Re: Trains, Road Trains and a little bit of info.

[matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au (Matthew Geier)]

In article <660cjs0k1o000rnjri4np4tnmdu9ibbc32@4ax.com>,  < Tell > wrote:
>B-Doubles, yes most folks have seen them.
>  
>Triple road trains.!  ....well I suspect most folks
>down south and along the east coast have never seen one
>of these in the flesh.
>
>Quad trains.  Yoiks.!  Yep that's my word for them.
>This is a prime mover with a tri-axle trailer, behind
>that another tri-axle trailer AND behind that a
>B-Double, just follow the ASCII below.
>
>0===00=====000----00=====000----00====000====000
>[single lines indicate draw bars, that's "tow bars" for
>you folks uninitiated in the parlance]
>
>They are presently working fuel tanker road trains from
>Darwin to Alice Springs at the moment.!

 Saw a 'standard' road train rig with 4 trailers a year ago at a road
house somewhere south of Coober Pedy. I seem to recall being told at the
time only the oil companies were allow to run 4 trailers, every one else
had to be content with 3.

 I guess by making the last trailer a B double they can get the length down
a bit, I assume it is the length and the shear impossiblity for mere 'domestic'
car motorists to over take them that stops general use of 4 trailer road
trains. If they are shorter they might get approvial to run more of them. I'm
suprised it took this long for some one to think of sticking a dolly under
a B-double trailer and hitching it on the back. Gota remember those roads 
are for freight haulage, and those little cars have no right to be there 
getting in the way. :-)

 I think a few of the 'old guard' railway men should visit the NT and see
what their railways are competing against.

 I don't suppose those Alice to Darwin road train operators will take the
threat of the railway lying down either. They have a nice road to run on,
and a lot of political support.... That new railway will be competing against
a well established and effcient competitor. One with teeth. Lots of 'em.