~~ SANDGATE CEMETERY - THE LAST DAY ~~

A return ticket, a bag of snacks, a lousy Kodak Instamatic and I was ready to head noirth and ride the last train to Sandgate Cemetery.

Not sure if the 13th of October 1985 was the most wet and miserable of Newcastle's history - but it sure came close.

Featuring in this months Murrumbidgee Mail E-zine.

BOTANY LINE SIG

Yahoogroup Chat Forum

Come join in discussions on Sydney's best little goods railway.

Historical discussion, Current news, Photos, Sightings, Questions

and anything else pertaining to this goods railway.

Also covering the former tramways and other railways of the Botany Bay area.

Another random selection of photos taken over the years.

Display at Maroubra Junction by the 'Eastern Suburbs Light Rail Association'.

This former group were pushing for a light rail system serving Randwick, Coogee and Maroubra, something that people still dream of to this day.

Oops, what happened there. Daven 'Woodrow' Walters aims to get a better shot.



Tanker at Port Augusta.

Classic Qantas jumbo departing Sydney Airport.

All of these have since been retired.

Rodney Nugent

Botany Yard

A lesser known plane fact is their occasional getting of worms.

Not unlike dogs, one of the easiest ways to tell is when they scrape their butts along the tarmac. A weeks treatment usually solves the problem - see your vet.

GY at Ballarat.

Gunning Station 1993

Coal hopper whoosie near Glenlee!

Glenalta station back in broad gauge days.

Bitumen wagon at Sandown.

British Airways

Ariah Park station on the Cootamundra to Griffith branch.

VALE ANSETT

Albury signalbox back in the days before the yard was raped and pillaged.

Air New Zealand at Sydney Airport.

Ballarat

Join us again soon, for another delectable helping of random piccies from the last few decades.

An email recieved today :-(

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Bloody Vandalism: Much of this is irreplaceable.
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Subject: End Platform Cars for Scrap

If you think losing Ropes Creek station is bad enough, consider what a heritage railway on the Mid North Coast has just done.

Thirteen End Platform cars and 3 Dog Box cars were scrapped at Lowanna between the 7th & 11th June by Glenreagh Mountain Railway. This is after scrapping two Dog Box cars at Megan last November. A settlement had only been reached between the Dorrigo group and GMR to transfer ownership of the cars at Lowanna on 30th May.

Yes the cars were wrecks but there were hundreds of spare parts including bogies with brand new wheels, buffers, hook drawgear, screw couplings, hand rails, brake shoes, brake rigging, bogie bolsters and pins, brass bearings, lubricating pads, seat frames, you name it. Only two bogies and a token number of parts were saved. The rest went to scrap. GMR also now holds the distinction of scrapping the last Dog Box car in NSW with Dean Bogies.

Five-car BAB Set 8, built in 1897, was unique in that it had teak under frames. The frames were tested on a visit to the site in November last year and were found to be as solid as when built. Where would you get 12" x 12" x 40ft long teak beams these days?

GMR says parts were offered to the Office of Rail Heritage, who supposedly advised that no group would be interested. As far as I know no group was ever contacted. I know of at least one group that was in need of End Platform car parts for their cars.

Next in line for scrapping will be a B Truck (only two or three remain), 11 S trucks and the only bogie Acid Tank Wagon left in existence. Most of the S trucks have brand new wheels, and their condition, although needing work, are better than some of those saved from recent ORH disposals.

So if you want some S trucks or brand new wheel sets say something now before it is too late. If they are not moved by the Dorrigo group within 4 months of 30th May (that is 30th September) the remaining stock will be scrapped.

~~ 44 CLASS CELEBRATION FINALE ~~

An overused and boring saying goes that "all good things must come to an end", and so it is the 44 class month, spread to two months, has come to an end.

Seems hard to believe, but there are a few who have whinged about the amount of 44 class appearing (GASP). Some feel that they have recieved more recognition that they are due!

PFFFFTTTT

Of course, being a good 'Semi-Retired Foamer' and responsive to these anti-44 class complaints from our beloved readers, I made an executive decision to double to time covering these wonderful locomotives. Anything to appease those EMD fans :-)

But alas I have other things I wish to cover here and, while the collection of 44 class remains plenty, the special celebration of them ends here - at least for now.

So please enjoy the 44 class finale - however they will continue to figure heavily in the future.

The final member class, globally important as the last 'World Series' to be built, 44100 leads 4474 into Stockinbingal. Alas, despite great effort, 100 was sent for scrap while the first built is thankfully preserved in Spain.


4468 and 4465 sit around Broadmeadow loco depot.

44100 and 4474 on the same train at Stockinbingal as that above.

44100 on a south line passenger awaiting departure from Sydney Terminal.

And in closing, a Jumbo leads candy 4499 out of Taree, enroute to Brisbane.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed their positive thoughts on the 44 class celebration, thanks especially to Glenn Ryan for his contributions to it.

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