Come Midnight Monday

Come Midnight Monday is a television show from the early eighties. Produced by the ABC and made up of seven half hour episodes, the show was based on David Burke's novel of the same name. It stared Stephen Comey, Tim Blake and Sally Bowden. It's location shots were filmed in the Dandenongs and featured the classic steam engine Puffing Billy.

Although shown through a few times in the early eighties it had not been on television since.

The show began filming on Monday 25th May 1981, and continued for two weeks. Emerald station was renamed Paradise Gap during production. Loco 12A was used to 'play' Wombat. The series first began airing on the ABC on the 4th March 1982. (this info thanks to the Puffing Billy website)

The basic plot
The old Winnawadgery train, Wombat, and tracks are to be scrapped unless it can carry a full load from Winnawadgery to Paradise Gap and back. Into town comes Tim Forsyth, on a quiet holiday just after the death of his father. He stumbles into a plot of a few other teenagers to save Wombat from destruction.

Images
I've started to put some images up from the episodes I have on tape.

The following information comes from a book I found in my Uni library:

Children's Series
Number of episodes: 7
Length: 30 minutes
Produced by: The Australian Broadcasting Commission
Format: Series produced on videotape and film, in colour.
Began on air: 4 March 1982

Producer: David Zweck
Director: Mark Callan
Scriptwriter: Roger Dunn
Sound recordist: John Beanland
Production Designer: Paul Cleveland, Alwyn Harbott
Music: Kevin Hocking
Cast: Stephen Comey, Tim Blake, Jacqui Gordon, Julie Hamilton, Peter Cummins.

Four youngsters thwart plans to close the Winnawadgery railway, scrap its veteran stem engine, Wombat, and build an all-weather highway in its place. Their campaign runs into unexpected obstacles, and vigorous opposition from a prominent local businessman. Adapted from the children's novel by David Burke, a Canberra train enthusiast, Come Midnight Mondy was scripted by Roger Dunn, a long-time Bellbird writer. It was filmed at Cockatoo in Victoria. The train sequences were filmed on the Puffing Billy line located in the Dandenong Ranges. The family serial introduced Stephen Comey and Tim Blake. Both actors were cast after lengthy auditions. Comey subsequently won a role in Sons and Daughters. Screened in the 5:30 pm timeslot, Comed Mignight Monday was a successful children's series and won a Penguin Award for Best Children's Drama in 1982-83.