bingley hall

Spoke to one of the Bachpersons at Folkestone today and they could not give any update on when we might see the maroon versions.

I'm good for 2 or 3 full brakes if it's of any help.

Very enjoyable weekend on 19/20. Mainly stuck to the stations and trains, but still happy with some of the shots. As has already been said, thanks to all the volunteers for making it happen.

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Three from the recent SVR Autumn steam gala.

Very atmospheric - if it weren't for the air brake pump, they could pass for 1950s shots 

Almost got away with it!

Cracking weather Grommit...just had to get the camera out this afternoon and take advantage of my temporary domicile in the UK. A few shots around Faversham.

Add in a visit to The Hobby Shop and a pint of Master Brew at 'The Railway'.......perfick!

Misty of foggy....? Kidderminster on the Sunday morning of the SVR Autumn Gala on the 20th September. Britannia preparing for the 0940hrs departure.

CFCLA is selling off a large number of locos.

 

http://www.locomotives-for-sale.com/rolling-stock/

 

3 x C

6 x T

13 x EL

12 x GL

12 x VL

 

Cheers

David

The 'for sale' figures given on the web site are incorrect.

While obviously everything is for sale at a price, at this stage only 12 units are up for sale.

Many of the others are still in use with clients. 

The venerable GM class are hanging in there. The iron ore contract that will release more modern power has about another four weeks to go and GWA seem happy to work the GMs until they have a failure. There are still three active examples based in Adelaide and on Easter Saturday two ventured out onto the Loxton branch line.

 

GM43_dipper.jpg

GM43.jpg

Loxton_1.jpg

CLF6_edited-1.jpg

 

The last image shows the train on the main line near Callington after an additional unit had been attached for the grades through the Adelaide Hills.

Time has run out for these workhorses. Several of the GWA class locos made redundant from the iron ore contract have arrived in Adelaide and this has resulted in the remaining GM class locos being stored. One remains in use at Whyalla as a shunter.

Definitely not early 60s - summer 1966 earliest, only started taking pics then - used to visit an aunt in Willingdon in the summer hols.

The pic has turned out much better than I expected - the original print is very dark and was at an angle so the scanner & Mac iPhoto sorts it out very well.

Mal

Yes, there was still at least one running around with no yellow warning panels in August 67 - just need to find the pic. 

I’m trying to find a video I can link to of the event partly contained in this photo from Metairie, LA. Whilst not accurately street running; behind the photographer the containers and the cars fell into the street off the Huey P. Long Bridge. They were blown off the bridge by the gust front of a Thunderstorm. The winds were estimated to be in excess of 75mph i.e. hurricane strength.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/528887

 

I hope this link works: Talk about being in the right place at the right time with your news camera: http://wgno.com/2015/04/27/watch-strong-winds-knocks-over-train-in-jefferson-parish/

 

Best, Pete.

Can only find the Facebook link to the video https://www.facebook.com/KTBS3/videos/10153879568462575/?pnref=story

The venerable GM class are hanging in there. The iron ore contract that will release more modern power has about another four weeks to go and GWA seem happy to work the GMs until they have a failure. There are still three active examples based in Adelaide and on Easter Saturday two ventured out onto the Loxton branch line.

The last image shows the train on the main line near Callington after an additional unit had been attached for the grades through the Adelaide Hills.

Before I purchase one I need to know whether it is fitted with a Mirrlees or English Electric power plant.

They do. Standard gauge 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt loco "William Francis" is preserved, though not operational, at Bressingham.

 

And FWIW, I agree with the OP. Since the NSWRTM was assimilated by Transport Heritage NSW and became "Trainworx" enthusiasts have become marginalised there.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

So the train didn't go puff, puff enough and people feel marginalised. There are some pretty spectacular videos around of 6029 efforts at Thirlmere today (Sunday), but I appreciate that would ruin a good story.

The British KNOW how to have an enthusiast day.

I don't believe the Poms have any restored standard gauge Garratts.  

Hi bingley hall,

I will be in Adelaide early April and was hoping to see a few GMs and the 700 class, looks like I might be out of luck. It would have been nice to see a few still working.

 

Cheers Peter.

Yes you may have made your move just a tad late. There are only two 700s left in service and one of those is the regular Port Pirie shunter. Send me a message closer to your trip and I can probably provide an update on the situation. There should be a few CLF/CLPs around if no GMs.

An ironic little tale......

Just a few years ago in 2011, Arrium purchased the well advanced Peculiar Knob iron ore mine in South Australia from the Western Plains (WPG) mining group for approx A$346 million.

The wagons were already on order and my understanding is that these are leased from a Chinese group under the arrangement already in place with WPG.

Genesee & Wyoming Australia ordered 10 x 4300hp EMD-powered units to handle the traffic.

The full rail service started early in 2013 and sees 3 rakes in fairly constant use. The ore is roaded from the mine to a balloon loop at Wirrida adjacent to the Darwin to Tarcoola rail line form where its railed to Whyalla for export from Arrium's own port facilities.

In January, Arrium announced it would be mothballing the Peculiar Knob as a result of the dramatic drop in price for iron ore. At the time of writing the mine is still operating and the train still running, although they are expected to stop within a couple of months. Who knows what will happen to the wagons. The locos will probably be used to replace older power in the GWA fleet such as the GMs above. Unfortunately it is likely a number of drivers based at Port Augusta will be out of a job 

I was fortunate enough to spend a few days last week photographing these trains.

^ Empty 6915 approaches Port Augusta from Whyalla. The train will reverse at Port Augusta.

^ Loaded 9612 skirting Lake Hart - the trains use 3 locos, 2 at the front and a third DP unit at the rear.

