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Well, as we all know, big rigs pound the bitumen into potholes.
So, naturally it must follow that big lumbering trains will damage the track.
And yes, don't go pulling down their precious overhead in smog hollow.
Electrouble mob go off the deep end when anyone causes grief to that overhead.
But, it has been 20 years since locos with pantographs have battled under that overhead.
Weasels are the go for big lumbering trains.
Though, I remember an incident back in the mid 1990s.
I was rattling down the hill to attend a union meeting in smog hollow and riding up the front of the urban.
The smog hollow hogger knew me and asked me to take over to spell him when we lobbed into Penrith.
So, I belted it across the speedway until hitting the top of the hill at Mount Druitt.
Suddenly the power went.
Looking up, the overhead was still hanging nicely and not wobbling which would indicate a panto drama.
Jamming me head out the tiny side window, I could not espy much of the train, but nothing looked out of place.
I got on the intercom to the tailgunner to ask him to check the gauges in his cab to see if there was power.
He replied that all the gauges seemed to indicate normal.
Thumping reset, pan up and lights on buttons did not resolve the drama.
I asked the hogger if he wanted me to stop as was the rule for when loosing the overhead.
I suggested that we could cost to Blacktown the next stop.
I had learnt real early on freighters that you could coast from Mount Druitt to Parramatta.
He said that the overhead looked ok, so yes coast.
Pulling up in the middle of nowhere would result in a mega delay to the service.
I pulled us up on the platform at Blacktown and we climbed out to take a gander.
A squirt pulled in beside us and a bunch of newbie etr blokes were in the cab learning the road.
They were all kacking themselves laughing.
When I espied the front car pan, OH GOLLY GOSH.
It was bent backwards and collapsed down on the roof.
Crikey, that meant the urban was a total failure and could not be moved until that panto was be secured by rope.
We were baffled as to how this had occurred.
So, we kicked all of the urban cattle out to continue into town on the squirt.
I asked the hogger if he wanted me to remain to assist with securing the panto.
He told me to also jump on the squirt or I would miss the union meeting.
He had to await for electrouble to arrive to secure the panto.
I suggested that he tell them that he lost the overhead approaching Blacktown.
Well, I discovered later that electrouble knew exactly where the problem occurred.
A freighter had rattled along the speedway ahead of the urban and had a wonky panto collector strip.
It had dislodged a catenary drop hanger on the contact wire at the top of the hill at Mount Druitt.
And, it was that dangling drop hanger that the panto on the urban had hit bending it backwards.
The poor urban hogger got in the poo for coasting all the way to Blacktown and not stopping straight away.
WELL, no more damage was done and at least the cattle got to continue and not be stranded in nomans land.
OH, BW, yer wet clobber notion is the basis of the Coolgardie safe.
The coolgardie safe was invented prior to the refrigerator.
A frame covered in hessian over which water is dribbled.
The evaporation occurring keeping the safe contents at a cooler temp than outside.
Me Grands had one to keep meat, milk and butter in.
It also be the technology of the canvas water bag.
On soot belchers to have a cool water supply you fill up the canvas water bag and sling it out the cab window.
The breeze rattling along creating that evaporation through the canvas resulting in cooling the water inside.
People survived before electricity.
But I would much rather have electricity to pump into me heater dingus when it is frigid.
Give me a nice HOT day any time.
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