Midnight Express to Junee

Back in the 1960s, our emotions were split between travelling on steam hauled tours and trains in regular service.

Tours spread out to all parts of the state and beyond and were fuelled by the $3.50 per mile charge, one with seems absurd in the current era. They were operated by many organizations, including the ARHS, RTM (now Transport Heritage), School Railway Clubs Association, SPER (South Pacific Electric Railway) – now the Sydney Tram Museum, ARE (Association of Railway Enthusiasts from Victoria), and community groups.

There was an abundance of steam so if there were any problems, a substitute, albeit normally slower, loco could be found.

My first excursion was the first Tripple Header Tour in 1964. It ended up with 3802 up front out of Sydney because they forgot to light the fire on the scheduled standard goods engine. The concept of a 50, 53, and 55 class up the escarpment from Unanderra to Summit Tank went up in smoke! Much later I photographed the three classes on the farewell to 55 tour at Hawkmount.

My one and only weekend tour was the Dorrigo tour at the end of 1967. This one was legendary and utilized 3531 from Broadmeadow to Glenreagh and back. The Nanny did a great job with the heavy train. We left our sleeping cars for the run to Dorrigo and I slept in a roof rack that night.

Stow Away

I must admit I did sneak aboard a couple of times, but for different reasons.

For some reason I no longer remember, I decided to hop on the Bright Tour in 1969 at Goulburn. I suspect I had travelled down from Sydney on the Southern Highlands Express, hauled by a 38. This was a 140 mile run behind steam and the longest available in regular service at that time.

In the dead of night, I joined the train, standing near a doorway with stop watch and notebook in hand to record the run to Junee. 3616 and 3801 were in charge, and famed inspector Stuart Bates was in the cab He had a reputation for speed, so we had great expectations. The load was a heavy 437 tons including a number of 12 wheel sleeping cars.

Night time meant soot from the engine, cold winds and difficulty seeing the quarter mile posts. In order to extract exact timing, you had to be aware of when the posts were due to fly buy, and pick them up as they approached. Fortunately as we had timed hundreds of trips, we were very good at doing this and the accuracy of timings over long distances verifies that our recordings were precise.

On this particular night, as we headed south, there was nothing spectacular. Top speed on the run to Yass Junction was just over 70 mph across the Bredalbane Plain and on the downhill run to the junction. By then it was midnight, and we were getting tired. Cootamundra was reached at 1.45 am with again, no spectacular running and a top speed of 67 mph, so we decided to call it a night.

Around 2.30, we noticed that the train was moving rather fast, coming off the Bethungra spiral, so John Lacy got the stop watch out. Starting at mile post 286, he recorded the next 7 miles timings. The two locos sped into the night and from 70 mph we accelerated. By Mile Post 288 we were travelling at 80 mph and still accelerating.

As we passed the 289 mile post, quarter mile times dropped to 10 seconds which equates to 90 mph and stayed there for the next ½ mile. This was my first time behind steam at this speed.

When I published this information in “Lenses South”, I received an email from a train driver who loves our books, disputing my claims. He said it was impossible to travel at that speed in the Illabo area. I returned his email with specific timings over this section and after he reviewed it he changed his mind.

The information matched the curves and gradients of that section of track, so everything then made sense.

I alighted at Junee more than satisfied with my late night journey.

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John Gaydon