THE Holy Grail for steam railway enthusiasts comes packaged in just four numbers - 3801. And that Holy Grail is coming our way this week.
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Old 3801, aka The Jolly Green Giant, is due in Lithgow at 2.45 on Thursday on the first stage of a two week visit to the Central West with joy rides around a number of locations including Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo and Parkes, concluding on the Queens Birthday holiday weekend.
The old girl always draws a crowd and you can bet the Lithgow interchange will be busy with happy snappers. In the days when steam ruled the rails (and before bean counters orchestrated the death of most services west of Lithgow) 3801 post 1947 was a familiar daily sight through Lithgow heading the Central West Express.
Back then no one took much notice - just more proof that in hot and steamy heavy metal as in life some things just improve with age.
3801 has recently completed several years of major maintenance to ensure its iconic status continues to delight another generation of rail watchers.
Gone, not forgotten
ANOTHER important link with Lithgow's commercial history has been lost with the death in Sydney last week of Margaret Bracey, matriarch of the family that was a byword in the day to day life of Lithgow for more than 120 years. The last of Lithgow's real department stores was established by Major H.E.S.
Bracey in 1886 and continued until 2007 when the two Main Street shops were sold to what are now Harvey Norman and Dimmeys.
Mrs Bracey had been living in retirement at Vaucluse since sons David and Gordon took over the running of the family business. She was 96. Her funeral took place in Sydney yesterday.
Big on ideas
NOW that it's confirmed the huge cooling tower at Wang power station will be retained there's still hope it may become one of the State's most spectacular silo art sites (think Portland's former cement works). And we're wondering if it was a serious suggestion that the acoustics inside the tower are so good it could become a concert venue. Or what about a Tower Climb to rival The Bridge? It's endless.
Gun crazy
AS if any further proof was needed that some American legislators are just nut cases look no further that the Lone Star State of Texas where despite bodies littering the USA landscape they've just enacted a law allowing anyone to carry a hand gun without licence or background check. Yep, the wild west is alive and well.
We should be forever grateful for John Howard's brave gun laws.