Trans-Australian Railway Brochure Circa 1965
This item was picked up recently from a vintage shop in Colac. Finally, we're allowed to travel! Nothing like how we used to, though...
It's a 4-panel fold-out, with a full map on the back.
As usual, here's a better resolution version of the full-width map.
Countrylink Paraphernalia
Back in the day, someone had a plan to upgrade the Canberra - Sydney rail fleet to X2000... or somesuch... The X2000 was shipped from the Scandies to Australia and strapped onto an XPT power car.
I happened to be there when the unit came to Canberra. Here's the pamphlet as proof:
Wait, no, I suppose this is the actual proof...
Oh! They also handed out rulers... one of mine seems to have enjoyed a bake in the sun.
And here's a sticker of the actual unit that was powering the set... making the whole process pointless...
They weren't handed out at the same time... I just happened to have all of this in boxes and feel it's wasted there. More to come.
Passing Freight in South Yarra – April, 2020
Thanks to having a camera hanging off the balcony, I'm able to capture and record scenes like the following. Also, thanks to FTTP NBN, the steam is live 24/7.
Above you'll find an up Maryvale Paper Service entering first from the left. Shortly after, a down Long Island Steel train will pass through. The up service was relatively on-time, but the steel was allocated a run for the 11:30am service, running well-late even for the 13:30 (9557) timeslot.
Anyway, here's the live cam. (But if below is temporarily unavailable, browse here to find the latest URL: stevenhoefel - youtube - live)
Enjoy!
Welding Rail In South Yarra
There was a total shutdown of all lines past my apartment on the weekend of the 16th-17th November as Metro we're upgrading the signalling. It's well-needed to allow better head-ways for more services, and also to allow brand new 'high-capacity' trains to run. To do all this, they've had to cut in new isolated track joins. I assumed they'd just cut through the rails in-stu and clamp an insulated joiner over the top... but I assume the tension in the rails prevents them from doing this? Instead they've been busy removing a 20 metre length of track and welded in a new length that includes a bypassed insulated joiner!
It's bypassed as they don't want to break the track-circuit just yet. The rest of the infrastructure isn't in place yet, so a break in the circuit here would actually cause a 'blind' area on one of the sides. Hence the jumper cables. There's also a longer length of cables running down the current work area, to keep the current circuit in operation whilst the work is carried out. I don't really see the reason though, as there's a lot of protection at either end of the entire work area to prevent vehicles from entering.
The weather was reasonable, and I was half brain-dead from a cold, so I spent a good bit of time on the bridge near Cromwell Road, watching the professionals carry out their business. You could tell they'd done the job 100s of times before; their efficiency and precision was great to watch.
Step 1 - Align The Rails
The first step would probably be the most important in the whole process; misaligned rails would cause untold problems in the future and therefore a lot of time was spent getting the elevation and angle spot-on. There's a large brace/jack on the outside of the rails that was aligned first. This unit uses friction to grip all four rails and, when air pressure is applied, pneumatically draws them closer together.
The workman was constantly measuring the gap between the rails until it was within tolerance. I note that they didn't just bring them closer in one hit. The workman operating the compressor only applied pressure for short periods, maybe 3 seconds each time, and then his colleague would measure again. They'd then let the whole contraption rest for 5 seconds before applying further pressure.
I'm actually astonished that the rails even moved. It's a relatively straight section of track and where does the slack come from? I can't imagine they actually stretch the steel? They had removed around 6 rows of clips from the original rails to allow freedom of movement. I'd say the gap was about 40mm to start with, but they brought it right down to less than 20mm!
Once it was as close as required, the rails were further adjusted using (what looked like) rail spikes between the closest sleepers and the base of the rail. These were hammered in to raise or lower the rails. The worksman spent around 5 minutes doing this, making sure everything was totally level. The ruler was around a metre long, allowing him to see how much the rails tapered off on either side. You could tell he did not want to create any kind of gradient on either side of the join.
