Right Away! Railway Recordings

There is nothing quite as evocative as the sound of a steam locomotive working hard.

This page will feature different recordings from time to time, including anything recent I have recorded.  Most are of Queensland Railways locomotives, but occasionally, when work, home and family life let me, I hope to have some from other areas of the country, and if I'm really lucky, some overseas clips.

Don't forget, these pages are no longer being updated, so check out my new site at http://www.steamsounds.org.au

(New 22/7/07) In November last year, AC16 221A hauled a special tour to the Ipswich Workshops Railway Museum.  I wasn't going to record it, but on the spur of the moment decided to go out with my two lads and the fluffy dog (what my boys call the microphone's windshield!) to record her climbing the bank to Riverview.  Well the Yank (as we fondly call 221A) is a bit of a speedster, but I wasn't quite expecting what happened.

As I've mentioned in other track notes, getting a path these days can be a bit of a trial, but normally weekends aren't too bad, and if 221A is anything to go by, it shouldn't be much of a problem whenever she's at the front.  As the scene opens, an original EMU arrives at the station and we hear the bingely bong of the automated announcement as it arrives and departs.  Well, no sooner has the train departed when we hear the automated announcement say that an "express train" is approaching.  This turned out to be the special, right behind the EMU and running block for block.  You can hear the loco roaring up the hill in the distance, but they are making such good time, that they get a caution halfway up the hill and shut off, coasting the rest of the way up the hill and through the station.  As it passes, a Brisbane bound SMU II approaches and departs, giving us a taste of both town and country horns.  Listen! (2.5MB)

Steam Train Sunday is a popular loop service that runs on the first Sunday of the month, well at least it did up until last December when it was basically cancelled for a range of reasons, one of which was simply lack of crews due to the late night train services that were to be trialled.  Well after a long hiatus, that included reviewing the overall heritage program in QR, Steam Train Sunday returned in November and proved as popular as ever.  Doing the honours was US built mikado AC16 221A on Sunday 5th November 2006.  This loco has become a bit of a favourite of mine, as she tends to make a lot of noise and has the American lines that I like in locomotives.  This time, we joined the 11.30 am loop service, and after a quiet word to Brian O'Sullivan, who is Heritage Driver in Charge, if he could ask the driver to "make like the mail" climbing up the bank through the Exhibition loop, his response was that he wouldn't have to tell him twice.  Chris (the driver) apparently likes to hear his engines working, and this day was no exception, with 221A putting on a great show.  This is how she sounded - Listen! (2.2 MB)  For the location of the Exhibition Loop, see the Google Earth Place Mark here: Exhibition grounds.kmz

Thanks very much Brian and Chris, you certainly made sure that Steam Train Sunday returned with style!

At the end of September, I had a weekend away to Sydney to ride behing 3801, but also to chase some old diesels and hopefully catch any other steam that was around.  Below are a few recordings from the trip.

I wasn’t long in this world when steam came to an end, so whenever there is something approaching what it may have been like in times gone, I am always interested.  In this case, 3830 is at the head of the North Mail on Friday night, 29th September, a re-enactment of the sleeping car trains of the steam era.  We are at a vantage point between Central and Redfern (see Between Central and Redfern.kmz), just near the Cleveland St road overbridge where we can hear 3830 leading 5 cars on it’s northward journey into the night.  Listen! (1.1MB)




The Cockatoo Run is a regular service run by 3801 Limited from Sydney, via the Illawarra Escarpment to Robertson and sometimes Moss Vale.  Usually diesel hauled by heritage locomotives, on this occasion steam is rostered for the service.  At the same location as 3830, this time 3801 blasts under the road overbridge as she heads south on 1st October 2006.  Listen! (1.0MB)








Next we hop on board 3801 and 3112 as they double-head the Up the Escarpment tour.  The train has just raced up the grade from the Georges River bridge and come to a halt at Sutherland.  We hear the typical Beyer Peacock peanut whistle of 3112 signalling departure as a Tangara electric arrives on an adjacent track.  3801 is heard accelerating well away from the station stop and continues to accelerate the train towards the first water stop just outside Waterfall station.  As the train works up hill, a coal train races past on the opposite line.  Listen! (2.5MB)

Steam returned to Queensland Rail's mainline after a couple of months absence on 9th September 2006 with Sunsteam's Annual Laidley Chelsea Flower Festival excursion.  I'd been fortunate enough to be sans children, so I took the opportunity to walk into the hills of the Little Liverpool Range above a horseshoe curve, around 1km from the summit at Victoria Tunnel (for those with Google Earth, see Little Liverpool.kmz for the spot).  This turned out to be one of the best recordings I have made, with the train audible for nearly 14 minutes!  It was hard to cut it down for the web, but you can hear what she sounded like on the last 4 minutes or so.  Notice how the train fades in and out as she works around the many curves before rounding the horseshoe and dissappearing towards Victoria Tunnel.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did recording it.  Listen! (1.5MB)


