3642 running tender first through High Street Station on a shuttle to Newcastle.

SMR30 running around her cars at Richmond Vale

3237 leads 5916 and 3830 into Maitland with the 3801ltd Steamfest Special

Steamfest 2009 photos are now avaliable on Flickr! Click here to view the whole set.

Yass Junction and Town

Down daylight XPT service to Melbourne arriving into Yass Junction station, passing the old signal box.

The Yass Town Railway is the other railway line near Canberra to have been closed to traffic, originally running from Yass Junction to Yass Town. The day started with a nod to history, with ST33 Daylight Melbourne XPT service arriving into the platform at 11:29. In years gone by, passengers would normally have changed from the Sydney train to a local service along the branchline into Yass proper. In a nod to history, a road coach was waiting to transfer passengers to various towns along the railway line. Passengers from Canberra and Yass were also brought to Yass Junction by coach to allow them to begin their journey by train south to towns and cities such as Junee, Wagga Wagga, Albury and Melbourne.

The remains of the once branch line into town are apparent, with the platform and signal box still in good condition, although the level crossing near the station has been covered over by road resurfacing in the years since the branch was closed to traffic.

There is a substantial grain silo with rail loading facilities adjacent to the station, although the tracks were rusted and the whole facility looked a bit dated and disused. Whether this is the result of the recent drought across New South Wales, or if the silo has been out of use for a while is unclear. Certainly, the sidings around the station and the silo see occasional use – to store track machines when not required by the work being undertaken in the area (Sydney to Melbourne resleepering project).

The impressive, abandoned bridge facilitating the crossing of Yass River by the Yass Tramway

Following the line into the township of Yass, the line is mostly intact, complete with a large bridge over Yass River. The line along Dutton Street is also more or less intact (although, not in gauge, with some sleepers so rotten there is little left but a handful of splinters!). The line along Dutton Street runs along the centre of the road, right up to the original site of Yass Station, which is now a museum in its own right, with a number of preserved items of rolling stock. It is the line along the roadway which has earned the Yass Branch the name of “Yass Tramway”, despite being operated by standard gauge branch line steam locomotives, and passenger/freight rolling stock over it’s operating years.

When I visited Yass, the museum was closed, a number of items of freight rolling stock are located adjacent to, and easily visible from, the road (albeit, behind an impressive, non-camera friendly chain link fence). Steam locomotive 1307 and diesel shunting unit X203 were also in the yard. It seemed to be an interesting looking museum, looking worthy of a future visit.

8107 and 8177 power through Gunning with a loaded wheat train

Gunning to Goulburn

That same day, while heading back to the freeway from Yass Town, 8107 and 8177 were sighted hauling a loaded rake of NGPF grain hoppers north through Yass Junction, either bound for Port Kembla for export or for the new Allied Flour Mill at Maldon.

Giving chase to Gunning for a photo, they were easy to follow up through the Cullerin Range, although once they got close to Goulburn the crew were able to really open up along the flats – not as fast as it might seem on the locomotive, but when the photographers are contending with a bumpy old road complete with curves and hills, it’s not easy to keep up, even when the train is only doing 80km/h.

Canberra to Goulburn

Following a quick lunch in Goulburn, we returned to Canberra to pick up the afternoon Xplorer service to Sydney (the fuel train often doesn’t run over a long weekend). The first shots of the Xplorer were obtained as the line skirted the border, where the line is crossed by The Kings Highway. Although the train beat us to Bugendore Station, we caught up with the train again at Tarago just south of the station, and again near the original site of Lake Bathurst. After Goulburn, it was no contest, with the train beating us to Towrang at level crossing, and it was time to head back to Canberra.

