Off the Rails - Train Stuff

[captain sparkle]

I saw this today!
46100 "Royal Scot" just outside Lancaster.
In the background is the Ashton memorial, seen by many thousands of people, when travelling North on the M6, not so far from the turn off for the Lake District!

[Renegadenemo]

I was a bit worried the post would be a little long-winded. Glad you enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed that read, surprised myself there, and l love the steam stuff pics an especially the stories of those great machines cheating the scrap man and all the work of volunteers.
Wonder if we could squeeze a small one into our workshop.

[Filtertron]

I was a bit worried the post would be a little long-winded. Glad you enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed that read, surprised myself there, and l love the steam stuff pics an especially the stories of those great machines cheating the scrap man and all the work of volunteers.
Wonder if we could squeeze a small one into our workshop.

Thanks Bill. Some of the preserved locomotives have interesting stories behind them - R711 is certainly no exception. As to whether or not you could fit one in your workshop...Maybe a very small industrial tank, or something from one of the smaller railways such as the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway or the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.

[Filtertron]

I saw this today!
46100 "Royal Scot" just outside Lancaster.
In the background is the Ashton memorial, seen by many thousands of people, when travelling North on the M6, not so far from the turn off for the Lake District!

Very nice! I'm hoping to see a bit of mainline steam when I visit the UK next (hopefully in the next couple of years - pestilence permitting).

[ThornyBush]

If you or any Steam enthusiasts are across at workshop in North Shields on the beautiful North East Coast - remember Messrs. Stephenson, Armstrong and other great engineers came from the area close by, so within a few hours from the workshop ( I hope the links work OK, if not let me know).

All approximate - based on motorcycle/car at at max warp factor 1 only :-

~10 minutes = https://stephensonsteamrailway.org.uk/
~20 minutes = http://bowesrailway.uk/
~30 minutes = http://www.beamish.org.uk/explore-disco ... y-station/, https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/
~Maybe an hour 15 North West "ish" - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragsi ... f-cragside.
~Maybe an hour and 15 north = https://www.alnvalleyrailway.co.uk/ and
https://www.heatherslawlightrailway.co.uk/
~Probably the same south about same = https://www.locomotion.org.uk/visit
and a couple of old child hood favourites, maybe a couple of hours south = https://www.nymr.co.uk/ and https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/

Check the websites for covid-19 or "pestilence" restrictions...Stay Safe!

[Filtertron]

Hi Folks, hope you're all doing well and are safe from the dreaded Spon Plague.

Here's a few recent photos that may be of interest to someone out there.

CM3305+CM3304 with 7762V loaded wheat train from Dimboola, passing through Langi Logan at dusk on 20/9/20. Keen observers will note the positive relief bow in the chassis on these locos. Very banana like. These locos were built in Boise, Idaho around five or so years ago for CFCLA. CFCLA (Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia) are in the rollingstock hire market as their name suggests.



CSR006+SCT005+SCT014+CSR004 passing through the former station yard at Wal Wal in Victoria's Wimmera district, with the 5PM9 SCT Superfreighter. 27/9/20.


Former Kowloon-Canton Railway (Hong Kong) locomotive, TL152, laying about at the Western Intermodal Freight Terminal (WIFT) at Dooen, with the Grampians in the background. This loco was actually built by Clyde Engineering in Granville NSW in 1957, and imported to Hong Kong with four similar locos. The locos were numbered 51 - 55 by the KCR. 51 was donated to a rail museum in Hong Kong upon withdrawal, and the other four were bought by CFCLA and repatriated to Australia in 2007. Each loco was given the classification of TL, and '1' proceeding their original KCR road numbers. Three of the locos were on-sold after five or so years to a company called El Zorro (commonly referred to by many as El Shonko; El Shonks or simply "Shonks"). EZ went bust about a year later, so the three locos were offered for sale by the liquidators. I believe TL154 and TL155 were sold to a preservation group in Seymour, who on-sold them to interests in South Aus. TL152 was sold to K&AB Rail, who have hired the loco to SCT to shunt the yard. 27/9/20.



8124+8178+BL33+8134 head 7KG6 loaded grain away from Great Western. 3/10/20.


RL301+48s35 with 7KV1 grain from Lillimur, which isn't too far from the Vic/South Aus border. 3/10/20.


Out on the former Patchewollock branch, G514+CLP12 head for Murtoa with 7786V from Warracknabeal. Taken between Nullan and Minyip. 3/10/20.


The same train as above approaching the Stawell - Warracknabeal Road level crossing at Minyip.


