Re: How much HP does FA need

[Richard <richard_snook@primus.com.au>]

Yes indeed not acknowledging a problem is a "PROBLEM"...whilst broadcasting to
the world that they are short on HP is not the best press available it would
have to be something FA need to address. They seem ( to a lay appreciative) to
be quite lateral at tackling problems..so it is with bewilderment that they
"appear" stumped on power. 
Any company that can be stealth enough to approach the Australian market
through a VICTORIAN guise should have been able to set up some sort of
quasi-suedo leasing company in order to acquire say the 422's by the backdoor.
FC need not have ever realised the sting!! I was not aware that the L's were
that clapped out...still it appears they are of sufficient use for another's
work. For FC to think that those 422's would not come back to haunt them in
naieve at best, stupid at worse...2200 Hp and with say q-tron gear aboard even
more usuable grunt, they are "really useful engines" :-))

FV does then have a real dillemma...by my ball park reckoning..they are short
some 25-30000 HP to tackle the new contracts with ease (thatis having some
power in reserve that is used on less priority jobs that can be given to the
real earner jobs on short notice) I apperciate youcant really afford to have
power idle...but you might relegate some older lesser power to more menial
work but kept in reasonable nick to stand in should it be necessary. FV seems
to have none of this.

As rail heats up and more contracts go back to rail from road then this
situation of "friendly" power may dry up. My lay-gut feeling was that FV was
looking to Westrail to pickup more business and an under used power fleet. If
the L's are lost and the 422's not avaialble then the grab-bag of rebuildable
power seems very slim. Given the competition between ASR and FV..leasing would
seem out of the question??

It would be a very timely opportunity for RA to spend money down here...that
Uncle Sam Buck is going to go a long way at present.

Is it a case of getting too big...tooo quickly?? FV have had some poor luck
with mishaps taking out some much needed power..(to take nothing away from any
trauma incurred by crew)

Seems like Marius and Co have some crunch time resolving ahead of them.

cheers >:~)) Richard




Rod Young wrote:
> I guess the biggest problem with your question is that F/A are not going to
> even admit that they have a problem. It would be a "Commercial" mistake to
> admit they had any problems at all. There is a very strong rumour around
> that they are avoiding asking R/A for much needed cash, and that might be
> why they did not try for the 422's. Another says that NSW did not want F/A
> to have them, because they would be used to inflict a lot more damage in NSW
> by a competitor who is already inflicting much damage. ASR are not likely to
> roam into NSW at this time.
> The L's are pretty much had it, and have suffered major cracks and fatigue
> fractures over the years. They are pretty basic, and would not in my
> opinion, be worth the trouble and expense of rebuilding. [much the same as
> the "S" class and Gm's. Only an total ["A" class type] rebuild would be
> useful, and those days are gone for ever.