G'day all, will be away for next weeks MMP so I decided to delay this weeks posting.
But I didn't want to conflict too much with either John Phillips's Wednesday Photos or Bob Wilson's Friday Afternoon Photos so I've held off 'til Saturday.
Most of us then youthful Victorians got our first sight of a foreign railway when we stepped onto the long platform at Albury. My own first sight was early 1962 when I changed trains in the last days of the border break of gauge. I travelled from Melbourne to Albury aboard the airconditioned steel cars of "The Spirit of Progress" and crossed the platform to ride the next 400 odd miles in the timber bodied, non-airconditioned cars of No.4. I sat in the open doorway all night.
Two trains connected with "The Spirit" back then, No.2, was the "Limited Express" and No.4 merely "The Express" which departed 20 minutes later. By the time I rode them they were usually fronted by 44 class diesels, Alco World Series units but I think that occasionally No.4 got a 38 class Pacific. Not so on my first trip to Sydney.
So I've decided to stay in Albury for this edition of Monday Morning Photo...... except for one picture.
5099 and 5188 always seemed to be the yard pilots at Albury and for many of us they were our first sight of NSW steam locomotion, our introduction to "That State with Those Engines" in the words of Mick Saunders.
S309 is in the Victorian broad gauge dock while 5099 is making ready to shift the long rake of the aforesaid timber bodied NSWGR cars. The train engine can be seen disappearing in the distance.
5188 is knocking freight wagons around Albury yard.
3607 I'm guessing is running a railmotor replacement up to Junee to connect with "The South Mail" or maybe "The Riverina Express" and 3813 is at Sydney Central Station having cut off it's cars and run forward to the buffer stop. Shortly it will back up past the train along the centre loco release road and make for Eveleigh Loco Depot.
So now we are at the heart of the New South Wales Government Railways and finding out that it was indeed a "foreign railway".
I'm hoping that the photos appear in the intended order.
I had some comments about the extended correspondence re my last posting........if you only want to look at the pictures and aren't interested in the finer points of railway enthusiasm just regard anything but my original postings as rated M.......or even R and don't open them. You know what I mean, don't you Denys Williams!! It's the opposite of "Playboy", you're only opening it for the pictures.
Back in a little while,
Best regards,
Peter Bruce.
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