Outdoor Adventures

[fuelconsumption]

I'm not sure if there is any demand for this thread, but will give it a go.

What I'm thinking, is that for me, the Challenger is only a tool, a means to another end, which is getting to where my 'real' outdoor adventure starts, be that a bushwalk, mountain bike ride, boat trip, railcar trip or whatever.

There are already many pics of Challengers in outdoor settings, which is great, but after a while and in the end all Challengers look similar, at least to me. My interest is in getting to the places that a vehicle can't get to.

This thread is more concerned with accounts and pics of outdoor adventures that the vehicle might initially get you to, but where the vehicle is not the primary adventure per se.

For example, last weekend I did a trip on an abandoned mountain railway, on my homebuilt railcar.

For this trip the railcar travelled on the Challenger roof, with the caravan in tow behind. Usually the railcar sits on a trailer, but I'm not sure of the legality of towing a trailer behind a caravan, so on the roof it must and did go for this trip. With the custom designed and built roofrack, I can load the railcar (or dinghy) on the roof single handed, though getting the railcar up there is challenging.

Arrived at my campsite by the railway line before sunset. Next morning at 8AM, and I'm ready to roll, with the railcar on the tracks, and backpack, machette and bowsaw ocker-strapped to the front - see picture. The morning frost has melted, and I'm itching to get moving. Experience has shown that ice on the tracks is unwise - too much wheelspin and risk of de-railment.

There has been no rail vehicle on this line for 34 years, so from experience I know to expect heavy undergrowth, saplings, rocks, landslides, missing rail, termite mounds, fences, fencewire, dodgy bridges and wonky rails. A challenge and an adventure.

This line also reputedly has the steepest grades and sharpest curves of any railway in Australia, as illustrated by the pics of a timber bridge. Note there are four rails rather than two. On this railway, every bend has one extra 'check rail' to help prevent derailment on the sharp bends. On the bridge, two check rails are used, as the consequences of derailment on this bridge would be catastrophic. Note the outrigger platform, provided as a safe haven for maintenance workers should a train arrive unexpectedly ...

RE tight curves, railway locomotives and rolling stock have the equivalent of a 'locked diff', with left and right wheels rigidly attached to the axles. Great for simplicity and traction, but of course that means that one wheel has to 'skid' around corners. The curves on this line are so wonderfully tight that this skidding would have destroyed the wheels and rails, so a wheel operated 'grease applicator' was installed before every bend, to automatically apply grease to the wheels and tracks. See picture. The cylindrical pot was filled with grease.

There are more pics of challenges and relics along the line if anyone is intererested.

FC

[old Jack]

Great idea FC, like you our Challenger is the transport to let us pursue bushwalking when we are not travelling or working.

Last year the better half decided we should walk the Heysen Trail in South Australia over the next 5 years.
We have always bushwalked in Australia and overseas, we even did the Overland Track in Tasmania for our honeymoon 25 years ago, on that trip we took my best man and his wife.
We are all still great friends and are pictured below, from left to right, Mrs Best Man, Best Man, old Jack & Mrs Old Jack, we are at the northern end/finish of the Heysen Trail which runs for 1200 km from the Angorichina in Flinders Ranges to Cape Jervios south of Adelaide.
Yes we are doing it backwards as we prefer to walk North to South as the light is much better for photography and your back is always to the sun.
So far we have walked about 240km so we are on track for the 5 year plan.

cheers, old Jack.

[fuelconsumption]

Great idea FC, like you our Challenger is the transport to let us pursue bushwalking when we are not travelling or working.

Last year the better half decided we should walk the Heysen Trail in South Australia over the next 5 years.
We have always bushwalked in Australia and overseas, we even did the Overland Track in Tasmania for our honeymoon 25 years ago, on that trip we took my best man and his wife.
We are all still great friends and are pictured below, from left to right, Mrs Best Man, Best Man, old Jack & Mrs Old Jack, we are at the northern end/finish of the Heysen Trail which runs for 1200 km from the Angorichina in Flinders Ranges to Cape Jervios south of Adelaide.
Yes we are doing it backwards as we prefer to walk North to South as the light is much better for photography and your back is always to the sun.
So far we have walked about 240km so we are on track for the 5 year plan.

cheers, old Jack.