Step 2 - Build The Mould
From what I could see, the mould was made of some form of terracotta? The colour was the standard red, but it really could be made of any sort of compound. The base was removed from the packaging first and a layer of glue applied down each long edge. This was then smoothed around the edge and along the ridge to make sure that there'd be no gaps once joined. This base was then placed into the metal tray which would soon form the case that holds the mould together.
The whole base was then placed under the gap between the rails. It was held in place with clamps and, once again, adjusted once and again to make sure that it was completely square and level with the join.
The sides of the mould were then taken out of the pack. These were placed in the 'sides' of the metal case and both units were then assembled onto the rail. From here, the mould was complete, with an opening at the top where molten metal would be poured in? You could see that, at the top of the mould there was one short edge that was lower than the others; presumably this was for excess molten metal to flow over.
Once this was done, the final outer frame was dropped on and the 'drip tray' inserted on the side that had the overflow 'spout'.
From here, a large block of malleable clay (or other playdough-esque material) was split up and used to totally fill all gaps around the edges of the case and mould. The goal was to ensure that all heat, once the mould was full, was to stay trapped inside.
The entire block was applied to all facades of the mould, specifically where the case and the mould met.
Step 3 - Add Fire!
A cute little terracotta (or other substance) pot had been sitting on the back of the work truck for a while, but it was now its time for action.
To 'set the mould', a small mount was clamped to the rail and then the oxy-acetylene torch was flamed up and positioned on it, aiming the fire directly into the mould. The flame from the torch burned a strong blue, but eventually yellow flames began rising from the openings on either side of the torch. One of the worksman then grabbed the terracotta pot whilst the other pulled the torch out of the mould. Without being able to see inside the mould, one couldn't really work out what exactly was being heated, but you'd have to assume the rail ends were red-hot by this point!
The pot was placed directly on top of the whole mould and the torch was placed in the small opening on top.
I'll let the following video explain the rest...
A lot of trust placed in a set of serious gloves!
Step 4 - Clean Up
From here, there was a 10 minute break whilst the burning-box-of-death cooled down. The overflow tray on the side was thrown track-side once it could be lifted.
After a while, the outside metal case was unscrewed and whacked a few times until it fell loose. Now the mould was perfectly visible, and perfectly-solidly-formed as a single unit, welded to the rails!
To get this off, another utensil was used. The workmen brought over another flat-frame-style machine and placed it over the mould. With a few clamps, they secured it on all corners to the rail and then one of the guys started pumping a lever handle. I couldn't quite see what the action resulted in from where I was, but I assume there was a flat blade that was slowly, flush with the railhead, cutting into the mould on a horizontal plane.
The other worksmen started beating the mould with a mallet when the cutter wasn't being used. After a lot of intimidation, the mould finally started budging... but instead of a clean splice, it decided to split to pieces... pieces of 1000 degree red-hot danger.
More time was spent letting the bits cool down and then it was all moved to the rubbish pile track-side.
From here, a portable grinder-on-wheels was used to finally trim down the weld. Once complete, it finally resembled rail!
I'd actually watched the 2nd of 4 joins be welded before I had decided to get my camera and record the one above. This part, the removing of the mould, was much smoother on that one; a single knock after a slight clamp saw the whole lot just break free in one hit. There was no grinding required afterwards either! I hadn't really noticed anything done differently between each session, so I wonder how many variables come into play when it comes to doing this and how easy it is to stuff up!?
Gantry Foundations
Whilst all the welding was taking place, another vehicle had been busy drilling a column on the other side of the track. The colour of the earth was quite interesting, being somewhere between clay and red earth? A re-bar metal frame was then built up and inserted, with the square frame of pre-built bolt rigging for the base of a pylon. The alignment of this frame in the hole was actually a big thing and watching the surveyor get it correct was pretty interesting.
Turns out there was a remote surveyors camera sitting half way down the track, fixed on the location of the pylon.
And, with a remote mirror, with a very fine tip, the surveyor measured each corner of the frame. The workers around nailed, cut and hammered the external wooden frame to get the metal frame in the exactly correct position.
The surveyor was holding a handheld computer that was relaying the stats from the surveying equipment.
