Re: [TAS] Rare sight in Hobart

[Bruce Bellingham <bruce.bellingham@clear.net.nz>]

I'm not able to comment on the Tasmanian setup, but NZR/TranzRail had a
trial setup of a Db class G8 in the 1970's which would multiple with the
EE fleet. The first batch of Df class GM's of the early 1980's were also
all fitted to MU with either GM/GE or EE and Mitsubishi locos, and could
run as either leading or trailing units. This involved some brake system
tricks to allow 26L and A7EL braking systems to work together, also the
8 notch GM controls worked with the 10 notch EE controls. In two places
the EE units in trail picked up two notches for a single GM notch, in
lead a notch change did nothing to a trailing GM. The system worked
pretty well, so maybe this is the case in Tasmania.
Hope this helps.
Bruce


John Duncan McCallum wrote:
> 
> Athan wrote:
> 
> > Tonight, seen in Hobart, was a very unusual scene.  As is my want, I
> > enjoy watching the evening goods shunt and leave, but tonight, was in
> > for a real treat.  The consist for tonight was made up of 4 different
> > classes of locomotives.
> 
> > In the lead:    2010    formerly QR 1466   first in service 8/64.
> > modified in NZ, now DQ class.
> 
> > second:        4588    I think this was it's first visit to Hobart.  A
> > DC class, built as DA1489, in Canada (A 2070) , and served in New
> > Zealand, 1964.
> 
> > third unit:   2056    Another QR, completely unmodified, slave unit.
> > Was QR 1475.
> 
> > final unit:    2101   a named loco, ZR2- Audrey Mills, is an English
> > Electric, and led this unlikely set into Hobart.  
> 
> This is interesting. Did 2101 trail the set out of Hobart? If so, was it
> powering?
> I find this hard to believe that it would have been modified for MU
> operation
> as this would have been expensive. It would have required the
> replacement
> of the EE control system by a GE/EMD unit.
> 
> John McCallum