Re: Steamfreight 99 - Hightlights and not-so-highlights

["Darren Yates" <dyates@pnc.com.au>]

I know I'm a New South Welshman and I'm suffering from steam-envy but one
steamer and three diesels is hardly a "steamfreight" weekend is it?

Michael Kurkowski wrote in message <7msd5f$49$1@toto.tig.com.au>...
>Hi All,
>
>After spending what was a seemingly short but certainly tiring weekend at
>Steamfreight 99, I have a few comments. Morons doing anything to ruin your
>photo being my main highlight of this year.
>
>
>I had a great weekend up in Maldon. Spent most of yesterday catching
trains,
>and most of today photographing them. According to the GPS we had walked
>something like 30km :-) Mind you I am rather stuffed now.
>
>I did not at all care for the cancelled services. It is something that is
>expected anywhere, and adds slight variety from what you could see on the
>timetable. To all the people who whinged like school children about
cancelled
>services, wake up to yourselves. At least the preservation society exists!
Or
>would you rather see K160, F212, T333, RM58 and numerous passenger cars and
>freight wagons in: new cars, firewood, paddocks rotting away, food tins,
etc,
>you get the point.
>
>I do however have one gripe with the changed timetable. The last train was
the
>F class with the bouncing passenger lounge and a few other pass. cars. The
>problem was the DERM which was MEANT to be the last service for the day ran
>attached. Many people nearly missed out on the last train back to Maldon
>because of this. The result was that me and the person I was with had to go
>train chasing, literally. About 200m up the line (imagine running through
soft
>ballast up the grade between Pipeline and Sinclairs Lane) the train finally
>stopped because the guard saw us and waved the flag. It would have either
been
>nice to tell people of this, or run at least the DERM as tabled.
>
>Despite last year being colder than this year, I preferred last years
weather.
>The ice added a spectacular effect back then. This year it was wet and
windy. A
>snow making machine was a nice instant brainwave that i instantly dismissed
:-)
>
>Proud owner of a red Subaru registered NET-580, if you can read this, you
>parked your car right in front of where I set up to get a photo. As the
train
>passed you got your prize photo jumped into the car and stormed off to
probably
>ruin someone elses photo. In addition, I was in the spot for at least 10-15
>minutes prior to your arrival.
>
>Me and two other people from this newsgroup set up in the paddock near the
>trestle to take photos of the mixed headed by the T and the K. Old moron
parks
>trackside near the trestle (that was not so bad) and begins walking his 4
>grandchildren (or whoever the kids were) right in front of our line of
fire,
>despite many yells to tell him he was in our shot he continued to ignore us
and
>walk right to the trestle, while the train was passing. One of us had a
word to
>him on his way back (straight after the train passed) and all he could say
>"Well I dont see any problem, you need some life in your shot, you should
have
>appreciated it". If you can read this, you will know very well who you are,
>congratulations, you're a moron.
>
>Reggie with his human impersonating microphone. All I heard him do all
weekend
>was whinge about what should and should not have happened this year. i.e.
kids
>should be banned because they were a nuisance and wouldnt contribute
anything,
>VGR should just pluck money out of the air and convert RM58 back to it's
>original state (i.e. before refurbishment), last night's listening stop
train
>was not good enough, complaining about their incompetance because of having
to
>cancel trains, etc. Well reggie boy, let's see you try and do better.
>
>High levels of inconsiderate cars travelling trackside. Okay, I don't mind
so
>much allowing cars but for gods sake, if you are going to drive trackside
BE
>RESPONSIBLE! If you see a group of photographers nearby, or maybe even just
>one, be considerate. They were there first. Don't park your car near what
would
>be considered someone's line of fire. Better still, do what most people,
>including me did. WALK, CATCH A TRAIN. Why are there the four stops that
most
>pass. trains stopped at? For people who wanted to be track side.
>
>
>Aside from all that, thank you for bringing us all, gunzels and non-gunzels
>alike, a great and successful weekend. I hope to be there next year as
well,
>and along with that, hope to see some more faces familiar to this group!
>
>Regards
>Michael