It has been 14 months since the last post. It has been a rather frustrating 14 months for a few reasons, but life is returning to "normal". The new normal is about 150 kilometres north of where I last posted, and I have a new shed and a new layout (still under re-assembly).
The short version of the story is that we have moved so the offspring can go to a new school. I figured I would be making this move in 2030, but a spot and a house came up in 2024. There was a rather rushed exit from our farm and relocation to the southern highlands last year. Just when the move was over I experienced a few sharp pains in my right side. In the traditional male approach to things, I soldiered on with what turned out to be a rather disgusting appendix. Life lesson. When you think your appendix is blown, go to the hospital, not K-Mart.
Anyway, this blog is not about me, but about me playing trains. And I did get a fair few decent farewell runs on the old layout before it came down. Here's a few snaps of some of those sessions. The common thread to all of these photos is the amount of work to be done!
First up, a foggy unfocussed shot but one I like. 4910 returning to Coalbaggie Creek with the up mixed. Seen through the trees from the road to Gilgandra.
Ixion 3372 works a down goods through Solitary Creek on its way to Dubbo. The citizens of the Creek always appreciated the soft polystyrene foam platform!
Eureka 3820 sidles past an empty Dubbo loco shed with an empty ballast. The loco needs to spend time in that shed, getting a tub.
The last train up the branch was worked on a bitterly cold 1 August 2024 by a 49/47 combination - numbers not recorded. The next snap is the final shunt at the terminus, Piliga.
The train returning through Coalbaggie Creek at dusk.
This layout is now a historical fact. There is a new iteration using the main elements of Dubbo and Coalbaggie Creek. It is still being nailed down, literally but I hope to post some photos soon. The last layout lasted only six years, but it was worth it. This is still one of the best hobbies to have, though I was more agnostic when I had to transport the bloody thing in a trailer over several months.
I find that running trains has a way of humbling you in ways you never expect. The following photo shows what was to be my last shunt before the power went off for good. Bloody four wheelers!
Hopefully, I will be back in less than 14 months!
Cheers
Don
