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Semi-Retired Foamer!
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Right. So there we were – two allegedly sensible adults, voluntarily standing on the Blue Mountains in temperatures normally reserved for commercial freezers, all in the noble pursuit of a V Set. Because nothing says “quality life choices” like frostbite and 1970s stainless steel.
In this thrilling next instalment of The Semi-Retired Foamer & Dr Cooties’ Arctic Expedition, salvation arrived in the form of Chris Lithgow and his blessedly heated motor vehicle. A man of great generosity and impeccable timing, Chris rescued us from becoming permanent fixtures at Lithgow station and instead whisked us off on a grand tour of the district – a tour that thankfully involved doors, windows, and working climate control.
First stop: the historic Bowenfels and Wallerawang stations – dignified, atmospheric, and considerably warmer to look at than to stand beside. From there we admired the Gatekeeper’s Cottage and carriage FH2231 at Marrangaroo, both believed to be available for rental accommodation. Though judging by the “lived in by ghosts since 1987” aesthetic, the cottage may have been enjoying an extended sabbatical at the time of our visit. Rustic charm, they call it. I call it “bring your own broom.”
Not content with merely preserving our circulation, Chris then piloted us around a selection of old coal branch formations – perfect for wandering, pondering, and pretending we understood the operational intricacies of Lithgow’s industrial heyday. The grand finale saw us ascend to the lookout at Blast Furnace Park, where we captured V21 departing on its run back to Sydney – sleek, silver, and undoubtedly warmer inside than we were outside.
So rug up, grab a thermos, and prepare yourselves. It’s time for another episode of freezing temperatures, questionable decisions, and entirely justified V Set enthusiasm.
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Bowenfels
Above and eight below.
The beautiful, but sadly disused, Bowenfels station.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Tucked just on the edge of Lithgow, Bowenfel's handsome sandstone buildings and old platform whisper of a time when the Main Western line was the great steel highway over the mountains, rather than a backdrop for over-enthusiastic photographers in thermals (yeah us).
There’s a solid, workmanlike beauty to the place – classic Victorian-era railway architecture, softened by time, a bit of grass where there probably shouldn’t be grass, and that unmistakable sense that countless trains once thundered past with far more importance than we could ever muster.
It’s calm, historic, slightly melancholic… and, on the day we visited, absolutely freezing.
The former station masters cottage situated just a stones throw from Bowenfels Station.
Photo: Brad Peadon
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Marrangaroo
Fresh from brooding artistically at Bowenfels and pretending we could still feel our extremities, we bollocked off to Marrangaroo to inspect the former Gatekeeper’s Cottage — a structure that appears to be bravely experimenting with the concept of “accomodation.”
Nearby sat carriage FH2231, also “preserved,” in the same way leftovers are preserved when you forget them at the back of the fridge. Still, it all had that irresistible heritage charm: equal parts history, mystery, and mild structural concern. It sure aroused the photographer in all of us.
Having thoroughly assessed the situation (from a safe and wind-sheltered angle), we then racked off to the undeniably stunning Wallerawang station for yet another character-building freezing stop — because clearly what the day needed was more beauty, more history, and significantly less circulation.
Photos: Brad Peadon
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Wallerawang
Above and two below.
Main Street Wallerawang.
Above: Looking west from the station.
Below: Commercial Hotel (Opened 1871).
Below Below: Wallerawang War Memorial.
First erected in 1920, but moved following the stations closure. However it was to return in 2003, with the two sandstone walls added in 2011.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Wallerawang railway station opened in 1870, back when steam ruled the rails and “regional growth strategy” meant adding another sheep. Originally called Mudgee Road (because imagination was clearly in short supply), it became an important junction when the Mudgee line branched off, complete with handsome brick buildings, a signal box, and all the Victorian-era railway charm you could possibly heritage-list — which, of course, they eventually did.
Passenger trains stopped calling in 1989, presumably deciding Wallerawang had enjoyed enough excitement for one century. Since then, it’s been a very dignified through-station, watching trains fly past without so much as a courtesy wave. But after decades of platform-based loneliness, there are plans to bring services back — proving that in NSW railways, nothing is ever truly dead… just “temporarily not stopping.”
I hope you derive some miniscule amount of enjoyment in the following selection of images.
1915 was a truly impressive track layout.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Northern side of the station building.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Looking westward from the station and towards the junction for Mudgee.
Photo: Brad Peadon
A local dreamer I guess???
Photo: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
An impressive looking old station, and it will be great to see services once again stop for the locals.
Photo: Brad Peadon
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Lithgow
Unwilling to risk further frostbite to certain vital (and frankly irreplaceable) body parts, we retreated to the blessed warmth of Chris’s car and conducted a mobile inspection of various old formations — heritage appreciation, but with heating. Once sufficiently thawed, we rolled into Blast Furnace Park to grab a shot of V21 stretching its legs on departure for Sydney, no doubt bound for climates slightly less hostile to human survival.
Next installment? We rack on over to the State Mine Museum at Lithgow for a squiz at what interesting rail items could be seen from the fence, before scoring a lift up to Bell station — because clearly the only sensible way to tackle the Blue Mountains in winter is to keep chasing higher elevations.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Bradly Coulter, Greg Davis, Chris Lithgow, Mick McGinty & David Phillips.
Check our new Linktree site above for piles of dreary transport entertainment. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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