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

Station painting continues, plus some distractions

 Wagga Wagga Station painting, and a derailment at Bomen.

Firstly, I would like to apologise for my last post.  It was far too long, and apart from a nice 3801 picture, not much new.  It did however, give me a chance to complete the tedious task of painting the Wagga station, without having an overly long gap in my blog posting schedule.

3801 visit

After turning on the Cootamundar triangle, 3801 returns light engine to couple on the rear of the train returning to Junee.  I was fortunate to ride on this train (April 9, 2021)

A chance to get into the loco cab was not to be missed.  This view from the long line of people at the Junee Roundhouse awaiting their turn (April 8, 2021)

Wagga station painting

2 coats of "streetwise" red sprayed with my airbrush.  I probably should have used an undercoat, as the red did not cover that well. 

The first coat of cream ("Bamboo Cane") contrast colour applied.  Having the window and doors fixed to the walls made the painting task a lot harder.  Note the roof was removed, and the station spun to suit my painting style. Even so, trying to paint the details, without the paintbrush slipping onto the red was very exacting work, and limited by my concentration to roughly one hour sessions, maybe twice a day. The odd glitch, touched up with some red.   

After what seemed like a month, the painting is now done.  2 or 3 coats of cream colour brushed.  The roof, and chimneys, being removeable, were rather straight forward - roof iron sprayed Tamiya aluminium, with the only brushwork being the attic vents, and the gable ends.  Aluminium also brush painted on the guttering.  Some dark green colour also applied inside the the window and doors for the main entrance, and on the platform side  (not shown) 

Glazing the station

I have made a start.  These pictures illustrate my technique

I used a post-it note behind the window openings

With a pencil, I drew an outline of the windows.  This outline is a bit rough, but it is only needed as a guide for the 0.010 clear styrene to be placed over the post-it note.

A different type of paint brush - a "bow pen" is essential for drawing window frames.  I bought this handy tool in Hong Kong in 1985 for $HK20. The width of the line is adjustable over a wide range, and can take all paint types 

Tamiya dark green paint is used for the frames.  The bow pen line is very straight. The rest of the colour is brush painted on the clear styrene to the lines drawn on the post-it note below. After drying, position your window frames against the window openings, and if not right, make adjustments

When happy with the frames, glue the clear styrene to the inside of the station walls. The result was all but invisible - which is why I have used another post-it note to show the framing

Bomen Derailment.

Last Thurday morning (April 15th) at 2:50am, an SCT freight train derailed after passing the former Dampier street level crossing.  Media reports said that 5 locos were involved.  Soon after daybreak, I saw my first picture

This picture (also appeared on the Junee Facebook site) shows a mess. One loco on its side, another 90 degrees to the track, with its end, and wagon just on the mainline near the loop point just visible (lower LHS of picture)

The line south of Junee to Melbourne was immediately closed.  The night down XPT which was to cross this train on the Bomen loop, was issued an emergency  stop order, and it reversed back to Junee.  The down steel train arrived later, and was marshalled in Junee until the line was cleared.  

I couldn't let this photo opportunity pass, so I headed to Bomen for some of my own pictures.

From what I could make out, the train derailed on the catchpoint/derail, that you can see in a picture I had taken of the site a few years ago.  Most of the train though had not derailed, as it was sitting on the Bomen platform track, and not the mainline

View of the line, looking north from the Bomen station.  The loop point can be seen on the mainline, and the catchpoint is visible just beyond the Dampier Street level crossing.  I am planning to model this level crossing, although the loop passing track is far too recently added for me to include. However, details such as the derail are needed to protect the mainline. 

Of course, the cause of the derailment is subject to an inquiry.  But the 5 scenerios that could have caused it are

1) Driver passed a red signal

2) Signal failure

3) Loco was already derailed prior to the catchpoint, and the derailed wheels hit the derail.

4) Brake failure

5) Track problem

Why the train was on the Bomen station line, and not on the mainline may also be asked.

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I noted that the steel train was leaving Junee on Saturday morning (April 17th 2021), so the mainline was back operational just 2 days after.  Well done.  However, the bomen platform track took some extra time.   I passed the site on Monday April 19th, and the cranes were still there

This derailment made the national news, and disrupted trains on the busy Sydney Melbourne route for over 2 days. 

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Until next time