G'day all, No.9 was the early morning mixed that travelled down the Illawarra line all the way to Nowra. The time I rode it it actually left Central at 2.10am, the attached T/T is a later one.
By the time I boarded I had trouble finding a seat, most compartments were occupied by sleeping shift-workers on the way home to the suburbs and a real bed.
3641 was the engine and all the way out through suburbia the train slowed at wayside stations and homebound workers dropped off .
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The Pig came off at Thirroul and was replaced by 3221.
As far as I can make out from my 45 year old notes I rode as far as Bombo where we see the stationmaster about to hand the staff up to the approaching passenger train which I joined and rode back to Wollongong.
I travelled by myself on this trip and was away for about a week. I slept wherever I could find a more or less level surface, mostly in station waiting rooms but I always made sure that I had at least one good meal a day to keep the energy level up. I didn't want to miss anything.
Regards,
Peter Bruce.