The following week, it was back to the same spot for the Australian Railway Historical Society's annual Carnival of Flowers tour to Toowoomba.  This time there had been some developments early in the morning that threw a bit of a spanner in the works, as a train laden with ballast hoppers and other freight had dragged a derailed bogey over the Little Liverpool Range right through to Laidley, where it had reprofiled the platform coping and finally completely derailed, rather spectacularly, at the bridge just west of the station.  This meant single line working down the range from Yarongmalu, the western exit of Victoria Tunnel, right through Laidley to Gatton.  This also meant a 25km/h speed limit over the range and a delay of an hour to the special train.  In addition, there were track workers, media choppers and an errant pair of rail enthusiasts who also contrived to interrupt what had been an excellent recording just a week earlier.  Anyway, I was able to salvage something out of it, so here is BB18 1/4 No. 1079 working slowly uphill close to the same spot as the week before.  Listen!
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Grandchester or Bigges Camp station was the original terminus of Queensland Rail’s first railway, back in 1865.  Moving to the present, we can still hear steam calling at the station, as it one of the few locations that still has a serviceable water tank.  Usually, the ARHS's Carnival of Flowers tour is so well patronised that a second train is usually run the next day.  On this occasion, BB18 1/4 1079 backs up her previous days efforts on a shorter train, making some nice noises departing the historical station and commencing the climb up the Little Liverpool Range.  Listen! (1.0MB)

Well, during July we were priveledged to have some night time steam.  Given that it is winter out here (well, we call it winter anyway!), the sounds should have carried well, which they did in some locations.  The tour was being run by the Australian Railway Historical Society (Queensland Division) as one of the Iron Road Restaurant trips and ran around the suburbs of Brisbane.  The first location was at Sunnybank Station.  Finding a spot here was a bit of a challenge as there were some parties going on in the surrounding houses, so we decided to try the station itself.  One problem with this though was the 25kV overhead power lines for electric suburban services induces a buzzing hum in the recording.  I've tried to remove as much as possible without ruining the recording, but it is still prevalent.  Anyway, here is mikado AC16 221A working hard up Altandi Bank with the tour.  Listen! (2.9MB)  For those that have Google Earth on their computer, here is the placemark where I was recording Altandi Bank spot 1 - Sunnybank Station.kmz


Next we hear 221A returning from Bethania, climbing up Kingston Bank.  This is only a short part of the recording, with the complete version going for nearly 7 minutes as the Yank climbs hard up the hill with 8 cars in tow.  Due to the return of the sound, we could hear her get down to nearly walking pace, before finally cresting the grade and accelerating back towards Brisbane.  Listen! (1.3MB)  - The recording location was Kingston Bank - Spot 2.kmz





After dropping my travelling companion off home, I then raced over to Norman Park Bank, where I recorded 221A making a run at the hill.  The driver was so enthusiastic about charging the bank that he had to shut off for the curve near the station, fortunately opening her up again close to my recording spot.  What a fine way to finish off my recording evening!  Listen! (1.9MB)  - Recording Location here: Norman Park Bank Spot.kmz

It's funny that a Queenslander has to travel 1000 km to ride behind a Queensland steam loco, but with the way things are here at the moment, that's just about what we have to do (though a steam hauled train did run in Qld while I was away, typical!).  The Zig Zag Railway, near Lithgow, in New South Wales, runs over one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century, the Great Lithgow Zig Zag (for a picture, click here!).  In the mid 70s, the Zig Zag Railway Co-operative re-commenced operations over the middle road of the Zig Zag with former Queensland Railways steam locomotives.  Still the mainstay of the fleet some 21 years later, these locos continue to provide tourists and rail enthusiasts with one of the great train rides of Australia.  In mid April, we once again visited the Zig Zag and had a ride behind former QR BB18 1/4 Pacific No. 1072 on Thursday 13 April 2006.  Now painted black after a recent overhaul, she has also been fitted with a whistle off a South Australian Rx 4-6-0.  These whistles are very loud and don't have the most pleasant note around (in my opinion anyways), but I suppose it made a difference from the QR 3 chime she had originally.  Well, we jumped on the train for a ride down the railway.  As we were travelling downhill, the loco didn't make much noise, but the run up the Zig Zag was another story.  By the time we had reached Bottom Points a light drizzle was falling, so the trip back up was a very slippery affair.  With only 4 cars, this didn't present 1072 with too much bother, but I don't think the wheels actually gripped the rail properly for most of the ride to Top Points.  This is how the trip up sounded   Listen! (3.0 Mb)



