TRAINS FOR KIDS WITH CANCER - BUS TOUR

 Trains For Kids With Cancer' has returned.

  Our next event is a heritage bus and steam train ride. Heritage buses will take you from Leichardt to Thirlmere, where there will be a return train ride to Buxton. Time will also be available to explore this amazing museum

  Check out the 'Trains For Kids With Cancer' website for details of how to book and updates on planned future events.

  An incredibly fun day, while helping the families most in need.

Limited tickets are available. Updates and booking on our website.

We thank Transit Systems, Sydney Bus Museum, Semi-Retired Foamer Media, and the NSW Rail Museum, for all their help in bringing this exciting day together.

Details and bookings on our website.

QR 1700/1720 CLASS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The first installment of a riveting series looking at Queensland from 1995 to 2000.

Don't mention it - Happy to help.

1748 on a molasses train at Mareeba (Far North Queensland).
I believe this siding has since been removed.

This train caught us by surprise. One of the few times I got a 1700 on a train and the furthest north I was to ever see one.

Furthest fuel siding in Pinkenba. The siding, line and traffic are all now part of history.

1727 trundling down Denison Street back when it was still double track.

1755D on Kuranda duties at Cairns above

and four years earlier in disgrace at Townsville.

Visit the 'Semi Retired Foamer' on Facebook.

Because I have little better to do than make low quality videos to inflict upon the world, I have been busy putting together quite a few extra before my usual 

Christmas break (yeah, I have one).
As always, the topics are very wide ranging, with the extremely unprofessional camera work you demand of us.

ET Tours red set tour to Emu Plains, Homebush Saleyards and Trackfast Chullora.

Ride in Mk2 Leyland Leopard from Fairfield Showground to Fairfield station during our recent 'Trains For Kids With Cancer' event in Prairiewood.
You thought I was going to say in Fairfield hey??? :-)

Shooting over to the Philippines, we have a good look at Del Gallego station on the main line south to Legaspi.

Another red set tour courtesy of Kevin Medley.
This was only the third tour that SETS ever operated. It visited Cronulla and Helensburgh, and featers run pasts, on train trills, cab rids and the vast array of interesting railfans from the era.
Two part series.

My first road trip was a circular tour of the Riverina and western regions of New South Wales in 1987. I recently found some of the footage taken on this trip and am in the process of putting it on Youtube.
The first episode takes in Goulburn yard and the roundhouse before it became a museum. Yass Town when still in use, Yass Junction, Bowning, Binalong, Cunningar and Harden. Of course there are a number of trains throughout.

CHARBON RAILWAY TOUR

ET Tours - 2nd November 1991

Three part video covering the late Bruce Cook's final tour.
Despite it not turning our to be the expected interstate motive power, it was a fantastic day that will never likely be forgotten.
The three part series include run pasts of the train, railfans on board (some of whom are no longer with us) and finishes with an evening cab ride from Lithgow, through the ten tunnels, and on to Katoomba.
Bruce ran tours with a difference, doing things that would horrify the self appointed railfan police of today.

Thank you Bruce.

1) Starting at Sydney Terminal, with the hard slog up the Blue Mountains 

to Mt Victoria.

2) Mt Victoria through to Charbon Colliery.
On the train and tour lineside photo stops..

3) Charbon Colliery through to Lithgow on the train, then through to Katoomba in the cab of EMD powered 4905.
On the train and a number of great sounding photo stops.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plenty more tour train action to come.
Subscribe to the'Semi Retired Foamer' YouTube Channel.

Semi Retired Foamer Video

A Recent Selection Of Visual Thrills.

Steam (and diesels) around Sydney 1992
Chatswood - North Sydney - Eastwood - Concord West
Kevin Medley video

Tagkawayan Station (Quezon Province, Philippines) 2019
Brad Peadon Video

Docklands Light Rail (UK) 1990s
Kevin Medley Video
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2019 'Trains For Kids With Cancer' 
Free Magazine

Produced by the Semi Retired Foamer.
Available from October 19th

The 'ALCo' Motorcade Of

A Lifetime.
1998
I had planned to sit down over a couple of beverages and write up an extended report on this fantastic long weekend motorcade up to Brisbane and Murwillumbah.
However another recent email attack on myself, followed by similar aimed at others by insignificant railfans, on irrelevant railway hate forums, has again left me feeling largely unmotivated. Of course, everyone knows that this is their aim, however, it is good that everyone does now what is happening.
This tour was probably one of the biggest ALCo events run by the 'Rail Transport Museum' since the museum restored 4490 and 4520 to active service.
  The tour was to operate from Sydney to Brisbane, via Fishermans Island (this diversion cancelled due to a massive storm taking out the local signalling.

In Brisbane, there was a local dinner trip to Gatton run, utilizing the restored 1009 (sse photo below).
We chased this dinner tour, then did a quick return run to Toowoomba (Willowburn Depot), before heading back to Gatton for a night time motorcade back to Brissie.

The tour would then resume from Greenbank the day after, heading back south to Casino, before being joined by 'Northern Rivers Railroad' locomotive 42109 for a run out along the now mostly closed line to Murwillumbah.
This beautiful line was probably the highlight of the trip, more so now that it is closed and likely to be turned into one of them vile rail train things.

Along for the trip were David Xuereb (above) and Motive Power supremo Stuart Ellis (seen below). We decided to wear out  a rented Pulsar, rather than any of our cars.

Sadly, the final day came along far too fast and we found ourselves on the final stretch back from Casino to the Hunter again. The further south we got, the more fans joined in the chase.
It was still a good time to be in the hobby and it was a long weekend that still rates as probably the best I have ever had.

Thanks to David and Stuart for being part of a great weekend away, thanks also to the many fans we also met along the way.
The railway hobby has certainly degenerated into something disgusting and full of hate, but at least we have memories of the better days that we leave behind.
Best of all, we still have ALCo locomotives.

Come Join The Fun Of This Event!

WELCOME BACK

42103

MV Port Venture 

Built 1984 (Brisbane)

This is getting a tad strange. Like the shot of the MULGI that I put up last month, the MV Port Venture (photographed on the same night) sunk two years later as well.

In this case, it was near Gladesville Bridge after hitting a pier that pierced its hull.

Of more interest, for me, is that we rode her some years back at the invitation of a band we used to follow 'The Kamis'.

After being salvaged, she was taken to Rozelle Bay and subsequently scrapped there.

Of the second shot at Darling Harbour. 

MV Port Venture is scrapped.

SOUTH STEYNE has been removed and place on sale.

Monorail had been removed.