At Australia's 2'6" gauge Puffing Billy Railway we lined up four Baldwin-designed 2-6-2 tank (Na class) locos and Beyer-Peacock Garratt G42 for a photo shoot on Friday 10 December.

We run every day of the year (except Christmas Day) but usually with only 2 or 3 of our ten locos in steam. The count gets to 5 or 6 only on 2 to 10 days a year. Significantly this shot is composed of our larger locos in the fleet, rather than including any of the 4 small industrial locos. The remaining NA loco is in pieces at present undergoing heavy overhaul and the climax is about to be stripped down for boiler work, but in theory we could have fielded eight locos that day.

[The photos are not mine]

http://puffingbillyphotos.fotopic.net/c364382.html

Very impressive lineup. I really appreciate steam news from the rest of the world.

Don't let the gage fool you - Puffing Billy is big time tourist railroading. I am at a loss to compare it to a US operation, but something like the D&SNGRR in terms of intensity of service and scale, but in lush green hilly scenery. Wonderfully friendly folks and many events throughout the year. While the Nas are the lines original and everyday power, they also have a great assortment of other locomotives as well as a stationary steam plant. Their Climax is the only one I ever rode that was smooth and didn't try to buck me out of the cab - it also blows smoke rings.

If only some visionary would start a low budget air service to Oz - No Worries Air or something like that.

dave