Penrith in the 50's was the home of the Australian Army Railway Squadron, my father was one of the last Workshop Officers before the unit was disbanded. The TE Class wagon was a special purpose buy by the Army for carriage long distances on the standard guage network of the Centurion tanks, the wagons were maintained*by NSWGR and were allowed for use by them when not required by the Army. With the advent of the Abrams tank a new wagon was specially commissioned through CFCLA who maintain them and use them for other traffc when not required for movement of Abrams between the NT and SA. An Abrams has more hangover each side than a Centurion did*so I would imagine, out of gauge for anywhere other than the Darwin Line.*
The Army actively used rail to transport APC's and the like to major exercises* in the 70's and 80's, including loadings out to Quilpie, Qld*in 77 for Ex Brahman Drive*and as has been mentioned the Kangaroo series of exercises K I (74?), K II (76), K*III (79) and K81. I would imagine 4 Cav also used rail for the 6 Bde exercises as well at Shoalwater Bay. I am not sure how 1 Bde got its APC's and the tankis out western NSW for Ex Drought Master in 1980, I would imagine rail.
A member on another forum was an officer with B Sqn 3 Cav in Townsville and used to actively encourage rail transport from Townsville to The Caves for Shoalwater Bay.**
As for Wallangarra, I did a guard out there many years ago in the stores area, there were railway lines in the compound, but it is not a place where things move quickly if there isn't a major war, I never saw a train in my two weeks there.
