Special Passenger Trains

 Passenger trains that are not on the normal timetable.

Over the last few weeks, I have been scanning a lot of my slides.  A number of them were of tour trains in the Wagga area.   What I present below are those that I have managed to experience, and does not represent a full list of trains.  All my pictures, unless attributed

Easter 1983.  Lachlan Valley Railway

3026 heads to the turntable

On the turntable

Taking water

Another angle of taking water

Crossing Lake Albert road.  The points in the foreground are for the Tooths siding

At Ladysmith - G Hogan picture

Passing the airfield at Forest Hill.  Ken Lewis photo

Ken Lewis photo

Ken Lewis captured 3026 on the Wagga Viaduct 

Easter 1986?  Lachlan Valley Railway

3026 taking water, whilst 5367 looks on.  This picture was posted on facebook, by Adam.  3026 has been repainted.

Another angle.

Heading towards Forest Hill, and Ladysmith, 3026 and train passes in front of Rocky Hill

Easter 1988  -RTM

Taking water.

Taking Water

Wet platform, and a big crowd greet 3801.

Flood Train late 1980s

Before the high level Gobbagombalin road bridge was built in the 1990s, Murrumbidgee river floods could isolate the main town, from the industrial suburb of Bomen.  NSW railways would provide a "flood train" that operated as a commuter service across the 5 km long murrumbidgee viaduct.  On one occassion, I took the train.

125th Railway Anniversary liveried 4836 with  3 carriages awaits departure at Wagga Railway Station

Arrival at Bomen

LRV tour train - October 5, 1997

As part of the 50th Anniversary of the Junee Roundhouse, Lachlan Valley ran a train to Wagga.  5367 makes a welcome return.

  

Standard goods, 5397 makes a fine sight as it reverses back to the carriages

The railway water tank was out of use, so the local volunteer fire brigade did the honours of filling the tender

Departure back to Junee

North of Junee, 5367 returning home after the 50th Roundhouse celebration.  (think this is at Marinna?)

5367 rests quietly on the Junee roundhouse approach road

What made the 50th anniversary of the Junee Roundhouse so special?  Here is a teaser picture, showing local daredevil, Lawrence Legend successfully jumping 3 locomotives.  Oct 6, 1997.  

2015 October 6,  6029 visit

I moved to Junee in 2015, and Junee roundhouse became the focus of many tour trains.  Digital photography now, rather than scanning slides.  6029 ran a couple of shuttle trips over 2 days.  To Bomen, and return, and to Uranquinty and return

 

AD6029 being prepared just outside the Junee roundhouse.

On the way to Uranquinty.  The bridge in the background indicates the location of the former Urana Street level crossing

Near the Fernleigh Road level crossing.  The train was moving quite quickly

Conclusion

Special trains are something that one should consider for adding spice to an operating session.   And, they offer an excuse to run equipment that would normally not be seen.

Revisiting my slide collection, and scanning has provided me with additional views of infrastructure that I will use to recreate scenes more accurately.  And they rekindle great memories.   I have only just started this process in earnest, and more discoveries are to come.

I hope my little excursion into the past has been worth the wait.  I apologise for the lengthy delay between this blog post, and my previous one.  

Until next time, construct a model, or two

Photo restoration

 Upgrading photos with Photoshop, and AI

Over the last few years, I have accumulated a lot of prototype pictures that help my modelling.  Some of the pictures have been acquired from colour slides that have deteriorated, or badly exposed.  Fortunately, there is now software that can help restore the images.  Here is an example

This is an enhancement of Malcolm Lind's picture of CPH #27, on the service road at Tumbarumba.  The colors of the original image have been enhanced just with photoshop.

Malcom Lind's picture as it appeared on Facebook

Note: My version of photoshop is OLD.  Photoshop Elements 13 which dates from 2013.  Despite the lack of AI, I continue to use the software because I own it outright, and do not have to pay a yearly user charge.  It seems to work for me for minor tweaking, and cropping of images.

In the pictures below, I will show the original, and then the enhanced image.

Tony McIllwain pictures. 

 Tony was a student at the Wagga Teacher's college in the early 1960s.  His photos have been very useful for identifying infrastructure that is long gone.  Most of Tony's pictures are B&W, but there were some colour shots too.  Some of those were brown toned, with colour dyes that have changed.  Tony has given me the OK to show these images here. Thankyou. 

Oct 18, 1961: 3829 on #15 Riverina Express passes Urana Street gatekeeper cottage

Oct 19, 1961: 3817 heads #15 Riverina Express past showground loading platform

Oct 28, 1961: 36 class on #23 heads towards Albury

Oct 28, 1961: 4205 on #66. Sydney-Melbourne Daylight Express

Sept 26, 1962. 4204 on #3 Spirit of Progress - running very late due to AFULE strike

Sept 26. 1962.  Twin 44s on #2 Southern Aurora approaches Urana Street.  The train is running very late, due to a strike by the AFULE

Sept 26, 1962.  4413 and another 44 head #4 Spirit of Progress out of Wagga.  Running very late due to forementioned AFULE strike

Same train as above, heading over the first viaduct opening

Tail end of the Spirit train, Sept 26, 1962

Nov 10, 1962.  3810 on Albury Mail

I feel the colour is now better, although I was unable to recapture the vibrance that must have existed when the slides were younger.  AI enhancement would be the next step.

AI enhancements

Some others have gone to the next level, and have colourised images with AI

The original image, posted by WW Rail Heritage Museum, shows a trainload of cattle being moved to new pastures during the drought.  The train is on the Wagga platform road.  The date may be the late 1940s.

Ian Cavanought has colourised the B&W image, confirming the cattle as Herefords.  Ian has also placed a dog near the Wagga Wagga platform sign (the dog looks oversized to my eyes).  The colour of the tarpaulins on the goods train looks convincing.

Bongalong railway siding, near Coolac on the rail line to Gundagai.  Not on the Tumbarumba Branch, but a scene that could be modelled on any branchline

"Railway Workers".  NSW Education department 

St Vinnies had an unusual publication for sale.  It was a teacher's teaching resource for year 5 and 6 students

In the package there were 36 slides, teaching notes (a series of questions to get the students thinking about the images they see), and a game for students to navigate their way to railway stations in NSW via train lines.  The teaching resource dates from the late 1970s.

The slides though were in very poor codition.  This seemed like a challenge.  Some of the results below

A guard gives the all-clear to the driver.  This is the subject of the line drawing on the front of the teaching resource

No Hi-vis shirts, or uniform for the driver

Public Announcements were not computerised

Luggage Handling

As an experiment, I accessed an on-line AI tool, and the above picture of the train driver was enhanced, to the image below.  You might need to click on the image, and jump between them to see how subtle the AI enhancement is.  

AI enhanced image

The last photoshopped slide in the set shows trains on platform 1 and 3 at Central Railway station

Conclusion.

Going back in time, exploring old photos has been a fun excursion.  I hope you have found something of interest.

If people would like to see the full set of Railway Workers, then let me know in the comments.

Until next time, build a model or two