Locomotive 3801 has been returned to service after around a decade and there was some concern as to whether its whistle sound was correct. I myself think it blast is too sharp compared to the normal service sound.
These videos were taken by Phil Belbin, who I met in September 1962.
A few scenes appear in both sets, the shot of 3810 working the official train for the opening of the Hawkesbury River Bridge in 1946 show a new locomotive and is the only colour record of the day and the actual colours of the train carriages which were soon repainted.
Apart from the shots before I was born, much of the content is familiar to me.
I don’t think I saw the Royal Train of 1954, but saw some of it on display in 1955 for the Railway Centenary. I did see the Queen in her parade through the city, of course.
Very enjoyable. North American steam could easily have been around for another decade, you did it right not bankrupting yourselves buying expensive Diesels and pretending it’s saving you tons of money.
Have to duck now, here come the pies being thrown at me, along with a few rotten tomatoes.
Anyway thanks for posting … Australia did it correctly!
I think the first Belpaire boiler was only installed in a 36 in 1953.
However, there is the “railfan effect” in operation. The locomotive on the turntable is 3663 which was one of two that never received the Belpaire boiler and was withdrawn with the original boiler (which received a new steel firebox in 1934).
All the 2-8-2s carried “Baldwin Lima Hamilton” plates and significantly post date C&O 1309.
The D59s were used on passenger trains to some of the workshops in the Sydney suburbs basically for the use of employees. These included the Chullora workshops and Enfield locomotive depot both of which were on lines without regular passenger service. I went out once to get these trains but the one I saw had a 41 class diesel transfer unit. It is the only photo I have of a 41 on a passenger.
There were a lot of 36 class Belpaire boilers built (105 were ordered, enough to fit to most of the 35 class as well although none were fitted). There are a number of these available for any preserved 36 class. It might be possible to fit one with a 1934 round top firebox since the boiler barrel was unchanged.
This would allow the older design to be represented. The frame of a C class tender was kept for years in Port Augusta converted to a heavy load flat wagon. There is a D58 tender body in good condition in Canberra.
There is a CR L class 2-8-2 tender at Port Augusta. This could be coupled to a D59 to represent a CR steam locomotive, particularly if the original smokebox front were fitted.
I’m pleased that I didn’t have to stand in the rain to watch the Royal Train.
Both of those photos are north of Sydney in reverse order on the same trip. The upper is at Wyong, looking north. The station has the same platforms but with new buildings now. There was then no shelter for the children on the island platform.
I think the lower photo is at Thornleigh, although so much has changed since 1954 it is hard to be certain.
As it was, I watched the parade down George Street from the roof of the office building in which my father worked (on a bright fine day). While this was quite safe, the roof was flat and there was a substantial stone balustrade around the edge (which I had to be lifted up to see over) there was a substantial cooling plant just behind me. I don’t think the concept of legionnaire’s disease was known in 1954 but I came down with a cold afterwards.
I’m told I sound more like Eliza after Henry Higgins’ training than before. For some reason this effect is greatest when I’m talking to someone from Glasgow. I can only assume that because I’m struggling to understand a strange accent I unintentionally try to speak more clearly. My paternal grandfather was from Aberdeen, where the locals can’t understand the Glasgow accent (as I found during a visit).
Good to see streamlined-steam locomotives were still alive and kicking in a developed country during the mid-1960s. Most of my favorite streamlined-steam engine in NA had their plating removed faster than light.
VR’s S Class is one of my favorite streamliners in the Asia-Pacific, the “Kantola-streamlining-style” shrouding looked much better on the S class mainly due to the higher position of the headlight, compared them with the NYCRR’s Commodore Vanderbilt. I think the headlight on the steam engine is like the eyes of a human.
