Eveleigh to North Sydney

[faulcon1]

A drivers eye view of a ECS working from Eveleigh depot to North Sydney Station which means travelling over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At Beckonscot in Buckinghamshire they have their Alexandria Bridge which is inspired by our "coat hanger" however their trains run down the centre of the bridge whereas ours one side. The other side used to have trams running over it until 1961 when all trams in Sydney were gotten rid of. The NSW government likes to trumpet the return of trams to Sydney but now they have to be called "light rail" not trams which is exactly what they are.

 

 

[Izzy]

Thank you, brings back such memories. The double-deckers will of course not be too familiar to those in the UK. Last time I rode on any in Europe was in Switzerland, around Zurich environs. Am I right in thinking the trailing points are sprung given the view at 5.40? Sadly the last time I was in Sydney and expected to go over the bridge, by road, instead we used the maze of tunnels that now burrow underneath, so missed that crossing the bridge experience.

 

Bob

[The Stationmaster]

The points at 5.40 look to be ordinary handpoints with a 2 way lever box so they can be trailed irrespective of how they are set.

 

And an interesting number of 'Calling On' aspects so presumably closely following another train on its way from the depot.

Edited January 4, 2022 by The Stationmaster

[The Stationmaster]

The rail approach to the bridge showing the exit of the tunnel from Town Hall station - the tram tracks would have been on the left hand side on the paler coloured stretch of road next to the Bus Lane

 

 

A train (a Tangara set I believe) heading off the bridge down the gradient towards the tunnel and Town Hall station.  The girders make it very difficult to get a decent high level view of a train crossing the bridge -

 

[faulcon1]

On 04/01/2022 at 22:40, The Stationmaster said:

The points at 5.40 look to be ordinary handpoints with a 2 way lever box so they can be trailed irrespective of how they are set.

 

And an interesting number of 'Calling On' aspects so presumably closely following another train on its way from the depot.

Yes we had points like that at Lithgow loco. There was one set that was in constant use for diesels and electrics. I remember when I worked at the steam shed and 81 class diesel came over the points whereupon the fireman changed them and the first bogie made it over but the points changed under the loco so the second bogie split the points and as the rails were pushed over the dog spikes flew out and I retreated into the steam shed proper and quickly too. Those points were then changed to another type where the fireman had to hold the point lever until the loco had gone over the points.

If the train in the video had been an Explorer set heading for the country departure platforms then we would have left Eveleigh loco via the "loco dive" which goes under all the lines and comes out on the northern side for the run into central. I took that route many years ago when a driver friend gave me and my brother a cab ride down the Illawarra line on 4440. At Hurstville Station on the return journey which is like North Sydney a station under another structure the driver started away in one notch, then two notch and he then put it straight into eight notch. Alco Mk1 44's were known for putting  out huge amounts of thick black smoke and the pigeons were coughing as were the remaining people on the station. Good times and memories.     

[Kris]

What a fascinating journey.