Good to see technology helping all departments.
Tamping And Cleaning
Whilst everything else was going on, there were also tampers and ballast cleaners working away. Turns out they were tidying up a cut-in insulated joint that had been installed the night before.
The ballast cleaner sounded like it was in pain, chewing rocks up and spitting out a lot of dust.
After all of the above, they managed to clean up and the trains were running again the next morning.
Melbourne Broad Gauge Freight Trains
Below is a listing of trains sighted taking the viaduct between Southern Cross Station and Flinders Street Station. Trains, as they pass through this area, will (where possible) be recorded in the table below. The times indicate when they pass through, not when they arrive. Sometimes the trains sit in this area waiting for a path in either direction!
Service | Frequency | Description |
---|---|---|
9343/9348 QUBE Apex Gravel Service |
Tue - Fri |
Runs from Kilmore East Quarry to Westall Cement Plant. Usually around midnight on the down and then a 10am up through South Yarra/Richmond/Flinders St. Note that if the morning time is around 4am then it's actually the 9350 service... but I've put them both in the same column. |
9571/9572 QUBE Cement Service |
Mon & Thu/Fri | Runs from Tottenham(?) to Dandenong. New Service. Very random runner... sometimes mondays instead of tuesdays and sometimes fridays instead of thursdays. |
9475/9476 QUBE Maryvale Paper Train |
Daily |
Runs from Appleton Dock to the Maryvale Paper Plant. Takes paper to be recycled out to plant and returns empty? Heads out at 8pm at night and returns around 2pm the next day. Every so often you'll find the train heading out at around 4am in the morning. This is actually the 9473 service, but I've put it in the same column as the evening down. Note that it means it actually ran the next morning! |
955* PacNat Long Island Steel Train |
Daily (excl Friday) | Runs from the northernmost road of South Dynon to the Long Island Steel Plant in Frankston. The midday runner 9553 usually DOES NOT run on Fridays unless there's a weekend shutdown and they need to shift more steel beforehand. 9557 (1pm) and 9559 (7pm) are also only as-required! The actual service pairing is as follows: 9555-9552, 9553-9556, 9557-9558, 9559-9550 |
708*, 9**2 Possible Metro Train Transfer |
Totally Ad-Hoc | Currently serviced by SSR, this might be the HCMT Metro Train Transfer path from Newport to Pakenham. It's totally random and the train running this path may not actually be a transfer! Please note that I've merged services 7080, 7082, 7084, 7086 and 7088, 9502, 9902 into once cell. Spoil trains and driver training runs will also fall into this path. |
2022 NOTE: QUBE has taken over the PacNat Steel Services.. the numbers have changed. They've been piped into the PacNat slots and are showing below. Once they've stabilised, I'll explain them further.
Please note that this is an automated service based on sightings from another location. It wont be 100% foolproof but, with careful consideration of the numbers and days, one should be able to get a good idea as to what is visible and when. Also note that services might show up out-of-order. For example, the Apex gravel ran in a much later slot on 30/31st January 2020.
Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 2024 | |||||||||||||||
Mon 18th | 0552 G532 | 1330 G532 | 2115 G532 | ||||||||||||
Sun 17th | 0634 G532 | 0314 G512 | 2306 VL360 | ||||||||||||
Sat 16th | 0621 VL357 | 1214 G532 | 1952 VL351 | 0006 VL360 | |||||||||||
Fri 15th | 1328 G532 | 1351 VL357 | 2111 VL351 | 2350 VL360 | |||||||||||
Thu 14th | 0552 G532 | 1134 VL351 | 1412 VL357 | 2003 G532 | 2018 VL360 | ||||||||||
Wed 13th | 0549 G532 | 1120 VL351 | 1448 VL357 | 2002 G532 | 2016 VL360 | 2341 VL351 | |||||||||
Tue 12th | 0550 G532 | 1207 VL351 | 1348 VL356 | 2355 G532 | 2156 VL356 | 2355 VL351 | |||||||||
Mon 11th | 2350 VL351 G532 | 1130 VL351 | 1923 G532 | ||||||||||||
Sun 10th | 0455 G532 | 1201 VL351 | 1925 G532 | 2249 VL351 | Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
Sat 9th | 1148 VL351 | 1927 G532 | 2235 VL351 | ||||||||||||
Fri 8th | 0021 G515 | 1339 G515 | 2118 G515 | ||||||||||||
Thu 7th | 0022 G515 | 1030 G515 | 1331 G512 | 1357 VL356 | 2049 VL357 | 2126 VL353 | |||||||||
Wed 6th | 0513 G515 | 1047 G515 | 1406 G512 | 1344 VL356 | 2032 VL357 | 2114 VL353 | |||||||||
Tue 5th | 0458 G512 | 1036 G512 | 1333 G515 | 2112 VL353 | |||||||||||
Mon 4th | 1359 G515 | 1350 VL360 | 2111 VL353 | 2249 VL357 | |||||||||||
Sun 3rd | No trains recorded | ||||||||||||||
Sat 2nd | 0023 G512 | 0948 G512 | |||||||||||||
Fri 1st | 1354 G515 | 1444 VL360 | 2005 VL356 | 2110 VL353 | |||||||||||
February 2024 | |||||||||||||||
Thu 29th | 0551 VL353 | 1057 G532 | 1126 VL357 | 1959 VL353 | Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
Wed 28th | 1024 G532 | 0550 VL353 | 1153 G515 | 2003 G512 | 2335 VL357 | ||||||||||
Tue 27th | 0032 G532 | 0553 VL353 | 1504 G532 | 1139 VL357 | 2009 VL353 | 0345 VL356 | 2310 VL357 | ||||||||
Mon 26th | 0554 VL353 | 1328 VL357 | 2116 VL353 | 0007 VL357 | |||||||||||
Sun 25th | 0546 VL353 | 1202 VL357 | 1924 VL353 | 2332 VL357 | |||||||||||
Sat 24th | 0539 VL353 | 1200 VL357 | 1925 VL353 | 0001 VL357 | |||||||||||
Fri 23rd | 2359 G532 | 0554 VL353 | 1040 G532 | 1139 VL357 | 1359 VL360 | 2002 VL353 | 2017 VL356 | 2320 VL357 | |||||||
Thu 22nd | 2318 G512 | 0553 VL353 | 1038 G532 | 1157 VL357 | 2001 VL353 | 2258 VL357 | |||||||||
Wed 21st | 0033 G512 | 0610 VL353 | 1047 G532 | 1140 VL357 | 1349 VL360 | 2005 VL353 | 2115 VL356 | 2354 VL357 | |||||||
Tue 20th | 0552 VL353 | 1140 VL357 | 2001 VL353 | 2047 VL356 | 2340 VL357 | ||||||||||
Mon 19th | 1337 VL357 | 1420 VL360 | 2114 VL353 | 2340 VL357 | Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
Sun 18th | No trains recorded | ||||||||||||||
Sat 17th | 0022 G512 | 1348 G512 | |||||||||||||
Fri 16th | 0026 G512 | 1047 G512 | 1307 VL357 | 1358 VL360 | 2025 VL356 | 2115 VL353 | |||||||||
Thu 15th | No trains recorded | ||||||||||||||
Wed 14th | 0600 VL353 | 1135 VL357 | 1408 VL360 | 2019 VL353 | 2046 VL356 | ||||||||||
Tue 13th | 1307 G512 | ||||||||||||||
Mon 12th | 0552 VL353 | 1359 VL360 | 2029 VL356 | ||||||||||||
Sun 11th | 0554 VL353 | 1215 VL351 | 1921 VL353 | 2320 VL351 | |||||||||||
Sat 10th | 0544 VL353 | 1151 VL351 | 1930 VL353 | 2315 VL351 | |||||||||||
Fri 9th | 1340 VL351 | 1954 VL353 | 2307 VL351 | Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
Thu 8th | 0018 G532 | 0553 VL353 | 1036 G532 | 1128 VL351 | 2004 VL353 | ||||||||||