Maitland Steamfest is always an event greater than the sum of its parts. Often regarded by enthusiasts as passé and overdone, it is not until one appreciates all aspects of the event that it’s true worth becomes apparent. At a first glance, if one was just looking to take high-quality scenic photos of steam locomotives hauling heritage passenger trains, ones attention might be better focused on a daytrip out of Sydney – the locomotive is always going to be leading the train engine first, there will be a greater variety of locations to use, and while there might be people following the train, you won’t have to deal with the crowds that descend on Maitland every year. Of course, if you are looking for purely a standard three-quarter photo of a steam locomotive thundering up a grade, over a bridge, or through a hackspot (and let’s be honest, that is really what most people want when chasing a steam hauled tour, and there is nothing wrong with that), then that may be the way to go. On the other hand, if you’re looking to catch up with friends over a quiet beer (or seven) at a pub alongside the busiest railway lines in the state, or perhaps to get some less ordinary photos of an often over photographed subject, or perhaps just take in the sights and smells of the operating steam locomotives (and traction engines) while browsing a market, without the pressure to jump in the car and make chase, or get “that shot”, then perhaps Steamfest is for you.

A steam traction engine performing for the crowds near Maitland Station.

I know the driving force behind the reason a close friend of mine travelled up to Steamfest 2009 was for mateship, and a good reason at that. On its own, this hobby is just that, a hobby, and one will get out as much enjoyment as one puts in. I have found that considerably more enjoyment can be had when sharing this hobby with friends – a bad photo can be easily put into perspective by a good natured jibe from a mate, or day without any luck or results can be laughed about over a beer at the pub the evening after. Especially when dealing with unproductive weather, it helps to laugh about getting drenched for “that shot”, even if it doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped (this comment having nothing to do with my brave run to the footbridge at Maitland Station in pouring rain for a less-than exciting shot of CLF1 leading 7MB7 north while everyone else sought shelter on the platforms…).

No matter what the reasoning for sharing the hobby with your mates, Steamfest proved to be an excellent time to catch up with a few friends from around NSW (and indeed Victoria), because the lure of so many steam locomotives in one place at one time is often enough to bring everyone together, if only for a weekend.

Part of the appeal of Steamfest is the market and rides located next to Maitland Station over the weekend.

Another appeal of Steamfest is that it goes beyond just the mainline steam locomotives, although this is often forgotten by many who simply go to Maitland to chase around the mainline steamers with reckless abandon. There is a bewildering assortment of traction engines, from the small to the gigantic, as well as model railways, miniature railways, market stalls and railmotors. Even Richmond Vale Railway at Kurri Kurri gets into the spirit, with SMR30 in full steam for the first time in nearly six months, and a free shuttle bus from Maitland Station to RVR at Kurri Kurri to assist those who are without cars.

Finally, the main driving force behind my visit to Maitland Steamfest was a chance to practice some more creative photography. Without the need to chase the train to get photographs at various locations, and with little variety in scenery and limited places to get photographs, it forces one to be far more creative with composition and style, especially when you consider how much fierce competition you will have for, not only the photospot, but to get a unique angle and shot of your own! Often there will be ten or more cameras at any one spot all focused on the same train, everyone vying for the best angle or shot – and everyone gets the same result more often than not!

Action is not limited to the mainlines running through The Hunter Valley, with SMR30 getting into the spirit at Richmond Vale Railway, in steam for the first time in nearly six months.

Maitland Steamfest has something to offer even the most veteran of railway photographer, even if it is just to come up to photograph the new 92 class, or the recently transferred G Class to Northern Coal. Perhaps you’re just here for a shot of an elusive El Zorro grain train, and the steam trains are just an added bonus? Some people come up for a quiet (or perhaps not) beer with a couple of mates while content to watch the trains go by. Others come up for a chance to test their photographic skills, or to browse the markets and savour the strong smell of coal smoke in the air.

Whatever your reason, don’t put it off. There are plenty of reasons to go, and few reasons not to.

Apologies to those readers of Trackside who have been noticing a distinct lack of updates recently. I have begun a new job which has required a slight re-adjustment of my time, which has resulted in slightly less free time than I would like to pursue the finer aspects of this hobby.

Please be reassured that, despite the lack of obvious updates to the site, a number of projects are in the works for April/May 2009, and, all going to plan, these should become obvious soon enough.

Thankyou to all the readers of Trackside for your support, and your patience.

