Whatever boils your water

I was going to record and post some of my guitar playing this weekend. But before I could even contemplate the details of getting even a half decent sound I got distracted. Not by the sounds of the neighbour going through the bad breakup (lay off the BeeGees for fuck’s sake lady, or you’ll never get a fuck again). Not by the sounds of the dogs, Joey Muttlet and his two friends, whom I collectively refer to as the Turdlets. Really, they should have their own band – Joey and the Turdlets. It just works. I wasn’t distracted by the sounds of the neighbourhood children wandering in to see whether the dinner menu is better here than it is at their place. No, I wasn’t distracted by the normal sounds of home at all.

I was distracted by the prospect of a completely different sound. Trains!
Not just any trains. Steam trains!

That slow heavy chug as they heave away from the platform… Oh hell yes. It's downright sexy.



It was more than the sounds (as deeply thrilling and exciting in a somewhat disturbing way as they may be) that attracted me. It was the prospect of chasing trains. Stuff watching them take off from the platform. Every grandparent, child and dumb Sydney weekend gawker could do that. I wanted to catch them in action further up the line.



It’s funny the spots you’ll put yourself in to get up close and experience something, let alone get a decent picture of it. Kate and Mr. Cellophane both took the crossing point. I got a little more adventurous. There was a bridge a bit further down the track with serviceman’s platforms off the crossbeams. Vic thinks I wanna be ON that when this sucker comes past and struts out onto this thing with no railings and a pretty damn big drop if you feel the need to jump.



It’s here that I admit that I didn’t read the timetable correctly – the steam service only ran on one arm of the line, which unfortunately wasn’t this one. But we got a diesel instead, and I have to say I near shit myself. That thundering mass was so close to my little platform and so fast as it hurtled by me. All I could do was yell FUUUUCK!!!!!! and hope that the air this thing was pushing didn't blow me backwards off my perch.



This last pic shows it all. Scared, shaking uncontrollably, in desperate need of a smoke and a sit down...




...and still stupid enough to stand in the middle of a railway bridge for a photograph.