Brian Ayling's Home Page
Tourist services and workshops operations not withstanding,
the demise of steam on the Government run railway system in New South Wales in 1973
left just a few privately owned and operated industrial railways where steam
locomotives could be found working in "regular service".
The largest of these was the South Maitland Railways in the Hunter Valley, where fourteen of the company's '10' class 2-8-2 side-tank locomotives remained active on coal traffic until 1983. The nearby Richmond Vale Railway also made use of these machines, as its own locomotives were progressively withdrawn from service. Another steam operation at Portland 180 km west of Sydney, provided a bit of variety with a short branch line to a cement works being operated by a small fleet of tank locomotives.
Views from each of those three operations are presented here.
| At Blue Circle Southern Cement's Portland works, steam remained active until 1982. On 29 August 2025 the company's smallest locomotive No.3, an Andrew Barclay built machine, shunted the works and operated the short branch line from the Government railway exchange sidings. Note the new rolling stock (BDY open wagon and PRX cement hopper) in use at the time. |
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| The once extensive railway system of J & A Brown used steam traction right up until its complete closure in 1987. By the time of this May 1979 view, only Stockrington No.2 Colliery and the coal washery at Hexham were still served by rail, one of the former double-track running lines had been relegated to use as a storage siding, and most of the company's locomotive fleet had been withdrawn leaving S.M.R. tanks to handle the remaining traffic. |
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| Perhaps the relatively flat terrain traversed by the South Maitland Railway was a reason that its photographic potential was often overlooked, but a variety of rural and urban surrounds, and low lying swamplands with their early morning fogs, could provide picture postcard settings such as this, shot near East Greta at sunrise. |
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| There was also plenty of scope for night photography on the S.M.R. In this time exposure made at Pelton Colliery in May 1980, a pair of 10 class are held at a red light while the coal loader's bin is replenished to allow loading of the train to be completed. |
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| Probably the most impressive performances from S.M.R. locomotives and crews were on Caledonia Bank, where double-headed coal trains from Pelton stormed the grade, chime whistles wailing for level crossings. In this winter 1978 view, 27 + 10 have lost much of their momentum as they slog towards the top of the hill, adjacent to the yard at Aberdare washery. |
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