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.. _ 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). _
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 _ **** LOCOMOTIVE/ PUBLICATIONS **** - We occasionally publish information on the locomotives, and rollingstock, from railways in Australia and the Philippines. All are available forFREEat our ALR WEBSITE.
Those who were lucky enough to be railfanning in the early 90s would be well aware of ET Tours, the rail tour operation run by the legendary, and sadly late, Bruce Cook.
There is little argument that these were by far the most interesting tours of the time, indeed we will never again see tours with this sort of access for photos ever again.
It was a time when fans were not quite so obsessed with reporting each other and causing issues. Friendships existed alongside the line, and not on the interwebs.
The tour to Charbon was initially advertised as having motive power from New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
While this would have been impressive, it was not to be, and so it was that 4907 and 4905 hauled in a set of formerly self-propelled Tulloch railcars into Sydney Terminal.
The climb up the Blue Mountains was incredibly slow, with us slowing down regular services and another heritage special hauled by 3-8-0-1.
4905 4907 a little north of Wallerawang.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4905 4907 during a brief stop at Ben Bullen.
Sadly, this would be the last time I would see well-known Cootamundra signalman Gerry Galvin.
In an effort to keep up with the metric buttload of 48/830 class photos I have recently been scanning for the interwebs, I decided upon placing a good portion of them on the blog in an effort to share them all faster.
I know many out there in Railfanworld have an irrational hatred of my blog posts and, to those people, I offer my humblest apologies for further enhancing these strange attitudes.
Alas, this will be an ongoing series for a while. So, let that be a warning for any of those with an inexplicable dislike for these wonderful little ALCo locomotives.
Formerly 864, now owned and operated by Qube Logistics.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Privately preserved 4833 pauses at Robertson station on the Cockypoo Run.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4855 shunting Cooks River yard on the Botany line.
Locomotive is now scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4864 4880 4873 4861 on an empty coal passing through Maitland.
4864 went on to be Graincorp GPU1, with the rest going to scrap.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4870 4875 4865 4866 on an up loaded coal passing through Maitland.
All units have since been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4878 4871 4870 4876 on an up loaded coal passing through Maitland.
4878 went on to be Graincorp GPU2, the rest have all been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4814 resting in the roundhouse at Junee.
Things have not changed much, with her now owned by 'Junee Railway Workshops' and based in the same location.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4814 resting in the roundhouse at Junee again.
Not entirely sure that she ever does anything :-)
Photo: Brad Peadon
4846 spending the night in Parkes loco.
Has since been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
PL1 arrives at Port Botany.
Formerly 4848 and the final survivor of the type.
Owned by Progress Rail, used as a shunter in Port Augusta (South Australia).
Photo: Brad Peadon
4811 4904 approaches the Cooks River staff hut with a trip train to Port Botany.
4811 - Now Southern Shorthaul 48s36
4904 is also with Southern Shorthaul
Photo: Brad Peadon
4817 sitting in Cooks River yard.
She has sinced been scrapped. This Indian Red livery was the only livery she would wear.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4850 climbs the grade from Cooks River to Marrickville.
Has since been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4890 4872 48112 on an up grain somewhere north of Yass.
Only survivor is 4872, which is on static display at the Junee Roundhouse Museum. Even better, she is the only unit preserved in red terror livery.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4821 and 4904 coming off the now-closed Sandown branch at Camellia. This whole are has been totally obliterated for light rail construction.
4821 is preserved at Goulburn Roundhouse.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4865 48160 48123 48151 on an empty Pelton coal passing through Bellbird.
All units, other than 48160, have since been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4821 again, this time shunting Cootamundra yard.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4826 shunting Griffith yard.
Would later be sold to Australian National, but was scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
845 with B80 at Port Kembla Inner Harbour on an ATN grain.
845 has been preserved by Steamranger (Mt Barker, South Australia).
Photo: Brad Peadon
845 having a bludge at Temora (Riverina NSW).
Photo: Brad Peadon
4883 passes through Belfield on a trip run.
Has since been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4881 passing through Belfield on a trip run.
Has since been scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
833 at Junee Roundhouse. Scrapped after a long period stored at Cootamundra.
Photo: Brad Peadon
48100 arriving at Cooks River yard. Now Graincorp 48204.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4832 shunting Cooks River yard. Now scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4819 sitting around Junee Roundhouse. Now operational with Sydney Trains.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4875 idling away in Parkes yard late one Christmas period night. Now Scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4851 Cootamundra yard shunter. Also now scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Austrac 4836 and 4814 await to depart Rozelle yard in Sydney. This large yard has since been closed and removed, the line there converted to light rail. Both are with 'Junee Railway Workshops' which is essentially what Austrac was at Junee.
Photo: Brad Peadon
A newly painted 48110 at Werris Creek loco. Now Graincorp 48205.
Photo: Brad Peadon
4806 was allocated to Delec loco depot and given the name Bruce. Despite the popular rumour that it was named after the legendary Bruce Cook (seen in photo), it transpires it was named after an employee of the depot. Now Graincorp 48204.
Into trains, buses, planes, trams, light rail, jeepneys and other guff that normal people only use to get from A to B?
Sadly, I have been most of my existence.
Over the years I have built up an extensive library of train related photos, timetables, documents and other stuff which basically does buggar all other than gather dust in the archive supercentre that is my railway room.
I had long wondered what to do both this assorted guff, and all the more current shots, locomotive news and other bollocks I come across while conducting my foamer business. It lead me to setting up this blog some years ago, a blog that I have only just recently started to devote more attention too again.
Through this blog I hope to share a lot of this stuff and bore you senseless in the process. Along the way one hopes you will put up with my somewhat unusual sense of humour. Most get my strange humour, many less intelligent get quite confused. Years of putting up with many in the hobby who, well, hmmmmm I suppose you could say lunatic fringe members and control freaks, has given me more of a view of the hobby as something that is quite a joke. Certainly not the serious thing it once was. Hope you enjoy the bollocks conveyed herein.
If you feel like contacting me, please go for it.
374,082 Visitors as of 05-04-2024
Over 374,082 views. Thank you everyone.
alcogoodwin @ gmail . com (remove spaces) Brad
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