aren’t hooked into the 21st century through an Ipad or Iphone, hunting for trains can be problematic. Of course arming oneself with such beasts takes all the fun and the expectation out of train hunting. Yes, it also removes the frustration too!  So today I am going to wind backwards out of the 21st century, back to the good old days.

I should clarify - in the really old days one could approach the guys in the local signal box to get the good oil on what was coming or what you missed.  After the signal boxes were bulldozed, paper timetables and the very rare landline telephone call were all you had.  However, as was shown over a three-day period in February 1993, we did OK. 

The purpose of this particular trip was to capture some of the final workings of 44 and 442 class locomotives on mainline interstate workings. At our first stop at Dungog for lunch we scored the mightily pleasing combination of 4466 in candy livery and 4481 wearing the red terror livery heading north on a freighter.

We also stuck it out for the arrival and departure of the local passenger, worked by a two car diesel set.

Travelling north, we set up at Stroud Road in time to have 44229, 44237 and 4498 race through at speed.

This particular afternoon and evening were taken at the north end of Gloucester railway yard, adjacent to the bridge over the Avon River flood plain.  The following photographs were taken on this evening and the next evening. Even though it was February, we experienced deteriorating lighting conditions which eclipsed the capacity of the camera I was using. So apologies for the muddiness of the photographs, but I decided to post them to show the bleak conditions of many of these locos and the varied freight task being handled.

First up, a shortish Sydney-bound freighter rattled across the bridge, led by 44218.

But in the evening the real action came from the south - the afternoon procession of freights leaving Sydney for Brisbane. 44240, 44226 and 4495 led the charge.

They were followed by veterans 4463 and 4470.  Its just great to think - 18 years later – that 4463 can still be seen around Sydney, though not heading too many interstate freights.

The following night we were lucky enough to arrive at the yard just as 44223, 44201 and 44227 went through.  Triple Jumbos!

It was followed within the hour another set of triple Jumbos arrived.  This time 44233, 44219 and 44215 headed northwards after the first set of Jumbos.

By this time of evening there was no way the camera could capture a passing train.  So when 44238 and 4401 led a train north, this was the best that could be done to capture the scene.

On the second day, while it remained fine we did a side trip to Bulliac. Deciding to set up just south of the tunnel, we suffered through 9 million blowies to get the following trains. First up again was 44219 and 44215.

Then it was time for the steel train, on this day with class leader 4401 in the shafts following 44205.

While we were there predominantly for freight trains, there was one very special daylight runner worth waiting around for - the old North Coast Daylight, though by this time it ran under some other nonsense moniker.  Although I had been hoping for a 44 up front, it was not to be with 44210 doing the honours on this day.

The final one at this location was also a beauty - 44202 led 4473 through the level crossing with a short up freight.

And around then it was about time to return to work and the real world.  Within 12 months most of these workings had gone, enveloped into the National Rail Corporation with its interest in fewer, longer trains with more powerful, newer locomotives.

There is nothing wrong with progress, apart from the loss of character that ensues from a reduction in diversity. This was one such case.

But before I wrap up this post, its time for one more photograph.  The only time the STH and I scored triple 44s over these three days was at Stroud. 4479 led two sisters north at speed. Interestingly, the second locomotive appears to have been a reverse-liveried version of the class. Sure, I didn’t write the numbers down, but enjoy anyway!

Redfern

Instead of a locomotive or a train, this time a location.  Having done a little spiel on Sydney's major railway station, its time to move down the line to little old Redfern.

Redfern station is a much unappreciated piece of railway and urban architecture.  Sure, the 'improvements' of the past two decades have done little to improve its aesthetics, but there is an underlying character almost impossible to rub out.

Instead of posting numerous shots of suburban and interurban electric trains, the following collection come from basically just one afternoon in November 1982.

The first is a snap of 3214, when it was the leading P class offering of the NSW Rail Transport Museum.  Here it is working a shuttle in honour of the re-opening of Central Railway Station, just a kilometre away.

If the loco or the stylish Pullman carriages is not your style, just revel in the advertising hoardings on the building in the background.  Some of these painted signs can still be seen 30 years later! 

The Southern Aurora passenger car in the western dock was a favourite place to park carriages which had received attention at the nearby Elstons sheds.  Sadly, I deemed it too unimportant to photograph these exhibits, though a DR carriage off the Silver City Comet caught the Senior Train Hunter's attention when it lay there around 1980.

While we are on the Senior Train Hunter, he is the suspect for the following classic, showing 3830 working its train towards Central.  This train probably emanated from Macdonaldtown

carriage sheds

To quote a phrase I hate... 'moving forward' its time to return to the 1980s and indeed the same day that 3214 had been photographed.  The first is 48160 trundling a milk pot and a louvre van towards Darling Harbour.

Shortly after, 4509 surprised yours truly by appearing from the north.  Surprised, because by this time Darling Harbour was basically dormant on weekends, and this was a Saturday from memory.  Check out the 80s fashions on the style-master on the stairs - this would still be acceptable in these parts today!

By the 1990s Darling Harbour railway yards had disappeared, so Redfern lost its supply of goods trains... almost.  The odd spoil train (well, its technically a goods train) still sneaks through, such as the one headed by 8007 in 1992.

Still, the 1990s were full of interesting trains passing through Redfern's platforms, even if they didn't stop.  Here a DEB rail car set sets off for the South Coast.

Freight locos still get the odd trip through Redfern, usually at the head of one of the few remaining locomotive-hauled passenger trains such as the Indian Pacific.  In 2004 NR70 and DL43 almost managed to nip by one Saturday afternoon.

As noted above, spoil trains are semi-regular visitors to and through Redfern.  In 2003 44206, then monickered as JL402, sat at the southern end of Redfern station for most of one weekend.

However, 99.9 per cent of the time, its sparks, sparks and more sparks...  here's just one from last year.  Pretty things, aren't they?