Ford blitz ambo project

[Tony Wheeler]

At the risk of self indulgence - on Keith's excellent website here http://www.oldcmp.net/warby.html can be found a pictorial record of our first blitz encounter more than 40 years ago, at the sawmill in Warburton just across the river from my folks holiday house. Many enjoyable hours spent here photographing these strange vehicular relics from every conceivable angle - Keith has climbed high up in a tree for this one!

[Tony Wheeler]

Also of interest on this site was the old Warburton train turntable, just visible beyond this line of CMPs. Located at the end of the railway line a few hundred metres past Warby station, this was where steam locos were spun around for the return journey to Melbourne. Keith may recall the circular brick-walled pit across which lay the rotatable steel girder onto which locos were driven.

The site has long since been cleared of blitz remains and securely fenced off, although I confess to trespassing a few years ago to walk the sacred ground one more time! I assumed the turntable had been removed too, but I've since learned they simply backfilled the pit, as can be seen from these recent photos and accompanying text:

"To ease congestion in the yard due to the number of tramways from outlying mills & the loading of timber, the Warburton line was extended a short distance to La La siding, where this turntable was installed. In recent years a saw mill occupied the site. When the mill closed the turntable pit was partly filled during the clean up. A recent attempt to remove the fill & remove nearby trees, by the developer of the site, resulted in some damage to the brick wall of the pit."

This caused some outrage amongst train buffs which led to numerous articles in the local rag a few months back. It seems this site is sacred in more ways than one!

[hrpearce]

Welcome Tony, I too was interested in blitz's working at a sawmill my Farther sold logs to when grazing income was limited. I eventually purchased a blitz as a workhorse for the farm and was happy. A couple of years later I attended Howards "shed full of shit" sale, found out about Corowa, was introduced to Keith and I have been terminal eversince.

[Tony Wheeler]

Thanks Robert, I guess we "terminals" just have to accept our fate and enjoy it!