At 7-32 am I am sure I heard a steam train puffing along the railway tracks here in Cheltenham . Can anyone help here .. is there one running around in Sydney or will I next hear messages from Elvis . On the assumption that I am not "hearing"something not there or misinterpretting what I think I have heard can anyone offer any input? I would love to get some photos of it passing by ... and if it is there dont mention it to the global warming folk as I expect they still use coal .
alex
It was likely the old 3801 dropped thru a gravity well generated time vortex.
They still run that thing from time to time for special interest groups I think.
Thanks Doug i wonder if I can qualify as a special interest group ?
Thanks Leon for taking the time to post those photos great stuff .. no doubt without steam trains and them producing Sun shielding smoke the planet will warm up .. at last the mystery is solved .
I wonder if it (the ghost train) will figure in the bridge birthday tomorrow?
alex
The train just puffed by again quiet loud this time ..the "puff"was a "rock and roll beat" which I found amusing...
Doug I wish I was right it would solve some short term problems.
I spent a lot of time in the rail yards as a kid at Junee, they had a giant turning device that you could turn the train around upon, we had a little hidey hole that we could see it all without being discovered.
So its down memory lane again..
alex
They are called, surprisingly, 'turntables', Alex.
Years ago, when I lived in Turramurra, my elder brother and I would hop a train on the weekend ticket deal (I think it was 1/-) and travel out to Penrith. Once there we'd pop over to the sheds which were on the northern side of the station. There was no need to hide as the men working in the area were more than happy to let us sit or stand somewhere safe and watch all the goings on. If they had the time a few of them would come over to us and explain what was happening. Halcyon days, mate.
We also popped into Everleigh yards on the odd occasion. The men there were not quite as accommodating - which is understandable given the difference in work load - but still allowed us to wander around provided we kept our distance.
Right: the current situation.
To be honest I don't know. The 3801 used to trundle up the mountains on the first Sunday of each month pulling a train full of aficionados and tourists. Some months ago (following the expiry of a lease on the loco and the storage/maintenance shed) the state government pulled the plug on the organisation (non-profit) that had refurbished and maintained the thing. It, as best I can gather, was then passed to the rail museum at Thirlmere. What affect it will have on the mountain service I have no idea. It's a damn shame as the group involved in the original scheme seemed to be making enough money from their activities to keep the engine and rolling stock in good condition and pay its way, even with insurance, lease and other incidental expenses.
I want to go on that train, before it gets put away. Apparently there was talk of it being stopped, as the place were it is housed and run from is being redeveloped. I heard about it first on 2GB, where people where calling in to complain about its shut down. I hope they keep it running, to show young people how technology evolved from simpler solutions. What is that famous quote, those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.
Considering tourism forms an increasingly important part of our economy one would like to think that these old trains can help serve that industry. And although we think of steam as a power from the past I think it plays an important part in even nuclear power stations maybe... does anyone know if the "Zig Zag" railway is still in opperation? I went on that train many years ago and my memory is dim but I recall the families enjoying the experience.
alex
Yes, Alex, it is. I'm assuming you mean the Lithgow one as the Lapstone one I think closed before even you were born.
Yes John thats the one I did not know about one at Lapstone...
Thanks for the photos and info Eric I had no idea of that one..
There are so many worlds out there..yesterday only a hint yet my new Universe now includes more steam trains than I imagined .
I have never been in the train spotter catagory and enjoy an ignorance of such things that would be common for Mr and Mrs Average... if there be such animals anymore.
There is a movement at Tenterfield that looks after the old station and shows things from the past of the railways.. I took a ride on their little "trolley" down the track a piece and back but would it not be nice to have a steam train ...why not for the birthplace of the nation ..conception time similar to that of humans ... one speech a nation was born so history records. How the USA would deal differently with such a town
But why not build on the myth to bank the tourist dollar and that would give me a steam train within an easy drive .
alex
All seem determined to be photographed in that second shot Eric.. more out than in... also the driver in the first shot seems relatively young .thats good people coming thru and all that.
alex
Thanks John I have been reading big bang stuff, background radiation, inflation etc and all links given therefrom and having solved all the mysteries and inconsistencies in current popular thought (in my mind) really need more brain fodder (some sweets preferably) so your post is indeed timely .. back to the planet for a while . Thanks for taking the time I really appreciate it .
alex
John I am placing some of those sounds on my little voice recorder to play on the next train trip into the city... they are terriffic. I was making a cuppa when the first one played back and it caught me by surprise as the whole house filled with the sound. Confused me a litle I must admit.It is amazing the childhood memeories these sounds generate... thanks again
alex
My pleasure, Alex. At times - no matter how clever we are - we have to break from our peripateticism, save the floor boards a bit of wear and tear, put the mind into neutral and enjoy what's around us - whether that be immediate or simply delving into memories tinged with nostalgia.
I hope I do not present that I think I am clever John for I am not. If I was clever I would be silient knowing that there is more that I dont know about than I in fact understand to exist... but as anyone can observe silience on any matter irrespective of my knowledge is not evident.
Still have found something interesting in the yard... a spider just waiting for a photo session...and later some lead guitar using steam trains as providing the rythem tracks.
You are a wise man evidenced by your observations of reality.
alex
Thanks for posting this link Dujon. My Dad worked for QR, 49 years can't wait to let him listen to some steam. He has lots of old slides and photos of the last of the steam era in Nth Qld. I went to work with dad a lot and remember riding steam engines in the cab as a kid, hot dirty and noisy all the drivers were only to happy to give us a ride around the yard when they were shunting.
. Can anyone help here
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.. at last the mystery is solved