Kind Regards,

Trent

A Hunter Railcar departs High Street Station, Maitland, in April 2009.

After a number of setbacks, the long awaited Epping to Chatswood Link opened today, with the first train departing Chatswood at 11:05am to Epping, and the first train to depart Epping for Chatswood did so at 11:16am. The line was ready to open Sunday 22nd, although the opening was pushed back a day out of respect to the victims of the Victorian Bushfires.

Until the introduction of the 2009 timetable later this year, which will see the new line integrated as part of the Northern and North Shore lines, a 15-minute shuttle service is being conducted by a pair of 4-car OSCAR type trains. This is both due to the steep grades on the line, and the noise issues experienced, which are due to be rectified in the first few weekend shutdowns for the line before it’s integration into the network as a whole.

Riding the train from Epping to Chatswood this afternoon was quite an experience. The combination of the new OSCAR trains with the new track makes for a very fast, smooth ride. Indeed, unless one looks out the window at the speed of the passing tunnel, it is hard to gauge exactly how fast the train is going. The ride is so smooth, with no bumps or jolts or vibrations through the train at all.

New stations are open at Macquarie University, Macquarie Park and North Ride (originally named Delhi Rd), and all stations fall under the “green travelpass” zone of ticketing.

Eventually trains will travel from Hornsby to Epping, then through the new link to Chatswood, before heading south to North Sydney, and back to Epping via Central and Strathfield. Currently, northern line trains will depart Hornsby and run to Epping and Strathfield before heading east to Central and moving back to Hornsby via The North Shore line. The new design will see an increase in services to Epping, and stations between Epping and Hornsby (which, under the current timetable, only get one train every thirty minutes in the off-peak). The new line will also provide Cityrail more flexibility during times of trackwork, and help passengers to avoid disruption in a number of scenarios.

It is in the authors opinion that, although the project has been delayed, it is worth the wait. The travel time between Epping and Chatswood now is amazing, and it provides a far easier connection for North Shore customers wishing to join Newcastle and Central Coast line trains.

Unfortunately, the author has not had a chance to get any photos of the new line in it’s current operation, although photos will be shared as soon as possible.

For further information, see the Cityrail website, or the Transport Infoline website.

Cooma Monaro Railway

After a drive south from Canberra, Todd and I arrived in time for the 11:00 railmotor service to Chakola (currently the northernmost limit of operations). After finding a seat on the railmotor, I jumped up the front to have a chat to our driver. Jay has been driving solo for the railway for six months now. Quite an achiement when you consider he is only fourteen years of age, and is Australias youngest train driver. This is no “toy railway” either, running along over 17.5km of track, with two safeworking sections (Cooma to Bunyan and Bunyan to Chakola), and two operating railmotors to run. Especially surprising was Jays choice of hobby, in a town where the local kids spend their days (and nights) drinking and smoking and generally doing nothing else.

Jay (right) and Aiden (left) are two of the youngest volunteers at CMR. 26/1/09.

Despite the trip to Chakola only being 17.5km, the railmotor ambles along the line at a sedate pace, never really going faster than 40km/h. Beyond Chakola, three wooden bridges halt the progress of the railway, as all three are in varying states of disrepair. Short of massive amounts of money and labour, operation is limited to the 417km post, just 100m up from Chakola Station.

The station building and signal box at Cooma have been well restored, and the station building is home to the souvenir shop as well as a very impressive model railway, modelled on the local area. While not to scale (it’s a loop), it is easy to locate the yards of Cooma, Bombala and Queanbeyan on the layout, which has it’s own 48 Class hauled mixed goods, DEB Set and even a CPH Railmotor being restored at Cooma loco!

For more information, read more on Trackside by clicking here or visit their website here.

Bredbo

CPH No6 sitting at Cooma Station. 26/1/09.

Although there is rumoured to be the remains of a station, the location appeared to be on private property, so we made no attempt to locate or access the station grounds. The railway line once crossed the highway at a level crossing north of town, although resurfacing of the highway in recent years has obliterated all trace of the level crossing from the roadway. We did pause to photograph the replacement “station”, which is a bus stop sign (complete with rotten wooden shelter) advertising services to and from Sydney.