Wed 7th | 0015 G532 | 0551 VL353 | 1047 G532 | 1131 VL351 | 1350 VL360 | 2030 VL353 | 2043 VL356 | 2338 VL351 | |||||||
Tue 6th | 0029 G532 | 0601 G512 | 1037 G532 | 1129 VL351 | 2004 VL353 | 2326 VL351 | |||||||||
Mon 5th | 1402 VL360 | 2056 VL356 | 2349 VL353 | ||||||||||||
Sun 4th | 0417 G515 | 1204 G512 | 1938 G515 | 2322 G512 | |||||||||||
Sat 3rd | 1203 G512 | 1859 G515 | 2232 G512 | ||||||||||||
Fri 2nd | 2320 G532 | 1141 G532 | 1120 VL353 | 1343 G512 | 1400 VL360 | 2008 G515 | 2025 VL356 | ||||||||
Thu 1st | 1108 G512 | 1331 G515 | 2110 G515 | ||||||||||||
January 2024 | |||||||||||||||
Wed 31st | 1347 G512 | 2103 VL357 | |||||||||||||
Tue 30th | 1040 G532 | 1522 G532 | 1341 G512 | 2030 VL357 | Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
Mon 29th | 0553 VL357 | 1153 G512 | 2004 VL357 | 0349 VL356 | |||||||||||
Sun 28th | 0544 VL357 | 1201 VL351 | 1934 VL357 | 2335 G512 | |||||||||||
Sat 27th | 0539 VL357 | 1200 VL351 | 1921 VL357 | 2308 VL351 | |||||||||||
Fri 26th | 0644 VL357 | 1150 VL351 | 1936 VL357 | 2327 VL351 | |||||||||||
Thu 25th | 0018 G532 | 1037 G532 | 1142 VL351 | 1348 VL360 | 2008 VL357 | 2030 VL353 | 2347 VL351 | ||||||||
Wed 24th | 1140 VL357 VL351 | 1347 VL360 | 2005 VL357 | 2029 VL353 | |||||||||||
Tue 23rd | 0512 G532 | 0554 VL357 | 1039 G532 | 1154 VL351 | 1350 VL360 | 2024 VL357 | 2149 VL353 | 2333 VL351 | |||||||
Mon 22nd | 1421 VL351 | 1352 VL353 | 2008 VL353 | 2134 VL357 | 2340 VL351 | ||||||||||
Sun 21st | No trains recorded | ||||||||||||||
Sat 20th | No trains recorded | ||||||||||||||
Fri 19th | 0020 G532 | 0551 VL357 | 1100 G532 | 1134 G515 | 2003 G515 | ||||||||||
Thu 18th | 0552 VL357 | 1129 VL351 | 1403 VL353 | 2006 VL357 | 2020 VL356 | 2326 VL351 | |||||||||
Wed 17th | 0559 VL357 | 1136 VL351 | 1351 VL353 | 2023 VL357 | 1937 VL356 | 2330 VL351 | |||||||||
Tue 16th | 0559 VL357 | 1209 VL351 | 1412 VL353 | 1959 VL357 | 2058 G532 | 2306 VL351 | |||||||||
Mon 15th | 0549 VL357 | 1151 VL360 | 2014 VL357 | 2332 VL360 | |||||||||||
Sun 14th | 0505 VL357 | 1230 VL360 | 1924 VL357 | 2325 VL360 | |||||||||||
Sat 13th | 0521 VL357 | 1201 VL360 | 1951 VL357 | 2337 VL360 | |||||||||||
Fri 12th | 0552 VL357 | 1152 VL360 | 1342 VL356 | 2003 VL357 | 2015 VL356 | 2319 VL360 | |||||||||
Thu 11th | 0559 VL357 | 1127 VL360 | 2002 VL357 | 2326 VL360 | |||||||||||
Wed 10th | 0551 VL357 | 1152 VL360 | 1346 VL356 | 2003 VL357 | 2019 VL353 | 2327 VL360 | Date | 9550 | 9348 | 9552 | 9571 | 9343 | 9553 | 9557 | 9476 | 9572 | 9559 | 9556 | 9475 | 9558 | 9555 | 7088 |
Tue 9th | 2322 VL357 | 2322 VL360 | |||||||||||||
Mon 8th | 0601 VL357 | 1202 VL360 | 1349 VL356 | 2104 VL357 | 2120 VL353 | 2344 VL360 | |||||||||
Sun 7th | 0438 VL357 | 1209 VL360 | 1840 G515 | 1924 VL357 | 2321 VL360 | ||||||||||
Sat 6th | 0543 VL357 | 1204 G532 | 1927 VL357 | 2259 VL360 | |||||||||||
Fri 5th | 0552 VL357 | 1149 VL360 | 1338 VL356 | 2003 VL357 | 2020 G515 | 2311 VL360 | |||||||||
Thu 4th | 0444 VL357 | 1120 VL360 | 1429 G515 | 2000 VL357 | 2132 G515 | 2324 VL360 | |||||||||
Wed 3rd | 2232 VL360 | ||||||||||||||
Tue 2nd | 0522 VL360 | 1156 VL360 | 1346 VL356 | 2115 VL357 | 0009 VL360 | ||||||||||
Mon 1st | 2355 VL353 |
The Annual Christmas Pilgrimage – December, 2018
