UnSubRocky wrote on May 20^th, 2014 at 11:44pm:


    T.A.F.E has a variety of such courses, just Google (TAFE mechanic course) and the state or territory you're in.
     Or go directly to TAFE itself and ask.
      Good Luck 

    Onya FelineFellow, well done!

6029 should be running again later this year, or early next.


                I guess you could say it's still in training then? 

     I've always loved those old steam trains, so much more impressive and downright romantic than the more modern ones, if a huge smelly polluting machine can be considered romantic, lol.
     When we were kids they were already rare on the train-line at the end of our street but we'd hear them coming from miles away and go racing up to cheer and wave as they passed, they seemed to draw that attention and reaction naturally somehow. Of course back then they were much much larger than they are today, they must have shrunk during the years since, hey? 

Kat wrote on May 25^th, 2014 at 9:35am:


Had a great day....
Been years since I visited Thirlmere.
Has been much improved.

Next trip is to the Roundhouse at Goulburn.
Will take own camera next time.



Keep up the good work with the Night School.

Kat wrote on May 25^th, 2014 at 9:15pm:


TA, but PM hasn't made it into my inbox.
Could you please resend it?

Kat wrote on May 24^th, 2014 at 8:45pm:


Don't tell me the....

1st question was NAME:

The 2nd was JOB:




That's a joke by the way...

Team Froggie wrote on May 25^th, 2014 at 8:18pm:


Now that would be worth seeing.

My father was a member of the Australian Railway Historical Society and, for a while, also a member of the NSW Rail Transport Museum.  I remember being taken on a few steam train trips and I have photographs of myself next to 5461 at Penrith and 3801 at Central.

Lovely memories.....

For Froggie...

This is 'Thomas', from Trainworks at Thirlmere. Number 1077.

His sister loco, 1076, is the one being restored to working condition
at Goulburn, as shown a few posts back.

If any of you have kids or grand-kids, a trip to Thirlmere for one of
their 'Day Out with Thomas' days will have them loving you forever.

(For the boffins: They were both built in the UK at the Vulcan Foundry
near Liverpool in 1885. There was a third loco, No 1078, but it did not
survive).

Link to Trainworks:  http://www.trainworks.com.au/day_out_with_thomas

Well, the night course is still going well, the engine-strip is complete and the new parts have been ordered. I
have also managed to find and download copies of the original owner's manual and Parts List. Both will come
in very handy, both for me and for a 'late enrolment' who also has an 800-series B&S engine.

All I need to replace are the gaskets, the rest of the engine has so little wear (read: none) that I'm not even
bothering to remove the piston or rings. As you can see in the pics, you could literally eat your dinner out of
the crank-case.

The engine has been 'dated' to 1980, and could not have run for more than 10 - 12 hours (if that) in all that
time. It really wasn't necessary to tear it down at all, but as I said it was the only engine I could get at short
notice. I would have much preferred an old 'rooted' engine which actually needed the work done on it.

Also, as my engine needs so little work, and because I already know what I'm doing (I'm only really there to
gain the qualifications/certificate, I've worked on these things since I was a kid, as my Dad owned our local
bicycle/lawnmower/chainsaw dealership) I find myself spending half the time helping and advising other class
members, some of whom have no idea at all what to do. And the instructor can't be everywhere at once.

So, all good, and looking forward to the next lesson.