Colinton

As for the level crossing north of Bredbo, the level crossing at Colinton has also been lost through road straightening and resurfacing. Originally, the highway had a kink in it where it crossed the line, both to allow the road to cross the line at a right angle, and to slow traffic down for the level crossing. Once the line had been closed, the level crossing was lifted, with the remains just dumped next to the existing rail, and the road straightened. The original highway has now become a rest stop.

Michelago

Michelago Station building, as restored and maintained by ARHS ACT. 29/1/09.

Restored by the ARHS ACT, who once ran trains down to Michelago via Queanbeyan, the station building is still in excellent condition. The yard has long since overgrown, along with (sadly) the lawn and garden at the front of the station building. Investigation of the still-extensive yard revealed a number of water gins, along with a couple of other wagons likely used for line maintenance either by ARTC or (more likely) ARHS ACT. Also in good condition are the up and down home semaphores at each end of the yard, although vandals or the elements have seen to the removal of the coloured glass from the signal arm. The yard also retains a number of (operational?) level frames, as well as the overgrown remains of a turntable behind the surprisingly modern looking engine shed. The remains of what appeared to be a coal stage was also present.

Royalla

Little remains at this location beyond a neglected looking platform, an NTAF, NHWF and BAS wagons sitting in the loop/siding.

Tuggeranong

This location was a fair hike off the beaten track, although a short siding and large loading bank complete with lever frame and remains of a staff hut made the walk worthwhile. This was most unusual, as the location itself is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by private farms, without even a proper road (dirt track/fire trail) leading to the siding. It is possible that the siding was connected to the mainline at the southern end of the loading bank too, although if it was, it’s long since been disconnected and made into a dead-end.

Hume

As well as the log loading point discovered and photographed the previous day at the 332km post, a siding branched off the line at the 330km post. Following the siding, it remained 90lb rail, although the quality of the sleepers and ballast deteriorated rapidly along it’s length (indeed, just a few metres along the siding, the rails had spread quite severely). It seemed to have (at one point) served the rear of the Hume industrial site – although the rails ended just after branching off the mainline, the formation remains very visible and easy to follow (it has become an access track to the railway line).

One of the final runs of T120 - Interail shuttle from Yennora Distribution Yard to Port Botany. 19/2/09

Starting from Sunday February 22nd, control of the container shuttle from Yennora to Port Botany will again change hands from Interail to P&O Trans Australia. This is the third operator in twelve months to run the service, which typically departs Yennora Distribution Park just after the morning freight curfew ends, and runs to Port Botany via Enfield. In the first few months of 2008, the service was run by Patricks Portlink, until the completion of their contract, at which point it passed under the banner of Interail – QRNationals interstate intermodal carrier brand. It now passes from Interail to P&O Trans Australia – a new operator in NSW. QRNational and P&O (owned by Dubai Ports World) have a close history of contracts for rail transport in Australia.

CFCLA recently sold their 44 Class fleet (4468,4471,4477 and 4483 – although only 4471 and 4477 were in service at the time of the sale) to P&O Trans Australia, which saw 4471 and 4477 sent to Junee Roundhouse Workshops (JRW) for repainting. At the time of writing, the units have now returned to Sydney, the only change being that 71 and 77 have had their CFCLA logos painted out – they still remain in the CFCLA scheme for now.

With the change of operator, the train numbers change again, with T280 expected to be the first train to be run by P&O Trans Australia to depart Yennora on Monday the 23rd of February. Standard motive class is expected to be a pair of 44 Class (ie 4471 and 77) but it is unclear at this stage where the locomotives will be maintained, and what motive power will be used when one or both units are out of service for maintenence.

Watch this space for further information.

NR6 passing through Yanderra with 2XW4 SteelLink service to Wollongong (Port Kembla)

Although no trace of the original station remains, Yanderra (located 109km south of the buffers at Sydney Terminal) is a very popular destination for photographers chasing trains along the main south line.

