Orange was the new black at Spencer Street in 1993

I have never been a big fan of the V/Line livery, though as it recedes into history I am more inclined to appreciate for its 80s ambience.

I got to see a fair bit of V/Line orange in the early 1990s, thanks to my employer (the NSW Government) insisting on sending me to Melbourne for long stretches to partake in various legal proceedings. I wasn't the defendant in these proceedings either, for the record.

I was never silly enough to admit I simply loved these trips - so they kept sending me.  But it was the best of times - breakfast at Pelligrinis, a race around Melbourne's hobby shops at lunchtime, afternoons watching trains roar into and out of Spencer Street station, plus the bonus of pre-XPT rail travel to and from Victoria. If I stayed down over a weekend there were tram rides, footy games with real pies and beer and a pretty good nightlife.  A Sunday stroll out to Dynon was always worth it too.  

Anyway, little wonder that the following photos taken on 7 June 1993, a mere 28 years ago now, feel just like a couple of years ago.  This particular trip was a quickie - down on the night of the 6th of June and return the next. I failed to photograph the 81 or G on the MEX, but I did get Y150 shunting the bum of the train as I headed off to work.

In the opposite direction, A66 temporarily diverted this public servant from the intended purpose of his trip.

The afternoon was pretty productive.  In no particular order I managed to photograph A70 on an up Ballarat train.

I always liked the way the trains needed double-stacking at Spencer Street.  I have this next photo recorded as N469 on a Geelong train, with P20 behind it.

And P20 for posterity.

I could never hang out to departure time to eat in the Sydney Express's dining car, so usually dinner was taken at Spencer Street's fairly ordinary dining room, or in a local hotel.  I managed to butcher this photo of A60, seemingly newly repainted, on the 6:25pm Bairnsdale train.  Probably shaking from cold or hunger, or both.

Returning from dinner there was a very pleasant surprise.  R766 rolled in on the 'Just Jeans Special'.  It was the first time I had seen a R class in steam up close.  A very impressive sight.

And then it was off to bed, which was someone down the back of this following train.  8166 was the less than glamorous power up front, but it did its job.

Not a bad day at the office.

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

Up the Creek

Hi all, I am still around!

Promise to get back into things as the weather turns colder, especially if Souths start losing a few.

I have coincidentally come across a real live reader of this blog - sorry if I sound surprised  but my main readership appears to come from regions of the former Soviet Union.

This 'live' reader mentioned he most enjoyed the stuff from up north so, Brendan, these are for you mate!

The back story here is that around 1982 (could have been earlier) Dad shot off for a few days with two mates.  When they got to Werris Creek they asked permission to photograph the locos.  They were given the okay to do so as long as they didn't move any of the locos around.. Turns out a group of visiting photographers several weeks earlier have 're-positioned' the locos to enhance their photographs.  Cheeky buggers!

Cheers,

Don

80s Rail Cars on the Coast

Time to stick a few more up from the lens of Phil Clarke, who passed away about 18 months ago.

This time I thought I would pick a few of his rail car shots around the Illawarra.  To start off, here's a Budd set heading north through Scarborough in December 1981.

Can't have Budds without Tullochs! Here's 4470 heading Set 148 through Bellambi on 19 November 1982.

Nothing says 'passenger comfort' more than a quin set of CPHs jostling along. Here is CPH 13 leading the 8am Port Kembla worker's train at Coniston in November 1982.

Nothing was more prosaic than a 2 car diesel train on a local passenger service, like this one at Bellambi on 19 November 1982.

I will finish up with a few more snaps of diesel hauled trains, composed of end-of-life rail cars - 44100 on two such services in early 1983.  The first photo is at Wollongong, I suspect the other is round Bellambi.

Cheers!

Don

Really useful engines

That remarkable class of 145 suburban tank locomotives built from 1903 onwards has been occupying my mind of late.  More so, the 77 converted to tender locos for branchline workings, but the whole class is worth considering over a beer or two.  I have posted a lot photos of 30s and 30Ts, but there is always room for one more installment.

Lets start with the class leader, which is soon to get a new lease on life. Here is the beastie, about to get away from Picton in 1990 working the loopline.

I will try to do this in number order. 3013 is apparently in Canberra, incomplete and in bits.  Good luck to whoever has that job.  Its life post service hasn't had too many high-points, but it has somehow lasted 50 years.  Once the collieries in the Hunter were finished with her, this is what she looked like in 1970.

Another Canberra resident has fared better. 3016T wore a startling blend of royal blue with red tyres which I would show you, but we managed to not photograph clearly.  Instead, here it is at Central in December 2012.

Incidentally, no 30Ts were harmed in the taking of that photo.  3016T got pushed by a couple of mainliners.

My favourite Easter ever was spent with 3026T at Cowra in 1994.  Best. religious. experience. ever. Even got to wish it goodnight and tuck it in to bed on Easter Saturday.

This brings us to Dorrigo, which I will never bash in case Uncle Keith wants to leave me a 30 or a 30T in his will (I will also accept a 24 or 25).  He and his compadres have kept 3028T, 3046 and 3090T from the oxy torch.  Thank you. First up, 3028T, then the other two.

Still on the 'stuffed and mounted' side of the class, 3075T resides, sans boiler tubes and a few other bits, at Parkes to this day.  Always good to give the old girl a pat.

Back to the tanks - 3085 has looked a little forlorn recently but better days are ahead.

We have cracked the century now. Time for the last surviving tender loco. Here's 3102T in a pleasing aqua-marine livery, celebrating 1980.

It is fitting that we finish up with a couple of the original designs. 3112 lurks at Goulburn, and is always a joy to see when passing through.  Here it is sneaking down into the near-abandoned Rozelle Goods Yard in June 2002.  

Last up, 3137. When nothing else steamy seemed to be moving in NSW, it was plying that loop line like it was 1909, not 1979.  A favourite, definitely. 

Until next time!

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

Boambee Creek

Here's four from Boambee Creek near Sawtell. Mum and Dad got these (well, Dad did) around 1986.

4499 and a 48 - this shortlived livery came in very useful as a way to date these photos.

Back to back 44s. Suspects are 4405 and 4468.  Think I have posted this one before.  This time the photo has been straightened.

Next up, 44203 on an up goods.

To round out the Alco collection fr this afternoon, a 44 and a 45 head north with an interstater.

Cheers for now!

Don