We’ve been chuffing along behind a lovely old steam engine. On Saturday we travelled by rail from Central Station down the escarpment to Stanwell Park, we skirted Wollongong then climbed up through rainforest to the Southern Highlands town of Robertson.
We were being pulled along by Locomotive 3642, “one of three survivors of the class of 75 locomotives introduced as express passenger engines in 1925.” We were also being pushed by a veteran diesel loco. This led to some discussion – what happens if the loco at the back pushes too hard? Does the whole train crumple up?
The trip was organised by Heritage Express the tours and events operating arm of the NSW Rail Transport Museum based in Thirlmere near Picton.
Chris, Jan and I were in Premier Class, so shared a compartment with three other people. We were visited by our steward who warned us of the dangers of sticking our heads out of the windows. Decapitation was the main one, but there was also the problem of getting soot or coal particles in our eyes. Despite this, I managed to get a few good photos as we were chuffing up the hills towards Robertson.
Locomotive 3642 chugs uphill towards Robertson
The compartment was restored beautifully with shiny varnished woodwork and some brass fittings. We were served snack packs in our seats morning and afternoon – and a glass of wine in the afternoon.
“Locomotive 3642 is an excellent example of the 36 class, an important development of express passenger power on the NSWGR and the penultimate class of mainline steam passenger locomotive in NSW.”
It also has been beautifully restored and obviously works well. We stopped at Robertson for lunch. We had a couple of beers on the terrace of the local pub, then ate our picnic at an outside table near one of Robertson’s famous attractions – the Big Potato. It has to be seen to be believed!
The Big Potato in Robertson
Robertson was busy with the 500 train passengers, but it is a relaxed and friendly place.
Jan almost didn’t make the trip. She had a call from Concord hospital offering her a cancellation place for the operation to remove the titanium reinforcement in her arm. The metal was installed after she broke her arm – there are x-rays further down this blog if you search for them. So Jan went into hospital the day before the trip. She came out with her arm in a sling and a tight bandage around it, but thankfully no heavy plaster.
We had a lovely day. You can see some of the moving pictures here.
