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Monday, August 11, 2014

Steam Train Sunday...

On the first Sunday of each month, the Railway Museum runs an excursion using the lovely old engines and rolling stock owned by the museum. Most Sundays during the year, DH plays golf, but on the first Sunday of August we both went on the excursion from Roma St to Pinkenba. Not a long trip...the round trip took just over an hour...and the journey passed through stations no longer operational as passenger trains no longer travel on that line.



When we arrived on Platform 10, this was the train waiting there...
Each carriage had an attendant  standing there at the door...

Not ours apparently! The tilt train heading off to Rockhampton was due to leave just before the steam train arrived back from its first trip of the day...
We waved goodbye to the passengers on the  the  tilt train!
 Here's another train arriving at Roma st Station...the city buildings loom in the background...

And here's 'our' train!

A massive water tender is a necessity I guess these days, as the big tanks of water at various larger stations/junctions are a thing of the past, so water has to be taken along.
 The lovely old carriages...

I love the timber work of these old carriages...and even the utilitarian luggage racks are beautiful!

Our journey to Pinkenba (which on the river and is situated downstream from the CBD) went via Bowen Hills and continued on to Eagle Junction where the line branched off on to the little used line to Pinkenba.
The next photo was taken as the train went through the Bowen Hills Railyards...the Ferny Grove train is on the elevated section of the line...

Suburbia...out near the suburb of Clayfield...


See! There is an Ascot in Brisbane as well as in the UK! The little Ascot Station...

And just like in the UK, we have a racecourse at Ascot...







The racecourse hosts popular Sunday markets...


The steam train attracted the attention of some of the market goers...

 Crossing Racecourse Rd...

Our journey takes us through the industrial areas, east of the CBD...

The line travels beside the large Army Supply Depot at Meeandah
 I believe this is just a small section of this depot...

There are still some port facilities at Pinkenba...


At Pinkenba, the line loops around on itself , so the train was then facing the right way for the return journey...
In some places on this little used line, the boom gates and related signals are not automatic...there was a man in a 'ute' (utility truck) who drove along the roads to the various level crossings to manually lower the boom gates...sometimes we had to wait for him to get to the level crossing...
 Being in the Pinkenba area meant we were close to Brisbane Airport...what a treat for a plane spotter fan like DH :-)

One of the old railway bridges on our journey...

 It was a lovely excursion and obviously very popular with young families as well as the older generation such as DH and myself! :-)




6 comments:

Dorothy said...

Hello Maria ... what a great way to spend a day. Only trouble with those trains is the smell of the smoke. I recall going on holidays to Brunswick Heads every year with my parents when I was a small child and I was always hanging out the window before we left Central Station, being sick from the smell of the train. Ah, sweet childhood memories LOL

Michelle Ridgway said...

Great day out and photos. Hubby and I love a train ride too xx

Lyn said...

What a wonderful time..travelling back in the past on a steam train..

Vireya said...

I have a vague memory of going to or past some of these places on a work trip to Brisbane. I think I stayed somewhere in/near Ascot. I definitely went to the port, and had a tour of a car transporting ship, which was like a 13-level floating car park.

Nanette said...

After I left you on Sunday Maria, and was waiting for my train, I noticed there was a beautiful dark green steam train on the Ekka route. Brought back such memories listening to the sound of it as it got up it's head of steam to get going.

Anonymous said...

Love this Puffing Billy Maria. My older brother back in the UK has been rescuing old steam engines for many years and I've forwarded this post to him as I know he will find it really interesting. Kind regards. Jean.