As per usual, it was another trip to Canberra via Cootamundra over the Christmas break. This time was a little different though... no holiday pay! I'm now a contractor! Regardless, both trains and family needed to be visited! The trip started at the usual sparrow-fart-o'clock and I caught the up Albury somewhere along the parallel stretches of highway and railway.
Awful lighting and a bad angle... I then totally missed the southbound XPT. I heard it growling through as I was filling the tank at a service station. From there, there was nothing on the rails. I grabbed a pie or two at Culcairn, but wasn't impressed at all... maybe the baker had been in a hurry. The first sign of movement was the southbound Harefield shuttle prepped at Junee. Of course... just as I approached it started to head south!
I then whipped the MR-2 around and got to the favourite position... The train had crawled out of Junee, but nearly beat me up the hill? Nice effort!
Crap lighting... the clouds really didn't want to play ball. From there it was more quiet rails. After checking in at the usual motel I was told the pool had a leak and had been emptied. The MR-2 hadn't had aircon for a few years, but it was ~35 outside and I was looking forward to a swim. Instead it was aircon in the motel room whilst I got a bit of work done.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with good friends from Cootamundra. Thanks Laurie for driving and knowing all the good spots to get the SSR grain rake! The proof is as follows...
I hear they're now calling the Qube QBX locomotives 'Chiko Rolls'... pretty hilarious actually. Two separate consists came through in quick succession! We then retired for the afternoon before a great meal at the local.
The next morning was spent getting in front of a northbound SCT service. It'd beaten me out of Cootamundra, but I got it before Yass. I hereby dedicate the next block of photos to my favourite location: Yass Junction Station.
I expected to then just dawdle back into Canberra... but instead found the SCT pulling to a halt in the station area. The drivers then inspected all axles... they must've triggered a sensor somewhere and been told to check if anything was actually wrong? They held there for 10 minutes and then pushed off again.
That was it for the trip towards Canberra. Whilst there I swapped the AW11 MR2 for a 2015 ZRE182R Corolla and, well, it's not the pocket rocket that the MR2 was, but it's got enough of it's character and so much more comfort! The return trip was therefore a quick one, going through to Melbourne in one day.
There's the 'rolla at Jindalee. Collecting rock-chips on the bonnet that I wouldn't realised until I washed it in Melbourne. Damnit. Anyhoo... on the way back, QBXs were seen bolting into Junee...
And then the XPT passed a CK grain at Gerogery?
And that was another wrap. Home just in time to catch the Air Asia X flight to KL the next morning!
High-Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT)
The first HCMT has been 'constructed' at Newport and recently passed through Hawksburn late at night. It was done after-hours to permit slow-running... as I'm sure they've measured the platform clearances... but weren't game to trash their new toy!
