Carded to Newmarket
The Great Northern Limited (a holiday version that really did warrant the title Limited) on Boxing Day 1959, which was a Saturday, included a number of people on a ‘mission’, on what was probably one of the earlier Tom Murray end of year outings. B80 had a rather varied train of 60AW, 43BPL, 31APL, 42BW, 4AZ, 5BZ, 9CE (275 tons and a great mix of best to worst of VR passenger stock) and a reasonably sharp timing of 2h 30m. In fact, we departed at 08·51 (6 late) but ran express (as we should have) to arrive Castlemaine 2½ mins early, requiring an enforced wait to allow the timetable to catch up. Despite that we again exceeded expectation (a term no one knew in 1959 — we spoke fairly plain English in those days) to arrive Bendigo 9 minutes early — a running time of 2h 9½ minutes. Here the train went through to Swan Hill, while rail motors queued up to run connections to Sea Lake, Ultima / Robinvale, Cohuna and Deniliquin. I don’t recall quite how the rail motors went on this day but the train, less the two front cars, went through to Swan Hill. The first class passengers had a choice of the AZ or the other end of the scale in the APL, while second class passengers fared rather better with the BZ or BW. Such was the rather random allocation of cars in those days.
The really good bit was the motive power which changed to D3 656, Swan Hill being the last long country run consistently run with ageing D3 class locos. While ‘heavy’ locos could run to Mitiamo, it was effectively a light line beyond, hence the D3. Despite its beginning as a Limited, from Bendigo onwards it most certainly was not — we stopped everywhere (and there were a lot of intermediate stations then) except Sebastian, Tandarra and Fairley. Being a holiday there was not much moving on the branch apart from D3 666 on the up Swan Hill at Nth Bendigo, J510 and K178 slumbering at Kerang and D3 677 and K168 doing likewise at Swan Hill.
At Swan Hill we met up with 6RM — one of the low powered (102 hp) Walker railcars that could be found across the state ambling periodically to and fro on far branches to connect with rather more salubrious main line trains. So it was that 6RM took upon itself a rather larger than normal crowd out to Piangil, departing just 17 minutes after the train arrived. We paid attention at Woorinen and Nyah West, but gave the remainder no attention at all. One hour out from Swan Hill we pulled up at Piangil, a village of not very many, which was 6RM’s normal terminus, and in fact its residence for the greater part of its working week.
But not on this occasion — after a few minutes to disembark any real passengers, mails and parcels we set forth onwards toward the lonely end of line at Kooloonong. Along the way we had a photo stop, which was at one of the Mallee wind chutes that were erected in the late 1940s to try and stop drifting sand from covering the track. Most of these were in a state of dilapidation and were removed not long afterwards.
Approaching Kooloonong it was evident that something was afoot — we didn’t stop at the station but kept going (at a sedate pace) through to what might generously be called the Kooloonong Extension — part of the former short lived but now closed line to Yungera. The Extension in fact was just beyond a level crossing, which we traversed before coming to a halt on the far side. The formation beyond was seriously undermined by rabbits and the risk of falling off judged to be too high — especially in a place that nominally didn’t exist any more. After around half an hour in the ‘Kooloonong area’ we set forth back to Piangil, having possibly been the last ‘commercial’ train on any part of the Yungera extension. Arrival back at Piangil was at 18·14 (although it was called 6·14 then), where we presumably had sustenance (I have no memory , somewhat surprisingly) and bedded down in the goods shed.
Next day we had a fair bit of time to waste before being transported cross country to Kulwin. I have a feeling that one of Tom’s mates (Smithy?), carted us the 70 km or so in a farm truck, with the majority of the group getting a 3rd class seat in the back. Despite appearances my memory is of quite a pleasant, if not rather dusty, trip. At Kulwin the railway dam (a typical farm dam sort of thing) allowed a bit of a wallow for some, as a way of getting rid of some of the dust and lowering the summer temperature a tad.
Kulwin was typical of a number of branches, in that it had a weekly goods train that ran on the up on a Sunday — all designed to allow stock sent from the area to reach Newmarket Sale-yards for the Tuesday sales. So, right on time at 17·00, K149 eased its train out of Kulwin with an uninspiring load of a water truck, an empty U van and a Z van — 3 wagons for 41 tons, or 3/41 as it would have been recorded on the graph. All of us were crowded into the Z van — all rather zoo class given the paucity of its designed people capacity.
We gave Leitpar a miss, stopped for a few minutes at Mittyack (van goods) but then at Pier Milan we stopped to pick up empty HY 16953 (a high sided four wheel open wagon). For a group who had spent part of the day already travelling in open air comfort, this was an opportunity. Quite a few of us set up home in the HY and rode from there to Sea Lake in its embrace. On a sunny summers afternoon there must be far worse ways to travel — in fact I remember it as a bit of a highlight, perhaps equalled some years later travelling in an NQR wagon on top of a broad gauge flat being propelled from Upper Gully to Belgrave, although that one was after midnight.
At Ninda we finally picked up some livestock, two L sheep vans for Newmarket, before arriving at Sea Lake at 19·12 88 minutes ahead of time. As we arrived the SM strode out with three wagon cards for Newmarket — two for the sheep and one for the HY with us in it!! The word had obviously preceded us.
Most of the group stayed over in Sea Lake but a few went through (not as livestock either) on the continuation of the goods train. K149 duly departed, still 67 minutes early at 20·23. We left with a somewhat bigger train — 13/158 — but shunts along the way meant we arrived at Wycheproof with 14/270 tons including some loaded GY wagons from Nullawil. Here there was something of a pause (we had arrived 2½ hours early so a pause was definitely required) but having been assured the same Z van would go through we settled down for the remainder of the night on rolled tarps that were being returned south.
K141 did the honours from Wycheproof departing at the auspicious time of 04·12, the train by now including quite a bit more stock as well as empties and a bit of grain. At Glenloth we collected another eight GY’s of grain to make a half decent load of 23/483 through to Korong Vale where we arrived into the yard at 07·09. A quick shunt saw the livestock transferred to the lead of a pre-prepared train in the yard with B70 at the head. Our van did not go through, but we had the privilege (if that is what it was) of 45APL near the back of the train — a first class mixed experience! Although we left 20 minutes late, we retained our reputation by arriving in Bendigo 39 minutes early.
Notable residents of Bendigo ‘loco’ were X36 and C4, both not long for this world. Return to Melbourne was on an extra up express, with the remainder of the group rejoining us up off the Sea Lake motor. B72 (8/265) did the honours, leaving on time at 11·45 and easing into Spencer St 8 minutes early at 13·57. Given that some of us were leaving next day for Adelaide via Pinnaroo then onwards to Sydney via Moonta, Port Pirie and Broken Hill the relatively early return to the big city was rather convenient.
