October 15th saw the famous passenger locomotive 3801 steaming out of Sydney's Central Station bound for the coastal city of Wollongong as part of Transport Heritage NSW's activities.
Never heard of this iconic loco? It's now managed by Transport Heritage NSW - the locomotive was built in 1943 by Clyde Engineering and had been in preservation since its retirement from the NSW Railways in 1962. The locomotive was withdrawn from heritage service in 2007 for restoration and major boiler repairs. 3801 was officially relaunched at Sydney's Central Station on Friday 12 March 2021 by Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of NSW.
Natalie and I decided, perhaps rashly, to dress up for the event wearing 1940s fashions to try and match the period that this magnificent passenger locomotive was born into. But on arrival at Central it was clear that no one else had had the same idea as to dress sense - so we ended up being a bit of a fancily-dressed curiosity. FYI: Natalie made my Peaky Blinders cap in just half a day - she also made her dress and hat, along with my shirt and waistcoat. A fantastic job. (I found the trousers in an Op Shop).
As it happened we had booked seats in the saloon car - a 100 year-old passenger carriage that's split into two distinct sections: half the coach comprised six-seat compartments, then halfway along there was a small galley and at the other end of the carriage, a smaller area with seating for a further ten passengers in the 'saloon' section, where armchair type seats were located. And at the very rear of saloon part was a door opening onto an observation platform - large enough to allow six or eight people to stand and watch the countryside race past.
Fine if you are located at the end of the train, as we were leaving Sydney, but not so good if that carriage is right behind the coal tender - which it was on the trip back to Sydney.
The tender pretty much blocked the frontal view and of course, coal grit and soot was flying everywhere. 'Atmospheric', especially when running through a tunnel - and there are quite a few on the line to Wollongong. Every surface was covered in a good layer of soot nevertheless it was an exhilarating experience. I vividly remember days of train spotting when I was a small kid, especially the thrill you got standing on a footbridge as a steam train passed underneath. I'd get home filthy - but it was fun. (I probably wouldn't have done it if I'd had to wash my own clothes)
The outward trip was great - presenting good views of parts of Sydney I'd never seen before - including a lot of train track.
What was interesting was the number of people who somehow knew the 3801 was on its way and were lining platforms, pedestrian bridges, fences, and backyards - they were everywhere, waving and taking photos. But then I suppose you don't see a 70-year old steam train pulling seven vintage carriages through your neighbourhood every day. Check the Transport Heritage website to see what other iconic train events are planned.
For those interested in learning a bit more about this locomotive - here's an excerpt from Wikipedia. '3801 was built in 1943 by Clyde Engineering as the first of 30 C38 class locomotives built to haul express trains. The first five were built by Clyde Engineering to a streamlined design, whilst the 25 post-war locomotives in the class were built by the NSWGR themselves at Eveleigh and Cardiff Locomotive Workshops and were unstreamlined.
The 38 class were first conceived in 1938. They suffered many delays during construction due to material shortages caused by World War II. 3801 was the first engine completed late 1942 and entered service on 22 January 1943 to little fanfare. It became known at the time as the Grey Nurse due to its drab, all grey colour scheme, a wartime camouflage scheme'....
The locomotive has undergone extensive repairs during the latter part of its life, thanks to continued private, industry and government funding. Reading about the various refits and repairs done to this rolling stock makes interesting reading, so much so that it's a miracle that it's still operational today. The following are some of its achievements:
First streamlined locomotive in NSW
First 4-6-2 locomotive in NSW
Fastest journey by rail from Sydney to Newcastle (2:01:51) (28 June 1964)[43]
Operated train celebrating 25th anniversary of Newcastle Flyer (31 May 1969)
First steam locomotive to cross the Australian continent – Western Endeavour (22 August 1970 – 12 September 1970)
Starred in film A Steam Train Passes (1974)
A three-year restoration at the Hunter Valley Training Company commenced in 1983, back in steam in 1986
Two songs were written about 3801, Jolly Green Giant by Johnny Ashcroft (1976) and 3801 by Ray King and Ron Russell (1987)
Main locomotive of the "Bicentennial Train" (1988)
Visited Perth again (April/May 1988)
First standard gauge steam train to visit Adelaide (20 May 1988)
First standard gauge steam train to use Brisbane
Paralleled by 2 Victorian steam trains towards Albury at Aus Steam '88 (22 October 1988)
Involved in many trips with Flying Scotsman – the world's best known steam locomotive (1988/89)
Involved in Cowan rail crash claiming 6 lives (6 May 1990)
Visited Alice Springs (1992)
Annual race against a Tiger Moth aircraft at Hunter Valley Steamfest
3801 is recognised by the Heritage Council and Engineers Australia as a heritage icon
3801 has carried over 500,000 passengers since restoration
A 12-year overhaul at Chullora involving a boiler rebuild commenced in 2008 and was completed in 2020
Returned to service, 13 March 2021
First crossing of Sydney Harbour Bridge, 25 September 2022
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