This may be the beginning of a series of articles about when things just don't go to plan when out chasing trains. I hope that it helps those of you out there who think you have had a bad day trackside to put it into perspective!

With the alarm going off at 0330, it was almost too much to bear. The only thing that dragged me out of a warm bed and outside into a cold winter’s morning was the photographic possibilities that the next two days would provide. Embarking on a journey down the NSW South Coast to Bomaderry/Nowra, to follow Manildra/ARG train 9182, export containers to Port Botany from Nowra to Kiama. Unusually, today this train would be headed up by KL81 (ex NSWGR 49 Class), T387, T385 and GM10, rather than the normal black/orange motive power in the form of ARGs 22 (422) and 31 (L) Class locomotives.

Out of the house and into a cab, off to Chatswood to join the first train of the day at 0442 (this train runs to the city then out to Springwood to form a peak hour service Springwood – Wynyard/North Sydney). All too soon, it was back out of the nice, warm, EMU and onto the nearly deserted concourse at Central. It would not be hard selecting my platform, as the only trains present were the 0538 Dapto, the 0547 Newcastle and the 0532 Katoomba services. Selecting my seat in the second car of the train (which, incidentally was an OSCAR), I noted that the toilet was out of order. This was of no consequence for me, as no sooner had the train departed, then I was back asleep, lulled there by the gentle rocking of the train.

Waking up at Unanderra, I stretched and looked around at the Kembla Grange area as we finally pulled into Dapto. After a quick walk to stretch my legs, and a quick poke around a station I’d not been to as a passenger for a number of years (not since the break of electrification there, at any rate!), it was soon time to meet my friend in the parking lot.

After a quick U-turn, we were off to Dunmore, where we paused to watch 9132 PN Stone train for Boral emerge from their siding…

….only to watch them reverse back in, to the chagrin of the motorists waiting to cross the level crossing at the throat of the short branch to the quarry. Lead by 8150 and 8132, the train made a sharp impression on the clear day. As photogenic as the two locos were, soon it was time to head south to Bomaderry, for a feed and the train of the day.

Having finished off some baked goods at the local Bakery, we were trackside at the level crossing where the branch to the Manildra Mill joins the line up to Wollongong and Sydney. Sure enough, KL81 pulled up next to the level crossing, and a crew member popped out to activate the crossing. As they were running a little late, he ran over to set the road for the train. The chase was on!

Well, not really. Fortunately, a mate in RMC (the brain of the Railcorp network) told us that the train had actually lost its path and would have to remain behind until 2000 that night! Such is the problem with the very delicate section of line between Unanderra and Bomaderry - If a train misses its path, it can be very hard to fit it in later in amongst all of the other passenger workings, where, only minutes earlier, there was no freighter scheduled!

Normally the train is scheduled to leave Bomaderry at 1046, but this doesn’t get the train into the metro area until close to 1500. As the peak hour curfew starts then, trying to set up the correct path would have placed it into the metro area right on peak hour, not a popular decision for a controller to make!

Refusing to let this slight setback hold us back, we resolved to relocate to the Main South, to hopefully catch southbound 4BM7 running behind 5NY3, and possibly 4BM4 as well. After a drive up the mountain to Robertson, and on to Moss Vale (to the sounds of The Living End – White Noise), we positioned ourselves at Werai, a famous horseshoe curve located between Moss Vale and Exeter. We were not disappointed, as within minutes of arriving, 8160/4894 were photographed belting around the bend from Moss Vale with empty 1337 grain to Hillston. Back in the car, and back on the road, we were neck and neck with it most of the way south. Pulling off at a photospot just north of Goulburn, we waited for about thirty minutes before realising that it must have screamed through only moments before we arrived! Turns out that 4BM7 and 4BM4 missed curfew too, and were kept in Sydney!

On days like this, it’s worth reflecting on the good time spent with mates, and the actual thrill of the chase – it’s not always about how many photos you’ve brought home, moreso about the laughs you share when you realise that, despite your best efforts, the day has gotten away from you and it’s time to go home, perhaps to work the next day, or perhaps just running errands and household chores. You can always count on the fact that it makes for a great story to tell the next time you’re out and about trackside, during a break in traffic, or on a long journey to the next photospot!

