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Lets take a ride on the completed railway......
It is early tuesday morning as our battered flat tray truck pulls into "A" station. This country branch is still going strong, with the local oil merchant still the main customer, and the passenger traffic is still there. As a bonus there is a local preservation society based here and help run the branch. Today is typical. We board a "DERM" in the bay platform, the main platform has the society's vintage train stored there. Our train leaves "A". We roll immediatly into a valley that soon leads to a tunnel. on the other side we come though a grain silo "B" and round a few curves before we see the mainline below as both our DERM and the mainline head into "C". "C" is the main station in this region, yet located just on the ourskirts of town. Those grain silo dominate the skyline. "C" has a major loco facility and is is a changeover point for many a crew. We watch our DERm head back down the branch as our passenger train glides into the station - a sleek XPT. We climb aboard and soon we are heading back into the country, through plain fields and occasional hills. We pass thorugh a small town "D" - nonstop. It has a silo,only a few train stop here each day. The line now follows some difficult terrain and as it climbs the range has to cross a few large bridges. We pass an loop with a NR led freight waiting for our passing. A few hours later we arrive at "F". As the XPT is heading down the triangle it pulls into the station, lets us off then reverses it's direction. I know driver hate passenmgers wish to get off or on at this station, normaly they can just pass across the triangle. We can see some industrial trackage near the traingle while waiting for a train. This staion is extensibvly used between "C" and here at "F". We could have waited for a normal serveice but a trip on the XPT was a bonus. A N hauled pass duly arrives after we had lunch down at the 'local. We board and are soon off. We pass the simple junction as we head along the mainline. The next station "G" is a stop and we meet a grain train entering the yards from the opposite direction Leaving "G" behind we arrive at "H" - another junction with a triangle. On it's approach we note a modern intermodal yard , empty at the moment. We get off again - lucky we enjoying train travel as this has been our third interchange. A local tells us the IP had to divert this way last week via "I" - usually it passes the way we have come. Apparently as "H" was a major stop the train pulled into "H", the locos reversed ends and the IP set off down the other leg. the local told us freights use that leg of the triangle, all passengers use the station. Our next train is already waiting - a small loco hauled pass consisting of some NSW FO cars and a 48 class on the front. This side of the platform also has a run around as they treat this section of the line as a branch. Train rarely go past "I" , except for emergencies or the odd freight. Again it is countryside, quite yellowish from lack of water. We see the mainline in the distance as it travels up a valley side through a passing loop and out of sight. We pass through a passing loop with nothing of note to see. Then we arrive at our ultimate destination - station "i" - not a large station but it is an interchange with the narrow gauge, and another wheat silo ! As we wait for our bus, a NR led train roars through from "F". Three NR's and a "C" pull a long Freight through the station. The stationmaster told us it was a diversion - normally the train took the mainline, but three hours ago a train derailed at "G", so all traffic would be comming this way. He wasn't likeing it - it was normally a early night, but tonight there would be many a train through here. As the Bus sped away, we remained at the station for a night's trainspotting ! |
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