When I heard about the new lease units for Locomotive Demand Power (a division of Downer EDI Rail) making their first trip to Melbourne at the head of QRNationals 3BM7 service, I began thinking about locations to get the shot from, and settled on Yanderra, despite it being a 4km walk from Bargo Station. In the rain.

With QRNational recently running up to three hours or more ahead of their normal path on the Main South, I made the decision to arrive early, and (after getting lost from misreading a map) arrived at 10:25. As I was walking up to the station (along my impromptu and undesirable detour via the back roads of Yanderra – the town only has five roads or so!), I heard a late running 3MB7 roar through behind triple bulldogs. Despite having seen this before, who knows how much time such movements have left, with these new units coming online very quickly.

The first (seen, rather than just heard) movement would be a northbound 2XW4 SteelLink service, through at 11:25, behind solo NR6. With ARTC workers on the line between Yanderra and Bargo, NR6 announced it’s arrival with a blast from the horn, before running over detonators on the line south of Yanderra (close to Yerrinbool). It would not prove to be an issue to hear trains coming from the south.

LDP001/LDP002 leading QRNationals 3BM7 freighter south through Yanderra.

Shortly after the sound of NR6 and it’s train was lost beneath the noise from the nearby Hume Highway, another horn was heard, followed by the familiar “crump, crump” of detonators. It would prove to be 8132 hauling 2134 cement north, rolling past at 11:37.

It would be another hour before another pair of detonators were set off to the south, and this heralded the arrival of NR115/NR62/NR23 with a late running 1PS6 intermodal at 12:34. Unlike the short (and empty) steel train earlier, this mammoth train (Perth – Sydney freights can be up to 1.8km long) was fully loaded with containers (as well as other intermodal loading, such as steel, timber and paper), as well as three Sadliers louvre vans, bound for the Sadliers depot at Cooks River.

As time marched closer to the expected arrival time of 3BM7 (approx 13:30 to 14:00), the familiar bark of GM locomotives could be heard to the north, certainly not the noise expected from brand new EMD units! Imagine my surprise to see HL203/T385/T373/GM36 racing south with EL Zorros 1391 container service from Botany to Junee at 13:26!

Finally, at 13:38, LDP001 and 002 eased around the bend to the north of the bridge, and continued their journey south, with CLP10, G534 and G516 dead attached. The two LDP Class would arrive into Melbourne late that night, their entire journey between Broadmeadow and Dynon tracked by enthusiasts from all over the east coast.

LDP001 and LDP002 are scheduled to return to Sydney on Friday 13/2 at the head of 5MB7, normally into Sydney just after morning curfew ends.

To Canberra by Rail

Countrylink seat numbers in an unrefurbished Xplorer Car. Odd numbers are windows, even numbers are isle seats.

On a Sunday, the first service from Sydney to Canberra departs Sydney Terminal at 12:10 (Monday to Saturday an early morning service runs which departs Sydney Terminal at 06:37). It was this service that I booked on, to depart Sydney for Canberra on Sunday January 25th, and when I arrived at Sydney Terminal at 11:50, the train was ready and waiting for me. I quickly found my first class window seat in Car A (the leading car and buffet car of the train) and on a quick inspection of the carriage, I noticed that it was fairly well loaded, as was to be expected of a long weekend, especially one towards the end of the summer school holidays. Another observation, typical of first class Countrylink travel, was that I was the youngest person in the carriage! My suspicion of a well populated service was confirmed when a message came over the PA requesting passengers to maximise luggage space in the overhead luggage racks, as the service was booked almost to capacity, and space would be at a premium. Although the service was almost fully booked, I somehow managed to have a vacant seat next to me the entire way into Canberra.

Today, the Xplorer service would be provided by 2506/2513/2526. Although the lead car (Car A) had yet to go through the current overhaul program being undertaken by Bombardier Transportation Australia at their Dandenong (Victoria) plant, it has still had the new seat covers on all of the seats, while the centre car had already been through the overhaul process.

