Re: Dead hauling QR diesels

["Robert Bushby" <romanabt@tassie.net.au>]

Aus loco discussion mailing list

This was always the way it was done on the QGR before MU Diesels were
regular practice, and was quite common. NSW people used to say it was poor
practice as it did damage to traction motors and gearing, but I had never
heard of that happening in Queensland. (Anyway, they had Alcos on the Border
line, and they couldn't even drive Clydes on the North Coast - what did they
really know????)

Double heading diesels was not allowed because of the axle loads and gross
weight restrictions on QGR bridges so it was always the done thing to tow an
attached diesel back in the train - there were rules about how far apart
they had to be, and from memory (stretching it a bit!), it was at least 5 F
wagons (four wheel standard length open wagon) behind the train engine.
Also, 90 ton Diesels were not allowed to double head with 12 ton axle load
steam locos (B18¼ types).

Because of the many particularly wooden trestle bridges on QGR mainlines
(and the old Indooroopilly Bridge), multiple unit diesel operations came
quite late in the piece after dieselisation, except on the Mt Isa line whe
MU 1250 class were quite common after the line was upgraded for 15 ton axle
loads. 90 ton QR locos were not fitted for MU operation until the
introduction of the 1460 class except for the 8 x 1250s for the Mt Isa line.
(All light lines 60 tonners were fitted for mu and regularly ran in pairs
right from their introduction).

Dead attached diesels used to be towed quite long distances in Queensland. I
rode an express goods (202 from memory - 50 mph train) from Gladstone to
Brisbane with a 1200 on the front and a 1400 dead attached back in the
train, and the loco was on the train when I got on and went all the way. So
it would have at least come from Rockhampton, and maybe even further north,
as the train originated in Cairns. One of the guards reckoned the dead
attached loco was one of the reasons some of the train handling seemed a bit
rough particularly in some of the momentum grade dips around Bundaberg. This
train virtually ran to passenger train times with a goods load - express
freights had priority then even over the Sunlander. That 1400 was cut out of
the train at Mayne yard when it arrived, and was on a suburban train the
next day - so it must have been ok and only being balanced back to Brisbane.
It was rather unusual to have an "old pom" on the front of such a hot train
by then, and I remember it being an exciting ride, being whipped along on
the back of a rather long and very fast (in Qld) train. (Probably the Great
Northern or Central Division keeping all the good new locos!!)

I can remember later on mu locos and dead attached behind the train engine
becoming more common on main lines, but it still took a lot of years for it
to become normal practice. There were still plenty of older wagons around
and many trains were still limited by the 650 ton drawgear limit. It would
have been in the late 1960's.

Oh how the old "Quaint and Rattley" has changed since. If only the other
systems could keep up with them, and still provide a service to far flung
rural communities. The next few years will see how commited our governments
are to rail and rural Australia. Will the axe fall on the QR and its
community service as other operators move in and try to get the cream and
the QR become just a network of Main Lines and Coal Lines!

I can just see Freightcorp busting to go to Quilpie!!!

Rob Bushby
Queenstown, Tasmania.

"The ABT cometh again".


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