Looking Back... Tas 1974 - Part 4

["Melanie J. Dennis" <meld.asg@netspeed.com.au>]

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Part 4:   Thursday 7th February - Hobart.

Alas - how family commitments can play havoc with one's interests!  I missed the morning rush, arriving at Hobart station only in time to see articulated railcar DP29 slunking by the end of platform 3 at 09:29, heading back to the shed.  It had probably come in on #23 ex-Cadbury's or #25 ex-Zinc Works.

However, two minutes later, the chortling English Electric song of what sounded like two 'Y' class turned out to be yellow Y2 coupled back to back with faded red XA1 as they departed from platform 1 on a very short freight.  XA1 had been fitted with a Mk.2 motor ('Y' class) in November 1967, but aside from providing a spare Mk.1 motor for the 'X' class, I'm unsure as to why the experiment.  Also, I believe the governors were set so that the horsepower developed was the same as the standard X/XA.

The brief consist was a tarp-covered open 'CC' wagon (probably containing superphosphate), empty bogie cattle wagon HC5 and guards van DB35 - not likely to 'make wages'!  I'm not sure what train number this was:  it could have been a Derwent Valley service but whatever, it would have most likely increased its payload at Derwent Park Junction and perhaps Bridgewater Junction.

I then poked around the carriage sidings alongside platfrom 5, taking the opportunity to photograph redundant wooden bodied, compartment cars BBL5 and ABL9 in a rare moment of full sunshine that highlighted what was left of their green paintwork.

A walk down to 'loco' at 09:52 found yellow Y1, red Y5 and red XA5 that had arrived some time earlier off one of the Main Line freights and would later be split up for local services.  Things were very quiet this morning.

A drive out to Derwent Park Junction was rewarded with the sight of yellow Y8 (No.1 end) on a Hobart-bound freight standing at the 'Up' face of the island platform at 11:06.  'Y' class locos had door in each end: in the cab front and into the nose of long hood and these were often damaged.  Spare doors were in a base paint scheme so yellow Y8 was running with a red cab door (without the cream lining for the red livery) and yellow Y1 was sporting a plain yellow door (without the black 'tiger' stripes) in its hood nose.

Speaking of which, the distinctive nose of Y1 charted its course throught the forest of semaphore signals on the 'Down' line at 11:17 heading #48 Mixed to Cadbury's: consist being box vans EGX7 - E54 then cars SS1 - SP3 - SS8.  A minute later, at 11:18, the more traditional sight of railcar set DP23 - PT6 - DP21 appeared in the 'Up' platform, Hobart-bound.  I couldn't work out which suburban service this was supposed to be and came to the conclusion that it may have been an 'interurban' - the 'Parattah Motor' (#33?) which was usually the preserve of the articulated series (DP26-29 were the only four remaining of the original six).

In between all these, V13 (red) was working the busy Derwent Park goods yard.  I had now photographed three of Hobart's quartet of 0-6-0DM shunters.  This loco is now on the Zig Zag railway, back in green and named "Mt. Lyell".  Zig Zag are V13's fifth owners and ironically, if Zig Zag agree to sell, the loco may return to its original home on the re-born Mt. Lyell railway.

At 11:55, yellow pair X30 + Y3 (traditional back to back) departed towards Hobart with #35 freight.  Leaving Derwent Park, a short drive north to Rosetta (for lunch) caught up with railcar twins DP11 + 12 at 12:24.  These two were inbound, possibly ex-Austins Ferry as #37.  This sighting added to previous ones of railcars running towards Hobart with their tail discs (End of Train markers) still uncovered on the leading ends.  These white discs comprised an upper semi-circle painted on the body, whilst the lower half was hinged, painted white on one side to complete the cirlce when folded down.  When folded up, the red side was visible and this covered the white upper half.

At 13:04, the earlier Cadbury's Mixed (#48) returned as #39 with the same consist sans the EGX grover bogie box van, whilst Y1 was now No.1 end leading.  Next sighting was the ever-present dynamic duo of DP12 + 11, again crossing the Bridgewater causeway at 13:51 on #45 and I followed the pair to Claremont Junction (14:02) where the short, steep Cadbury's branch met the Main Line and double track commenced for the eight or so miles into Hobart.

It would appear that DP11 and 12 were being intensively utilised with a three minute turn-around between arriving in Hobart with #37 (ex-Austins Ferry) and leaving with #52 (to Bridgewater Jcn.).  After reversing at Bridgewater to become #45, arrival in Hobart would allow a thirty minute breather before departure to Cadbury's as #60 at 15:00.  According to the timetable, arriving #37 was to cross departing #52 at Hobart, not become #52 although there was a three minute overlap. This did allow the motorman plenty of time to change ends, gaining a few valuable seconds by not bothering to change the tail-discs at either end!

Meanwhile, back in Hobart station yard, at 15:34, DP23 + PT6 + DP21 arrived (without a rear tail disc showing) as #49 from Cadbury's and headed for one of the back platforms (either 3 or 5). This allowed the remnant of the afternoon 'Big Zinc' (#64) to depart platform 2 at 15:40:  Y8 had been turned after it's late morning arrival and the consist was SP6 - SS4 - AAR1 - AAL10 - SSD1: a mixed collection!

Seven minutes later, red Y4 (cab leading) arrived in platform 1 with #159 goods that included seven loaded 'QG' grover bogie ballast wagons, four-wheel box van E245 and guards van DB17.  I didn't note what happened next but the train was probably reversed down the 'Dive' - the steeply graded line from Hobart Junction Box down to the loco and goods yards throat.

The contrast to the motley appearance of the 'Big Zinc' showed at 15:55 when yellow XA4 (cab leading) departed platform 4 with #66 to Cadbury's hauling the uniform appearance set of SSD2 - SS6 - SS2 - SSS1.  

Despite having red paint on the running board valances, the new Safety Yellow loco livery did not match the red and cream car stock as well as the old livery (red with cream lining).  Only when both loco and coaches were dulled with road grime, did the colour disparity become less obvious.

Yet again, fading light and familial obligations then halted play for day 7.

Melanie Dennis
Australian Steam Group


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