Australia - Preservation Scene

[69843]

Someone I know has the original whistle off of 5901. Due to noise regulations, he isn't allowed to use it though!

[69843]

Over the Easter long weekend, the ARHS ACT had an Easter gala, which included a photoshoot of AD6029 during the evening. I now cannot wait to hear and see 6029 moving under it's own power.

[DavidB-AU]

A main line cab ride in a C17.

 

 

Cheers

David

[DavidB-AU]

Some Easter weekend action.

 

2705 on the loop line.

 

3016 on the Canberra line. At about 1:05 turn this up LOUD.

 

A night photo shoot of 6029. Not long until this beast gets a test run.

 

Cheers

David

Edited April 26, 2014 by DavidB-AU

[69843]

Another excellent piece of footage from Maitland Steamfest of 5917 by Tickhole Productions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh_Rrh_d6RI

[69843]

I have just been informed that 5917 will be doing a test run from Everleigh to Waterfall and back from 11PM tonight. Sadly, I am unable to get out and see this move, but living less than 300m from the line near Sutherland, I should hear her!

[69843]

Well, having just got back from working the Great Train Expo, I can safely say anyone in Sydney who wants to see and hear the 59....get to Central.

 

The 32 has developed a fault with the radio. The upshot of that is that 5917 is now on the rear of the shuttle services, and will now be competing against 3642 between Central and Strathfield in the Great Train Race on Monday, departing at about 3:25pm from Central

[69843]

5917 in at Central

 

The frames on the 59.

 

And the cause of all that noise

 

 

3642 preparing to depart on the first shuttle of the day

 

And departing with the clack valve going off

 

With the 59 bringing up the rear

 

 

And for QRModeller

[69843]

And some more from Monday night:

 

The 59 steaming up to depart to Everleigh with the 36-the 59 was quite low on coal at this point

 

An artsy portrait of the double-header waiting for the road

 

And 3265 departing light engine, tender first to Everleigh. It's not a common sight to see this happening

 

 

 

Seperately, due to hitting a small milestone with this thread, I think I'll put up a couple of shots of the most famous (and widely travelled) locomotive in Australia, taken at the 2005 Festival of Steam. The young lad in the yellow cap is actually myself!

[QRModeller]

Can't wait until she's back up and running again! (3801)  I'd really like to be on her first passenger carrying run once restored, and failing that, I probably make a roadtrip down south for the next best thing of watching her from the lineside.

 

 

 

Matt.

[69843]

All I'll say from what I've heard is:

 

Keep the car filled up for next year.....

[QRModeller]

Edit: post deleted because I'm incompetent

 

 

Matt.

Edited June 10, 2014 by QRModeller

[QRModeller]

Second attempt!

 

Keeping with the 3801 theme, and because it's 25 years since this happened (links posted because it's not my own content):

 

http://you#tu.be/x#d-PgQu4hBg

 

(take out the two #, I didn't want to embed the video as it's not mine)

 

Image

 

The title of the video is wrong as while Scotsman arrived in '88, the video was shot in '89.  I'm not sure of the exact date for these, but others on here might know.

 

 

 

Matt.

[69843]

Surely I can't be that lucky.....

 

Well, I may as well show the last of the class as well, from the same event as in '05. It is also unusual to find shots of a train with two 38s and 3830 leading. The first picture shows 3830 leading the excursion into Thirlmere down the branchline, and if anyone is wondering where 3801 is, it was on the back acting as banker!

[DavidB-AU]

Almost put this one in the 567 ear candy thread.

 

 

Cheers

David

[faulcon1]

I saw but didn't film 3642, 4490 and 4520 heading to Katoomba for the Winter Magic Festival. I first saw the train at Pendle Hill railway station with the diesels helping the 36. I next saw the train between Springwood and Faulconbridge with the diesels pushing the 36. 

I used to film the rare steam trip up the mountains but these days I don't bother. I used to be able to plainly hear a steam loco working hard between Valley Heights and Springwood. The blast from the chimney was very audible, but now one can hardly hear the blast but can certainly hear the roar of the diesels which do 98% of the work. All one can hear from the steam loco is a muffled puffing and loads of whistling.

Very sad.

