~~ NEATH WEEKEND #? ~~

PART 2

We start the second part of our story at the Neath Hotel on the 19th of September where various members of the 'Neath Hotel Railfan Group' attended the inaugeral meeting of the 'Merriwa Railway Society'.

Whi;le not officially members of the Merriwa group, as it is our local we felt it wise to be in attendence to ensure much rowdy behaviour would go on :-)

Please enjoy the following little look at the attendees of the meeting.

Left to Right

Brad Coultar (who looks like he just sat on a carrot), Andrew Tailby,

Paul 'SMR30' Bird and Jason Roberts.

Left To Right

The World Famous Colonel (aka davo1620), Mr Nathan and Brian

Leedham (Chair for the inaugeral meeting)

Trent Pegler's head starts to list to starboard.



Colonel donates large quantities to the Neath Hotel economy!




Birdie and Cooties feed their faces while, ahhmmm, whats his name looks on.

No wonder he is worshipped near and far!!!!!!

MrNathan just loves his Neath Hotel days and his gunzel mates.

Streeeewth - hope the wife dosen't see this Colonel!

Sadly all good Neath occasions must come to an end, however, instead of the usual collapsing in a room upstairs until morning (or the first passing coalie), the Neath gang headed on to the 'Richmond Vale Railway Museum' to see what was running.

Mr Nathan and Cooties help out by ensuring the track in in gauge.

SMR30 (the locomotive, not Paul Bird) heads towards Pelaw Main.

Seems the first gauge check was not good enough and they needed to try again.

BHP34 heading back to Richmond Main.

A bit closer - obviously!

Jason Roberts and The Colonal argue over whether the G sets are more

attractive than single deck trains.

Theres that pesky BHP34 again, heading to Pelaw Main.

And to finish off the day we headed back to East Maitland for some late afternoon piccies of trains passing the new bridge work that will

ultimately destroy this location (bastards).

Amongst many other delights were these two EL class on a down wheatie.

Thus concludes our coverage of the latest Neath Hotel weekend.

Coming up shortly is a look through the photos recently found buried in the bowels of the garage, along with special guest Cooties and his look at fellow foamers I have had the pleasure, or otherwise, of knowing over the years.

Thank you for coming and PLEASE mind the drool as you leave.

We are to tight to get PLI!

12453

~~ DIESEL AND DUST ~~

A brief afternoon around Gelco!

With apologies to Midnight Oil!

With my good friend Chris heading to town, an immense blanket of dust covering the city and the pending removal of the level crossing at East Botany (a regular foamer favourite), it was deemed a good time to extract the digit and head on down to our local goods line.

Having spent most of the morning around the airport a fair portion of the dust had racked off by the time I got lineside. Still there was a cloud thicker than that which regularly hangs around the table on a Neath night.

1446 passes over the doomed crossing at East Botany.

Starting as a level crossing, the cars were removed many years

ago when it was converted for pedestrians only.

Still this was not to stop the most desperate, with a stolen sports car hitting the dirt ramp and landing onto the rails a few years ago.

Visitors from the South Coast and the United Kingdom!


The doomed crossing!

Should you wish to join all the whinging bastard residents complaining about

port developments and extra train movements.

4898 and 44208 approach Port Botany!

Underneath a cloud as dusty as the 442, 4498 waits to depart for Minto while 442s2 and RL306 pass by!

World Series ALCos - Locomotive Hornbag

A 'China Southern' jet is seen in the dust after a last minute aborted landing.

~~ NEATH RAILFAN WEEKEND NUMBER ? ~~

PART 1

Ahhhhhh yes it was that time again, its spring, a time when a young man's thoughts to love and a foamers thoughts turn to the Hunter Valley.

While not really a weekend, given this was a one day venture north to sit in on the inaugeral meeting of the 'Merriwa Railway Society', much opportunity was taken to consume the Hotels fantastic food and delightful 'alcoholic' beverages, during a sampling of Colonel's finest orchestral instrumentation from the nearby gentlemans convenience.

As it was likely to be the last time I can drag my rapidly decaying frame to East Maitland prior to the most glorious of all hackspots, Pitnacree Bridge (aka Houro's Bridge), being destroyed by a brand new bridge catering for the ever growing needs of humanity. I thought this would have to be the go for the first few shots of the day.

Now I am not going to sit here and type up a whole pile of sightings for you to quickly persue through and soon forget about. Nah stuff it - I can't be bothered.
So instead - please devour the following selections of gunzel porn taken on the dribbly cam which will appear over two parts.

NOTE: I hold no responsibility for expansion of personal

body parts while viewing the following!

Just in case anyone cares - our first sighting was this flamin thing!

The Colonel brings along a sample of his new gunzel rag.
To be released in 2012

PL5 48120 48137 pass through East Maitland with one of two services out of Pelton

that morning. The afternoon services were cancelled.

NR92 NR83 NR52 scream through East Maitland with a load of containers

bound for the 'Shakey' city of Brisbane.

The excitment of the earlier Huntercar was way to much for Nathan and Colonel.

The elder-statesman of Hunter railway photography, Mr John Hourigan

as found in East Maitland waiting to pounce on the next exciting combination!

9005 9022 8241 up coal rooooooooooar through East Maitland 20kph.

A Broken Man - 8am and still no Bundy!

Buggar, didn't I just show this one?

Must have come back for a second run through.

8237 8217 8210 Down empty coal passing through East Maitland.

Yes, it was getting very hot. As a safety precaution much fluid was consumed.

Perhaps a little to much was consumed in retrospect!

Anyway, eventually 8226 8254 8129 9007 took centre stage with a rake of coal

headed to port.

