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Lineside Photos |
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Heading Towards Sydney: photos of the Southern Aurora as it descends the Southern Highlands of New South Wales in the morning. |
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Mittagong, 80 miles south of Sydney, and 2072 feet above sea level. |
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Morning glint as No 2 passes. |
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The Motorail vehicle, MBY, rode at the back of the train in NSW. In Victoria, it was at the front. |
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A classic location for No 2; Maldon
curve, 49 miles south of Sydney.
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Alas, the very last Up Southern Aurora; passing the Cement Works at Maldon. |
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Menangle, 39 miles south of Sydney, and a rich dairying area. The last years of the train saw it hauled by a single 81 class loco of 3100hp. |
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Menangle. The station here dates from 1863. A narrow gauge railway ran from here to collect river sand used in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. |
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Crossing the Nepean River at Menangle. The bridge is one of the Robert Stephenson tubular girders, built in 1863. |
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On arrival at platform 1 Sydney station. Platforms 1 and 2/3 were lengthened to accommodate these 14 car trains. The longest steam-hauled train was also 14 cars, but those cars were shorter and lighter. |
| Not in NSW! The Southern Aurora arrives at Spencer Street Melbourne, hauled by an S class. The other tracks here are broad gauge. |
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A Rare Event: Daylight Photos at Wagga |
| In October 1962, a strike meant that
the departure of No 1 from Sydney was delayed until 00.40. Tony
McIlwain photographed No 1 at Wagga Wagga, where its usual time was
about 4 am.
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| No. 1 Southern Aurora passes Wagga Wagga. |
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| Normally, the dining and lounge car staff alighted at Goulburn, while a new crew boarded at Albury. |
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| The northbound No.2 Southern Aurora departed Melbourne at 00.50. and is passing through Wagga earlier. This is the classic power of earlier years: double 44 class ( Alco World Series) of 1957. |
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| While Wagga is 323 miles from Sydney, the 274 miles from Melbourne are over a much faster alignment. |
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| The MHN luggage van at the rear carried an illuminated name board until the introduction of the Motorail car -carrying service in 1973. |
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