Re: 422's to Broken Hill

[RNS <steam3801@hotmail.com>]

The first trial of double 422's on Countrylink's Broken Hill train
took place on the service that left Sydney as WL31 on Tue 18/1/2000.
With one loco operating over the mountains WL31 lost 12 minutes to
Lithgow and a further 9 minutes to Orange (Tumulla Bank being the main
place where time was lost in the Lithgow-Orange section), arriving at
Orange at 21.30.
WL33 departed Orange 15" late on Wed 19/1/2000 due to the two loco's
being borrowed to rescue a failed freight train. Dep from Orange was
at 12.50.
The rest of the run to the Hill was not a satisfactory trial as there
were Wollo's in force for most of the run, arrival in BHQ being at
23.45 Eastern Summer Time (23.15 Central Summer Time) in lieu of the
scheduled 22.10 EST.
WL34 departed BHQ on time at 21.10 EST on the Thursday 20/1/2000, lost
10" to Menindee, and a further 28" crossing SP5 at that point.
Ivanhoe was reached 36" late, Euabalong West 34" late, Condobolin 40"
late, Parkes 40" late, with arrival at Orange 44" late at 07.21.
I have no individual timings from there till Sydney which was reached
2 hours 6 minutes late at 14.10 with very little fuel left in either
loco.
The following week they planned to trial using both locos working over
the mountains, up Tummulla and the Bumberry Range.
I have not heard how that, or subsequent trials went.
Hope this info is of use.




On Thu, 10 Feb 2000 09:37:46 +1100, "Dave Proctor"
<thadocta@spambait.dingoblue.net.au> wrote:

>I have not seen any reference to this in aus.rail but if I have, it must
>have been while I was away - so apologies.
>
>February Railway Digest says that 422's, operating in multiple, will be
>operating the Broken Hill services, and that they took over from
>mid-January. The article says that, since they do not have the fuel range to
>do the trip, they will shut them down in turn along the way, so that only
>the one is powering.
>
>Has this happened yet?
>
>Also, this *may* be a silly question, but would there be any effects on the
>running of the service at speed from having one loco shut down (I know, the
>IP used to do this when the CLP's were on it). What, if any, effect would
>shutting down the lead loco have on the running of the train?
>
>It obviously is, but I did not think it was possible to shut down the lead
>loco and still drive from it (unless they are going to use the ample
>recovery time in the timetable to rearrange the locos en route).
>
>Dave
>