Random Bollocks From A Semi-Retired Foamer!

AMPOL BRANCHLINE
PAGEWOOD 

PART 1

 This article was originally written for the former 'The Smutter' ezine, but only ever saw the first part published. I have always felt that this branch had huge modelling potential at a rather cheap cost, it is also one for those who prefer collecting more model locomotives than rollingstock.
  Despite the large readership we enjoyed, there are great limitations that come with getting pdf publications out there, so we decided to return to publishing stuff on a blog type platform and leave epublications for research items.
  This is the first of three (maybe four parts if I can be bollocked doing that much) parts covering this branchline, its diesel era operations and line-side structures, all of which have changed greatly since the line closed.

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 When we are young, or even significantly advanced in years, and start thinking of building our first model railway empire, so many of us tend to think of boards flooded with as many tracks as can be fitted in the board space available.

 Sometimes this leaves little room for trees, let alone structures, the result being a lot of trains running round and round with seemingly little purpose for doing so.

 Of course this is all fun for a short while, maybe not even that long, but the lack of purpose, indeed the complete lack of anything similar in real life, will soon have you turning away from it and annoying people on internet forums again.

 A reasonably wise, and significantly grumpy, modeller from the rural backwater that is Wagga Wagga, once told me that “more is not necessarily better”.

 Now, while he probably didn’t put it that politely (there are limits to words we can publish), he was correct and, although it is painful to say, these words have guided me through many changes to my home based Tinlow layout.

 However, long before this pearl of wisdom was brought forth from the lips of this modelling legend, I have felt that the now closed/removed AMPOL branchline, which ran from the Gelco yard at Botany through to the equally deceased AMPOL fuel terminal, would be a cheap and ideal layout.
  It would also cater for those who like to have lots of locos with few items of rollingstock for them to move around.

  Lets start this epic adventure with some photos of the line during it's later years of operation. In coming weeks the thrilling AMPOL joyride will continue.

To the best of my knowledge, which really is not that great, the terminal has never used a rail based shunt. This beast would  be seen shunting the empties/loaded tankers around the small yard there.

4910 44211 shunt the AMPOL terminal. Baker Street level crossing in the foreground.
Photo: David Xuereb

Not much effort needed for 4827 to push NTAF4037 fron Gelco to the terminal.
Ocean Street - Photo: David Xuereb

48100 pushing tankers over Ocean Street. Photo: David Xuereb

4851 about to pull out a rake of loaded tankers. Photo: David Xuereb

4910 44211 at the AMPOL Terminal.  Both Photos: David Xuereb

44212 shunting the loading bays while the road based shunter can be seen in the sidings to the left. There were two sidings curving behind that green wall (see part 3)
Photo: David Xuereb

Waiting to cross Ocean Street.  Photo: David Xuereb

Shunter Steve protects Baker Street as 44212 leads loaded tankers 

out of the terminal.

Changing the points over to allow access to the branch.

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Thanks to former local, and company lineside at Botany for many years, David Xuereb, for use of your photos. Many of which appear in this series.
David lived somewhat closer to the branch than I, so had a lot more opportunity to photograph the daily coming and going.

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In part 2 we take a walk along the branch and photograph the line-side structures.