Thread: Calling all steam railway fanatics!

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Crank up the sound, sit back, enjoy.

Garratts- Double AD 60 Class with Coal Trains near Newcastle. Quad steam at Zig Zag - YouTube

Ah, yes, brings a tear to my eye, I remember watching the twin Garretts coming up the Fassifern Bank, through Teralba and under the bridge at Cockle Creek. No other steamtrain has the majesty of a Garrett!!

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Fosters made by the Oil Can Brewery in Georgia. Probably an even worse brew than the rubbish made in Australia by Foster's Brewing. Australian equivalent of Bud, brewed without taste for customers without taste.

Hey you blokes
Yes Fosters--The reason what it was so plentiful in Iraq at the time was that the Australian Embassy had amassed a huge amount of booze, not just beer, but wines and spirits in containers all locked up in Iraqi Customs. It contravened some diplomatic clause due to the amount apparently ,
Its discovery of excess by the Iraqi authorities prompted a sell off at fire sale prices.
In my cases of booze (excuse cases pun) the sale was funneled through the Brit Embassy.
I am not a Fosters fan but I remember buying about 50 cases of Guinness, Harp lager , some Castlemain, and some choice Oz wines and of course some Scotch.
This all coincided with Ramadan and the religious fasting period.
The local beer brewer who made Scheherazade had shut down the plant so local beer was in short supply.

I remember a mate who came by my house one afternoon happened to see the cashe of cases sat on the stairs but dismissed them as just being used for storage purposes.

Asking if I might have a beer in the house, I said "Yeh you will find ONE in the fridge"
Opening the door he found it stuffed full of beer!
Then the penny dropped---Are those real? pointing at the cases on the stairs???

I remember saying look keep your trap shut when you go back to the Brit Club, but naturally it was not long before there was a bunch of blokes and some Irish nurses beating on the steel yard gate. Social visit?

So yes I know that Fosters is pee water, but when there's no beer--it will do? Even in a pub with no beer--or a particular club in Baghdad!
There's as song about that isn't there??
Dennis
zedcars

Originally Posted by Ausfree

Ah, yes, brings a tear to my eye, I remember watching the twin Garretts coming up the Fassifern Bank, through Teralba and under the bridge at Cockle Creek. No other steamtrain has the majesty of a Garrett!!

Impressive

Yes those Garretts were used by the Rhoadies.
Oops would say something like Zimbabweans these days!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPDPjDShomA]NRZ 20 Class Garratts Bulawayo to Plumtree - YouTube[/ame]
Dennis
zedcars

whatever happened to the "Mallard"?
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sjXC65e-xQ]MALLARD at 126mph the worlds fastest steam locomotive - YouTube[/ame]

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

whatever happened to the "Mallard"?
MALLARD at 126mph the worlds fastest steam locomotive - YouTube

It is part of the York railway museum collection I think.
Regards
Robbo

Originally Posted by robbotd5

It is part of the York railway museum collection I think.
Regards
Robbo

It appears so!!
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard"]LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

I Have attached two photos of Garrets.One used in Queensland ( 1009) on the 3ft6in gauge.
The other NSW (6042) used on it's 4ft81/2in gauge. The differences in the size of the 2 locos which are both big steamers is a lot because of the gauge variation.To me the NSW Garret was a monster when I first saw one at Hornsby in the early sixties.
According to my brother-in-law who fired one,QR ones had a bad habit of de-railing if the loads wern't large enough.Can anyone elaborate on that?

Originally Posted by Disco44

I Have attached two photos of Garrets.One used in Queensland ( 1009) on the 3ft6in gauge.
The other NSW (6042) used on it's 4ft81/2in gauge. The differences in the size of the 2 locos which are both big steamers is a lot because of the gauge variation.To me the NSW Garret was a monster when I first saw one at Hornsby in the early sixties.
According to my brother-in-law who fired one,QR ones had a bad habit of de-railing if the loads wern't large enough.Can anyone elaborate on that?

The derailment I do know about happened on the range near Bungeworgorai. The first Garret drawn train over the section pushed the light line out of shape on a corner. QGR had a lot more miles of track in a big decentralised state than other networks and built light narrow gauge lines to achieve the distances required to service far flung outback towns. In the great era of rail expansion, it was an article of political faith by both sides of the house that no farmer would be more than a morning from a railhead from where he could send his goods to market hence the flurry of line building up until the great depression called a halt to state expenditure.