Australian Railroad Group (ARG), a division of QRNational (QRN) has been operating trains on behalf of The Manildra Group since 2003. Manildra supplied their own rolling stock in the form of MBAX (ex WAGR WBAX vans) louvre vans, MQRF container flats (although ARG/Manildra hired more container flats from CFCLA) as well as MHGH and MHGX hoppers, although ARG were contracted to haul the trains. The contract itself involves the haulage of bulk flour to/from Manildra’s mills at Gunnedah (North-West NSW), Manildra (Central-Western NSW), Narrandera (South-West NSW) and Bomaderry (South Coast NSW), as well as export containers between the various mills and Port Botany.

Recent news has emerged that ARG have lost the contract to Pacific National/Patricks Portlink owner Asciano Limited. Interestingly, it seems that the contract will be handled by the Patricks Portlink business division, rather than (as originally thought), Pacific National Rural and Bulk. It is unknown at this stage if Rural and Bulk will provide motive power (currently, Patricks Portlink use a lot of hired motive power from CFCLA) and/or container wagons.

While the changeover doesn’t occur until November 23rd, enthusiasts should be getting out line side to capture images that will soon fade, possibly forever, of (ex-NSWGR 422 Class) 22 Class and (ex WAGR L Class) 31 Class hauling bulk flour to and from the various mills around the state. The good news is, if Patricks Portlink does indeed use motive power hired from CFCLA (as it currently does on its Narrabri and Dubbo/Blayney services, as well as some of its metropolitan workings), we could see vintage motive power in the form of 44, 422 (FL/HL Class), 442, 49 (KL Class) and even 45 Class at the head of bulk flour and/or container trains.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Manildra MHGX Hopper at Bombaderry"][/caption]

Recently, there have been quite a few examples of ARG using leased motive power to assist its own fleet. CFCLA T Class, SCT G Class, CFCLA KL (49) Class and even SSR/CFCLA GM10 have been seen on flour and container workings. Certainly this is an excellent excuse for any able railway photographer to get out in these last few months of ARG hauled Manildra trains!

Does this mean the withdrawal of ARG from NSW? Certainly not! The word is that ARG are looking for new contracts to haul so hopefully we shall continue to see the 422 class soldering on into the twenty first century (albeit under a new number and colour scheme…)

The photo above, of KL81 at the Nowra branch is an example of the dynamic motive power changes on ARG trains recently. KL81 lead two T Class and GM10 into Sydney on 9182 export containers. However, due to problems with Manildras container crane, this train was unable to finish loading and lost it's path into Sydney, leaving Bomaderry at 2000, instead of at 1046.

As the previous day had started by the side of the railway line at Harden Station, it seemed only fitting to start Sunday off in the same way. Granted, this time we waited for the sun to come up, and the frost to melt a little. The first (daylight) movement due through was a southbound Steelink service. As is the staple diet for such services, the train was headed by members of the NR Class. In a surprising lash up, NR26, resplendent in "Indian Pacific" livery, led NR's 85 and 73.

Having seen this gem, it was back to the caravan again to pack up ourselves and prepare for another day trackside. Snacks were gathered, maps were folded (then unfolded and refolded properly), timetables were remembered (only to be forgotten on the backseat most of the day), and we were off again!

Between Nubba and Demondrille

A complete fluke to stumble onto our first photospot, we set up in different locations around another dirt road over the railway line. Opting for a wide angle shot depicting the landscape (farmland) with the train, I set up quite close to the bridge. We were not disappointed, as instead of one heritage diesel leading the train, we had two. 4716 put in another appearance, leading the train, assisted by 4701 with the steamer pushing in the rear. Despite the diesel leading the train, we were not put off, as it's all a great show, and potential for a great photo, no matter what the noisy end brings!

Before long it was time to give chase once again, and we moved back to Wallendbeen to set up again for the return, when the 32 would be leading the train. The only disappointment here was that the Griffith Xplorer managed to sneak through about an hour early, taking away an opportunity for a shot of a two-car Xplorer cutting through the rich green countryside.

