Saturday 24 November 2001 was the occasion of a Special steam Hauled Train which would run from Sydney to Werris Creek, NSW, a return distance of 510 miles.  Departure time from Sydney was to be 06.38 with an arrival at 23.38.  If only the day had been that short!

Preserved pacific 3801 was to haul the train  120 miles ( 192 kms) from Sydney to Maitland.  Here 3830, which had run up the day before with a water gin ( extra water wagon) , coal, and crew van, would take over for the next stage.  At Murrurundi, the water gin would be detached for the climb over the Liverpool Range on its 1 in 40 grades and 12 chain curves. The loco would be turned on the turntable at Werris Creek while the passengers lunched on the platform of the 1887 station building.

That was the plan.

The reality was different.

It was wet in Sydney and for part of the journey north.  Some time was lost on the way to the water stop at Gosford, but only a few minutes.  While the timetable allowed 69 minutes for the 50 mile section onto Broadmeadow, 3801 was soon running at speeds reminiscent of the erstwhile " Newcastle Flyer", averaging 66.5mph between Ourimbah and Tuggerah for example, and surmounting the 1 in 44 grade to Hawkmount at 30 mph.  Such running reduced the timetabled time from 69' to 62'20" a good performance on the Gosford to Broadmeadow section for these days, and close to the old Flyer time of 60 minutes, although that train had a 310  to 350 tons load compared to our 255 tonnes.

There was some more smart running after the untabled Broadmeadow stop, but the real problems began at Maitland.  There was a delay in releasing 3830 from the its stabling siding; a delay caused by waiting for a coal train to arrive and  thus allow the loco exchange to take place.

Eventually, the train got away, only to be stopped by a signal failure.  This meant that the driver had to stop at each signal, wait for one minute and then " Proceed with extreme caution" to the next, and repeat the process, nearly all the way from Maitland to Singleton. Another coal train caused another delay as a a possible conflicting movement was resolved.

Eventually, Singleton was passed , and as 3830 climbed the long 1 in 66 out of the town into the Upper Hunter Valley, spirits lifted as running was more normal, and the weather began to clear.  The presence of the water gin however, restricted speed to 80 kmh.  Despite this, there was a great climb of the rising grades, as steep as 1 in 50 on one section, until Murrurundi, where the gin was dropped. Arrival here was 2 hours late, but departure slipped back to 2'29"late.

Following this was the climb at 1 in 40 on 12 chain curves ( see gradient diagram on last page) to the single line tunnel at Ardglen, summit of the Pass through the Liverpool Range.  There was thunderstorm activity on the other side, and this had consequences later.  Once clear of the curves on the descent, Willow Tree was reached and now began the fastest sustained running of the day.  As the line is fairly straight, on undulating grades, there was much running between stations and speed restrictions at 100-112 kmh, and it was a joy to hear the fast clipped exhaust beat, a trademark of the 38 class.  The 38 class were not permitted to run beyond Maitland when they were in regular service, and so this was only the fourth time a 38 class has reached Werris Creek

The loco was detached and serviced at Werris Creek where members of the small town's clubs provided the passengers with a late lunch on the platform ( Werris Creek is a small town, formerly of great railway importance due to its location.  It has an impressive station, built in 1887 with refreshment rooms, hotel accommodation, and railway offices). There was a power failure during the lunch service (more like an early dinner for most as  the arrival time was 4.18 pm), and this affected the turning of the loco as the turntable is electrically powered; the manual cranks could not be found.

Nonetheless, departure from Werris Creek was  just over 2 hours late, at 6.22 pm, and another fast run occurred to Willow Tree. The attaching of the water gin after the climb over the Liverpool Range was accomplished with much greater aplomb, but then the delays began to accumulate.

Hours later, when 3801 was eventually recoupled to the train at Maitland-  now 3 hours late- the crew made it obvious that they were going to attempt to recapture some of the lost delays with their lively acceleration .  Some fast running occurred before trackwork produced yet more delays.  Unfortunately, the rest of the return journey was a sorry tale, and many intermediate passengers were left without any public transport home.  Eventual Sydney arrival was after 3 am on Sunday:  but at least little blame could be placed on the locomotives themselves.