The black diamond

Thirty two years ago today (9 June 1988) I have recorded as the first time that 85 class locos worked into the Illawarra on a coal train.  On that day, 8501, 8509, 8504 and 8503 worked 9K55 coal to Port Kembla Inner Harbour.  I can't quite remember who informed me of this trivia (it was probably the Digest), but I wrote it down just for a time like now.

85s were infrequent visitors to the South Coast - especially when compared to their electric cousins the 86 class and electric grandfathers, the 46s.  This is my excuse for having so few photos of them on the Coast.  But here is one about to be there... 8506, 8501 and 8502 at Waterfall on another coalie in 1993.

Happy anniversary!

Cheers,

Don

IMRA's first major model railway

So, here is a bit of change of pace (and scale).

Moving from the 1:1 to the 1:87, I thought I would post a few sides taken around the Illawarra Model Railway Association's (IMRA's) first major model railway, located at the Wollongong Police Boys Club.

The IMRA club layout was a spaghetti plate of tracks, as was typical of the time.  Sharp curves, heinous inclines and action everywhere.  The layout was scenicked in a European/US style, also typical of the time.  And while as a kid I thought it was huge, it was all squeezed into a single, modest room at the Club.

The layout was a basic double loop (half was hidden under a mountain as staging).  An out & back dog leg formed the other part of the layout on the lower level, while a branchline left the main station and made its way up  and around the walls to a terminus.

Several of these shots were taken in the late 1960s, where we liked too over-expose photos.

Shortly before the Association moved out of the premises, Senior Rambler and I snuck down on quiet weekday night.  We loaded up the layout with our own rolling stock and fired off the following photos.

Here is an out of focus shot of the main station, showing the turntable at the end of the dog leg.  Aisle width was set at squeeeeeezzzzzzzzzy.

Here is a strangely pitched photo of the south end of the main station, with a brass pig about to pass a near new Lima 38 class on an epoxy CUB set.

For a short while we turned on the layout lights and killed the room lights.  How is this for atmospheric? Almost Cityrail standard. Certainly meets the Cityrail standard of having no trains.

Here's a semi-focussed shot of the loco depot in the dog leg.  No doubt the thrill of seeing a bashed up 58 class made the photographer shake.

The branchline was notable for a curved trestle bridge. The same epoxy CUB set has been dragged to the end of the line and is returning, using a Workshop 5 41 class (powered by an AHM mechanism).

A better-staged shot of the same bridge was made using a brass 50 class. 5173 was a long time inhabitant of the South Coast, so its sort of poetic.

And here is the terminus station, with a set of Freidmont FO cars waiting for the 50 class to stop being a show pony down on the bridge.  The left hand side of the photo shows the dog leg yard. 

Here is a sneak behind-the-scene peak under the hill.  Clearly no one had read the NRMA's standards for access when constructing the layout.  Its the 1970s so there has to be a new Lima 44 class in view somewhere.

While the layout was evicted, bits of it did live on in our garage before it made a triumphant return to the exhibition scene around 1979.  It was notable for being the heaviest exhibition layout ever. 

Back to the big scale and out of the 1970s in the next post.

Cheers,

Don

More on the green mogul

No, not Rupert or Twiggy.  A real mogul.

About 5 years ago I complained on this blog about the paucity of photos my family had of 2535's time as the Corrimal Colliery shunter. Well, several more have emerged - this time of the visit by 3203 to the Colliery on 14 September 1969.  So here they are!

Enjoy!

Don

Barraba, a morning's jaunt.

** Read Bolivia's most excellent comment below - never trust your memory, or that of your father's! ***

According to its own website, Barraba 'is a lovely little country town filled with character and friendly people... and is very proud of its history'.

This series of photos is largely due to a very friendly driver, who allowed a couple of middle-aged rail nuts to shoot out the front of his conveyance during the 55 kilometre journey from Tamworth to Barraba and return one cool winter morning in either 1976 or 1977 (a family debate rages on the timing of this trip).

It is agreed that this journey was undertaken as part of a Nurail excursion. For those under 40 years of age, a Nurail ticket in the 1970s and 1980s permitted the holder near-unlimited travel across the NSW rail & bus network for a relatively modest fee.  It was, in any terms, a bargain. And our Photographer sure knows bargains.