There was no holding back the main show though, and before we knew it, 3237 pushed south, on her way back to Cootamundra. More photos were taken, more rubbish talked, more weeds pulled (we were single handedly clearing the weeds from the roadside this weekend), and it was back in the car and off to find some lunch to fuel our train-hungry bodies.

A Chance Location

Andrew or Fred pointed out a handy looking bridge off to one side (actually the rough location of the long since removed Nubba platform), and after grabbing lunch, it was here we returned to eat. Again, we were not let down with our choice of photospot, as before we knew it, The Southbound Daylight XPT was powering through in perfect lighting.

After sitting down for a typical gunzels lunch (two pies and some form liquid sugar drink), we split up, with Fred going up to the bridge and Andrew and I walking along the line towards Harden to burn off lunch. Looking back up at the bridge, Fred was waving and yelling something. I waved back before realizing that he was trying to tell us that the LVR train was on it's way!

Bursting out from under the bridge came 4716 and 4701, again leading the train with the 32 pushing in the rear. Amusingly, we watched Fred lining up a perfect shot of the 32 from the bridge (certain to be equal or greater than any shot we could get from trackside), only to be engulfed in thick, black smoke from the funnel. Whoops!

As we were quite keen on this location, we all settled in for a lengthy period of dirt kicking, weed pulling and pointless conversation to await the return of the special. What we didn't expect was NR83 hauling a northbound PacNat freighter, solo! It was only hauling a short train of twenty or so wagons, but a single NR running a Melb-Syd train is most unusual! We were unclear if this was due to a reduced loading over the long weekend, or due to an earlier locomotive failure.

After a while, I pondered taking a look a bit further up the line towards Harden, so set out towards the curve. Despite a brief moment of worry when the path I was following dropped behind some undergrowth, I was soon presently surprised to emerge at a near perfect location right on the curve. With nobody to talk to, I set about reviewing the days work before a distant whistle broke the silence.

Soon enough, 3237 bolted around the curve in full steam, putting on a great shot for the cameras. That is one moment I won't soon forget, the sight of 3237 in full steam, belting along through the countryside.

All Aboard to Stockinbingal

We all knew we'd want to ride on the train at least once over the weekend, and opted for the run out to Stockinbingal and back again. We did this for multiple reasons, mainly it is not often that one gets a chance to ride a train along this line (there are no regular passenger trains on this line anymore). The trip itself was very reasonably priced, and before long we set off behind 4716 and 4701 with 3237 pushing in the rear. A brief stop at Cootamundra West for safeworking, and we were soon clanking along at a gentle pace. The gentle rocking of the train, the fine company and the majestic countryside made for a very pleasant trip.

Once at Stockinbingal, I opted to go to the western end of the train, to get some photos of 4716 and 4701 in the afternoon sunlight. This turned out to be a good idea, as all of the punters were down getting photos of the 32 (and, as is typical of such an occasion, planting their kids next to the locomotive so they can get a photo, despite the wishes of everyone else present). Also, as the diesels were on the western end, this meant that the sun was hitting them perfectly, while the steam loco was in shadows.

Some excellent oppertunities were seized around the yard, and some very memorable shots taken. To those out there that say it is impossible to get any good photos while riding on a heritage train, they clearly have not taken the initiative!

All too soon, we were back on the train watching the motorcade of cars chasing the train along the road, with some silly people even hanging out of their cars filming things, at the detriment of road safety, and in complete ignorance of the speed limit (going 50 in an 80 zone is just silly). Joined by Maikha at this stage, we simply chatted away the rest of the journey, and before we knew it, we were back in Cootamundra.

Dinner and Beers With The Crew

Probably the finest part of the weekend was the dinner we shared with the crew and volunteers of the Lachlan Valley Railway. After a quick beer at the Cootamundra Railway Hotel with a scattered group of volunteers, we were back in the ABS dining car to dine with everyone from the carriage attendants, to the locomotive crew (still showing the stained hands from a hard days work), as well as the various members of the Lachlan Valley Railway Board (including the chairman himself!).

This was quite an experience, rubbing shoulders, talking trains and generally having a great time. It mattered not that we'd only just met these folks, they were keen to welcome us into their family. It was this dinner with the gang that made me want to join up as a member of the LVR, and upon arriving home, I sent in my application. What a great organisation!