Arriving at Murtoa. This train was combined with 7KV1 at the Marmalake Grain terminal, then depart for NSW.


GM10+GM27 stabled at Maroona with MK82 ARTC track evaluating train, which was to run to Portland the following day. 3/10/20.


RL301+48s35+G514+CLP12 with the combined train (numbered 7KV1), waiting to cross a superfreighter, and an empty grain working at Maroona.


WHOOSH! Through she goes! The nose of RL301 with GML10+44202+8037+8044 lumbering past with 7763V empty grain to Birchip. 3/10/20.


And one of the train gone, and the old Maroona station building visible. 3/10/20.



The next day, I followed the return working of the ARTC track evaluation train (commonly referred to as simply "the AK cars"). Originally the train was supposed to go to Portland, but only went as far as Heywood so the crew wouldn't run out of hours. Here, GM27+GM10 lead MK83 AK cars towards the site of Strathkellar station, which is directly behind me. Not much left of it either. 4/10/20.


Crossing Back Creek at the oddly named locality of Moutajup.


Dunkeld station. A few "Gricers" (we call them "Gunzels" over here) can be seen on the platform. Mount Sturgeon is in the background on the right.


On the outskirts of Willaura, after passing through the township.


GML10+44202+8037+8044 with 7764V loaded wheat from Birchip, passing through the former station yard at Avoca. 4/10/20.



SCT003+SCT001+CSR008 with a new SCT service, 1MA9 Superfreighter. This was taken on the approach to Tatyoon. 11/10/20.


Same train, this time passing the Ararat water treatment plant (no, it didn't smell, oddly enough) with various water fowl paddling about in the settling dam. Mount Langi Ghiran forms the backdrop.


XR554+XR557+G529 pass through Ballarat station with 9148 loaded grain from Charlton. 11/10/20.


Rare visitor to Victoria is NSW's 8231, seen here under the stars at Murtoa. 01:55 12/10/20.


G514+CLF3+CLF1 await departure from Murtoa with 9741V for Warracknabeal. 03:05 12/10/20.



S302+S312 passing through the train hall at Ballarat station with 9197 empty wheat to Nullawil. 14/10/20.



G514+CLF+RL306 with 1VK2 empty wheat for Marmalake grain terminal and Birchip. The train will be split at Maroona, with half each going to these locations. The train is spied from a big pile of ballast at Longwood, on the main North East line. Stupid here managed to aggravate a torn calf muscle on the climb up. You'd reckon I'd know better! 18/10/20.


On the curves at Broadford, with a Melbourne bound Seymour passenger service just ahead of the wheatie. The sun was in slightly the wrong spot, but it still looks reasonable enough to present here (if I say so myself...).


The old grain silos at the site of Colbinabbin station. This was one of the termini of the former branchline which came off of the Goulburn Valley mainline at Murchison East. Intermediate station, Rushworth, was the junction for the lines to Colbinabbin and Girgarre. Girgarre was closed around 1970, with the truncated section to Stanhope remaining open with the rest of the line until 1987. The line through to Colbinabbin has been turned into a bike path. The artwork on the silos was only completed recently. It depicts the old station, as well as a train. The train is not quite correct, as the loco depicted was a mainline express passenger loco, and would never have ventured onto the branchline. The second fault is the yellow wagons. These would have been a dark oxide red in the steam days, as yellow was introduced from the early to mid 1970's. Still, I think it looks rather good. 18/10/20.



Remember the wheat train from above the photo above? Here is half (7792V) with G514+CLF3 on the point, rolling past Ben Nevis at Eversley, ex-Birchip. 20/10/20.


Here's the other half, 3KC4, stabled at Maroona with a lone RL306 shut down on the front.


Shortly after the arrival of 7792V; RL306 is started in preparation to be placed on the front of G514, so shunting can begin to combine the trains.


The locos shortly after both halves of the train were coupled together. They're waiting for the signal so they can run forward, then set back onto the front of the train. The brakes will then be charged, and they will await authority and the signal to depart for NSW.


The stylish "Bulldog" nose of CLF3, with the light pollution from Ballarat - some sixty miles distant. 20/10/20.


NR51+NR5 charge towards Tatyoon with the 5PM5 Pacific National Superfreighter, on a dreary afternoon. 25/10/20.


Not long afterwards, CSR007+CSR004+SCT015 approach the Grange Road level crossing at Tatyoon, with the 1MP9 SCT Superfreighter.



Enjoy.

[captain sparkle]

Fantastic! What is it about locomotives at night? almost "existential", maybe "romantic"? or is that just me?
Here's a couple of pics of a famous locomotive, name escapes me, on the WCML just behind Morecambe Golf Club.

