gone on the Ghan - 2

 

Another well-known Aussie locomotive class used on the old Ghan was the Commonwealth Railways GM class. An early diesel-electric, the 47 member class was built by Clyde Engineering, Granville, New South Wales, as from 1951. These bulldog-nosed locos were used for passenger and freight duties around Australia, and - despite their age - they are still used today. Similar designed locomotives subsequently built by Clyde Engineering included the Victorian Railways S class and the New South Wales 42 class diesels.

The class came in 2 categories: the GM1 or F class (four motor, numbers GM1 to GM11) and the GM12 or S class (six motor, numbers GM12 to GM47). The first category entered service in 1951 to 1952, while the second entered service between 1955 and 1957, plus a second batch between 1962 and 1967.

The class later passed to Australian National in 1978, with a number sold to Great Northern Rail Services in the 1990s. Today most units are owned by Genesee and Wyoming Australia, Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia and other private operators.

Of the 47, 24 have been scrapped, some are stored or used for spares, while the rest are in service. GM36 is preserved by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre in the Commonwealth Railways livery, and is leased to commercial operators. Class leader GM1 is owned by the Commonwealth Government and expressions of interest have been sought from parties with an interest and capability for its preservation.

Both photos feature GMs with Ghans - the earlier photo dates from 1965 and the later from near the end of the old Ghan era, traversing The Gap just south of Alice Springs on the old line. By this time the maroon paint had faded to a pinky red.

gone on the Ghan

Today The Ghan train trip in Australia is one of the world's great rail journeys. From Adelaide on standard 1435 mm gauge track you can sit in air-conditioned comfort in an armchair and watch the outback pass your window as you travel via Alice Springs, 2,979 km far as Darwin.

But the the old Ghan was rather different. Named after the Afghan cameliers who helped open up the outback, it began in 1879 when the first 40 km of 3'6" (1067 mm) gauge track were laid between Port Augusta and Quorn. Over the next 50 years, it was built in stages through the Flinders Ranges to Maree and then as far as Oodnadatta in 1891. Building the line from there to Alice Springs didn't begin until 1926 and reached that destination in 1929. Prior to completion, the final leg of the train journey was still completed by camel!

Just as building the track through to the centre was epic, maintaining it on the edge of Lake Eyre with its sandy soil and habit of flooding was arduous. Notorious for washouts and other delays, a flatcar immediately behind the locomotive tender carried spare sleepers and railway tools, so that if a washout was encountered the passengers and crew could work as a railway gang to repair the line and permit the train to continue! This was tolerated because steam trains needed water, and this route to Alice Springs was the only one that had available water. During World War 2 the service was greatly expanded, putting pressure on the limited water supplies and as a result, de-mineralisation towers were built along the track so that bore water could be used - some survive today. When steam was replaced by diesel, the need for locomotive water was eliminated, but the problems with the track continued.

Eventually a new standard gauge line was built and and opened in 1980. This line instead leaves the Trans-Continental line at Tarcoola and heads more or less due north. The old Ghan line was left to the elements and those keen can follow much of it in a 4x4.

A classic Aussie locomotive used for the Ghan were the 14 of the Commonwealth Railways NSU class diesel-electrics. They had an A1A-A1A axle arrangement to keep axle load to just 10 tons, fitted with a prime mover of only 840 hp (630 kW) output and they had a top speed of a mere 50 mph (80 km/h). The first run took place on 12 June 1954. They may have looked good when they first appeared on the tracks in their maroon and silver livery (first picture from 1955), but after a few years of exposure to the harsh desert they looked even better (second picture)! Today all have survived but only 2 are operational. We don't know what NSU stood for but assume/hope it had nothing to do with the std non-specific urethritus!

Paris Métro Sprague-Thomson memories - 2

Ligne 6 in 1971

Barbès – Rochechouart, 1970s

Ligne 6, 1961

A few Paris Métro facts:-

Opened: 19 July 1900

First line: from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot (now line number 1).