At Top Points, the loco ran around and I was fortunate to get an invite into the cab for the ride up the top road to Clarence, the current terminus.  It's been a while since I was last in the cab of a full size steam loco, and I had "calibrate my bum" as some drivers say to get used to the ride again.  The first thing I noticed was the deep hum of the Stones turbo generator, not the higher pitch whine of the Pyle National that QR use.  Everything else was the same though and it was hard to keep the grin off my face as we steamed up the Zig Zag.  As you can hear again in this recording, that Rx whistle makes your teeth grind, but as it is so loud, even the crew are a little reluctant to blow it any length of time so it is not too bad.  So, here is what it is like in the cab of a steam locomotive  Listen! (1.5Mb)



The weekend after Easter, we travelled to Maitland, home of Steamfest, one of the biggest steam events in the country.  This year, there were dozens of trips on offer, including shuttles to Newcastle behind 3801, 3830 and 3112, longer trips up the mainline to Branxton, Dungog and Singleton.  Our first trip for the event was a ride behind Australia's most famous steam loco, 3801 on Saturday 22nd April 2006.  Now in her original colour scheme of works grey (the first few 38s came out in this colour during wartime), and sporting new tyres, she took us to Singleton in double quick time.  Fortunately, 3801 Limited had their rebuilt passenger car with the observation platform marshalled next to the tender, so we were very lucky to score seats in the lounge at the back, and in no time I had my microphone out on the platform.  This was one of the best on-train recording spots I have had, as it was reasonably protected from the wind, though the sounds of the carriage "raking" or bumping the drawgear, can be heard as our speed increases.  Still, there is nothing quite like the sound of a 38 steaming hard with those trick-ported valves giving them such sharp beats so here is a short part of the track (the total length was over 19 minutes!!) Listen! (3.0Mb)


At the end of Saturday's festivities, 3801 took day trippers back to Sydney, so here she is leaving Maitland late in the afternoon.  We had a vantage point near the yard at the Eastern end of the station, so as she passes, the sound is quietened by some coaches that were left behind for the next day's tours.  After 3801 passes, the rumble of one of the many coal trains passing through Maitland can be heard.  Listen! (1.5Mb)

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While on Christmas Holidays up on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, I took a trip up to the Valley Rattler, or Mary Valley Heritage Railway, for a trip down the Mary Valley Branch behind Queensland Railways AC16 2-8-2 No. 221A.  The loco was being leased to the railway while their 4-8-0 was under repairThe staff at the railway were very kind to let me set up my microphone in the guard's compartment closest to the engine.  While I thought this may have resulted in the best recordings, I had failed to realise that the surplus equipment (such as pinch bars, sprags etc) and the amphitheatre like nature of the compartment combined to add so much extraneous noise, that most of the time you could hardly hear the engine.  That being so, the yank (as the AC is affectionately called) made enough noise to be heard on the climb back into Gympie Station.  We join the train just after the deep gully bridge and ride all the way into the station, up what was one of the ruling grades on the North Coast line until bypassed through Gympie North several years ago.  Listen! (2.1MB)

Well, sometimes fate smiles on those who are away from home.  I had to travel to Melbourne for work very recently, and managed to arrange an afternoon off.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but seeing things had been quite flat out, I decided I needed a shot of steam, and headed up to Puffing Billy.  If you have never been there before, I strongly suggest you visit if you can manage it, as it is surely one of Australia's best preserved railways.  On this day, 6A, newly restored and fitted with a Lempor exhaust (a combination of the designs of Lemaitre and Porta) and other modifications, was in charge of the 2.20pm service from Belgrave.  On the way to Lakeside, we crossed 2'6" gauge Garratt G42 returning with the lunchtime train.  If you listen closely, you can hear G42 climb the last bit of the grade before crossing the road and coasting into the station while 6A pants impatiently at the station waiting for the road to Emerald.  Listen! (719 kb)

After the run up to Emerald, I decided to get off and walk down the new Belgrave Gembrook trail towards Lakeside to record 7A on the return from Lakeside with that day's Gembrook train.  I'm really glad I did, as the bird song was fantastic and the loco didn't sound half bad either.  Listen! (1.4 Mb)






Finally, we hear 6A departing Menzies Creek heading back to Belgrave.  You can really hear the sharp clipped exhaust of the Lempor modifications.  This is just a short bit of a 27 minute recording of all the exciting parts of the run from Lakeside to Belgrave which I hope to release on CD as part of Volume 2 very soon.  Listen! (577kb)

Since steam is absent on the main line for the next few months due to the State Government's trial of 24 hour rail services (there aren't enough crews for these, let alone any steam excursions), I thought you may enjoy another of 221A on her way back from Meandarra in October '05.  Here she is climbing the Little Liverpool Range towards Yarongmalu at the apex of the horseshoe curve.  If you are listening on headphones, this recording, done on the new minidisc recorder and digital microphone, has an excellent stereo picture (if I do say so myself!!), starting at the centre, moving towards the right, passing to the left and echoing back to the right.  Listen here! (2.2 MB)