[69843]

I saw but didn't film 3642, 4490 and 4520 heading to Katoomba for the Winter Magic Festival. I first saw the train at Pendle Hill railway station with the diesels helping the 36. I next saw the train between Springwood and Faulconbridge with the diesels pushing the 36. 

I used to film the rare steam trip up the mountains but these days I don't bother. I used to be able to plainly hear a steam loco working hard between Valley Heights and Springwood. The blast from the chimney was very audible, but now one can hardly hear the blast but can certainly hear the roar of the diesels which do 98% of the work. All one can hear from the steam loco is a muffled puffing and loads of whistling.

Very sad.

It is sad, but with 11 carriages on plus the gin, and no 32 to assist (the 32 was meant to join from Valley Heights, but it had problems), the diesels are necessary. Combine that with the fact that the 36 is now 88 years old, and it becomes seen why it's harder and harder to keep loading a locomotive to full capacity and run it solo without it failing.

 

With the 35 back next year, it is hoped to eliminate the need for the diesels to be working on the back as much.

[DavidB-AU]

Combine that with the fact that the 36 is now 88 years old, and it becomes seen why it's harder and harder to keep loading a locomotive to full capacity and run it solo without it failing.

 

Age has very little to do with it. If properly maintained, steam locos much older than 3642 can run quite suffessfully without failing. Look at Puffing Billy where NAs between 100 and 113 years old run daily, working harder than they ever did in regular service. Not much of the 36 apart from the frame is 88 years old as it was rebuilt in 1956.

 

My personal opinion is they baby the locos too much, underestimating what they can do and overestimating the likelihood of failing. This seemed to start around the time the preservation groups began providing their own crews. State Rail crews drove them properly and got the best performance out of them. For example in regular service, a 38 with a full HUB set (310t) could run Hawksbury River to Cowan in 12½ minutes on a Flyer. The 1990s track upgrades should allow a (very) slight improvement on that time. In the 1990s, 3801 with a State Rail crew was regularly doing the section in around 15 minutes with a similar load from a standing start at Hawksbury River. But when I last did a 3801 Limited Gosford Flyer, it was timed for 25 minutes from Hawksbury River to Cowan with a load of around 240t.

 

This is not to denigrate the skill of the RTM and 3801L crews, I think they are just overly cautious. By way of comparison have seen recently what the 77 year old Bittern can do and even then it wasn't working that hard.

 

Cheers

David

[faulcon1]

Yes I have heard that it stems from somebody with clout in the government heritage office who remembered what happened to 3801 on Cowan Bank.

The train to Katoomba was 11 cars in length plus the water gin.

So why didn't they run the 36+ water gin and 4 cars and the two diesels on the remaining 7 cars. The two trains could have been amalgamated at Katoomba for the run to the balloon loop at Clarence and the journey back to Sydney.

Surely the 36 could have hauled 4 cars and the water gin between Valley Heights and Katoomba without over taxing the loco.

If a loco failure is what they are worried about then the could have had 44211, 4490, 4520, 4306 (running hostler cab from Sydney) plus the 36.

I was surprised to see the two diesels almost behind the 36. In steam days usually the diesel would lead due to soot and grit clogging the diesels air filters.

Perhaps that doesn't happen today as the 36 only burns "clean coal"

[faulcon1]

I too have seen the English way of doing tours. Sometimes a single diesel such as a Sulzer 2,750hp class 47 runs on the back of a train to provide heat for the coaches. Other times the steam loco will run past and the next train is the diesel running light engine in case of failure of the steam loco. If there is a double header then there is no diesel.

Admittingly their gradients are know where near as steep as ours nor are their curves any where near as sharp. But to compensate most of their tours run 9-13 coach trains behind one steam loco.

The speeds are also higher than here with steam able to reach 75mph with ease. The reason being that most of the modern trains are so much faster than ours and you can't have a steam loco restricted to 50mph otherwise it holds every other train up.

In 2000 I was in the UK and Stanier Pacific 46233 Duchess of Sutherland was nearing the end of her major overhaul at the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley and had a date for a mainline brake test at 90mph.

In the restoration shed was 46203 Princess Margret Rose in for firebox repairs and 2-6-4 tank 80098. She had been down in Devon working shuttles to Barnstaple with 80079. They told the crews to go easy as some of the curves were sharp. But the crews just hammered the locos and caused quite a bit of damage to them. The people of Barnstaple requested the locos for the following year and Butterley said NO.

