A Day in the Life

What follows are more scenes taken from a typical return trip to Chakola. They compliment the images and video that now appear on the A Trip to Chakola page. The photos featured here were taken by Graeme Stokes. The videos were provided by Jenny O'Regan. Thanks to you both.

The first features that passengers notice on the outward trip are the two level crossings within the Cooma perimeter. Whilst the closer one to town features lights and bells, the second crossing near the industrial area of Polo Flat has no such aids. In both cases though the CMR provides a signaller on the crossing to ensure safety of both train and vehicle traffic. Our photo shows the signaller(s) at work at Polo Flat.

After some 30 minutes of running, the train approaches Chakola station, near the Numeralla River some 20 kilometres from Cooma.

Beyond the small cutting visible in the photo above, the reason that the CMR travels no further towards Canberra is readily apparent. The large trestle bridge over the river was damaged by flooding many years ago, forcing the closure of the line. The sagging is quite visible just short of the raised centre section and also in the first small section.

Just near Polo Flat crossing on the return journey we pass Snowy Junction, the small (tiny?) platform built to service the once a year horse race meeting at the racecourse on the edge of town. This early December event is the CMR's busiest, ferrying punters backwards and forwards all day.

After the two crossings, it is a downhill run through a cutting and back into Cooma Yard.

Finally the CPH comes to rest back at Cooma Platform.

The passengers have a last chance to photograph the driver's cabin before leaving the train.

Most of the passengers stay on the platform to watch the railmotors heading towards the shed, having changed lines at the points around the corner in the distance.

And so ends another day in the life of a busy tourist railway!

Refer to our Group Tours page if you have an upcoming function that would benefit from the unique CMR experience.