A 1200km walk .... I'm impressed!

[sharkcaver]

That's not a railcar, its got 2x rubber tyres. Nice toy though! And how good is it accessing and absorbing the history of that disused track. I like!

[entropy]

There are more pics of challenges and relics along the line if anyone is interested.

Hi fuel consumption and thanks for the pictures. I'd like to find out a little more about the railway and it's history, and see a bit more as well. I've got a few train driving mates who love this kind of stuff.

cheers
entropy

[TC.Barky]

More please! Quite fascinating.

[awbeattie381]

What an interesting post! Love exploring disused infrastructure whether it be old rail alignments, associated abandoned buildings or old bridges (road and rail).

Awesome little rail car you have made yourself too!

Thanks for sharing.

[fuelconsumption]

What an interesting post! Love exploring disused infrastructure whether it be old rail alignments, associated abandoned buildings or old bridges (road and rail).

Sounds like you are an industrial archaeologist, like myself.

Here is an old rail bridge for you, almost 1km long. A bit wonky with age, as you see, requiring a reduction in speed on the railcar, though suitable for a glorious full-speed run on the other side. Mighty fine timber trusswork. Those timber truss members are ~ 12" square. Note the check rails, as it was undesirable to derail on a bridge!

Added another pic, just so you don't think I have a prejudice against old iron bridges. The two timber outrigger platforms are looking a bit shaky, but the bridge is very sound.

[fuelconsumption]

To continue the rail journey, after awbeattie381 sidetracked me with railway bridges.

Initially the railway line was an easy run, with no more than grass and the occasional branch, rock or blackberry bush on the line. However, the line then entered dense bushland as it started to ascend the range, and the bowsaw was kept busy with large branches, fallen trees, and dense undergrowth obscuring and obstructing the tracks. The pictures tell the story. As you see, real men don't need chainsaws, and I would have hated to intrude upon the peace and silence with a horrible, high revving 2-stroke chainsaw. The railcar engine, being an industrial 4-stroke, actually sounds quite pleasant, chugging along like a tiny locomotive.

The worst was the dense undergrowth of wattle trees. Had they been eucalytus I would have just 'charged' them, and usually they snap off, but wattles are unusually resilient, so any with a trunk size greater than about 50mm had to be bowsawed. The wattles grew at a particular altitude corresponding to around 6 km of the line, and seemingly spaced about every 10m, so you do the arithmetic. By the end of the trip the bowsaw blade was worn out, and so was my arm.

It took 6 hours to clear the line and get to the station at the top of the range, but less than an hour to return. Took some interesting video footage charging down the line and through the undergrowth on the return journey, knowing that all the major obstacles had been cleared.

The final photo (actually from a different railcar trip) shows the signal tower at the destination being used as a lookout, just to make sure there were no trains coming. The weather was threatening, thus the yellow rain jackets taped to the back of the railcar. The pair of levers set the points. Seriously though, I only explore lines that have been closed for more than 10 years, are overgrown, fenced over, and I am 101% certain there will be no other rail vehicle. I also take it pretty easy on the outgoing journey.

I have hundreds more photos from railcar journeys throught NSW showing rail infrastructure, obstacles, relics, stations, abandoned trains, abandoned homesteads and so on. I might post a few more, then leave you all in peace.

FC

[ewen]

Took some interesting video footage charging down the line and through the undergrowth on the return journey, knowing that all the major obstacles had been cleared.

Any chance of sharing this? It looks like an awesome way to spend a day!

[Phil]

I have perhaps a thousand more photos from railcar journeys throught NSW showing rail infrastructure, obstacles, relics, stations, abandoned trains, abandoned homesteads and so on. I might post a few more, then leave you all in peace.

FC

Myself and one of my brothers love this kind of stuff.
Post up some more or a link to photobucket etc ??

[fuelconsumption]

Any chance of sharing this? It looks like an awesome way to spend a day!

The videos are 100's of MB, so can't post them here. I could put them on U-tube I suppose, but prefer to remain low key.