Cooties, 3112 and the World Famous Colonel!

All members of the 'Neath Hotel Railfan Group', Facebook and AA.

5010 5004 make a welcome change to the endless Pacific National passings.

Despite being a hot and sunny day, the moon did make a brief apearance.

~~ COMING VERY SOON IN PART 2 ~~

In Part 2 we shall sit in on the inaugeral meeting of the 'Merriwa Railway Society', visit the Richmond Vale Railway and head on back to East Maitland for the final hours of daylight.

12126

You come back again - ya here?

~~ COMING VERY SOON ~~

Cooties takes us on an adventure through the anals of the LocoShed archives looking at the many railfans I have had the pleasure (sometimes otherwise) of hanging around over the years.

The Fun - The Sad - The Smelly

-

-

~~ GOODBYE COWRA ~~

For Now At Least!

Well even the most cardigan obsessed gunzel would be well aware of the recent closure of the Demondrille-Cowra, Koorawatha-Greenthorpe and Weemelah grain lines.


The excuse give is that level crossings have become unsafe after all these years. Suddenly thos bastard trains can't be trusted not to hit those, always, most careful motorists who always drive cautiously around the countryside.


Its obviously now the trains fault that the typical human retard is unable to take time to stop, look and make sure, so the only thing to do, short of spending huge amounts of money, it to remove the problem altogether.


The multitude of replacement trucks will surely be far safer, screaming through towns, jetting down back lanes, spewing tonnes of fumes skyward and ploughing through family sedans like a tractor through a field.


Still whats the death of a few fathers, the occasional child, holiday groups or even farmers out on the road, at least those evil bastard trains will not be running.


"But the Cowra line has run for over 100 years" I hear you say!


Yes, but for most of that time our mentally decaying species was actually able to think for themselves, we were actually able to make our own decisions and take responsibility for our stupidity.


Back then, the railways provided a service to the public, they were important, money was spent where needed. Now such costs horrify people like Mr Bloody Rees, who incidently will not be living on the streets these trucks will plow down, indeed he probably needed to consult a map to find where exactly Cowra was, and he is obviously left with no decision but to stick up up our rural communites and remove their services altogether.


Its almost as if the money for this comes from the bastards personal wages, other than the friggin taxes that these people have paid for ohhhhhh so many years.


I think I speak for members of these communities, the families of those who will be mowed down in the future, members of the railway museum at Cowra, railway workers in the area and many others, when I say

GET STUFFED!

Now lets take a small stroll down memory lane (which is now probably jammed with flamin B-Doubles) and look at some personal Cowra memories.

3026 departs Cowra on a steam special to Canowindra in 1994.


4486 prepares for its trial from Cowra to Woodstock and return.

Very young Rob Parnell, Stuart Ellis, David Porter, Glen Ryan and others

are in attendance.

Returning into Cowra.

CPH24 at Noonbinna.

And here the sexy little beast is seen on its way to Noonbinna in the first place.

Here is another we prepared earlier, approaching Cowra from Holmwood.



Here we see 3026 again on the same trip to Canowindra with a family enjopying the sight of it passing through Billimari.
The line from Cowra to Canowindra closed some years later, while local families will now have to travel much further on truck laden roads for to experience this sight ever again.

After so much misery - lets check out a random lovely who now lives with us.

If Honey knew where Cowra was, or was even ionterested in trains, I am sure she would also be pissed off with the Rees government.

Certainly looks like the Colonel is having some naughty groping thoughts!

From: OnTrack! Regional Rail Review

Humphrey: We've got to shut down another railway, Minister

Jim: Oh I say, do we?

Humphrey: So it seems minister

Jim: Which one this time?

Humphrey: Over at Cowra

Jim: Cowra! That's the war cemetery place?

Humphrey: Not quite - Japanese prisoners revolted - there was a prison camp

Bernard: Wasn't the natives then?

Others both stare at Bernard

Bernard: Being revolting

(They return to the subject at hand)

Jim: Ah! - That's the report? (Puts his hand out for Humphrey's file which he peruses)

Jim: I see they've got to stop trains to close it down

Humphrey: A tourism group minister - you know, run trains in the week-ends.

Jim: Can they take them somewhere else? People like them y'know - chuffing about here and there.

Humphrey: Oh yes Minister - there could be arrangements made

Jim: Right - mmmm - right - (reflects) save us money will it?

Humphrey: (nods)

Jim: S'pose we must then - other priorities, eh! - any problems?

Humphrey: The local councils aren't happy

Jim: Local councils are never happy.

Humphrey: They're coming to see you.

Jim: How many?

Humphrey: Five of them

Jim: That many -why?

Humphrey: They've formed a consortium - an alliance - to progress rail - their railways - this one!

Jim: Did we know?

Humphrey: Oh yes indeed.

Jim: How do they want to progress rail then?

Humphrey: They want to take the lines over.

Jim: Do they? - what a good idea!

Humphrey: I'm not so sure.

Jim: Why ever not? - local enthusiasm, business involvement, productivity, trains even?

Humphrey: All of that

Jim: Well where's the problem?

Humphrey: They'd probably make a show of it - contain costs - be efficient .

Jim: I see - show how it can be done, eh!

Humphrey: Probably

Jim: Set a precedent?

Humphrey: Yes minister!

Jim: Difficult!

Humphrey: Yes minister!

'Yes Minister! Australia 'is an adaptation from the original BBC series.

OnTrack! Regional Rail Review is published by Big Tree Country Management Services ABN 26 541 262 898 Wahgunyah 3687 Vic Australia Telephone 61 2 6033 3937. Design, presentation , editorial pictorial material and artwork C 2009 BTCMS.