The best part of the evening was watching the Chairman stand up and thank everyone for working so hard to make the weekend a big success, and then try to sort out the final day. Watching the discussion about how feasible it would be to turn the locomotives on the triangle, so they could run pointy end first back to Harden, opinions were sought from the Operations Manager, as well as the loco crews. Everyone who wanted to could have a say in the discussion, and there were plenty of jokes to help lighten the mood.

Needless to say, it was the best possible end to a very successful day!

To be continued...

Recently, I had the pleasure of joining two friends (better known as Bwana and Fred3801) for a weekend long sojourn to Harden and Cootamundra. Departing East Hills Station at approx 1030 Friday June 6th, we would not return to Sydney until after dark, Monday June 9th.

Why travel over 370km each way for a weekend in the freezing Southern Tablelands? Lachlan Valley Railway, based in Cowra were bringing their own 3237, 4701 and 4716, as well as privately owned 5917 down from Cowra to Harden and then Cootamundra. Over the whole weekend, the two steam locomotives would be running tours between Cootamundra and Harden (as well as a couple of tours Cootamundra to Stockinbingal, a route not normally used by passenger trains).

On the trip down, frequent stops were accounted for to visit a couple of locations along the line. The first stop was at Burradoo, to have a look at the photographic potential of the shot bridge on the Moss Vale side of the station. A lot of potential was found, for some nice low angle photos a shot walk from the station. However, the weather was not on our side and we found ourselves facing dark locomotives on a dark grey background.

A sign of things to come, double NR Class made an appearance here on 3PS6 - once we were south of Goulburn, this seemed to be the only class of locomotive we would see in daylight!

Pausing in Moss Vale for some lunch, and a couple of photos of 8179 (PN RB colours) and 8123 (Freightcorp blue) leading a Medway-bound mineral train ex Berrima, we continued on down to Werai. Due to trackwork on the short north, naturally, nothing was going to run on it's path. Eventually, NR46/NR81 were sighted on southbound 6NY3, followed by southbound NR102/NR65 on superfreighter 5BM4. Finally, mere minutes before the sun dipped below the horizon, CLF4 and X53 rumbled south with QRNational service 6SM9 (ex Yennora).

With the sun in bed for the evening, we continued on our trip towards Harden (where we had secured accommodation for the weekend in the caravan park), pausing at Yass Junction for dinner. After arrival, we headed down to the station to get a look at the heritage train stabled there. Following this, a sleepless night was spent by myself, listening to the constant rumbling of trains outside on the mainline. Saturday could not come soon enough...

To be continued...

On April 24 of this year, 8117 (the Port Kembla shunter) departed Port Kembla yard with a small army of Pacific National drivers and crew on a light engine run through Unanderra to Wongawilli Colliery (the branch leaves the main near Kembla Grange) on a training run up to the Colliery and back.

From the Monday following this date, Pacific National began running two trains to and from Wongawilli a day (although not every day of the week). Currently the train is a single 81 class and a short rake of wagons, hauling coal from the colliery. I've as yet been unable to get a photo of this working, but it is something to keep an eye out for if you're around Unanderra at midday.

The photo above shows 8117 racing across The Princes Highway on the very wet 24th of April. This photo wouldn't have been possible without an anonymous friend who continues to provide good information (and correct my many misconceptions about how the railways actually run). His constant information and assistance is always welcome. Thanks!

2928 is one such movement. At first glance, one might think "double NR class, what's interesting about that", and it's true - most of the regular intermodal movements on a weekend are headed up by members of the NR Class, which are very boring to most enthusiasts as they are so commonplace.

I assure you, there are a number of redeeming factors here.

1. Location - The closest this train gets to Sydney is between Moss Vale and Unanderra. Those of you traveling by car will find it easy to follow the train down the mountain (although, finding a spot with good lighting might be a bit more of a challenge). The Moss Vale to Unanderra line is mostly single track, and provides some very scenic shots. Normally to get NR Class operating in such scenery, one must drive quite a ways north or south to where the mainlines go to single track...

