Thread: Alco 48 class loco pics

Originally Posted by Bushie

48s used to run all the time on the Illawarra line, was great to catch the 'steamer' from Central to home when I was at uni.

Martyn

Originally Posted by scanfor

I wasn't fortunate enough to see steam in Sydney - I can only imagine looking down towards the terminal on a Friday night with all the expresses and mail trains heading out.

Neither was I

"Steamer" in this context was what they used to call the inter-urbans pulled by 48s. (Generally Central to Wollongong)



Martyn

Sorry,, wrong info for this post
BTW, how can you delete a post?

Originally Posted by Bushie

"Steamer" in this context was what they used to call the inter-urbans pulled by 48s. (Generally Central to Wollongong)



Martyn

Early 80's did the daily commute from Woy Woy to Sydney, and was a lottery to get a diesel hauled set wooden carriages from the 40's and 50's, occasionally hauled with a steamer, or one of the state of art double deckers, Never forget one day, due to closure of the main line to Hornsby, they pulled us out of Central with the diesel, and attached a steamer on the other end and took us up the suburban line to Hornsby, through the city tunnels and up the north shore.

The look on the faces of people at Town Hall and Wynyard and the north shore stations was priceless.
Especially Wynyard as by then they had a full head of steam up to get up the rise to the bridge.
Brian

The locomotive hauled trains that used to run down the Illawarra line to Nowra during the 1980s were usually hauled by either a single 44, 422 or 421 class. Typically the load was 5 or 6 cars. Sometimes a single 48 would be used, but more often than not a pair of 48s would be used. On one occasion the train had 7 cars and both a 44 and a 48 were doing the honours.

I recall seeing a photo of two 49 class locos hauling a 7 car Central West Express during the 1970s.

On all the occasions bar one that I travelled on the Brisbane Limited, two 442 class would be used on the 15 or 16 car train. From Sydney to Broadmeadow in both directions two 86 class electrics would haul the train, and both locos were running with both of their pantographs raised.

On that one outstanding occasion on my trips, the train left South Brisbane standard gauge terminal with one 442 being led by a 44 class, number two end leading. The load was 16 cars. At some point during the night an additional 442 class was added in front of the 44 class. That is the only time I have been on a passenger train with three diesel locos and all three were powering. I recall watching the plumes of black rising from each as we slogged up Cowan bank. I suspect it was a loco balance with all three returning the train to Sydney Terminal.

When I travelled on the Intercapital Daylight from Melbourne to Sydney in 1986, we left Melbourne with a 422 class hauling the 8 cars. At Albury the loco was removed and an 81 positioned in its place. My understanding of this is that the 422 class in Victoria could run at the line speed of 115kph whereas the 81 (and the V/Line G class) were limited to 80kph. The use of the more powerful 81 in NSW would also allow the train to maintain speed given the heavy grades that lay ahead, 8 banks of 1 in 40 from memory.

The Melbourne/Sydney Limited ran with 18 cars during my trips and was always hauled by a pair of 81 or G class or a combination of between Sydney and Albury where the leading loco would be removed leaving just a single loco to take the train onto Melbourne. The return journey had a single loco to Albury and then double locos from then onto Sydney.

Ron.

Just a quick question (I'm guessing if I'm going to be successful with this question anywhere it'll be here) - does anyone have any decent front on photos of the Class 90 loco? Or, better still, a dimensioned drawing of one?

I might have a drawing somewhere amongst my collection but it might take a while to find, does Greg Edwards/Data Sheets have the 90? His webpage is down at the moment.

Is there a book we can buy that has photo's and spec's on the loco's you guys are talking about?. Pat

Originally Posted by isuzutoo-eh

I might have a drawing somewhere amongst my collection but it might take a while to find, does Greg Edwards/Data Sheets have the 90? His webpage is down at the moment.

Don't go to any special effort finding it (it's not that important really) but thanks anyway

I've not be able to get Greg Edwards webpage working either.