Re: SD40s for ASR?

[chris <chris@enet21.com.au>]

The advantage of buying reconditioned USA diesels is you can get them quicker and
cheaper than going thru concerns like Clyde & Gonnians (and alot less drama).
>From memory GM in the US can build a DE in about 1/3 the time it takes for a
aussie company (that is why there are US diesels in the Hunter Valley). In the
USA you can buy "stock" reconditioned DE's of the shelf. (Aparently they paint
them grey so the customer can the paint them in his company colors) I wouldn't be
supprised if alot of flat cars, ballast hoppers, and even used passenger stock
(maybe from Rio Tinto as  it has showed its true colours and is eager to get rid
of its US passenger stock now that it has gotten rid of the Pendenis Castle)
arrive in Australia from the US for the Darwin rail link. If and when the Darwin
line is built, it is a fair bet that the line as far a Orange or Bathurst will be
eventualy modified to a US loading gauge. It then becomes very expensive once you
hit the mountians and Sydney. Bathurst or Orange will eventually get a container
terminal.
Btw, there are some groups, including Leightons and the Stevadoring companies who
privately don't want the rail link to go thru. Leightons and P&O hate it as it
torpedos the building of a container terminal on the site of the Newcastle
Steelworks.

Chris

Richard wrote:

> Further to this conundrum..of supposed SD40's heading this way..which seems
> all the more unlikely the more you consider alternatives...such  as the
> WestRails "L"'s that would make a far better choice for a rebuild program and
> as they are already to "our" loading guage they could travel
> where-ever...these could easily be rebuilt  (relatively) to dash 3 ...all at
> Aussie dollar rates.
>
> >:~)) Richard