2. Consist - While the NR Class may be very common, how often are they seen in charge of a rake of anything other than intermodal trains? 2928 is a limestone train made up of ex National Rail RHEH mineral hoppers. Although Pacific National have painted over all of the NRC diamonds, one can catch a glimpse if one is looking for it...

3. Accessibility - For those of you traveling via Cityrail, this train can be photographed at a couple of spots at Moss Vale, for example the station platform, as well as a level crossing a short, ten minute walk from the station, and an overpass on Bong Bong road, just a bit more of a walk away. When the train arrives in Unanderra, a shot can be gained from the overpass at the station with a minimum of fuss, or from the platform (although be wary of shadows).

Area History

Clifton, at the south end of the Clifton Tunnel is a small town established by the discovery of coal in the "coal cliffs" of Coalcliff. Coalcliff was a small town established just north of Clifton. Coal mining commenced at the cliffs in 1878. The railway arrived in 1887, from Wollongong (unlike most railway links to towns, the "South Coast Line" went from Kiama to Clifton via Wollongong, while most other railways under construction at the time were branching out from Sydney). Coalcliff station wasn't opened until 1920, although the railway line had been through in 1888.

Coalcliff has the remains of an extensive yard, which was used up until 2007 by a single train a week, servicing the Coalcliff Cokeworks owned by The Illawarra Coke Company (they also own a cokeworks in Corrimal, next to the station. This cokeworks once had rail access also).

Clifton Tunnel

Clifton Tunnel is a single track, kilometer long tunnel between Coalcliff and Clifton. This tunnel remains single track because the land around it is so unstable that drilling a second portal through the hill would be very dangerous. The resulting single track on a double track mainline that sees a frequent Cityrail service, as well as quite a few coal trains (and the occasional Manildra train) often is the cause for headaches.

Often trains will be held on either side of the tunnel, as frequently two trains will be in the area at the same time. Often, if a northbound train is running late out of Scarborough, it will hold up a southbound train from the city, as it was timetabled to clear the tunnel before the southbound train arrived. The southbound train is usually held back before the platform, to prevent passengers thinking it is a scheduled stop and trying to board/disembark (and then complaining about it later).

Due to the large amount of traffic, and the delicate timetable required to cross at the tunnel, often freight trains will be refuged in Thirroul Yard or Coalcliff yard to allow Cityrail trains a priority, especially when close to the peak curfew time in the metropolitan area.

Delays at the tunnel are usually caused by late running trains, as stated above. Last running trains are especially a problem on this line due to the single track section between Unanderra and Nowra. Although there are crossing loops, not all of them can hold a long train, and delays at these crossing loops will have a flow on effect to trains that need to cross at Clifton Tunnel.

However, Clifton Tunnel has been single track for quite some time, and Railcorp and Cityrail have become quite adept at working around it. Unless there are delays somewhere else on the line, often a train that approaches the tunnel will be able to coast straight through it, and if it does encounter a red signal, only for a few minutes.

This post comes again with my thanks to my anonymous friend inside Railcorp, without whom I would know none of these interesting little things we take for granted.

Made the following sightings at Canterbury:

• 9:25 (PN) 8042 (?) NTAF fuel tankers* to (?)
• 9:32 (PPL) GM27/GM22/44204** T176 containers to Botany
• 9:43 (ARG) 3106/2202/2201 8982 flour to Nowra
• 9:50 (SSRS) 442s3 T236 containers to Botany
• 10:02 (PPL) 4906/4903 T182 containers to Botany
• 10:18 (PN) 8258/8235/8231/8209 JU73 empty coal to Hunter Valley

With the rain beginning to set in, a change of scenery was called for, and the whole operation was uprooted to Menangle, where the rain was beginning to clear up. More sightings were made in what turned out to be a busy couple of hours on the Main South, started with a rather early running 2BM7 (If QRN keep this up, I might have to start getting to photospots BEFORE their trains are due, rather than an hour after...)

