~~ 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.

4453 was very, very close to the end of its career when it ran this train to Bombo with 42211.

Not long after it was seen in Chullora workshops, stripped of parts and never came out again.

4403 and and unidentified 80 class approach Moss Vale station with a limestone rake from the Berrima branch. 4403 wears a blue version of the short liver heritage scheme earlier seen on 4446.

4448 42220 are in very unfamiliar territory as they approach the Wongawilli terminus of BHP's private Illawarra coal line.

4482 shunting the long closed Manning River milk branchline at Taree.

Freight from Brisbane near Taree.

The deceptively rural scene here is actually at East Botany in Sydney. The train had just departed the port and was bound for Griffith.

4427, the train and that Kelloggs loading have all ceased to exist.

4493 4514 4482 in Taree on a Brisbane to Sydney freighter. Crews would change and soon another the typical erupting ALCo smoke and noise would see it roar our of town.

Taree was always blessed with a 44 class shunter for the yard, and the short runs to the Manning River branch (above) and the sleeper siding to the south end of town.

While theoretically this shot could be repeated, the possibility of walking into the port with 4486 is virtually non-existent. In the pre-paranoia days around Botany, these sorts of shots were taken for granted.

4473 at Cowra awaiting restoration. The work has since been completed and she now operates out of Sydney.

The noise was pure magic. 44100 and 4474 gain speed at the roar north out of Cootamundra, having stopped at the Coota West signalbox for safeworking duties.

44100 yet again, this time further north at Broadmeadow loco depot with 4480.

Only 4480 and 4483 ever wore this blue Freightrail livery.

MORE 44s COMING RIGHT UP.

Welcome back to a month of 44s with the Semi-Retired Foamer!

44100 was a historic locomotive, not only in Australia (then the last of the largest mainline loco class in Australia), but worldwide as the last of the 'World Series' built anywhere.

Unlike the first World, which is now preserved in Spain, 100 sadly went on to be scrapped after the 1994 auction - despite efforts top save her.

4486 had just been restored and was out for her first run from Cowra (top shot) to Woodstock (above shot). The locomotive has sinced moved to Sydney, the line long since closed.

A very rare location for 4448 and 42220, seen arriving at Wongawilli on the private, then BHP owned, coal branch. Was part of a tour around the Illawarra.

Whittingham.

4401 at Hope Street (Sydney)

Heck I was a lot younger back when I took this shot of myself with 4401.

Much More 44 Action To Come.