Re: Rationalization of Goulburn Yard.

[Bruce Greening <bgreeni@attglobal.net>]

Hunslet wrote:

> Maurie Daly wrote:
>
> > Noticed when travelling thru Goulburn today that a good part of the main
> > shunting yard appears to have been closed.
> > Three of the main sidings have been placed out of service with wooden blocks
> > across the lines to prevent use.
> > One of the sidings has had some of its rails removed.
> > I guess that since the loco depot closed this is the obvious extension.
> >
>
> Possibly in this case, as is the case elsewhere in the State, these sidings were
> not vested with Rail Access Corporation, but remained in the ownership of (the
> new) State Rail Authority.   RAC apparently only acquired the "main lines" and
> basic common user crossing loops.   Sidings not particularly vested in Freight
> Rail Corporation were considered to be surplus and remained with SRA who then
> leased them to private users for their exclusive use.   If no-one wants to pay
> to use them, well, SRA considered that it should not maintain them and so booked
> them out of use.
>
> Perhaps RAC needs to look at the real needs of operating a multi-user system and
> accept that operations to go wrong, requiring additional siding and storage
> space, available on a casual basis by all users.
>
> Apparently, under its charter, RAC is not able to allocate trackage for
> exclusive use, hence the need for SRA to be involved.
>
> RAC now also claims ownership of turntables and roundhouses/   Trouble ahead for
> preservation groups and commercial operators such as NRR and Austrac?
>
> Hunslet.

Turntables were always vested in RAC as I understand it. RAC is currently in the
process of taking over a large number of 'multi user' sidings from SRA.

--
Bruce L. Greening
bgreeni@ibm.net