NR34 & NR113 Nelungaloo NSW. Thu 29th Aug 2024

Описание: Pacific National's NR34 & NR113 cruise through Nelungaloo NSW bound for Perth WA with 5SP5 running exactly to timetable. Loading is quite good and the train is at a steady 80KMh across the Gunningbland Road passive crossing. An impressive crop of canola compliments the background colours.

The train commenced its journey from Chullora, in western Sydney NSW and calls into Goobang Junction for a crew change and locomotive reshuffle plus additional loading also added. The double stacking of the well wagons takes place also at Goobang Junction.

Nelunglaoo NSW rail history:
The video was filmed from just beyond the former Nelungaloo Grain Siding departure point (just before the passive crossing), long since removed as the silo complex closed some years ago and is in a sorry state of disrepair. The siding was accessed by a two lever ground frame using the key on the Electric Train Staff for the section and worked by the train guard.

The small S008 type concrete silo complex can be seen to the right erected in 1934, it has a capacity of just 800 tonnes. The small township of Nelungaloo has also long since departed with only three farm houses left opposite the silo area and the old post office is now a rental property.

Nelungaloo railway station and Goods Siding with a Loading Bank opened on the 28th of May 1916 on the Down Main side near the passive crossing, prior to that, the Post Office opened in 1914 to serve the growing community, it closed in 1971.

The Nelungaloo school also opened in 1901, well before the railway arrived, and it lasted until its closure in 1961. The children now go to schools in Parkes by bus.

The siding and "Wheat Stacking Site" which was next to the Loading Bank, were decommissioned during 1971 and booked out of service, subsequently removed sometime after. No trace of the platform or Loading Bank and siding remain today.

Australian bushranger Ben Hall roamed the district in colonial times and he hid in caves in the hills nearby Nelungaloo and its local legend/rumour that some of his unrecovered booty still remains hidden in the caves. Ben Hall was shot dead between Nelungaloo and Gunningbland on the 05th of May 1865 after being ambushed by police and blacktrackers.

It was said there were 32 bullet holes in his body which was displayed to the public in nearby Forbes NSW. In 1975 there was a television series made by the ABC TV Australia called "Ben Hall" and is available on You Tube.

Another famous former resident of Nelungaloo is Harry Harbord Morant, better known as "Breaker Morant" who worked at Nelungaloo station as a stockman during 1896.

Nelunglaoo Station still survives today and is about four kilometres distant, towards Forbes, next to the cemetery. A movie was made called "Breaker Morant" and can be raised on You Tube via search.

Nelungaloo means "Lizard" in the local aboriginal language, the small station platform, on the Down Main side nearly opposite the silo was closed on the 23rd of November 1974 and subsequently demolished, no trace remains today. The area is predominantly a grain and sheep farming region of the Parkes shire.

A model aeroplane club from Parkes used to have a "flight day" on a Sunday with the club shed at Nelungaloo, just about opposite the concrete silos but I don't think they are operating anymore.

"NR" class GE locomotive:
The "NR" class are designated model Cv40-9i the loco's are powered by a GE 7FDL four stroke V16 turbo charged engine giving around 4,020hp and weigh 132 tonnes with a main line service speed of 115KMh.

The first of the class ran on the 18th of September 1996. NR34 was delivered on the 04th of July 1997 and NR113 on the 27th of September 1997.

A total of 120 of the class were built, with 117 of them still in service today, NR33 was scrapped due to an accident at Lismore VIC in 2006 and deemed unrepairable. NR41 & NR79 were scrapped after the 31st of December 2023 Barrier Highway level crossing accident, west of Broken Hill NSW.

1450hrs on Thursday 29th of August 2024.