Whilst getting ready for the main event... I happened to see a few other consists on the radar. First up we have two SSR T-Class locomotives hauling the inspection vehicle IEV102. Running slowly, you can see it has the light shining onto the overhead, making sure it's within tolerance.
Next was the midnight down steel... but I missed it... too busy playing Pikmin 1 via the Dolphin Gamecube Emulator!
But then the down Apex Gravel train showed up... and came through. This had a full load and was working pretty hard up the grade. Looked and sounded great!
Finally, the main event (at 0130 in the morning)! The consist was pretty random: S302 up front, 20 grain cars, S317 + T + T, a brake van and then the actual HCMT! The extra loading was required as the HCMT wasn't 'braked'. Or that's the only reason I can think of... they couldve just had the 2 S or T on either end, but they may not be able to pull the train to a stop as they'd not be able to brake hard enough. Instead they used the bogies of 20 grain cars to make sure the weight on the end had no impact on the running train.
What a night! And what amazing lack-of-sleep!
6029 Returns to Canberra (for a weekend)
The irony... or, at least I think it's irony? I don't know anymore. But, whatever, I didn't need an excuse... what a great reason to return to Canberra for the weekend! 6029 came back to the place where it had been stored for decades and then rebuilt (to then assist in causing the failure of the railway museum) to run tours to Queanbeyan and Bungendore.
Here's the event link, but I can't see that link lasting long at all. It's not overly unique? Anyway, the basic idea was 4 shuttles to Queanbeyan on Saturday morning, followed by a single afternoon return trip to Bungendore. Then sunday was three full return trips to Bungendore.
The Line
It turns out that Canberra was an afterthought. To get to Canberra, railway vehicles first traverse the logging line to Bombala, but only until Queanbeyan where the Canberra branch actually starts. Railways were always about freight... and Canberra hadn't been invented yet... so the line that exists between Goulburn and Bombala was actually due to the need for wood, with an extension to Canberra built later.
It's a very short trip between Canberra and Queanbeyan, hence why they managed to schedule in four shuttles on the Saturday morning. There's not much along the line as it's quite flat between both stations.
Getting to Canberra from Thirlmere
It turns out that this was part of a larger rail cruise. Cruise Express ran their Southern Rail Spectactular event from Sydney to Melbourne and return. It included branchlines, steam engines and multiple consist changes. SRHC even got their standard-gauge consist set up for this specific event! It was also fun watching the consists hold up traffic in either direction...
And again Northbound...
Saturday, 1st September 2018
GL112 was attached on the rear and the train made it into Canberra Railway Station (Kingston) for it's first trip at 0900. All went well and I was waiting on the northern side of Jerrabomberra Creek. Beautiful sunlight and only 2 other onlookers.
From there, I attempted to get the return from the back of Bunnings in Fyshwick, but there were no good vantage points. The carpark at DFO would've been on the wrong side, with the sun directly in ones face. A quick shop at Jaycar for a DB9 socket for a mouse rebuild and then off to the back of Nick Scali furniture to catch the 10am outbound.
Another two onlookers... one being naughty on the wrong side of the fence... and then it was off to Queanbeyan to watch the return shuttle.
From there, it was family time for lunch. I managed to watch the 12pm shuttle depart before this... not before seeing a whole range of stupidity though... people just seem to think that crossing a yard is appropriate? They were quickly told to move on!
4201 then rolled in with a NSWRTM water gin!? I love unexpected surprises! 6029 then departed.
Later in the afternoon, I found enough time in the afternoon to watch the Bungendore return trip at the bridge just past Queanbeyan station. Lots of interest here this time and great sunlight. It's an awesome spot for inbound movements.
Sunday, 2nd September 2018
First-things-first on a Sunday morning in Canberra: Jamison Trash'n'Treasure, Mitchell Tip Shop, Woden Trash'n'Treasure and then Mugga Tip Shop. Found a few tid-bits, but nothing to call home about. Actually, Mitchell Tip shop was a bit out of control: they wanted AUD$25 for a monitor and set of computer speakers... what kind of 'gourmet' do they think they're selling? It's literally rubbish!