Most major overhauls of steam locos cost in our $s more than one million dollars per loco and most of theirs are privately owned. 

[69843]

Age has very little to do with it. If properly maintained, steam locos much older than 3642 can run quite successfully without failing..  ..Not much of the 36 apart from the frame is 88 years old as it was rebuilt in 1956.

I agree that 3642 is quite young in her actual components, and was overhauled as recently as May with new tubes and other tweaks, but there is the fact of maintenance. Not being a part of the maintenance crew,  and one of the younger volunteers with the museum, I am often relying on (usually sound) 2nd hand information about the conditions of the locomotives from someone in the maintenance crew.

 

My personal opinion is they baby the locos too much, underestimating what they can do and overestimating the likelihood of failing.

There is that fact, but with only one mainline locomotive currently in the museum fleet (2705 can (and has) gone mainline, but is restricted to a 60km/h max), we do need to keep an eye on what the Pig does take and how much is loaded onto her. 3642 was pulling 498t, not including the diesels (which would bring it up to a total of 722t if they were dead), but running distributed with the diesels helps reduce this.

 

 But when I last did a 3801 Limited Gosford Flyer, it was timed for 25 minutes from Hawksbury River to Cowan with a load of around 240t.

It must be remembered by the time the lease came up to be changed in 2006 that the boiler fitted to 3801 (tab 3819) had the slightly out of shape firebox on it and a restriction of 215psi as a result, and also numerous other mechanical parts either worn out or very close to it. I know the boiler was the same as in the 90s, but it had seen a fair bit of service between those two times.

 

As a side note, 3801s original boiler is now on 3830, and will probably require replacement or a major rebuild before it steams again.

 

 

I was surprised to see the two diesels almost behind the 36.

This one's a bit of an oddity. I actually don't know why the diesels weren't on the end (might have something to do with people paying $245 a ticket for the GMS wanting a view not interrupted by "smelly diesels"), but 3642 leading is more for the fact that we would get complaints about having the diesel/s in front.

    

During last Octobers Day Out With Thomas, we had to run 4520 on the shuttles due to the fire in the Southern Highlands. While most people were accepting of the change, there were still a number of complaints about the lack of a steam locomotive on the front.

Edited June 27, 2014 by 69843

[DavidB-AU]

Yes I have heard that it stems from somebody with clout in the government heritage office who remembered what happened to 3801 on Cowan Bank.

Post-Cowan, during the NSWGR 140th in 1995, they were still driving 3801 properly and doing close to regular service timings.

 

Cheers

David

[69843]

An update on the overhaul of 3526:

http://www.transportheritagensw.com.au/#!1-july-2014-buildingsteam/c1v2d

[PhilH]

I'm after some advice please.....I'm off to Brisbane in September for 5 weeks, and whilst I might well be 'steamed out' by then given the amount of mainline work we have between now and then it might be good to have a look round and see what, if any, steam stuff is in that area.

 

I'm not overly interested in the usual tourist places, is there anywhere around there to see something a bit more 'serious', so to speak?

 

And, while we're on the subject, I'm not adverse to a bit of gricing around the modern day railway, not particularly passenger multiple units, but anything loco hauled. I will be based just up the road from Chelmer station, so, again, I would be grateful for any heads up on this.

Edited July 1, 2014 by PhilH

[SRman]

Chelmer is on the Ipswich line and has four tracks through it (as far as Corinda). The line continues beyond Ipswich to the west so there are many loco hauled freights passing through on the main lines (the northern pair of tracks) while suburban EMUs mostly use the suburban (southern pair of) lines. 

If you go a few stations further to the west, to Corinda, the Tennyson line forms a junction and has even more loco hauled freights going to and from the south. Follow the Tennyson line to Yeerongpilly and you'll meet the standard gauge from NSW and points south. I'm not sure how much traffic travels through that line now but the vast majority will be loco hauled freights, with daily XPTs to relieve the "monotony"!!

I once lived in Sherwood but tended to use Corinda station more as the service was better from there (not all trains stopped at Sherwood in peak hours).

I'm sure some of the other, more local members can suggest more activities for you.