Thread: Big Boy photos

Originally Posted by JDNSW

The advantage of the 60 class over engines such as this is that, OK, they had half the tractive effort, but they could run on any track in NSW. Compare for example the Victorian H class, the heaviest locomotive ever built in Australia (and lighter than the 60 class), which was only ever able to operate on the Wodonga line despite being built with the western line in mind - the necessary bridge upgrades never happened.

John

The much smaller Garrets used in Qld. likewise became restricted in use due to the light rail and light ballast used in Qld in order to get more track for the government's money. The first Garret sent west from Rockhampton derailed itself on the range near Bungeworgorai by pushing the rails apart on a bend.

The sight of those magnificent locos brought back deep memories. As a teen in the early 60s, l lived for several years just a couple of hundred metres from the main Sydney-Melbourne rail line between Moss Vale and Bowral. The grade between the Wingecarribee river and Burradoo was very steep and there were times when two Garret engines towing wheat and coal would begin to slip.. so they would drop a heap of sand, reverse most of the way to Moss Vale then go flat out and attack the grade... standing under the bridge on the bank of the Wingecarribee as steam trains crossed a few metres above was always guaranteed to enliven a boring day
Was even more fun late at night (10.10pm) when the standard gauge became operational and the Southern Aurora towed by two diesel electric locos would race south at close to 75 mph! Innocent days indeed... boredom was never an issue

Originally Posted by Hoges

The sight of those magnificent locos brought back deep memories. As a teen in the early 60s, l lived for several years just a couple of hundred metres from the main Sydney-Melbourne rail line between Moss Vale and Bowral. The grade between the Wingecarribee river and Burradoo was very steep and there were times when two Garret engines towing wheat and coal would begin to slip.. so they would drop a heap of sand, reverse most of the way to Moss Vale then go flat out and attack the grade... standing under the bridge on the bank of the Wingecarribee as steam trains crossed a few metres above was always guaranteed to enliven a boring day
Was even more fun late at night (10.10pm) when the standard gauge became operational and the Southern Aurora towed by two diesel electric locos would race south at close to 75 mph! Innocent days indeed... boredom was never an issue

Think we need a RAIL TALES thread, and I have just started one.

Big Boy 4014 is to be restored.

Huge Big Boy steam locomotive coming back to life

Click on the image in that article to open a gallery.

Just hope I'm around in 5 years time to see it running again.
Would be worth booking a trip to the US of A just to see this monster thundering along the tracks at 100km per hour!

Alan

Originally Posted by p38arover

Big Boy 4014 is to be restored.

Huge Big Boy steam locomotive coming back to life

Click on the image in that article to open a gallery.

Good to see, it certainly would be an impressive sight under steam again.

Hi folks, I subscribe to a yanky rail magazine and get ads for any features in a number of their other mags.

I got this e-mailed to me last week. Might be of interest to some of you.

- TRAINS Magazine