Collision between 3817 and 6003, Geurie, NSW in 1963.

The aftermath of the collision between 3817, hauling No.58 mail train, Dubbo to Sydney and 6003, shunting a goods, at Geurie. Noone was killed, although there were serious injuries. Both locomotives were condemned and scrapped.

[@aussiejohn5835]

I can't tell you how thankful I am for this video. I was in Dubbo at the time and 11yrs old. My uncle was going to Sydney and refused to travel with us in our car. He said " I am going on the bloody train because it is the safest way to travel." Thankfully he was not injured but he never got on a train again and never left Dubbo. I got into so much trouble for laughing every time I saw him after that.

[@BelbinVideo]

Wow, what an amazing story. I can't blame you for laughing. You must have loved that.

[@aussiejohn5835]

@@BelbinVideo I remember being upset because my parents wouldn't allow me to get the train with him. I wish he was still with us to see this video. I still laughed when I saw this video and I recalled the whole situation.

[@flamingfrancis]

Yes indeed, so sad to see these great workhorses fall like this. I recall seeing a Garratt rolled with some rolling stock on her side on a siding at Tuggerah when I was a kid. It had some wagons with packages of WeetBix from the Cooranbong factory in transit to Sydney.

[@markaylott1780]

Sorry to contradict you but according to the official report, the garret, 6003, was waiting in the loop to cross the mail and was past the "clearance post", not shunting! The speed of impact was estimated at 32km/h.

[@DKS225]

That accident sadly was not the first time 3817 had come to grief. It was involved in two previous accidents the first one i think was when 3817 was barely a year old.

[@stephenwilliamson4556]

I remember seeing this footage on your “Film Night” DVD. It truly is amazing no one was killed in this accident, considering how much damage was done. It looked like the 38 would have been doing a fair clip of speed when it hit! Even being able to get near an accident site like this would be impossible these days, let alone being able to film the start of the recovery of the locomotives.

[@florjanbrudar692]

19 were injured

[@brianpaxton8685]

Down road from my grannies

[@davidmason7765]

Great thanks. What number is that on the lower back of 3817's tender, is it 3828?

[@BelbinVideo]

Yes, David, looks like it had 3828's tender.

[@davidmason7765]

@@BelbinVideo Thanks. Do you know if there is a list anywhere of tender swaps among the 38s? I know John Thompson's "38" has a list of where the boilers went , of course records of service history of high pressure vessels would be rather more important than the tenders ...

[@paulstuddert3323]

I doubt it. Unlike boilers, which had to be regularly rebuilt (as you suggest), tenders rarely required significant repairs and were swapped frequently, so there would seem little point in keeping track of tender tabs. Of course, I am happy to stand corrected.

[@danielcook9032]

@@davidmason7765 As far as I am aware the only documented tender swap was between 3830 and 3813 which was a permanent change, 3830 retains 3813s tender and 3813 retains 3830s
There were definitely tender swaps in service life but one of two possible things could have happened to any records of any swaps, the records could have been lost or they may never have even existed

[@davidmason7765]

@@danielcook9032 Thanks. Always intrigued me that the account of 3820s ex service repaint in a 1972 Roundhouse magazine disclosed that on the tender under the layers of black they found painted on the green underneath the same elaborate NSWR letters applied to 3203's sandboxes in preservation and, to the point, to 3813s tender for the centenary celebrations in 1955. So - did it get painted on two tenders? Or did 3820 and 3813 swap tenders at some point too ...

[@davidpemberton9326]

was anyone blamed for the accident