I am leaving.....

VinnyBarb

*HRH in real life*
..... my current place near Orroroo, South Australia and am moving to Peterborough, about some 50 km away from here. As it is also my birthday today, I hope the new place in Peterborough I am moving to gives me a good start to my next chapter in life.

Got you there for a moment :p.

Those familiar with South Australia know there is a lot of past railway history in and with Peterborough or Petersburg as it was known in the past. It was THE country/central hub for railway activity in South Australia and still boasts the largest locomotive roundhouse in the Southern Hemisphere (albeit not used anymore as such).

Where bogies got changed from broad gauge to others and back when SA had different track gauges in the past and when the old country rail network still existed. It was also the start of the Peterborough to Hawker rail route, now sadly forgotten and its tracks and sleepers all ripped up and all signs of past railway activity removed. Peterborough in the past was also one of the largest railway community towns in SA. Now it is a "Sleepy Hollow" of some 2000 people or so still living there.

Now of course with diesel trains only running past Peterborough from Sydney to wherever, ore trains moving back and forth from Broken Hill etc. and huge freight trains moving up and down the line, not one of the above trains stop anymore in Peterborough. The Indian Pacific just fleetingly, in an instant, rushing past the old railway station where it used to stop for passenger pickup and where people used to mingle, interested to get the newest gossip from the big smoke.

The railway station in Peterborough now sitting there neglected and run down, it brings a tear to the eyes of those who can still remember its past steam days glory and activity there. Not far away, just 17 km up the now ripped up track is Terowie, another bustling steam era town in the past, now just a forgotten speck on the road map. Only some hundred (if at all) residents there now living there, some of you might remember some of the old, now most of these closed down Terowie shops, pub and other scenery items I created for TRS04 in the past.

That is "progress". Sad really.

Cheers

VinnyBarb
 
Hi VB,

First.......... Happy Birthday.

Second, good luck with your move, hope all goes well with that.

Regards,
Ron
 
VinniBarb,

I have been through Peterborough on the Indian Pacific a couple of times over the past few years and have seen the wondrous roundhouse from the train window. It is also the only triple gauge roundhouse in Australia and it may very well be the only one or, at the least, one of the very few left in the world. It and the rail history of the district were the inspirations for my series of layouts based on Peterborough although I was unable to find any suitable roundhouse assets on the DLS that allowed me to include it in those layouts.

I hope, eventually, to do an update of the layouts for TR12.

Peter Ware
 
Ya didn't fool me, I knew if you were leaving, you wouldn't post about it. Happy Birthday, and good luck with the move!
 
Don't forget your mousepad and beer VB!!:wave:

Have a heap of fun, I've moved 5 times in my life and I'm only 13

Jamie
 
So the only ones who will say goodbye are the other residents of "the rendezvous of the magpie." :cool:

Good luck in your new abode.
 
G'day! :wave:

50KM? Not boasting but I've moved 1,204KM from Devonport, Tasmania to Adelaide, South Australia! :hehe: And we actually drove, we didn't take a plane.

Good luck with your relocation Vinny! :D

Cheers! :)

Jake.
 
Rastis. You did take a boat?
Vinnie Good luck with the move. WhenI worked in SA I found the SA railway the most interesting and diverse. That was many years ago. Is there a site with more SA history?
baz
 
Well you sure did, dude!

When i read that, my stomach hit a pit with the oh no feeling of deep sadness.

Anyway, have a great birthday and don't work too hard on your move. There's nothing worse than packing up the belongings and trekking them across the countryside.

John
 
Thank you all for all the well wishes, it sure gladdens an old man's heart :wave:.

It seems I "scared" some of you a little bit but since it is only a message of my moving, I hope this did not stress out you lot too much :p.

I wonder why my monitor seems a bit blurry today, I only had 7 beers so far :hehe:.

Thanks again

VinnyBarb
 
Bit late i know but all the best for the day on this your Birthday Vinnyb and all the best with the move mate, Being an Interstate Truck Driver for quite a few years iv'e been thru Peterborough and i always wanted to stop and have a look at the Railway side of town but never got the chance. All the best mate.
Cheers Mick.:wave:
 
50KM? Not boasting but I've moved 1,204KM from Devonport, Tasmania to Adelaide, South Australia! :hehe: And we actually drove, we didn't take a plane.

OK, I'll ask the stoooopid question. How did you actually drive across Bass Strait?
 
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