Made it back home to switch cars and then to Kingston railway to catch up with friends to grab some aerial video of the Bungendore shuttles. In the yard, 42103 and 4201 were hanging around, keeing the crowd entertained.
First stop was to be the bridge at Burbong, NSW. It's a great location, amazingly scenic, but the sun isn't always in the best location!
Fortunately, for a drone, the sun is absolutely no issue. Line-of-sight with too many trees can be... but we managed to find a great location. Nathan even had the 'VR' headset so I was watching the drone's viewpoint as he was flying it... pretty damn amazing!
The train came in due course and ... it was beautiful. The locomotive was at full-tilt (the exhaust may well exclaim that) and the sights and sounds were awesome. It passed quite quickly but we caught further footage whilst everyone else was packing up.
And now, the best part... the drone footage! (Make sure to turn the quality right up!)
The next spot was in the Molonglo Gorge. I'd actually never been here... even though I'd lived in Canberra for ~28 years. Seriously disappointing actually, as it's an amazing location! The railway line snakes along the gorge hill-side through two tunnels and there's a few spaces along the access roads to get some great shots.
Another pilot had a drone out (exactly the same model) and our flight paths were negotiated to not get in eachother's way. Not exactly an easy thing to do as your viewpoint from the drone can be based on the film you're trying to take rather than the drones around you... and they can also have the same idea... so we had our wits about us. There's also a no-fly-zone towards Queanbeyan, but we were far enough away from it.
After that, it was back to family time before jetting back off to Melbourne. Usually my weekends are pretty quiet in Canberra, but this one was fantastic. Can only thank the NSW Rail Museum for the entertainment!
Melbourne, Australia – August, 2018
There's been a bit of heritage activity around Melbourne recently and I thought I'd post a few pictures up-front, rather than letting them rot away in the albums.
Steamrail's Snow Train
This consist runs twice a year from Southern Cross to Traralgon. From there you can venture off on other tours of the countryside. It's usually run by two R class steam locomotives, as it was this year. I happened to ride on it last year, so instead chose to take photos of it this year.
The train ran on Sunday, 5th August. This perfectly aligns with the usual Sunday trash and treasure market adventures, and so I waited near the Oakleigh market. This also happens to be where the Skyrail comes back to earth, so I attempted a shot of the train coming off the viaduct.
As you can see, R711 was up front and they powered through beautifully.
Excuse the long wind-up, you could hear the train coming well before you saw it!
707 Operations with R707 and A66
Another Sunday (26th August), another set of flea markets and another consist of vintage goodness. It even went the same way... and so did I. But this time I had enough time to get home and deliver the randomness I picked up before it came past the apartment. Therefore... the usual spot first, with the new location. It's a little harder to get the right shot as the train was on the furthest track!
And the poor steamer was getting lugged along behind. Perfect logic though, no running around when it wanted to return in the other direction!
It then came back through and I caught it around the bend at South Yarra. There were a few random trains in between though... like the steelie!
A multitude of sparks...
And yes.. then the main event...
And so that was the first trip... To Berwick and return. The second leg was to Stony Point and back, with a 20min stop at Patterson on the way there.
The stop wasn't overly practical... as it was really for the passengers and there wasn't much platform to stretch out on.
I snuck down to the fence and, regardless of the lighting, I snapped away as the train departed.
Always perfect to see these tours sell out and history preserved!
Melbourne – The view from Tarneit Station
I've just recently posted photos of B74 leading through Tarneit and it occurred to me that I've now got a historical record of the changes to the landscape in the area.
The amount of building that's been going on behind the trains in the scenes below says it all. The first shot is from July 2016, we then have October 2016 and finally July 2018.
Sure, 2 years is a huge gap... things happen... nappy-valleys get built... but... it's just cool to see the change when I never even intended on recording it! Melbourne's urban (or rural?) sprawl is actually pretty hideous... these poor people will spend a quarter of their lives in their cars parked in traffic jams on highways.