Settling back into my seat, we departed Sydney Terminal a minute early at 12:09, and made the short dash to Strathfield, arriving two minutes ahead of the table at 12:20. At Strathfield, a large number of passengers joined the train (seemingly as many as boarded the train at Central), leaving Car A close to capacity, with only a few seats spare. After departing Strathfield at 12:22, the buffet car opened, and lunch was offered. Today, lunch was a choice between battered fish and chips, or a vegetarian curry with rice. Opting for the fish, at $9, I received a small blue card confirming my reservation. When lunch was ready, all I had to do was present the card at the buffet, and pay for my food. This method was to ensure that no food was heated unnecessarily.

Branching off the main suburban line at Lidcombe, we proceeded to the busy Sefton Junction, where the train slowed. Suspecting that we were tabled behind a spark and were in for a slow run to Liverpool, I was surprised to see QRNationals 7BM7 intermodal service waiting for us to pass in the yard at Leightonfield, especially with the all QRN liveried combo of G516/CLP11/CLP13! With the freight out of the way, it was a short run along to Campbelltown, where we arrived right on time at 12:56. Only a handful of passengers joined the train at Campbelltown, which was fortunate as most of the seats were full!

The meal reservation card - exchange this at the buffet for a hot meal

Passing through Picton, I was surprised to see a train on the loop line, and it turned out to be CPH18, in the custody of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, waiting for us to pass before they could enter the station. Shortly afterwards, lunch was called at about 13:23, just as the train was passing through Tahmoor. Naturally, everyone moved to the buffet at once, and for a short (but entertaining) moment, the corridor through the train was jammed up with people eager to collect their lunch. It goes without saying that the more sensible passengers waited in their seats for the crowd to die down a bit before moving off to collect their own lunch – let me say this, moving through a moving train is one thing, but doing it with a hot meal in one hand is a whole different undertaking entirely!

The food, while not spectacular, it was not the worst meal I have ever had. Although, if the best thing a passenger can say about the food is that it is not as bad as expected, it can’t say too much for the quality of the food! The service however, remained unequalled, which was an exercise in speed and efficiency. It never ceases to amaze me how the staff can work in that narrow buffet, especially when the crowd descends for lunch! Certainly, we were a world away from the dining car on the Spirit of Progress that I was on last November! Once everyone had finished lunch, an attendant came around with a rubbish bag to clear everything away  – certainly no washing up on this train!

Northbound Canberra Xplorer service outside Bowral

After lunch, the train arrived into Mittagong at 13:49 (again, two minutes ahead of table), although no first class passengers would join or leave the train here, a couple of passengers would alight at Bowral, where the train would arrive at 13:54, ahead of the tabled time of 13:56. This does beg the question, why stop at these stations at all, especially when these stations are on the Cityrail map, and serviced by trains from Campbelltown. Bowral and Mittagong, unlike locations in The Blue Mountains, Central Coast or Illawarra, are not served by many direct trains to/from Sydney Terminal. This would mean that passengers would only have one or two direct services to choose from, or would have to get a suburban train to Campbelltown and change trains. With luggage (and possibly a family!) in tow, this does not seem an attractive option. Besides, each stop only adds a couple of minutes to the journey time, and makes a better use of the service. This seems the reasoning for the stop at Bundanoon also, although this stop is far better patronised, as there are very few services to Bundanoon at all! Certainly if a tourist to Sydney and travelling to the Southern Highlands, a passenger would be better off booking onto the Xplorer than trying to navigate the average Cityrail service.

It would be a clear run through Burradoo to Moss Vale, where the train arrived at 1401. While stopped at Moss Vale, a few passengers both joined and left the train. Once Moss Vale was the junction for the rail link to the Illawarra – a CPH Railmotor would make the trip from Moss Vale to Wollongong via Robertson. Now however, the service to/from Wollongong is a Road Coach, and only freight (and tourist trains) travel the escarpment on the spectacular stretch of line. Passengers now must board a road coach at either Wollongong or Dapto to make the climb to Moss Vale to travel to either Canberra or Melbourne with Countrylink. After Moss Vale, the train would sweep around the dramatic curves through Werai (located between Moss Vale and Exeter) – this was a first for myself, as I’ve photographed many trains at this location, but never noticed it from the window of a train – last time, I was blissfully asleep, as I was on my way home from Albury on the overnight XPT.