Menangle:

• 12:25 (QRN) CLF4/CLF2 down 2BM7 intermodal to Melbourne
• 13:01 (PN) NR72/NR52/NR89 up 1XW4 SteelLink to Wollongong (via Enfield)
• 13:07 (Clink) down SP23 Canberra Xplorer
• 13:44 (PN) 8101 up 2134 cement to Clyde
• 13:58 (PN) NR49/NR20 down 3NY3 SteelLink to Whyalla.
• 14:01 (PN) NR62/NR58 up 7PS6 intermodal to Chullora
• 14:16 (PN) NR67/DL47/NR75 down 2BM4 intermodal to Melbourne

*This movement was a complete surprise!

** Unusual to see three locomotives on this service - normally only two.

Authors note: Apologies for the lack of photographs in this article, I have not even begun to process photos taken today, they are "on the pile" so to speak, hence the archive photo.

When is the metropolitan goods line, in Sydney, even more interesting than on a normal day? During the January shutdown of the Main South Line which has occurred during the last two years for an extensive resleepering program, among other necessary maintenance. This results in all Sydney - Melbourne traffic that would normally run via the Main South being diverted to run via The Illawarra line as far as Unanderra, where is then travels up the mountain to Moss Vale, before continuing it's journey south. The obvious advantage for railfans, is that a number of shots are possible on the already busy Illawarra and Metropolitan Goods Line corridors. During the January shutdown of this year, I had the opportunity to go trackside on the Metro Goods Line, and was able to photograph some interesting movements!

Movements in bold are diverted trains.

Canterbury:

• 9:18am (PPL) GM27/GM22 T176 down Containers
• 10:16am (ARG) 3109/2204 5982 down Flour
• 10:19am (PN) 8256/8218/8223/8230 JU73/BB73 up Empty Coal

Dulwich Hill:

• 10:44am (QRN) CLF4/CLP9/X53 5BM7 down Intermodal
• 10:51am (SSRS) K206/D49 T236 down Containers
• 10:58am (PPL) 4903/4906 T182 down Containers
• 11:01am (QRN) CLF3/CLF7/CLF2 5MB7 up Intermodal
• 11:08am (PN) 48130 up Light Engine

Marrickville:

• 11:54am (PN) 8172/8137 9132 up Stone
• 11:58am (ARG) 3104/3102 up Container
• 12:11pm (PN) 8166/48154 up Grain
• 12:25pm (PN) 8253/8236/8239/8257 CB77 up Empty Coal
• 12:31pm (PPL) EL61/EL53 up Container
• 12:36pm (PN) 8208/GL104/GL107/GL111 CB96 down Coal
• 12:39pm (PN) 8161/8126 1933 up Stone
• 12:48pm (PN) NR80/NRxx/NR51 5MB4 up Intermodal
• 1:03pm (PN) 48130 down XPT Trailers
• 1:03pm (PPL) GM22/GM27 T177 up Containers
• 1:35pm (SSRS) D49/K206 T226 up Containers
• 1:36pm (QRN) G516/G534 6SM9 down Intermodal
• 2:13pm (PN) 8126/8161 1933 down Stone
• 2:37pm (PN) 8137/8172 9132 down Stone
• 2:46pm (PN) 48119/48158 up Light Engine

Overall, a very successful day despite the rain. My only regret is that it took me so long to get my report and my photos up (which I hope to finish off tonight. I've attached my favorites to this post, but there are others which can be found here).

Cheers!

R.

Hawkesbury River (10/8/08):

• 10:23am (PN) NRxx/DL47/NR29 up 5BA6
• 10:46am (PPL) GL104/GL102 up 4172
• 11:03am (CLK) down NP23 (Northern Xplorer)
• 11:20am (IRA) 1427/4468 up 5166
• 11:31am (QRN) EL57/CLxx/CLF7 down 5MB7
• 11:58am (PN) NR65/NRxx down 5MB4
• 12:04pm (PN) 82xx/81xx/82xx/82xx down MG73
• 12:22pm (PN) NR72/NR70/NR41 up 5BM4
• 12:30pm (CLK) XP2002/XP2015 down NT35 (Grafton XPT)
• 12:59pm (PN) 8182/48xx/48xx down

The only movement on there that was a surprise was the PN grain train. Everything else, one could reasonably expect to see on any given Friday. The other exception to the rule was the EL/CLF combination. Normally when one goes to photograph a QRN train, one sees two/three/four CLF/CLP bulldogs lashed up, and occasionally one (would, rarely happens now) two to three EL class locomotives.