Engineer in charge of construction: Fulgence Bienvenüe

Architect responsible for the Art Nouveau entrances: Hector Guimard

System length: 214 km of track

Number of lines: 15

Stations: 368 (not including RER stations)

Average distance between stations: 562 metres

Number of interchange stations: 87

Maximum distance from any building to a Métro station: 500 metres

Number of train cars: approximately 3,500

Average speed: 20 km/h

Maximum speed: 70 km/h

Track gauge: 1435 mm

Power supply: 750 Volts DC, third rail (guide bar on the 5 rubber tyred lines)

Number of passengers: approximately 6 million per day.

Number of employees: approximately 15,000

Unlike most SNCF lines, there is right hand running on double track.

For more, see earlier posts, and this webpage

memories of the iconic Sprague Thomson sets on the Paris Métro

The Sprague-Thomson sets for the Paris Métro (series 500-600 and 800-1000) long symbolised the system, being introducd in 1908 and lasting until the final withdrawal from service in 1983.  Replacement sets had been arriving since the 1950s and in greater numbers by early 1970s. 

These trains were composed of 13.60 metre cars equipped with a drive cable (ligne de conduite) that allowed the driver to operate the motorised vehicles remotely. On this matériel electrical equipment was installed under the body and the compartment of the driver was minimized. Each power car (motrice) was powered by four engines of up to 175 horsepower each. The first class cars sported a red livery (or yellow for the former Nord-Sud lines); second-class ones were green or grey.   However, according to those who used them, the only difference between first and second class was the price. 

The Parisian transport authority RATP has preserved three Sprague-Thomson train sets, however, only one is usable by passengers.

A five car set crosses the Seine in 1971.

Here a set stops at Barbes-Rochechouart station in 1966 (Brian Stephenson photo).

 At the ramp leading from the Quai de la Rapée stop in the background.

 An interior view.

On the platform, unknown station and date.

Near the end in 1983 at the Oberkampf station.

garden carriage at Gävle

The car sidings at the Gävle railway museum in Sweden (see earlier post about ASEA).  The carriage at the end of the of the siding on the right had instead of seats inside, a garden display - not something one normally expects!

Ute and UFO

While visiting a customer in Lower Hutt one of our directors couldn't resist taking this photo of a mailbox that looks like something out of Science Fiction.  A Toyota HiLux 2.7 Ute is in the drive.

a seasonal model railway item

We mentioned the famous German model railway manufacturer Märklin in our post on 20 October so here is a goods wagon from their 150th anniversary catalog last year that is appropriate for the Christmas season.  The snow is not appropriate here in the Southern Hemisphere, although Europe is already experiencing it.

This type of 4-wheel wagon is probably a thing of the past on German railways nowadays, as it is in most other countries.  We don't know if this item is still available for this year.

the inter-island ferry Maori

These two illustrations were considered for, but not used in the book Strait Crossing: the ferries of Cook Strait through time by Victor Young.   They both feature the well-known Wellington to Lyttelton ferry Maori; in the Wallace Tricket painting, sailing south from Wellington, and in the photo, departing from Lyttelton.

For the history of this ship and more great illustrations, read the book!

pre-war Morris 8

Our post from yesterday mentioning dinky British cars reminded us of a model that has now appeared in two of our books - the Morris 8.   The one in the Cromwell Gorge with an AB-hauled passenger train not far behind on the former Otago Central Railway was taken by Derek Cross circa 1958, and used in an early edition of our tribute book to that Railway.  We don't know whether the car or the train was travelling faster!

The next photo was taken by Bert ten Broeke of his first car, bought in the early 1950s.  This features in his new book Can't is not in my Vocabulary.  To find out what happened to the car, you'll need to read the book!

summer on the Kapiti Coast

Today is officially the first day of summer, so to celebrate here are two summery scenes on the Kapiti Coast.  The first is a pic by one of our directors of Kapiti Island as seen from Waikanae Beach (at high tide) and the second from railpictures.net shows a Ganz Mavag EMU heading south opposite the Fisherman's Table restaurant at Paekakariki - this is at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast.  In the picture several pohutukawa trees are in red blossom, this tree is accordingly called 'New Zealand's Christmas tree' as it blooms in December.