RE: Looking Back... Tasmain 1974: Part 5

[Mike Dix <mdix@mrt.tas.gov.au>]

Aus loco discussion mailing list

MA1 was towed to Granton, the track was cut and slewed and the loco was
manouvered into the park. Definitely wasn't in steam.

I agree with the drastic change sentiment but will totally disagree with
Melanie's statement that ANRs rationalisation did not fulfil any of its
promises. For a start there is still a rail system which may well have
disappeared but for ANs intervention. Secondly ANR vastly increased the
traffic on the old TGR to levels well above that achieved by the TGR, and
alos extensively upgraded the infrastructure. It is worth remembering that
ANR was the most progressive of the Australian systems in the 1980s and was
killed off by political cost cutting and the stupidity over State
parochialism and National Rail.

So far the 'new' Tasrail has not been able to match the achievments of AN in
the early 1980s despite their PR pronouncements. Statements like that in the
last Rail Digest that private ownership has revolutionised rail operations
in Tasmania are difficult to substantiate. The new Tasrail is slowly clawing
back traffic but figures of a 65% increase since ATN took over are not
correct.

On another note, the local ABC news at lunchtime contained an item about the
rail unions taking Tasrail to the industrial relations tribunal over their
failure to fix the excessive noise levels in the DQ locos. The current
solution has been to supply drivers with headsets while they try and fix the
problems. Guess that's the price of obsolete technology.

Michael Dix


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