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The closest 'main south' station to Canberra is Yass. Located in NSW, Yass has a station known as 'Yass Junction' on the main line between Melbourne and Sydney. I've found that on a saturday morning between 6am and 10:30am you'll see up to 4 standard services with a random sprinkling of special events in between. Shown below are the services that I've spotted and managed to photograph well.

Updates

• 23rd October 2008: Initial Upload.
• 26th October 2008: Wasn't much action with a track crew possessing the station and block either side. This meant the 8:30am steel service came at 10am with the 10:30am container service straight after.
• 16th/17th December 2008: Spent the night in Yass Junction Signal Box and got too see a whole lot of different services come through... Highlights were PN using 2x81s and 3x48s on ARGs old grain service (woke me up at 5:21am... no time to photograph) and then a southbound freighter with both a Southern Spirit NR84 and a Ghan NR together. I then proceeded to mee the XPT in Gunning and return via Goulburn... Unfortunately there were trackworks which cancelled a CityRail service. I didn't hang around long enough to see the evening freight movements. Will definitely be doing this again.
• 14th April 2009: Lachlan Valley Railway (Cowra) passed through Yass Junction yesterday with 3237 and 5917 pulling a 4-car consist to Sydney. Was a great sight to see steam in the Junction, as well as Jerrawa. Too bad the weather was miserable!
• 6th June 2009: Yass Junction... 9 Trains in 5 hours!
  
  • 0611 South Grain
  • 0648 South Container
  • 0721 South QR (LDP005) Container
  • 0831 North Grain
  • 0839 North Steel
  • 0841 South Steel
  • 0855 North Grain
  • 0938 South Steel
  • 1105 South Griffith XPL
  So much fun when they sneak up on you unexpectedly.

Currently 167 photos.

Added: 23 October 2008

Northbound Steel enters Yass Junction	NR68 on Steel service	NR68 on Steel service
Yass Jct Signal Box	Southbound XPT enters Yass	CLP9 on Northbound container
Southbound XPT enters Yass	Southbound XPT enters Yass	Southbound XPT - Green light
Southbound XPT departs Yass	Southbound XPT passing gang	ARHS ACT returning via Yass
NSWRTM returning via Yass	Northbound XPT arriving	Yass at dawn
First southbound freight of the morning	Southbound container	Southbound container
Yass Junction at dawn	NR73 on northbound Steel	NR73 on northbound Steel
Indian Pacific arriving in Yass?	Indian Pacific arriving in Yass?	IP dropping off passengers!
IP dropping off passengers!	80s1+607 Sleeper Train arriving	80s1+607 Sleeper Train awaiting green
80s1+607 Sleeper Train going wrong-road	80s1+607 Sleeper train	80s1+607 Sleeper Train
80s1+607 Sleeper Train	Re-Sleepering the main south	IP lead northbound freighter through trackwork
IP lead northbound freighter crawling	NR26 on full zoom	NR26 hauling northbound steel
NR26+NR+NR115 hauling northbound steel	ARG on one of their last hauls southbound	Sun rising over Yass
First southbound of the morning	Rail Grinder	Rail Grinder
Rail Grinder stabling	NR32 leads northbound steel	NR86 leads northbound container into Yass
NR87+DL on northbound container	NR86 leads northbound container into Yass	NR87+DL on northbound container

Added: 26 October 2008

2202 leads one of the last ARG Grain trains	2202 leads one of the last ARG Grain trains	Southbound freighter passing Yass Jct
Northbound Steel passing Yass	Northbound Steel	Northbound container
NR54 leads northbound container

Added: 17 December 2008

Early Afternoon	Yass junction in the Afternoon	3NY3 or 2BM4
3NY3 or 2BM4, Happy drivers	3NY3 or 2BM4	3NY3 or 2BM4
NR Up Close	A southbound fertiliser train caught me off guard at around 7:15pm	Northbound Signals, High Exposure
Northbound Signals, Less Exposure	Northbound Signals... Waiting for that freighter	Yass Junction at night
Pedestrian Overbridge	Yass Junction Signal Box at night	Northbound Grain (3982?)
Northbound Grain (3982?)	Northbound Grain (3982?)	Northbound Grain (or is this 3982?)
Northbound Grain (or is this 3982?)	Northbound Grain (or is this 3982?)	First Southbound Freigher (4SP5?)
First Southbound Freigher (4SP5?)	First Southbound Freigher (4SP5?)	Yass Junction Signal Box
Yass Junction Yard Diagram	Northbound Freight (2XW4?)	Northbound Freight (2XW4?)
NR109 in the lead (2XW4?)	NR109 Close Up	NR109 Speeding through
NR109 on Steel service	The next southbound, possibly 4WP2?	Southbound freighter
Southern Spirit (and The Ghan NR) on Southbound Freigher	Southern Spirit on Southbound Freigher	NR73 on Northbound 1PS6
XPT arrives at Gunning Station	XPT arrives at Gunning Station	XPT pauses at Gunning Station
XPT pauses at Gunning Station	XPT leaves Gunning Station	XPT leaves Gunning Station
XPT leaves Gunning Station	4473 stabled at Goulburn	4473 stabled in Goulburn
4473 stabled in Goulburn	Trackwork in Goulburn	4473 stabled in Goulburn
Canberra Explorer in Goulburn	Canberra Explorer in Goulburn

Added: 14 April 2009

3237 appears over the crest	3237+5917 pull in to Yass Junction	3237+5917 pull in to Yass Junction
5917 under the pedestrian bridge	Tender inspections on 5917	Shifting coal for 3237
XPT enters Jerrawa	She'll be coming round the mountain...	3237+5917 enter Jerrawa
3237+5917 enter Jerrawa	Signal triggered	Full steam ahead through Jerrawa

Added: 06 June 2009

Sometime around 6am	6:15am	6:16am
Rails to nowhere.	Heading north?	The only good shot of 7SP3 running 20mins early
QR LDP005 pulling something through an ARTC Spare Path	QR LDP005	YJ Signal box
Southbound	Northbound	First northbound grain
	An L Class on Grain?	Northbound Steel stuck behind Grain
Northbound Steel	Northbound Steel	Northbound Steel passing
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