So lets look at some of the more interesting movements that occur on the Short North, regularly.

4152 - QRNational. 4152 runs between Broadmeadow Yard and Yennora Yard on most days, conveying loading from BM7/MB7. 4152 usually features far more interesting rolling stock than most trains, too. Recently, it has been sighted behind CFCLA bulldog units S300 and B76. It has also been photographed behind members of the X Class, 421 Class and 423 Class, to name a few.

1593 - PN Rural and Bulk. 1593 is the evening Tamworth Fuel Train, which, until recently was the sole domain of the X Class (with the occasional 81 class). Now, with members of the long looked down on 80 Class coming back into the fore, this rarely seen train is even more interesting.

4124 - PN Rural and Bulk. 4124 conveys sugar and cement loading from Grafton, among other loading. 4124 is often also used for loco transfers from yards such as Broadmeadow to Clyde Yard. 4124, while often simply one or two 81 class hauling cement hoppers, has been photographed with combinations such as 81/48 or 81/X and even 81/81/81/48.

The catch? These trains all run in the late afternoon/early evening, after the evening curfew is over. The best time to catch these trains is during daylight saving hours - when the sun is on your side until after 7pm...

Just thought I'd share something that not everyone would be aware about. I know I have spent many an interesting afternoon at places like Gosford or Cowan with friends, waiting for one of these interesting movements to show up - it only takes one of them to make the trip worthwhile. Often times, you'll even get bonus trains running early - I photographed quad 81's at Gosford one afternoon bringing a very early JU74 (coal) south, bound for Inner Harbour. There are only a few days of daylight saving left, so why not make an afternoon of it? As the sun goes down earlier, you'll need to travel further north to catch such trains in daylight.

Rai

Lucky for my, my friend Anthony (better known as 42209, perhaps?) was able to come along. I caught the morning Casino XPT up to Maitland, with a ticket in my hand for a return to Sydney that night on the Brisbane XPT. That gave me nine hours (about 7.5 hours of sunlight) to photograph, and still be in bed before midnight.

For those of you unfamiliar with Hunter Valley coal operations, one usually chooses a spot where the lighting is good, and you can see a coal train go past every ten minutes or so (at worst, you see something every thirty minutes or so). Those of you familiar with Hunter Valley operations may then find the following sighting list a bit of a surprise.

Maitland (10:15am until 11:30am):

• 10:45am (PN) PL3/48xx7/48129/PL7 down mt coal
• 11:03am (PN) 9022/9032/9014 down mt coal

East Maitland (11:50am until 12:45pm):

(Nothing)

At this stage, Anthony had arrived from Sydney (he was originally going to get the train, so we could have a couple of beers at the pub right by the side of the rails at East Maitland**, but drove instead). We were eagerly awaiting the arrival of 3MB7, which we had been told by another enthusiast*** would have G516/G534 on the front. Apparently the train had arrived into Broadmeadow on time with G516/X/G534, but that they were taking the X off for a return to Sydney (either on the next days 4BM7, on on 4152 to Yennora that night), so the train would be continuing through to Acacia Ridge with the two G's up front. Suited us fine. Of course, that was until we were standing in the parking lot at the pub, and we heard a deep throaty rumbling noise. Of course, we stood there and watched 3MB7 roar by behind G516 and G534. No doubt about it, we jumped into the car and after getting lost in Maitland, we soon found ourselves headed along the open road at good speed, miles ahead of the train (except for one moment when we found ourselves behind a farmer on his tractor who was going all of 20km/h).

Anthony and I arrived at Paterson to see a northbound Hunter set crossing NT36 (Sydney bound XPT from Grafton). As the XPT would have the road right to Maitland, we knew it would probably cross 3MB7 somewhere south of us, and we would have plenty of time to find a good photospot. There are a number of good photospots, all within walking distance of the station (the station itself, a footbridge to the south, a level crossing and a railway bridge to the north). Sure enough, at 2:21pm, G516 and G534 raced around the S bend to the south of the station and pounded through on their way north. Fantastic.