[thunderer]

Ahhh, the flying scrapman......

[Filtertron]

Nice shots there, Cap'n!

Been a while since I've posted anything - a fair bit has happened since my last post. We're not really in lockdown over here, so hopefully this will be of some interest. I guess you could say it's sort of a 'virtual' trip to Aus for everyone reading?

*Anyhow...Have a seat and enjoy.

First up, a bank holiday on 3/11/20, saw a trip to the Geelong area to hopefully get a shot of the flog (log) train, heading into Melbourne. Missed it, and ended up in Queenscliff some 25 miles south. A 3'6" gauge tourist railway runs between Queenscliff and Drysdale (about ten miles). They were shut down due to Covid at the time, but recently restored former Emu Bay Railway (Tasmania) loco No.1107 was parked outside of the loco depot compound. They've done a beautiful job of her paintwork too - I couldn't find any runs, "crows feet" or "orange peel" in it. It's as smooth as.


Ex-Seth Efrican Railways Class 24 No.3620 has also recently made it's home at Queenscliff to run the Q-Train. A detailed history of it's history in Australia can be found here.


Sunday 8/11/20 a trip was made over to the main North East Railway, to follow an empty SSR wheat train with C506+RL306+BRM002 up front. The C's were built for the Victorian Railways between 1977 and 1978. They were the first turbo-charged mainline unit for Victoria, and are mechanically similar to the EMD SD-40 found in America. Nine of the ten were rebuilt in 2006/07 with modern traction control, and upgraded engines. A C class running in Victoria is fairly rare these days (or was), since the privatisation of our railway systems and is not to be missed.

First spot was at School House Lane at Dysart.


The site of Balmattum Siding.


Broken River bridge, Benalla.


Bowser.


And finally Springhurst.


Sunday 15/11/20. Another C? You betcha! This one is "preserved" (I use that term loosely) unit C501. For pretty much all of it's "preserved" life, it's been hired out to freight operators to augment or become part of that company's fleet. Whether it actually makes any money for the group who's custody it's in is questionable. That aside, it has been repainted into it's original livery, and is the only C still original mechanically. It's currently on hire to Specialised Container Transport (SCT) for use on their Dooen container train. The other unit is CLF2, which has been hired from a commercial hire company, you'll see it a bit more later. This was taken at Lismore during a gap in the clouds.


Another photo of same, this time exiting Berrybank crossing loop.


Another train, this time an empty wheatie heading out to the Wimmera somewhere. The weather has taken a dive. The locos are 8159+X50+8178, and are crossing the Mount Emu Creek bridge near Pura Pura.


Arriving at Pyrenees crossing loop near Ararat. Mount Langi Ghiran is in the background.


Another train on a different gauge. The last couple were on standard gauge, this is on broad gauge (5'3"), which was the main railway gauge in Victoria until 1962. The train is a loaded wheatie, with locos XR554+BL29. The chase started in the lower Mallee township of Berriwillock, as the train gets underway after a crew change.


Just up the hill from the last one.


Culgoa station site. Note the old horse drawn plough rusting away under the scrub on the left.


Nullawil. A mural has been painted onto the side of the old silo, the corner of which is just visible. The light was in the wrong spot to include it.


Crawling down Broadway - the main street of Wycheproof. Local families still come out to watch the trains go by, which was surprising.




A couple from Dimboola later in the evening: X48 and 8227.




29/11/20. Remember how I said I'd get to CLF2? Well, here it is. It is now owned by RailPower, a company based out of Goulburn in NSW. From memory, it failed the week before, which saw C501 turned to lead the down working of the train to Dooen. The CLF was turned prior to going back onto the train, which placed it in the lead from Dooen. Here is the Melbourne bound train rounding the curve into Ararat.


Between Ararat and Langi Logan, with Ararat's water treatment plant in the foreground, and Mount Langi Ghiran in the background.


Heading up the hill towards Tatyoon. The Grampians are in the background here.


A bit later in the day, SCT009+SCT002+SCT011 arrive at Dimboola, with the 5PM9 SCT Superfreighter bound for Melbourne.


A high sun means this shot is a little bit naff. Climbing the grade into Jung.


Crossing the Wimmera River bridge near Glenorchy.


Train number three, and the last for the day - 7731V empties to Dimboola, with 8159+X50+8178 (same as the week before). The train is heading up the slight grade towards the Marmalake (Murtoa) grain terminal.


Pimpinio crossing loop (actually in Wail at this point).


Finally, working up the last grade into Dimboola.


More soon.

[captain sparkle]

Fantastic!
I can feel the heat!