It's been a little while (like 10 years) since I last visited the preserved railway closest to me, Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway (QPSR) at Swanbank, near Ipswich.  Stalwart performer PB15 448 is currently undergoing restoration, so Perry Engineering 0-4-2T Kilrie was in charge of two coaches, a beautifully restored BL and a CLV.  While not too much of a load for a loco that spent most of her life hauling sugar cane, Kilrie still made enough noise to be interesting.  The reason for the visit on 20 November 2005 was that QPSR has recently gained accreditation to run on the Bundamba to Box Flat section of the line to the Bundamba Racecourse, so with my two lads in tow and Jacob Cash with his two daughters, we went for a ride.  This is how Kilrie sounded leaving Box Flat and heading onto Queensland Rail territory to Bundamba, being the only heritage third party operator currently operating on QR metals.  Listen! (834 kB)

Queensland Railways BB18 1/4 No. 1089 is special to me as I used to look after her in the 80s when she was a static exhibit at the Redbank Railway Museum.  These pacifics numbered 55 when all were finally delivered, the first from Vulcan in England and the last from Walkers of Maryborough Qld.    She is also the last steam locomotive built in Australia, builders no. 557 13 March 1958.  On the first Sunday of the month, Queensland Rail's Heritage Volunteers run Steam Train Sunday Specials on a 1 hour loop service.  Here, 1089 is heard working the first loop of the day through Tennyson, accelerating through the station after negotiating the wye off the Gold Coast line.   Listen! (1.1 MB)

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Next we have recently restored 2-8-2 AC16 No.221A.  These locos were brought to Queensland under the Lend Lease agreement during the World War II.  Built by Baldwin, they introduced a number of new features to steam locomotive design in QR, which were subsequently adopted on newer locomotives.  221A survived the scrappers torch and has been working tours for the last couple of years, giving local rail enthusiasts even more variety.  Here, 221A is heard at speed, returning from Dalby with the Meandarra tour, on 15 October 2005.  Listen! (653 kB)

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Engines at speed has always been a particular passion of mine, though the opportunity to get a recording of one has been challenging, with some of the old time drivers being less than enthusiastic.  Occasionally, there would be one or two particular drivers that could be relied on for a show.  Digger Winward in Toowoomba was one of these, and every so often one of the Brisbane drivers would also get stuck into it.  On this occasion with BB18 1/4 1079, I knew things were going to be quick, as we had paced the loco doing a little bit more than the driving wheel diameter (51") + 10% rule, so much so that I had trouble keeping up with her in my old '68 XT Falcon ("the bitch" as I used to call her).  We just managed to get in front of the train through Caboolture, as they had to stop to set down passengers, so here, a little bit closer to Brisbane, 1079 can be heard pushing the envelope of the 80 km/h maximum line speed as she roars past, going so fast that even the leaky cylinder cock is not very noticeable.   Listen! (709 kB)

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Once again we hear 1079, this time departing Rosewood on the return leg of a Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers tour on 29 September 1990.  Bill Boden was another driver (also from Toowoomba, there must be something in the water there!) who could be relied on for a show.  On this occasion, I was lucky to catch up with him before leaving Toowoomba for the run home.  I mentioned I was planning on recording the train at several spots, and asked him if he could make like the old Wallangarra Mail (26 up / 37 down) whenever he got the chance.  Well I wasn't the only one who benefitted by this, with one of Australia's best railway recordists, Dennis Ritson, making a fantastic recording of her climbing the Little Liverpool Range (if you can find a copy of the ABC's Sound of Steam CD, you can hear it on there).  I also got a recording of her at the top of the Range, however once over the hill, Bill didn't muck about with his departure from Rosewood, though while the start is a little hesitant, once the train is moving and she is notched up, she heads past at a great rate of knots.   Listen! (1.1 MB)

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Finally we have 4-8-0 C17 974 on one of my favourite branch lines, the Yarraman branch.  This tour, which turned out to be the second last full length steam tour of the line had 974 sounding a little bit worse for wear, with a pretty bad blow from the steam to exhaust side of the valve chest.  Here she climbs the grade between Toogoolawah and Esk and we first hear the loco travelling at close to line speed (60 km/h), but the grade takes it's toll, and by the time she reaches us, things have slowed down somewhat.  In true QR driving practice, as soon as the top of the grade is reached, the driver shuts off and the train coasts towards Esk, with the characteristic pinging of the snifting valves that made the C17's somewhat unique.  That, and the sound of the westinghouse pump which sometimes made the engine sound like it had an extra exhaust beat.  By the way, the background noise is not electrical interference, but some awfully noisy crickets!   Listen! (2.0 MB)