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

["Trevor Edmonds" <tedmonds@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.>>

Like what? Stop making vague generalisations. Which pieces of rolling stock
at Dorrigo are not being maintained?

<<That there has been massive hoarding and NOTHING to show for it,>>

So, which pieces of rolling stock in the DSRM collections are not worthy of
preservation and should have been scrapped?

<<I am not criticising those now making genuine attempts to right the
wrong,>>

Gee, it feels like criticism to me.

<<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.>>

The NSW groups sometimes get first bite, but it costs! The prices demanded
for the rolling stock offered to the preservation groups has generally been
higher than the remaining rolling stock of that class has fetched at the
disposals auctions. The only advantage is that it allows the groups to sort
out who will get what in an orderly fashion.

<<Now in Victoria volunteer groups have to buy at commercial rates.>>

While we pay more than the commercial rates to be able to pick which pieses
we get.

<<Their only source of spare parts is from other kindred organisations.>>

The spare parts we have come from either buying at auction (at commercial
rates) or from stripping from locos going to scrap (and paying the scrap
dealers at commercial rates).

<<There are and will never be for a long time Victorian contempories of the
442 & 422 classes like the RTM will have for example.>>

No other group has been offered a 442 or 422. They will probably be too
expensive anyway.

The only way to get rolling stock free in NSW (apart from the RTM deed of
gift rolling stock)is to be in a marginal electorate. Everybody else does it
the hard way.

Trevor