Re: CLCF locos?

["< Tell >" <telljb@01.ozemail.com.au>]

dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David Bromage) wrote:
> 
> AN had them in mind for both. The Ghan was allowed 125km/h north of
> Tarcoola if hauled by a single EL.

Maybe, I have never seen any proof of that, the arrival
times were the same as per their working and passenger
time tables, (actually arrivals were very sloppy when
compared with NRC/GSR) no matter what loco was on and
the EL's were not on the Ghan all that much.

During 1987 Telecom and AN began laying fibre optic
across the Trans.

At the beginning of 1990 AN began installing 140 Kph
switches on the Trans line.

In June 1990 the implementation of AUSTRAC (AN Advanced
Train Control) commenced which among other things would
allow Train Controllers to follow a train _anywhere_ on
the TAR and TAS including between sidings.!

In July 1990 the first EL arrived in Adelaide and the
following working notice was issued.
The EL rostering was.
1 High Speed freight, aka planned 130Kmh intermodal.
2 Passenger trains.
3 Fast freight.

The EL was to haul AN's high speed freight services,
hence the big changes they were making.
 
In July 1991 the Premiers formed National Rail Corp.
The planned 130Kmh intermodal died as did Austrac and
eventually AN.

The EL has been urban "legend-ed" into a pass loco
because people figure due to its high gearing it had to
be a passenger loco.  Australian National intended to
run its express freight _faster_ than its pass trains.
Passenger times would/may have been improved, but it
was high speed freight which was their goal.

Sorry, bit long winded folks, but there is more to this
EL saga than first meets the eye.
 
----Tell
Alice Springs
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