this means so much to me!

Too young to have been part of it but my dad read me the story as a little kid as bed time reading over a week. Hooked on 38s ever since. Got to travel on the return of 3801 trip to Moss Vale in 1987, had a trip on the Bicentennial train out of Brisbane in 1988 and then when it was playing second fiddle to the most famous engine of all in 1989 from Brisbane to Casino and back in 1989.

I was delighted to watch this. I had the good fortune to be in Perth, as a 16-year old on school holidays I think, having flown over with my parents from Sydney for a holiday, just after 3801 arrived there. My Dad took me out to Cottesloe Beach I think it was where 3801 was to be stabled in the rail yard there and I had the opportunity to get up close and take what for me was a very historic photo of 3801 with its driver framed in the fireman’s window. That was a notable trip as we were staying at a large hotel opposite Langley Park in Perth when we noticed a Gypsy Moth biplane circling and then landing on the park. My Dad and I walked down to the park and spoke with the pilot of the plane, finding out that it was commemorating the anniversary of the first airmail flight into Perth from the east. My Dad had been a flying instructor during WWII and had taught many new pilots how to fly the update of the Gypsy Moth, the Tiger Moth. So Dad had a nice conversation with the Gypsy’s pilot. I still have the photos taken on that trip.

I recall standing somewhere between Central and Redfern waving farewell to my friend as he and his fiancée departed on the journey.

If locomotive 3803 was restored to enthusiast service it would be a great sight to see, can you imagine how it would be if locomotive 3803 ever operated with sister locomotive 3801?

Fantastic video ready for steam in the 50s.

Excellent video. Enjoyed every minute.

I was 7 at the time living at Bathurst and dad knew someone in the railways because we were in the signal box when 3801 entered the station 3813 was detached due to load limits on the bridge just before the station

Hopefully some amount of work can be done on 3813 over time, it’s still sitting up in Dorrigo Museum along with a host of other projects that are waiting to be restored.

I read somewhere that locomotive 3803 might have been found stored in a shed somewhere, could someone be able to find out if the rumour is true or not please?

3813 isn’t seen coming into Broken Hill, did it come in on another train or come in light engine?

i wish my dad could say. he was nsw driver.