Turning first to the steed - HPC402 - humming away in the dock at Tamworth.  I suspect this photograph was taken after the trip to Barraba as the early morning sun is absent.

Here is the evidence of the driver's acquiescence to the art of railway photography. First, the West Tamworth viaduct.

And this is, I think, the rail bridge over Barraba Creek.  Google Maps suggests that it is still in place at the time of writing in 2020.

Happy to be corrected - bridge recognition is not a forte.

And to Barraba itself...

There was a reason for Barraba's branchline - a mine.  4861 was caught posing at the head of a short train with its containerised product.

I am pretty sure I have posted this photograph previously, but I have fiddled with it a bit to get more light onto the side of the train.

Cheers,

Don

Out west with Phil

Here's a few more from the lens of Phil Clarke to ease us all through a wet Friday here in NSW. This time the photographs come from a trip to Broken Hill in October 1978. 

First up, 4905 acting as Broken Hill's yard shunter on 9 October 1978.

Phil then captured 600, 703 and 864, all in South Australia's mustard pot scheme.  Sadly for us he was shooting black and white. Not sure who the young fella is hanging off the locos. Suspect it is Phil's son.  This would have been unheard of in our family. Any child straying in front of a loco was promptly told to get out of the way (in more colourful language than is permissible on this blog).

 

 

And two shots of the Indian Pacific - the first at Broken Hill with GM27 at the front. Noice combo.

No trip out west would be complete without a change-of-loco shot at Lithgow. So here you have 4607 heading another 46 on a down Indian Pacific at Lithgow on 11 October 1978.

Cheers!
Don

Dunsmuir, a long way from home

Going a bit further afield with this post, but it covers a tick on the bucket list for this rabbit.

During the 2000s, the wide and wild world of the Internet even allowed you to gawk at massive US consists climbing up Tehachapi Pass and rolling through a small northern Californian town called Dunsmuir.  And the best bit about these websites is that you could see reasonably clear and up to date train workings, free of charge, without passwords, rolling ads and incessant encouragements to upgrade.  These websites were run by Trainorders, and the sites disappeared about the same time someone realised how to monetise these offerings.

Here's four shots that I'll admit I purloined for a rainy day.  They are a bit grainy but they convey (to me at least) a pretty attractive location for train watching, so its always been a dream to get there.

Anyway, today my dream became a reality. Snow on the hills, whistles echoing up and down the valley, fog rising, with the promise of more snow to come.  Around 7:30am local time I parked our rented steed in front of the substantial brick building in the Trainorders photographs, and wandered across the depot (see, I am learning the lingo!). And waited.

Hey, Dunsmuir is just like home, nothing runs when I go trackside!  Finally, around 9:00am my patience was rewarded with Union Pacific's 6039, 5393 and 8560 work south on a double stacked container train. Here's a couple of shots of it sliding into the loop, which got me excited about a cross which never eventuated.

After 30 minutes of waiting I packed up. Watching the flashing tail light of a freight has never been much of a thing for me.  Lucky I did quit, as I saw the same train stowed in the loop 3 hours later.

A break in intensive family holidaying late this afternoon gave me a second chance to sit at Dunsmuir's depot. This time a 15 minute drop-in produced the following cross.  First up, Union Pacific's 5444, 6204 and 7434 worked a south-bound freight into Dunsmuir's loop.  

I was heartened to see a couple of historic wagons included in the 115 wagon consist... a Chicago & North Western hopper and a vintage-liveried Canadian Pacific boxcar.

As the tail-light for this train traversed the level crossing, Union Pacific's 5321, 9093 and 5050 roared north with a similarly sized freight.

And the best part? When all the noise cleared a young couple approached me, explained that they loved trains, and we got talking. He showed me how to use the scanner app so I am now able to hear trains approaching town.  Its a great past-time when people from half a world away can have a yarn about something that isn't corrosive to humanity.

If you ever get an opportunity, look this little town up. The pizza palace is a good hang out, and one of the burger joints is in the top 100 for USA... what other reasons do you need?

Cheers,
Don

Taree January 1980

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