Canberra Xplorer at Moss Vale Station

After Moss Vale there is very little traffic to hold the Xplorer back, so it would prove to be a quick run to Bundanoon (14:14) and on to Goulburn. Having chased trains on the Moss Vale to Goulburn section of the line many times – from the road, doing the limit (usually 100km/h), the trains seem to just outpace you, although from the train it seemed quite a leisurely pace rolling through the curves on the line – especially after Marulan, where the train can really get up to speed. Although no passengers joined or left the train at Bundanoon, quite a few passengers were waiting the Sydney bound train which we crossed just south of the platform. The northbound train was a combination of the Canberra Xplorer and the Riverina Xplorer (which runs to Griffith via Junee on a Saturday to return on the Sunday).

The scenery between Bundanoon and Marulan is quite different from that before it. While the train is still passing through farmland, it becomes the exception rather than the rule, giving way to thick forest with the paddocks almost separated like islands in a sea of trees. The ride quality also suffered slightly south of Bundanoon (although nothing like the ride along the Bombala Line), with plenty of evidence trackside of ARTC’s continued investment in concrete resleepering along this section of track.

Goulburn was the first major stop for the train, arriving at 14:51, maintaining the two minute lead on the timetable. A number of passengers alighted from Car A, although the car remained over half full for departure, despite nobody joining first class at Goulburn. The once-busy yard held the usual collection of infrastructure wagons and decrepit NTAF fuel tankers. Although a number of sidings and buildings remain in the yard, very few remain in use. The most important section of the yard – Goulburn Railway Workshops, now a division of United Goninans was busy producing more NDVF spoil wagons and bins for Railcorp.

Easing through Joppa Junction at 15:01, marked the departure from the Main South Line, and began our run along the Bombala Branch (now known as the Canberra Branch, as the line beyond Queanbeyan has fallen into disuse). With our departure from the Main South, we were now into electric staff working territory, which explained the extended stops at Goulburn (to collect the staff), Tarago, Bungendore and Queanbeyan. The train guard will have to conduct safeworking duties at each stop for the run into Canberra.

The change in ride quality was dramatic, as noted by many other passengers on the train with comments like “gee, the railway line south of Goulburn needs a little work!”. Going from a double track mainline of concrete sleepers to a branch line with steel and wooden sleepers meant that, although we were still moving at speed, the train rocked around a lot more. The difference in upkeep can be attributed to the traffic on the line – a handful of passenger trains each way a day, a thrice weekly oil train (to Canberra), and a daily garbage service (to Crisps Creek siding, south of Tarago).

Canberra Xplorer racing into Tarago Station along the Bombala Line.

Another change notable from the train was the change in scenery. While most of the farmland on the run down from Sydney was cattle grazing land, the landscape south of Goulburn was dominated by sheep. Sheep not as used to noisy trains as the cattle living alongside the Main South – many a small stampede was started as the train raced past.

Following the track from Joppa Junction (and indeed, all the way down to Cooma) are the remains of the once extensive telegraph wire system. Over years of disuse, most of the wires have snapped and corroded, and lie dangling from their poles (or missing altogether). Just another example of the things left behind by technology.

No passengers alighted or departed the train at Tarago (where we arrived at 15:18, now three minutes ahead of table), although a long stop was made to allow safeworking duties to be undertaken. The yard at Tarago remains, although has long fallen out of use. The remains of what might have been a loco or goods shed can be seen between the tracks in the yard, although the semaphore signals have long since been replaced by colour light signals.

A short distance south of Tarago, Crisps Creek is a pair of sidings complete with concrete apron and two container cranes – certainly an unusual site in the middle of nowhere. Unlike the other six days a week, when a train is in the siding and container cranes are loading and unloading containers from the train, the site was bare, the cranes in their sheds, and the siding empty. Garbage from Sydney is loaded onto a PN operated train in special containers, and railed to the siding, so the rubbish may be dumped in a closed open-cut mine south of Tarago. The normal roster for the run is two 81 Class units with a 48 Class inbetween them, although on at least one occasion, an 80 class has been used to substitute for an unavaliable 48 Class. The train normally arrives at the siding at 0617, and departs in the afternoon at 1625, although it does not run on a Sunday.

