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

["ben scaro" <bscaro@hotmail.com>]

Aus loco discussion mailing list

Regarding the headsets on DQ locos- is that a safe solution ?  I am not sure 
but I would want to have my senses alert if driving a diesel loco.  Maybe 
rebuilding the cabs on a few units would be a better solution.

I'd have to concur with the view that the AN of the 90s seemed to take a 
much more negative view than in the 80s.  In SA, too, they ripped up lines, 
effectively limiting ASR's choices re restoring grain services to much of 
the Mid-North and Mallee broad gauge.   They also gave up on bulk traffics 
like fertiliser (1989-1993) and livestock (1990-91)which could be quite 
heavy in country SA, limiting themselves only to grain. Other 1980s 
initiatives like the freight centre at Loxton (1982) all ended in 1989.

Cheers

Ben


>
>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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