DavidB-AU

Even they are small compared to the coal trains in the lower Hunter Valley. Sometimes up to 90 x 120t hoppers. Cheers David

In the spirit of London to Brighton... Kiama to Sydney in 14 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBbgEZWL7xY And Sydney to Newcastle in 13 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78r9rMqtj5c Cheers David

Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev are all travelling together in a railway carriage in outer Kazakhstan. Unexpectedly the train stops. Lenin suggests: "Perhaps we should call a subbotnik so that workers and peasants can fix the problem." Stalin puts his head out of the window and shouts, "If the train doesn’t start moving, the driver will be sent to a Siberian gulag!" But the train doesn't start moving. Khrushchev then suggests "Let's take the rails behind the train and use them to construct the tracks in the front." But still the train doesn't move. Brezhnev then says, "Comrades, Comrades, let's draw the curtains, turn on the gramophone and pretend we're moving."

Has anybody done a 325 in the old Royal Mail livery? Cheers David

I'm originally a Victorian! Cheers David

Shame I was in the wrong state. Cheers David

Pacific National 7BM4 intermodal departing Acacia Ridge, Brisbane. QR National 7BM7 waiting in the background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PDsDy9tX88 Cheers David

Narrow gauge coal and minerals in tropical North Queensland. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4a76G5ImJw Cheers David

Diggers Rest on the Bendigo line north of Melbourne with only 10 days left until the end of V/Line diesel commuter services to Sunbury. The wires have just been commissioned and electric Metro services commence on 18 November. The loco-hauled Sunbury trains are not top and tailed, the coaches have multiple unit cables throughout and the locos are running in multiple, like a poor man's HST. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCD-oYeC4yc Cheers David

Is this the one? http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/681103lc.html Cheers David

A seaman meets a pirate in a port, and talk turns to their adventures on the sea. The seaman notes that the pirate has a peg leg, a hook, and an eye patch. The seaman asks, "So, how did you end up with the peg leg?" The pirate replies, "Arrr, matey, we was in a storm at sea, and I was swept overboard. Just as me men were pulling me out, a shark bit me leg off." "Wow!" said the seaman. "What about your hook?" "Well," replied the pirate, "We were boarding Spanish galleon and battling with swords. One of the scurvy dogs cut me hand off." "Incredible!" remarked the seaman. "How did you get the eye patch?" "A seagull dropping fell into me eye," replied the pirate. "You lost your eye to a seagull dropping?" the sailor asked incredulously. "Arrr," said the pirate. "It was me first day with the hook."

A teddy bear is working on a building site. He goes for a tea break and when he returns he notices his pick has been stolen. The bear is angry and reports the theft to the foreman. The foreman smacks his forehead and says "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Today's the day the teddy bears have their pick nicked.”

A couple of little coal trains. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7uiNcAkeL8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs9zw7dOzhs Cheers David

A late follow up. There is a surprisingly amount of interest in suburban electrics at the moment, in both HO and N. A lot happening in NSW at the moment in both scales. If the range of Melbourne suburbans can eventually be expanded to include the Hitachi, Harris (maybe even loco-hauled H cars?), Tait and Swing Door eras this could be just as popular. Cheers David

Some more from the West since the pics were so popular. First a narrow gauge iron ore train with GE power, then some of the world's heaviest trains with EMD power. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf8gRTpfesc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NNYDIpM71w& Cheers David

Bevan Wall has digitised some of his video of the double headed 38s on the same trip as above. Bear in mind the climb from Unanderra to Summit Tank is 20 km (12 miles) of solid 1 in 30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW1JH5ktpPE Same locos, same location, better weather, 4 months later after 3801 was back in green. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsUypO_z1t4 Cheers David

Haven't heard anything about the new boiler. Meanwhile here's last week's Snow Train run by Steamrail Victoria. Apart from the livery on R711, some of these scenes could be straight out of the 1950s. Cheers David

3801 in its temporary black livery and 3830 climbing the 1 in 30 from Unanderra to Summit Tank in pouring rain in 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEmUjq7dNZY

If the screenplay for Apollo 13 had been written by Robert Burns: In out 'er skie they flaewed, 'Twa' hae'way tae the Muin, Wha' bonnie spacemen's O2 tank Di' swidden go kabuim; They shuivered in a scarful cold Di' brathe a shallow breath. Tha' patch'd it up wi' tape-o-duct; And di' they 'scape their death. "Twas fealure not an option," Did guid Ed Harris sae; And so yon bonnie Forrest Gump Did live anither day!

I just happened to see the Westlander with 2485-2490 at Gatton on my way to Toowoomba yesterday. It also just happened to be in the only 5 minute window of sunshine all day! Cheers David

GM3, EDI Rail's former shunter at Kelso, has been bought by Southern Shorthaul. It was moved from Kelso to Lithgow on Monday. It will be overhauled and returned to main line service, but instead of SSR livery it will get a fresh coat of Commonwealth Railways maroon and silver. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_2Liw0CqSg Cheers David

Another little coal train with 13,560hp on the front. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiXWGfYgQYQ Cheers David

There is a free Solari board simulator. http://dev.basdesign.com/split-flap/ The base code simulates an airport departure board but it looks relatively easy to configure. It doesn't yet have the sound effect but apparently this has been requested. You can buy LCD screens as small as 2.5", which in 4mm scale is about 19 feet wide. One (or two if you need departure and arrival boards!) of these mounted in a model station concourse and, once the sound effect is added, a small piezo speaker would be quite a talking point. It could be driven from a laptop. Cheers David

No anti-[insert Prime Minister of the era] graffiti? Cheers David

Here's a shortcut. http://binged.it/GWwYss Cheers David