Having checked our photos (seems we both got at least two good shots of the train as it came through), we decided to move around the town and see if there were any good photos. Just past the station towards Dungog, the railway line crosses a steel truss bridge, with great photo opportunities from legal locations (just take a look at the cover of March 2008 Railway Digest - that's the view we had from the level crossing). While standing at the level crossing, the boom gates started to go down. Anthony was trapped on the other side of the road (the way the fence was set out, the only way he could get back to my side of the road was by crossing the tracks, then crossing the road, then crossing the tracks again), so he was running around like a headless chicken without his camera. I hesitated about crossing the road because there were cars coming (that is, until I realised that the cars were going to stop for the level crossing anyway). So, I strolled across the road, and we both craned our necks trying to see what would be coming over the bridge, going south... At the last minute, I turned to Anthony and said "hey, it could be 3MB4..." and was cut off by the sound of an NR horn. We both spun around and (blindly, as we had NO time to prepare anything) snapped NR32 roaring around the corner with NR21 in tow. After a quick laugh, we waited for the boom gates to go back up and we crossed the road back to where Anthony had parked. Cue a bit more sitting around talking rubbish (we "sighted" a number of empty cans of Bundy and Cola, and XXXX Gold, leading us to believe that a bunch of Cane Toad gunzels had been this way prior to us), before we decided to make tracks back to Maitland.

Upon arriving at Maitland, we initially struggled to find more coal trains (at the time, it seemed that The Hunter Valley had run out of coal, but things eventually picked up as the sun slid down the sky).

Maitland (3:45pm to 7:30pm):

• 3:45pm (PN) 8210/8215/8214 down mt coal
• 3:55pm (PN) 8255/8242/8168/8227 down mt coal
• 4:00pm (QRN) 5009/5008 down mt coal
• 4:22pm (PN) NR19/NR117 down 2AB6 intermodal (NCL)
• 4:23pm (PN) 8233/8250/8224/8212 down mt coal****
• 4:51pm (PN) 9009/9012/9024 up coal
• 5:06pm (PN) 8160/48xxx/48154/48113 down grain and canola oil tankers (MNL)
• 5:06pm (PN) PL3/48xx7/48129/PL7 up coal
• 5:15pm (PN) 8225/8136 up coal
• 5:21pm (PN) NRxx/NR77 up steel
• 5:29pm (PN) 8244/8181/8252/8217 down mt coal
• 5:32pm (PN)9013/9033/9006 up coal
• 5:52pm (QRN) 5004/5005 up coal
• 6:24pm (PN)8226/8142 down mt coal
• 6:39pm (PN) 8243/8183 down mt coal
• 7:01pm (QRN) 5011/5006 down mt coal
• 7:10pm (Countrylink) NT31 down Brisbane XPT
• 7:10pm (QRN) 42306/42301 up light engine

The Sydney-bound Brisbane XPT was running about 30 minutes behind, which got worse at Broadmeadow with police officers escorting a man off the train, however we had a good run back to Sydney and only arrived about 20 minutes late into Hornsby. At this point I detrained and changed to a suburban service for the run into Chatswood, where I got a taxi and was home by 11pm. Considering I left the house at 5:30am that morning, it was quite a big day, but worth every second.

Thanks to Anthony for keeping me company and driving me around (also for the beer ;). Also, thanks to Brad for the heads up on the SSRS train (I'm sorry I couldn't bring back a photo to share). Thanks to Countrylink for a very pleasant trip both ways. I would recommend anyone looking for a day trip to The Hunter Valley to travel via Countrylink, as it's so much faster than going via Cityrail, and it's quite comfortable. Just book your tickets a day in advance, and you're sweet!

Cheers!

Rai

* With many thanks to Brad for the heads up

** A great pub it was, too, right by the side of the rails, very nice interior, a great selection of reasonably priced pub food (perhaps a little steeper than one would expect, but it was less a pub and more a cafe/restaurant atmosphere) which tasted fantastic (the chips especially)

***This same chap also informed me that the SSRS train had already been through towards Port Waratah, so we'd missed it. Ahh well, there is always next time!

**** This train was held at a red signal for almost thirty minutes to allow the 4:05pm Newcastle to Scone train to overtake.