Re: [COMM]: "1999: The Vic Year in Steam" now available

[Yuri <steam4me@dingoblue.net.au>]

On Mon, 04 Dec 2000 10:04:10 GMT, jshugg@westpac.com.au wrote:

>Does that mean that WCR is no longer doing the Saturday steam hauled
>service from Spencer St to Warnambool (or has it just stopped for the
>summer)?

Sorry, that line should have read 
 *  R class on regular VLP passenger service trains (for the last time
     due to private management in Victoria now being "anti-steam");

I was referring to the July school holiday weekday return services to
Geelong that used to be made steam, and the Cup Day return Geelong
service.  These are operated by V/Line Pass.

The management at WCR is extremely *PRO-STEAM* (one of the directors
regularly fires R711) and a super R will be running on the point of
the Saturday Warrnambool service for the foreseeable future (apart
from the mainline summer steam ban that's already in force for
coal-fired locos statewide - if SRV's "Steam and Sail" runs this
weekend, R711 will be the motive power).

If WCR follows last year's pattern, the last Warrnambool service will
be probably be the 16th December, resuming in the first week of April
2001.

Yuri