The 5603, or: Death, Where is Thy Sting?

You may talk about your trials and your troubles at the war,
And your flamin’ trips to Eskbank on the Eleven-seventy-four,
But if you want real hardship you can take it straight from me,
Just do a trip with Dingbat on the Fifty-Six-0-Three.

The drivers book her “Steaming dull”, the fitters say she ain’t!
They say they’ve searched her innards, and can’t find her complaint;
They swear they’ve searched the elements, and other parts that be
But can’t locate the trouble on Fifty-Six-0-Three.

Now there's fitters, would-be fitters and leading fitters too,
And boiler-makers by the score, with nothing else to do
But talk about the cricket scores, and the football soon to be,
But they will never raise the subject, on Fifty-Six-O-Three.

And still she battles on her way, with bangs and knocks galore
And it is quite apparent she cannot last much more
So when she falls to pieces, 'twill fill our hearts with glee
No more she'll shake our innards out, Crock Fifty-Six-O-Three.

(Wilfred C. Knight)

Several rogue NSW steam locomotives that were hard to work or had a mind of their own are refered to in this song written locomotive driver Wifred.C Knight and and published the Austalian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen's journal " The Locmotive Journal, May 29th, 1930

Music score traditional suggested by John Dengate Sydney Bush Music Club 1984
Music score recently republished in Mulga Wire by the Bush music Club