Monday Morning Photos. 29/9/08.

G'day all, a few more shots from around Albert Park Station, circa 1972. I'm not too sure when the swing door trains finished on the St. Kilda and Port Melbourne lines but I suspect not long after I got these photos because on the same roll I've got a shot of an Hitachi at Albert Park. That was probably my motivation to get off my backside and get the coverage as we used to say. I posted the Arches shot to TramsDownUnder so if you've seen it already and don't wish to see it again...look away now!!

There are a couple more interesting shots, maybe I'll post them mid-week before I move on.

Many thanks to John Thompson, Bob Wilson and John Phillips for their always interesting regular postings.

Best regards,

Peter Bruce.

P.S. Mick Duncan....too bad about the Cats but they certainly had their chances, a great pressure game by the Hawks.

Monday Morning Photo. 22/9/08.

G'day all, a couple more swing door shots, taken from the footbridge at South Melbourne station, Coventry Street.

The cross shot is just on the down side of the City Road overbridge and the other, taken immediatly after, is approaching York Street which is also crossed on an overbridge. A very low one, I duck as I drive under it.

Greg Dixon, the driver is definitely not you but maybe one of you old spark drivers might recognise him by his Luftwaffe cap.

I was tempted to post the York Street shot at 1600 wide but decided that might be stretching the friendship a little.

I have been encouraged by the favourable response to last weeks posting.

Kevin Sewell, I will search out some Beenleigh shots, probably only got a couple though.

Have got a few more swing door shots for next week.

Best regards,

Peter Bruce.

Monday Morning Photo. 8/9/08. From Cliff Olds.

This is what I like to see. Here are three photos from Cliff Olds. Anyone who would like to contribute please feel free, you will be acknowledged.

I post my photos at about 1600 pixels wide and usually no more than about 350 kb but if you send me files bigger than that and you don't mind I'll edit to size. Your pictures and the stories around them deserve to be seen.

Peter Bruce.





Garratt 400 departing Gladstone towards Caltowie and Peterborough in mid 1969. In the foreground is the new and as then unopened standard gauge track. Beyond the train on the right of the photo can be seen the loco depot water tower, arched roof of the loco shed, the 200 ton (from memory) coal gantry (they were never known as "coal stages" no matter what current "experts" write) and the lower quadrant "down" home signal. In earlier years it was usual to turn the Garratts on the 85 ft turntable at Gladstone on the "down" because the narrow gauge turntable at Port Pirie couldn't accommodate a Garratt but that had not occurred here. I believe that a few Garratts were stationed in Port Pirie in that late hour of the narrow gauge and worked cross jobs which included loco changes with the 830 class diesels from Peterborough - hence it was pointless to turn them. I worked in Gladstone Loco from 1961 to 1964, so there are many pleasant memories for me here.

J555 departing Mount Gambier on No.90 goods to Heywood in 1968. I was a parcels clerk at Naracoorte at the time and by the time that I returned to Mount Gambier in Train Control in 1973, the T class diesels were well and truly entrenched.

523 in Ellen Street Port Pirie in 1964 at the head of Psgr. 434, (9.05 am Mon. to Fri.) to Adelaide, which had connected with the narrow gauge Brill railcar from Peterborough.

Photo's courtesy of Chris Wurr's superseded negative/slide scanner which I would like to blame for the condition of the negatives however my "archiving" is the real problem.

Regards,
Cliff Olds.

Monday Morning Photo. Tuesday 16/9/08.

G'day all, was looking for some pictures that I remembered having taken on the St. Kilda line about 1972 when it was still ruled by swing door sets and I found the attached shot of a down train crossing the bridge over Albert Road. I'll have to go out and see if I can get a "today' shot, maybe of a Mulhouse Citadis at the same location. Could be difficult, there is a lot more vegetation nowadays. By way of explanation the St. Kilda and Port Melbourne railways were converted to light rail operation in 1987 and incorporated into the tramway system.

The other photo was taken about 1963-4, I am pretty sure at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane. This was the terminus at the time of the truncated Tweed Heads line and the train is another swing door set.

Best regards,

Peter Bruce.

