This presentation, The Main South Line Pt 4, continues on from where The Main South Line Pt 3 concluded, and covers passenger and freight train operation on both the ‘down’ and the ‘up’ as we move this time from Junee to Albury.
As detailed in Pt 3, the Main South Line had opened down to Junee by 1878. It was rapidly extended south, opening to Bomen, Wagga Wagga, Gerogery and Albury in 1878, 1879, 1880 and 1881 respectively. Seven branchline were progressively opened up, these being Wagga Wagga to Tumbarumba in 1921 (closed 1987), Uranquinty to Kywong in 1929 (closed 1988), The Rock to Boree Creek (and later to Oaklands) in 1912 (now only seasonally open to but closed beyond Boree Creek in 1987), The Rock to Westby 1925 (closed 156), Henty to Ran in 1920 (closed 1987), Culcairn to Corowa in 1892 (closed 1990) and Culcairn to Holbrook in 1902 (closed 1977).
We will start at Junee, observing operations at the station and in the goods yard, take a look at the Junee Railway Workshops (housed in the 42 bay former NSWGR roundhouse) and then move south observing traffic on both the ‘up’ and ‘down’ as we move towards Albury. Here we will look at the dual gauge facilities where, prior to the Albury to Melbourne standard gauge introduction in 1962, both passengers and freight were subject to the ‘change of gauge experience’.
Locomotive classes seen in this presentation include AN, EL, G, GL, L, NR, T, 18, 24, 44, 442, 45/35/600, 47, 48/830. 80 and 81 in the liveries of AIS, ATN Access, Australian National, Austrac, CRCLA, Freight Australia, Freight Corp, Interail, LVRF, National Rail, Pacific National and SRA while passenger equipment includes XPTs and Explorers of CountryLink.
Approximate run time: 94 minutes.