^ 9612 again an hour or so later at Wirrappa

^ Loaded 9612 has reversed at Port Augusta and heads out to Whyalla

^ Loaded 9616 at Yorkeys Crossing near Port Augusta

Still clinging on, but only weeks to go. As the result of the downturn in iron ore prices, GWA have lost a major contract which will release 10 x 4300hp locos at the end of March, that will make these classic locos redundant. Seen yesterday 30 January 2015 working a loaded grain train from Gladstone to Outer Harbor in South Australia  

A bendy bus even.....it could even be a trolleybus, can't quite remember. 

 

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Changchun, China, April 1988

Not a trolleybus. Trams also used this bridge, but I wasn't lucky enough to get the tram + train shot.

A bendy bus even.....it could even be a trolleybus, can't quite remember. 

Changchun, China, April 1988

The CL class of 17 locomotives were originally built between 1970-72 for the Commonwealth Railways which morphed into Australian National in 1978. They were rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen Australia in 1993/94 as CLPs (passenger) and CLFs (freight) and passed to Australian Southern Railroad (Genesee & Wyoming) upon privatisation of AN in 1997. Subsequently ownership was transferred to Australian Railroad Group, a joint venture between GW and Queensland Rail. This arrangement was relatively shortlived and split up in 2006 with 10 of the CLFs/CLPs going to QR National (previously QR)  and 6 to Genesee & Wyoming Australia. One unit CLP15 had previously been written off under AN ownership.

As of December 2014, those units owned by QR National (now known as Aurizon) are in storage and up for sale at Goulburn in NSW and are unlikely to run in Australia again. Thankfully the six remaining with GWA remain in service and in fact three have been overhauled in the last 12 months so have a few more years left in them yet.

On 29 October 2014, CLP8 leads a Wirrida to Outer Harbour (Port Adelaide) copper ore train at Mallala, South Australia.

The last remaining seven of Genesee & Wyoming Australia's GM class are clinging onto life working grain trains in South Australia, but time is rapidly running out.

GM43/GM40/GM42, all built in 1967, work a Bowmans to Outer Harbour grain train last Sunday 7/12/14 at Mallala and Two wells respectively.

Hi Robert,

 

Thanks for the mail.

 

The class 17 is due to go into the tool room soon. Unfortunately, due to 3 Chinese price rises since I announced it and another on the way, added to my non willingness to raise my model prices to compensate, my cash flow has been affected to the point that the J94 in OO will be first, then profit from this will go to the class 17, 23 and J94 tooling.

 

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Dave

At the end of the day it is not my place to tell you how to run your business. Personally though I would be happier if you didn't make commitments not to raise your prices as indicated above as I would have thought (and I'm no accountant) that in the medium to long term this is not sustainable for a business. I think if you are open and honest about changes in the Chinese production costs, most people would accept those increases - and those that don't, well do you really want their business anyway? Ultimately some will not be able to afford those increased prices, but it's not your job to subsidise their hobby.

I have an order in for a pair of Clayton's and will have to makes some small financial sacrifices even at the existing price given the ongoing collapse of the Aussie dollar. If the price increases I am prepared to make further sacrifices because I don't see your business as charity and I appreciate your commitment to this particular model.

It's early days for DJM and we all want to see it succeed and to do that it needs a strong financial foundation. An item should be priced at what it costs to manufacture plus a reasonably return on investment for the producer - its quite simple despite some of the numpties on here who would seem to suggest otherwise.

Increases in Chinese labour costs are what they are, and ultimately an item is what it costs. It doesn't make life easy, but I don't think you should be in fear of that.

Cheers and good luck, Mark 

Someone waiting around on a platform with a camera can be interpreted as suspicious. While 99 times out of 100 they will be taking photos of the railway and infrastructure, there might be one time that they aren't. With the heightened security for the G20 summit, I feel that in the senario described by Phil that both the people in the CCTV room and the Police were acting in a perfectly acceptable way.

 

Selfies are an entirely different thing, and don't really come into the scenario as described. One is taking pictures of railways and the surrounding infrastructure without the person in the picture, and one is a shot of someone or a group of people, taken by the person/people in the photo, on the station which includes it as a backdrop.

 

As a 'young' enthusiast, I have been questioned by police on what I was doing a couple of times, and once the scenario was explained to them in both cases (being on a platform with a large number of people on it when taking photos, with some of those people being in the photos, and taking photos of a train on a station at night when there were people who had been drinking around) they were very understanding. One of the members of the police that was there when I was taking photos in the first scenario now knows me, and will often stop to have a chat with me.

 

I do not view this as a waste of time or police resources, and fully stand by my original opinion, regardless of whether it is agreed or disagreed with.

 1.If I was planning something untoward I can get an image of just about anything and anywhere I want by searching the internet. Why would I go out and risk going out into the open and exposing myself on CCTV to the security services.

2. As for selfies, that was a bit tongue in cheek. If I whip out my phone on the platform how do you know whether I'm taking a selfie or in fact surreptitiously pointing the phone camera at a strategic piece of infrastructure? Therefore I am calling on the security services to apprehend and detain anyone seen on the platform with a mobile phone in their hand before it's too late and a catastrophe happens.

I think you have a great career ahead with ASIO 

........

 

With everything going on in the world at the moment AND the G20 summit on top of that to worry about, it's good to hear the police (and CCTV control) are actually keeping an eye on what, to the public, might be viewed as 'suspicious behaviour'. Nice to hear that they told you when the next train was due as compensation.

 

.......

How is it suspicious? It wasn't the public that viewed it so, it was the people in the CCTV room, who should have known better.

Surely every time someone whips out their mobile phone at Roma Street and takes a 'selfie', the authorities should be all over them like a rash.

Total waste of valuable police time and resources.

Would this potentially include a pre-TOPS blue with SYP? (if any ever carried that livery - I don't know)

I don't think they did.