[Ausloco] Lithgow trip 18/6

[Scott Martin <semartin@idx.com.au>]

I paid a visit to Lithgow today, although I must admit that railways were 
not strictly on the agenda (I paid a visit to the Small Arms Factory 
Museum). The journey there provided some good incidental sightings 
however.

At Central, the kind of big XPT gathering described by Mr Andronicus a 
while back on Aus.loco around the 0645-0700 mark was happening again.All 
four 'Countrylink' platforms at Central had some form of train present. 
These read from 'country' end first: 
Platform 1: Down Dubbo XPT - XP2001-4 trailers-XP2010
Platform 2: Down Melbourne XPT - XP2017-6 trailers-XP2007
Platform 3: Down Murwillumbah XPT - XP2005-6 trailers-XP2000
Platform 4: Down Canberra Xplorer - 2504-2511-2526

I briefly sighted the Up Melbourne XPT arriving late into Central as the 
Dubbo XPT was leaving at 0710, but couldn't get the numbers. It was 
running late due to trackwork between Strathfield and Granville. This 
meant that all south services went via East Hills, and western services 
went via Bankstown (not sure how the north services got out of town). 
(Had I have known this info. yesterday, I would have been at Canterbury 
to photograph the Dubbo XPT coming through on the suburban lines). 

The next sighting of note was at Emu Plains, where an unidentified NR was 
in charge of the Ghan, which crossed the Dubbo XPT (some 50 minutes 
behind time) at 0844.

Near Zig Zag, my fellow passengers oohed and aahed at a train descending 
the Zig Zag trackage, doing some great PR for the cause of railways. It 
was near Bottom Points where 8132/8168/8130 crossed us with an up grain 
working at 1016. 
Lithgow loco was its usual collection of stored 86 and 85 class units 
masking the more active diesel power behind them. At Lithgow, 8164 raced 
past at 1025 running light in the down direction, hot on the heels of the 
XPT.

Not much to report on the way home, except for 8241 looking 'odd man out' 
among the motive power at Lithgow loco at 1342, and plain NR103 charging 
up the hill at Valley Heights with 1 AMPZ and 14 carriages behind. 

A good day out (if not totally rail related). How can you compare an 
Austeyr or an SLR to a locomotive ?. All complex machines to be sure, but 
no contest. Today firearms won out. Tomorrow, back to the trains. I hope 
this was useful to someone.

Scott

I hear - I forget, 
I see  - I remember,
I do   - I understand


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