This thread is truely beautiful. A mixture of science, snow and historic train/ghost-train stations. I don't know how we did it but it's magnificent! Ramblings indeed - love it!

Andrew.

couldnt agree more andrew..i love it...btw, excellent pics

Andrew

Here are some pics of the 1965 event, and an article I wrote on snow some years ago.

First, the 1965 event. This caused major rail dislocation on the Blue Mountains. The August 1965 issue of the Australian Railway Historical Society New South Wales Digest (yes, I'm a railway enthusiast too :p ) had a long description of this which I'm having problems scanning because it's bound, but I'll perservere and try to post it later. However, here are the photos from that issue.

First, the down Central West Express stands at Newnes Junction waiting for the tracks ahead to be cleared. The diesel loco is obscured by the station master (back in those days, Newnes had a station master!) who has cleared enough snow from the platform to keep his feet dry. (Daily Telegraph)



Next, 4437 assisted in the rear by steam loco 5917 hauls a goods train to the top of the Liverpool Ranges north of Murrurundi. (John Ward)



Finally, 4539 at the head of the up Riverina Express during the height of the snowstorm at Goulburn on 17 July 1965. (O. Jacobson)



I've also scanned an article I wrote for Weatherfront, the journal of the old NSW Meteorological Society -- Snowfalls in New South Wales 1957 to 1979 . It appeared in the October 1980 issue, which was a typed-and-duplicated affair, so please excuse the rough text. I've done it as a pdf file, which should make printing it out a bit easier. I'll shift it to the (yet to be created) snow section of my site after I OCR it. When I get a Round Tuit, I'd love to update it to the present, or maybe someone on this thread could take up the challenge!

:cheers: Laurier

Amen to that Sometimes, I reckon the best things just evolve naturally, like this thread. I'm all keen to go and photograph some stations now. Can't wait for winter, boy am I gonna look for some nice snow shots.

Here\'s the article on the snow event of July 1965 from a railway perspective, though if you cut through the railfan jargon there's heaps of interest for the snowfan too. It's from the August 1965 issue of the Australian Railway Historical Society NSW Digest. Sorry about the scan, but its the best I could do from the thick bound volumes that I keep my old magazines in. The eyewitness account of a return trip across the Blue Mountains during the height of the snow, beginning on the fifth pdf page, is a classic!

I'll transfer it to the snow section of
Australian Weather News after I've tidied it up, so if the link above doesn't work, go hunting on AWN.

Laurier,

Your article from 'Weatherfront' was very good reading indeed. Now on to the rail article...

Thanks for taking the time to post them.

Andrew.

Great read(s) Laurier! Brings those of us too young to remember just that little bit closer to those events. I remember seeing snow on the hills around Guyra in 1974 and '77 and my father in law has Rylstone snow pics of the 1st September 1970 falls.

I'm glad I have a half decent macro facility on my digital camera, as my photo albums are getting a workout here. Here's another digi photo of a photo, of my street on 28/5/00 - so there is still hope we 'might' see some good falls in the future. I had so much fun that day. Not a huge fall by old standards but by geez was the snow nice and dry.

Hey Laurier
I can't wait to read your posts. I love this topic
Awesome pics :p ... Blizz.. interesting about the 1974/77 Guyra snow fall. When i get down that way i am going to search for snow events.



Snowfall on Mount Sugarloaf, 18th-19th July, 1965

:cheers:
Frosty Mac

Frosty Mac -- which Mt Sugarloaf?

A couple of useful links from the Snowy Mtns Hydro:

This pdf file gives you a nice set of Snowy Mtns snow depth charts from 1954 to 2001, all on one A4 sheet.

This form lets you retrieve comparative snow depth graphs from 1954 to 2002.

Hey Laurier,
It was from the Lake Macquarie library website. The location is West Wallsend.. i assume Mt Sugarloaf is around that area.
:cheers:
Frosty Mac

Blizz,

I also remember 28/5/00 for the dryness of the snow. Unfortunately we don't have any pics of that event as we were busy that weekend tidying up the ends of a late vintage. We were originally going to pick our Chenin on the 27th but hurredly did it during the week after seeing the approaching weather, and processed it on the weekend. It ended up snowing on and off all day on the 27th.

Not much settled down in the village on the 27th but when the second change came on the 28th the road covered over with snow very quickly indicating the dryness of the snow and also how cold the road already was.

Similarly to the July 1990 event I posted the pic of above, the snow hung around in patches for days here and around a week in sheltered, shaded areas at our vineyard (and other higher parts of the district).

Andrew.

Looking back through the archives, I did a fairly substantial report on that event at the time -- here. The Australian record for low May maximum temperature was broken that day which would help account for the dryness of the snow.

Not sure what you're doing wrong there, FM, but if you want to email them to me I'll have a go.

CALL FOR SNOW LINKS

I've set up a snow page on Australian Weather News -- go to the Severe Weather section in the main index at left, and follow the snow link. Are there any I've missed? Apart from the ski-related sites, it does seem to be a seldom documented area.

Hi Laurier,
Great Links. If you want you can add my Guyra/Tallai weather page. Got some great frost photos of Springbrook which is close to home. I'll attempt to load them in a sec. Thanks for your offer, Dave alread liked some pics before for me... i think i know what ive done wrong so here i go...



:cheers:
Frosty Mac

Hey All
Here is a heavy frost photo at Springbrook. It looks like a snowfall To think that Tallai is only 20 mins away, and at the best we'll get 4 light frosts per year.

Thanks, FM; I've added the site.

I'm getting an ad instead of your latest photo

Hey Laurier,
That is dam Lycos...not going to keep that site. at least something worked. I have some pics on this 20megs free site..so here i go.


MOther of DUcks Lagoon : 28th July 2000.
:cheers:
Frosty Mac.

Hi Laurier
Thanks for adding my site.
Here is the photo of the snow in the trees at Gurya : 28th July 2000 :p



This pic is from the Guyra Central School homepage. I recon it would be pre 97, as the page was last updated in 1997.



i have a frost photo of frost in the trees. It seems a very large file..maybe i might post it.

:cheers:
Frosty Mac