Monday Morning Photo. 8/9/08. This one's from Mark Bau.

----- Original Message -----

From: Mark Bau

To: Peter Bruce
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 12:34 AM
Subject: Re: Monday Morning Photo. 8/9/08.

.



Peter has mentioned that he doesn't mind us young'uns adding to this mailout so whilst scanning tonight I came across this one. I normally wouldn't scan a pure NSW shot as my website is 100% VR but I thought this might interest a few. I was only 14 when Mum let me travel by myself (actually with a fellow railfan who is now a fellow spark driver, Colin McKee) to Albury on the Sunday excursion train. The year is 1977 and this was my first taste of railroading NSW style. We made our way to the loco depot office which was a very modest affair, after asking if we could walk around and take a few photos the simple reply was "long as ya don't get run over" I remember it was just before the Melbourne Cup, actually I think it was the first weekend of daylight saving, and I saw a Melbourne Cup sweep pinned to the wall of the loco office. I mentioned that I was suprised that the Melbourne Cup was of interest this far from Melbourne to which the bloke who gave us permission replied "Race the stops the bloody nation innit?" Funny the silly little details you remember.

It was hot day and I was genuinely fascinated with the locos I had only previously seen in books and magazines. The certainly looked different and in the case of the ALCO's sounded very different, I recall the smell of the railway was different too. A friendly shed crew invited us into a 48 class and took us for a spin. These NSW people seemed very friendly! We watched the ceremonial changing of the locos on the northbound Daylight and then got in position for this departure shot. Considering this was with a cheapie rangfinder camera it's not a bad shot, I have no idea if the nice positioning of the signal gantry was intentional or not, probably not.



31 years on probably the only thing that still survives is the station tower seen above the 421. I think I'd be standing on the Albury bypass freeway if I tried to take this shot today.

Bauie

Thanks for this one Mark, we can see that you were once a Teenage Railfan, I've heard it said that you still are. If anyone would like to follow Mark's lead, please feel free, your contribution will be acknowledged

Monday Morning Photo. 8/9/08. South Brisbane.

G'day all, South Brisbane in 1968 was a gritty, slightly down at heel part of town but just across the Victoria Bridge respectability and solidity beckoned.

South Brisbane at this time of day was noisy too, trams clattering over rail joints and crossings and gongs demanding right of way.

At Melbourne Street and Stanley Street..... Lots of cars, tramcars that is, most of them would have just run out into traffic from Ipswich Road Depot to serve the PM peak. They're queuing to cross the bridge, "One Car per Span at a Time". At this time the new Victoria Bridge was being built but without tram tracks. Clem Jones, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, had got his way and pretty soon Brisbane's very effective tramway system would be replaced by a fleet of new Leyland Leopards.

Melbourne could have gone the same way, I believe it was on the cards. We probably have Major-General Risson to thank for saving the Melbourne's tramways. Incidentally, he came from the Brisbane City Council Tramways to run the M&MTB.

The motorman of the Dropcentre car is dwelling on the green, or maybe it's a T light. As soon as it changes, or maybe a second before, he'll hit the gong and notch up out into Melbourne Street. I know the drill well, I did it thousands of times myself in my 10+ years on the job in Melbourne.

Regards,

Peter Bruce.

Monday Morning Photo. Wednesday 3/9/08.

G'day all, these days I'm only calling it Monday Morning Photo out of habit, I wanted to post the pic of Bendigo No.2 and I couldn't find it until tonight. I was getting a bit worried, I hate to lose anything, especially negs.

Two of my very favourite places

Bendigo about lunchtime on a Sunday I think it was, No.2 has topped the rise in View Street and has just left the double track to turn into Barnard Street on the way to the Borough of Eaglehawk.

Following Kevin Sewell's request I have turned to the New South Wales Government Railways for the other shot, the fireman of 5375 is scooping up the staff for the single track section north of Scarborough. The train is a fairly typical local of the time. I loved the Illawarra with the blue Pacific on one side and the brooding escarpment just inland. And plenty of trains. The photo's not too sharp..........too bad.

Best regards,

Peter Bruce.