Re: Tocumwal(V/NSW) and Goulburn Valley

["steamfreak" <steamfreak711@yahoo.com>]

Thommo <mjthom@hdc.net.au> wrote in message
S1Za5.2$4s.1178@vic.nntp.telstra.net">news:S1Za5.2$4s.1178@vic.nntp.telstra.net...
<snip...>
> James a good number of these trucks (road trains with containers) are from
> N.S.W running into the Grey's container terminal at Toc, therefore
utilising
> the railhead.The produce being carried is rice from Coleambally and Leeton
> areas, export hay, mainly in the 40 footers,containerised cereal crops,
and
> a fair amount of dairy produce from Cobram and Strathmerton hence the P is
> required for H.E.P. During the harvest period literally 100's of trucks
> serve the railhead weekly as you would have noted with the massive bunkers
> in situ. The silo you mentioned on the up side of the station is currently
> being demolished.

That was the old flour mill IIRC, now owned by David Walsh who is the local
gasfitter/gas agent.  It amused me at Tocumwal to see a container truck
parked at the silo on the SG (east) side of the station, filling up with
grain which was being augered out of the silo then blown into the container.
The truck would then drive the 200m or so to Grey's terminal and the
forklift would load the container onto the train.  Seemed like a break of
gauge even with the SG line gone!

A year or two ago they were loading direct from tip-semi's into the grain
wagons - quite an interesting process.  They still had heaps of grain in
ground bunkers and the silos there a few months ago - are they still running
grain trains up there as needed?

> As for F.A. heading north it has been discussed various times on this N.G
> with interesting comments, which I would like to add. Given that the
current
> line heads north to Finley and sharp East to Berrigan then North again to
> Nanandera, sever the line at Berrigan, totally abolish the Berrigan
> Nananadera bit as the latter town is already served by F.A.

What about intermediate towns?  There is quite a bit of ground between
Berrigan and Narrandera.  It seems that much of the grain coming into Toc
originates from points north of Finley/Berrigan.  One of the truck drivers I
chatted to there one day was driving grain regularly from Narrandera to Toc.

steamfreak