Saturday 4 December was suggested as a National Railfan Day in Australia, partly due to the adoption by railfans of a joke from an old Stan Freburg record “St George and the Dragon Net”. The Dragon was finally arrested on a felony numbered 412 (for overacting) - hence the choice of December 4 for the date. The suggestion appears to have originated in Victoria, where the colloquial term for railfan is “Gunzel”. The origin of this is obscure but may be a contraction of the term (from Western movies) “gunslinger” but the connection is not known to me.
I “celebrated” the day on a special train run from Sydney to Bathurst. The train was made up of some steel cars, two lounge cars and two dining cars from the1962 “Southern Aurora” sleeping car train and a special lounge-observation car 707, converted from a 1940 sitting car from the South Australian railways. This was, unfortunately converted to a mid train bar car, and then fitted with an observation platform, and the seating does not take full advantage of the view. The rear platform was very popular, of course.
The train was hauled by two early diesel units, 4201 (which was the first EMD unit in New South Wales, an EMD A16C, a 120 ton cab unit with the equipment of an SD9) and 4306, a Goninan built GE cab unit with a 1600HP Alco 244 engine. The GE would not have been my choice for a trip involving long 3% grades.
Overmod asked me to check the axle location on 707’s trucks. The trucks have conventional axlebox horns, with mating flat surfaces on the axleboxes, with the coil springs supported by the axle box “wings” outboard of the horns.
I fought my way on to the back platform, and got a shot of the “Indian Pacific” as we departed. Major trackwork was under way and the collection of locomotives in use on work trains was quite varied - ARG 607 still in Australian National green being the least expected.
The Westbound trip went reasonably well, but by the time we detrained for a barbeque at Tarana, the G