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Aus loco discussion mailing list
Evening folks
Thanks to those who tipped off re GNRS running
ballast trains out of Inverleigh with GM27 (oh, and ex-Westrail J103 too, for
what it's worth). According to Great Northern, they will be there for a few
weeks, and for today, Friday and Saturday were/are to make two trips from
Inverleigh per day, one at 09 00 and another at 13 00, working as far as Vite
Vite loop.
I checked them out this arvo, discovering GM27-J103
(just 27-103 according to GNRS's numbering) and 13xVZMF hoppers at midday in
Wingeel loop, waiting for a cross with NR89-NR11 on WP2. Getting section
authorities to continue apparantly took ages, as it wasn't until 13 00 that the
locos left the loop to run around the train, and it was 13 40 before they
departed to return to Inverleigh discharging the last of the ballast as they
went.
As an aside, Little Bo Peep will presumably have
been experiencing severe disappointment at some stage over the past weeks,
judging by the number of dead sheep beside the tracks in the loop.
Back at Inverleigh a second set of hoppers were
waiting already filled. In an interesting variation on push-pull working, the
train entered the siding from the down end, the locos coupled to the loaded
hoppers, and then pushed them towards the up end of the loop while still pulling
the empties into position for reloading from the large pile of ballast being
added to by a constant stream of road tippers. It was an unusual sight to see
the two locos effectively in the middle of their train.
After leaving the empties in position the locos
continued to push the full hoppers out onto the mainline, departing again at 15
35. They discharged again almost immediately for a short distance before heading
off at speed to Wingeel Loop again, where they waited for a cross with NR91-NR86
on PW4 at 16 35. I was satisfied with my collection of photos of that gleaming
red bulldog nose, and left the train to continue on its way to Berrybank Loop.
The GNRS livery [or paint scheme for the benefit of our Echuca correspondant, as
the bogies aren't silver!] really does look superb in the sun, where it almost
glows.
[For those interested in photos, if it's not
already clear GM27 leads when heading west of Inverleigh, and J103 on the
easterly return.]
Regards,
Russell Armstrong
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