Grafton Train Ferries

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2 October 1924;  'SS "Swallow" under conversion for use as a train ferry. "Swallow" was chartered from the Sydney Harbour Trust and converted by New South Wales Government Railways in White Bay to carry up to three passenger trains at a time across the Clarence River at Grafton between 1924 and 1932 pending construction of the Grafton road and rail bridge.'



Evan Rees:


As I recall, Swallow only had two tracks, spaced such that the two inside rails could be used as a single track to keep the load centred if there was not enough carriages/wagons on a trip to distribute across both tracks.



Greg Mashiah:
The SS Swallow (and the SS Induna) did not generally carry "passenger trains". Apart from rolling stock transfers, the only passenger trains which are recorded to have been carried on the train ferries were the Reso Train, The Great White Train and Commissioners Inspection trains. The only passenger rolling stock to be regularly carried on the ferries were guards vans.

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Not with a loco, but one of two match wagons, W3 and W6, formerly F6909 and F4193 (Evan Rees)

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Recently repainted in Royal Blue for the forthcoming royal visit, 3329 is loaded onto the ferry S.S. Swallow to be returned to the then isolated North Coast region for running in after overhaul at Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops and repainting at Elstons in 1927. (Evan Rees)

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Clarence River, Grafton. Loading "Swallow". (Undated, SLNSW)