Flashback Friday| Wonderful image captured at Oatley station in 1976

The mystery of when and where a wonderful old photo of steam locomotive 3203 was taken has been solved.

Leader photographer Don Sheehan captured the image in 1976 at Oatley station during a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Sydney’s electric train service.

Sydney’s first electric train travelled between Oatley and St James stations on March 1, 1926.

Facebook page I Grew Up in Mortdale quickly identified the occasion.

Sheehan’s photo appeared on the front page of The Leader on March 3, 1976.

The caption said the crowd overflowed from the D.D. Cross Memorial Gardens and lined the embankments adjoining the station.

Hundreds of people came from all over Sydney for the celebration, the report said.

A 50-year-old electric train also featured in the celebrations.

Earlier:

Can you help us us work out when and where a wonderful old photo of steam locomotive 3203 was taken.

The black and white image in the Leader’s archives shows happy crowds lining the tracks at an unidentified station to welcome the train.

The caption has disappeared, but “trainfest 75” is scribbled on the back of the print.

A search of Leader editions for 1975 drew a blank.

Another thought was the photo may have been taken in 1984 when the Great Train Festival was held to mark the centenary of the arrival of the railway in St George.

Again, we came up empty.

In fact, the commemorative steam train, on which the Governor Sir James Rowland and other dignitaries travelled from Central to Hurstville for the 1984 festival was locomotive 3001.

St George has always had a special attachment to the steam train.

Before the railway arrived in 1884, Hurstville was a rural area of small farms, orchards , market gardens, poultry farms, nurseries and dairies.

There were also some larger farms where timber getting or charcoal burning was the main activity, some grazing land, and large areas of little economic use.

The  centenary celebration was described by the Leader as the biggest the district had ever seen.

A special souvenir edition was printed and distributed to the crowds which gathered on Saturday, October 6, in Rockdale, Kogarah and Hurstville.

‘‘Colourful stalls, children’s rides, band music and even a troupe of singing crusaders transformed Hurstville from a quiet shopping centre into a massive carnival,’’ the Leader reported the following week.

‘‘Thousands of people lined Forest Road, Hurstville, to hear the Governor Sir James Rowland’s speech and view the parade of more than 40 entries.’’

The parade started at Rockdale and moved through Kogarah to Hurstville.

Sir James and other dignitaries arrived at Hurstville on a vintage steam train, which, in recognition of the 20th century sponsor, was named the Westfield Express.

‘‘The railway transformed the area, bringing people and commerce to the district,’’ Sir James said.

After the parade, the official party adjourned to the Georges River Sailing Club for lunch and to watch a festival sailing regatta.

There were calls for the festival to become a regular event.

Every Friday we delve into the Leader archives to embark on some time travel.

We will bring you a photograph of a news event from 57 years of Leader news coverage that you may or may not recall.

Flashback Friday submissions are also welcomed.

Feel free to share your recollections with us on our Facebook page @SutherlandShireStGeorgeNews or email leaderletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au