The Semi-Retired Foamer has been a railfan since he was around 5 years old, oh yes a very young age, an age when one really should avoid being involved with the gunzel community to any great extent. A few rather unsavoury people bringing that fact home.
After a few decades of train chasing, one decided to break with protocol and get married, thus leading to a severe cut in railfan activity.
Subsequent dealings with hate breeders, lunatics, mental defectives and self-appointed preservation overlords lead to an even greater decrease in my hobby participation.
However things have changed thanks to our small group of trusted mates, interest has returned, and now I have become a bit more involved yet again..
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 Over the years I have tried my best to further both the hobby, as well as the friendships that it brings. I have done this by setting up proactive groups both here in Australia, as well as the Philippines. It is with huge honour that I am often considered the founding father of the railfan hobby in the Philippines (my second home).
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I don't take the hobby too seriously and I am a friend to anyone who is good and genuine. But never forgive those who have used their hate to destroy my hobby or hurt the friends within it.

Let's Make The Hobby Great Again!
I aim to share the era that I considered mine, the 80s and 90s. I also like to help promote, and even raise funds for, the various heritage societies that keep the era alive
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**** LOCOMOTIVE/ PUBLICATIONS ****
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We occasionally publish information on the locomotives, and rollingstock, from railways in Australia and the Philippines.
All are available for FREE at our ALR WEBSITE.




Please email me should you wish to use anything from this site !



Thursday, June 18, 2020

Victorian Steam


Hello, and welcome to another installment in my, largely hated, blogsite.
This time it is all about Victorian steam locos back in the late 80s, a time when I would venture down there a couple of times a year for the local action 
(rail action that is).


Steamrail tour from Spencer Street to Colac.
Although, I seem to remember it being a B class at first, bus through a section of trackwork, then the R class for the balance of the day.
R761 remains in operation to this day.


Winchelsea Station - Opened in 1876
The loop (seen in these shots) was removed in 2005.

Imagine this happening in 2020.



Colac Station - Open 1877



R766 at the Steamrail depot in Newport.
The loco, by this time owned by the '766 Syndicate', had a number of operator changes since this photo was taken, today she is at the 'Hunter Valley Railway Trust' (North Rothbury), where she has been restored, including a gauge change to standard, and pending certification to run.





Certainly one of the best Victorian tours I ever went on was the two day journey up to Moulamein and Deniliquin utilizing a mixture of locos from the 'Seymour Railway Heritage Centre'.
An overnight journey from Spencer Street, saw us trundling along the Moulamein (formerly Balranald) line as the sun came up.


Weren't going to eat without a breakfast ticket.


J515 is preparing to depart for Echuca. Y133 can be seen a little further back down the consist.



Mathoura on the Deniliquin line is actually well within New South Wales.
While Mathoura once had a pretty substantial station building, it was closed in 1979 and no trace of it existed by the time of our visit.
Mathoura station mural.



Deniliquin station - Opened 1876



The tour at Echuca after arriving back from Deniliquin.

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RM58 and J515 at the 'Seymour Railway Heritage Centre'.


8A on the Puffing Billy Railway
 

D3 639 at the Ballarat East workshops.
Locomotive is still operational and occasionally wears its original 658 number.


D3  646 (originally DD 630) seen here displayed at Maryborough in the late 1980s. 
Around 994, she was acquired by the 'Victorian Goldfields Railway' and moved to Maldon.
She awaits restoration.

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