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 of us who were lucky enough to have been in our hobby back before social media turned it into a cesspool of hate and narcissistic behaviour, may well remember the 'Austeam 88' event in Melbourne.
The bicentennial year was incredible throughout the whole12 months, steam train tours all over Sydney and outskirts, FLYING SCOTSMAN Aussie visit, and specially painted locomotives, trams, and buses.
However, there is no doubt in most people's minds that the Austeam event in Melbourne was the pinnacle moment in the railfan calendar.
I, along with famous heritage volunteer David Henderson, decided to make a two week trip out of it, making use of the now extinct Motorail service to get down to Spencer Street and give our cameras a belting.
Anyway, thanks to a recommendation from one Mr Neil, I went and recently purchased a slide scanner and have got stuck into the hundreds of shots taken during that fortnight.
It was my first real use of slides, having mostly used prints until this trip, so many of the results leave a lot to be desired.
However, they are what they are, and slowly I am scanning and placing them on here for the world to reluctantly endure.
T345 at a place that is actually at Bendigo, despite the caption on the photo.
Now with SCT.
Photo: Brad Peadon
X37 at Somerton.
Now preserved by the 'Seymour Railway Heritage Centre'
Photo: Brad Peadon
H1 H3 H2 having a bludge around Geelong.
H1 is now with 'Pacific National', H2 with 'Ettamogah Rail Hub', and H3 with '707 Operations'.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Z1-82 coincidentally operating route 82 from Footscray to Mooney Ponds.
Withdraw in in 2002, going to Mt Buller the following year.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Z1-4, like a number of locomotives around Australia, was painted up in a bicentennial livery. It is seen here about to pass through Royal Park.
Now scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
H3 at Geelong.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Visiting 3801 on a 'Austeam 88' special.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Railfan legends Lindsay Porter (Melbourne) and David Henderson have a chat while waiting on a tram.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Preserved 251 on a Bellarine Peninsula Railway operation.
Photo: Brad Peadon
B80 receiving attention at Dynon.
Now with Rail First Asset Management.
Photo: Brad Peadon
T362 T377 T380 on a freight at Warrenheip.
T362 and T380 are now scrapped.
T377 now with 'Rail First Asset Management'.
Photo: Brad Peadon
A66 in bicentennial livery, sitting at Dynon loco with C503.
C503 now with 'Rail First Asset Management'.
Photo: Brad Peadon
8175 with a freight crossed the Maribyrnong Viaduct.
Photo: Brad Peadon
NSW railfanning legend John Auer in what I thought was Bendigo, but am told it may well not be. So who knows. Photo: Brad Peadon
My veteran of many a motorcade around the countryside, a 1976 Toyota Corona. Put 350,000kms on the clock, that was in addition to the 141,000kms it had when I first got it :-) Photo: Brad Peadon
Hoppers Crossing railway station, such as it is. Photo: Brad Peadon
The broad gauge 'Austeam 88' display heads towards Spencer Street station.
The lineup of locomotives have gone on to a wide variety of different situations today, however all but one survive.
G533 - Aurizon
B80 - Southern Shorthaul Railroad
H5 - Ettamogah Rail Hub (in care of 707 Operations)
L1169 - Preserved (Steamrail)
X51 - SCT Logistics
T392 - Pacific National
S317 - Southern Shorthaul Railroad
C509 - Southern Shorthaul Railroad
F211 - Preserved (Newport Railway Museum)
Y169 - Ettamogah Rail Hub
947 - Scrapped
701 - Preserved (Tailem Bend)
900 - Preserved (National Railway Museum)
BL26 - Pacific National Photo: Brad Peadon
Benalla railway station. Photo: Brad Peadon
Ballan railway station. Photo: Brad Peadon
Y103 between shunts at Spencer Street station.
Scrapped 1992 Photo: Brad Peadon
X43 sitting at Bendigo.
Now scrapped. Photo: Brad Peadon
Preserved X20 on a Bellarine Peninsula Railway operation.
Photo: Brad Peadon
W2-510 at the former South Melbourne tram depot.
Preserved at Hawthorn.
Photo: Brad Peadon
W6-976 Swanston Street, Melbourne.
Preserved at Bendigo (Bendigo Tramway).
Photo: Brad Peadon
Preserved VA1 on a Bellarine Peninsula Railway operation.
Photo: Brad Peadon
T402 T351 briefly stops at Spencer Street station with a cement train.
T402 - now with Ettamogah Rail Hub.
T351 - is scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
T378 T345 sitting around Bendigo.
T378 - Preserved (Seymour)
T345 - SCT Logistics.
Photo: Brad Peadon
A60 roars through North Melbourne station destined for somewhere.
Now with VicTrack Heritage.
Photo: Brad Peadon
T365 passing through Flinders Street station with a freight.
Now scrapped.
Photo: Brad Peadon
R761 came a croppa derailing at Seymour following a special Austeam 88 triple parallel on the north-east line.
Photo: Brad Peadon
Y145 shunting around Ballarat.
Scrapped 2014
Photo: Brad Peadon
A73 flying through Hoppers Crossing with another passenger run.
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Welcome to the Semi_Retired Foamers Blog!
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.
551,262 Visitors as of 05-04-2025
Over 550,000 views. Thank you everyone.
alcogoodwin @ gmail . com (remove spaces) Brad
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