A level crossing on a driveway, located south of Queanbeyan on the now-closed section of the Bombala Line.

After a light doze, I awoke to find the train pulling into Bungendore Station at 15:44 (now five minutes ahead of the timetable!). The station is the complete opposite to Tarago. Where Tarago is showing it’s neglect, Bungendore is vibrant and well looked after. Where Tarago is desolate, Bungendore is busy (well, as busy as a small station for a small town can be). The station building was set up as a pottery/arts and crafts shop, showing off some local talent, and plenty of people were around the station, either to visit the shop, or to meet people alighting from the train.

Shortly after departing Bungendore at 15:49, the buffet closed for service. Having been open since Strathfield, it was time for the crew to begin cleaning up before the train arrived into Canberra Station. Shortly after Bungendore (branching off just shy of the 299km post) is Bungendore Junction, where the Captains Flat line once branched off. The track still remained in 2007, although on the run past, it looked either removed or just very overgrown (the latter far more likely). Indeed, at this time of year there are often bales of hay stored along the line! Between Bungendore and Queanbeyan, the line passes through the Molonglo Gorge, which entails three tunnels – Brooks Bank Tunnel (302km from the buffers at Sydney Terminal P1), Pine Range No1 Tunnel (314km from Sydney) and Pine Range No2 Tunnel (316km from Sydney). The section of track between No2 Tunnel and Queanbeyan showing some of the most spectacular scenery on the line, with a sharp drop to the right of the train down into the gorge.

A number of passengers would alight the train at Queanbeyan, where we arrived at 16:12 (now seven minutes up) leaving Car A half full for the final run into Canberra. It is here that the line changes from the Bombala Line, which once continued south to Cooma and on to Bombala, to the Canberra Line, a short branch constructed in 1921 (originally to Civic, although later truncated to Kingston in 1923 following a bridge washaway). The train finally arrived at Canberra Station at 16:23, a full six minutes ahead of the timetable.

After meeting my friend (and local Canberra resident) Todd Milton, it was a quick run to Dickson to drop off my luggage before we headed southwest to begin scouting some of the remaining features of the Bombala Line, as it skirts the ACT south of Queanbeyan.

Hume – Finding The 332km Post

The 332km post on the Bombala Line is located opposite the gravel apron (background) once used to load Freight Australia log trains.

The first stop on our pre-dinner walk was a driveway/level crossing located out the back of Hume, near the 331km post. From there we walked down the line to the timber loading point, where logs were once loaded onto a Freight Australia train. When Pacific National took over Freight Australia, the service ceased. Despite no logs being loaded onto a train for a few years now, the loading area was still in good condition, located at the 332km post. No concrete or cement here, just a small clearing with a gravel apron, and no siding was provided, it would appear trains were loaded on the mainline – although at this time, there was no traffic on the section save for the occasional tourist train to Michelago. After taking our photos and walking back to the car, we drove to the 329km post, just up the line.

From the 329km post, we again walked down the line. Starting at a small bridge over a road 1.8m in the air, we walked along the line as it cut through a small hill and right up to the 330km post. At the 330km post was a safeworking hut, and B-Frame. The frame served a small siding that branched off into the back of Hume (an Industrial suburb on the south-west fringe of Canberra). Interestingly, as the railway line skirts the border of the ACT and NSW, this was the second section of the line into Canberra from NSW. Further investigation of the site would be reserved for the day following, as the sun was dipping low behind the horizon, and it was dinner time. So, a short walk back along the line to the car, with something to look forward to the following day.

References:

Time of The Passenger Train (Second Division) by R.G. Preston

History of Railways in Canberra – ARHS ACT Website

NSWrail.net

Thanks to Todd Milton for his company and guidance over the weekend – without him, none of this would be possible.