G'day all, in April 1962 passenger traffic commenced on the newly built standard gauge connection between Melbourne and Albury making possible for the first time through services between Australia's two largest cities.
To mark the occasion and to position cars in Sydney for the first southbound through "Spirit of Progress" a special train ran on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of April.
The weekend began with S313 running re-gauged Victorian cars out of the old Spencer Street Station to Albury and attached are a few photos of this Saturday afternoon 190 mile journey.
For those unfamiliar with the Victorian Railways at the time the livery of both the locomotive and cars was a dark blue and gold. The locomotive livery was based on that of the Erie Railroad in the U.S.A with blue substituted for black. It made for a handsome looking train.
This part of the weekend's events was relatively uneventful with just a couple of stops for photos, the first one pictured here is at the towering steel trestle bridge over the Maribyrnong River on what was then the outskirts of Melbourne, the second photo I'm pretty sure was just to the north of Benalla station, that looks like the old roundhouse behind the rear cars of the train.
Apart from the couple of stops it was a pretty leisurely and sociable afternoon with plenty of time for catching up with friends.
After we arrived at Albury our cars were docked over in the transhipping sidings which were no longer much used as all freight traffic ran straight through to Sydney, although for many years afterward engines were still changed here.
Naturally most of us young fellas bedded down overnight in the cars.
To be continued...........
Best regards,
Peter Bruce.
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