Re: [NSW] Dorrigo (was: 6042 in south australia?)

["Rod Gayford" <rjaygee@smartchat.net.au>]

Grahame's posting about Dorrigo was the most accurate I have seen. A lot of
well meaning people have been played for suckers and still are being played
for suckers. The outfit even has its true believers who are mouth pieces for
a certain gentleman. How come he never has anything to say?  The assertion
that Dorrigo has been inspected by ASC, ATO etc and came up squeaky clean
is clearly not sustainable as those government regulatory bodies chose to
take no further action since in most cases the complaints about Dorrigo are
really of a civil nature and not within their jurisdiction. You cannot say
that all is squeaky clean just because a complaint is NFA'd.  On the other
hand you cannot say something criminal has occurred just because say the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission chooses to investigate a
complaint.  The Dorrigo fiasco could have been solved years ago if it wasn't
for the intransigence of one particular person who expected State Rail to
hand over public property to a private individual who happened to possess a
lot of rolling stock that may or may not have belonged to him.  The fact of
the matter  is that the top part of the rail line is probably damaged beyond
repair. So what does that leave, a pile of junk that is going to attract
bugger all in the way of tourists.  The stuff was deliberately carted up
their, and still is, so that it would be very difficult to evict them from
the property. In other words a war of attrition has been won by Dorrigo. The
Transport Minister should have stuck to his original plan to evict Dorrigo
from the site. I do not believe the battle is over because the government
will soon get pissed off if the top part of the line is not made operational
within a reasonable time.  The line could still end up sold to the farmers
along the line.  There is is no actual answer to the problem whilst the
present management remain. I am surprised that, as part of the lease of the
line, the existing management were not replaced.  Its a dreadful problem. I
toured the line about ten years ago and even then there was an incredible
amount of rolling stock rusting or rotting on sidings and the position has
not changed.

Cheers
Rod Gayford

"Grahame Ferguson" <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au> wrote in message
38958676@nap-ns1">news:38958676@nap-ns1...
>
> Trevor Edmonds wrote in message <873mmd$lcb$1@news.tmx.com.au>...
> >
> >Grahame Ferguson wrote...
> >
> ><<I have been to Dorrigo and I am afraid it is the biggest rail junk yard
> in
> >Australia and has NOT improved in the last 10 years.>>
> >
> >Which pieces of rolling stock are you refering to?
>
> Nearly everthing.
> >
> ><<How many years will it be before another train is realistically ever to
> >run to Dorrigo???>>
> >
> >A few yet. And your point is?
>
> That there has been massive hoarding and NOTHING to show for it, someone
is
> to blame for this situation.  A lot of people have been mislead along the
> way. A lot of work and some have been played for suckers many years ago.
> Has anyone been made answerable??:  Its got to have been going on for
nearly
> 20 years!
>
> I am not criticising those now making genuine attempts to right the wrong,
> but realistically a lot has been wasted and WHY?
> >
> ><<Use the resources you have and use that money to improve the
situation.>>
> >
> >So, if we sell everything we will have plenty of money and nothing to
spend
> >it on. If other groups want to buy rolling stock, perhaps they should
have
> >taken action when the rolling stock was available, rather than criticise
> >those who had the foresight to buy it before it was scrapped.
>
>
> Come On - No not everything, but those items that you will never use.   A
46
> Class?
>
> For instance in Victoria, Preservation Groups do not have the advantage
that
> NSW groups have in that NSW groups have first bite of the cherry for
disused
> SRA/FreightCorp rolling stock.  Victorian groups were allocated rolling
> stock by the PTC whilst they still retained ownership.
>
> They were never given ownership in some case they bought their own rolling
> stock.  Now in Victoria volunteer groups have to buy at commercial rates.
> Their only source of spare parts is from other kindred organisations.
There
> is no locomotive younger than an S or 3rd series T class in preservation
in
> Victoria, nor will there likely to be for many years, unless they can pay
> big cash up front.
>
> There are and will never be for a long time Victorian contempories of the
> 442 & 422 classes like the RTM will have for example.
>
>
> .>Trevor
> >
> Regards, Grahame.
>
>