Brisbane / Sydney / Melbourne, last week

[Peter Donaghy <PeterDo@als.com.au>]

Aus loco discussion mailing list

A busy one last week: to Brisbane for a managers' conference, and noted
the new Airport rail line has staunchions either completed or
part-complete almost the whole way to the domestic terminals.  Most
spans are in place well past Toombul shopping centre, and almost to
where the line will cross the airport access road.

Flying back into Sydney about 1215 on Thursday, I could see 442s5 (or 6
- one in the new colours) in Cooks River yard just north of the airport.

Driving to Melbourne in the early hours of Friday, a refreshment stop
was made at the Hume Highway service centre just south of Seymour, and I
heard what I assumed to be a Tocumwal-bound freight roar past close by,
with non-turbo GMs (most probably P and /or X class units).

G527 ran west with 8 wagons (grain and cement) through Werribee at 0645.

Poor timing on my part saw me just miss two NRs (back to back) at 0816,
with a lengthy string of Boxcar and Toll containers (what train is this
- I know V/Line run the Toll).  Any help with loco numbers, Geringhap?
There didn't look to be the usual morning cross around 1100-1130.

X47 (FV) ran down with a 36-wagon mixed for Geelong and beyond at 0848.

Saturday morning I sighted R711 and B76 on the Warrnambool pass, then
drove to the city for a peek around the Dynon area.

The NR provisioning centre held NRs 92, 85, 6, 46, 26 and 65, along with
a few others.  NR77 / NR98 waited in the steel yard to run West, while
C505 shunted.

BL32 solo shunted the North Melbourne bg steel roads, beside NR71.

Dynon held green units X51 (bg) and X40 (sg), while green trio X41 (FA)
/ A81 (FV) / A77 (FA) moved out, and dropped onto the Paper train (Ted
Payne and pushbike were in attendance also; the bike got chained to a
tree beside Dynon Road and Ted climbed 8 or 9 metres up to get an
unobstructed photo over the fence - that's dedication!).  S301 and S307
were both present.

8177 and T381 were in the GNR yard, while T345 and Y168 sat further
across, near all the stored wagons at the old North Melbourne wagon
shops.

Visible inside the RTS shed were C508, a freshly-painted green G still
with masking over the number box areas and windows, and BL26 with at
least the no. 1 end cab stripped out - windows and all - for DOO
upgrade?  No repainting as yet.

Regards,

Peter Donaghy
Manager, Orange laboratory
ALS CHEMEX
ph. (02) 6363 1722
fax (02) 6363 1189
e-mail: peterdo@als.com.au


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to Ausloco-unsubscribe@listbot.com
Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb