Re: East/West ends [Was - Re: [Vic] Geelong Line CLOSED]

["Stuart Thyer" <s.thyer@anatomy.unimelb.edu.au>]

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In article <t4xE5.13834$aD2.57572@news-server.bigpond.net.au>, "Samuel
Eades" <seades@bigpond.net.au> wrote:


>
>Chris Gordon <cmgord@spaten.ecr.mu.oz.au> wrote in message
>Pine.SGI.3.95.1001010131210.157327B-100000@spaten.ecr.mu.oz.au">news:Pine.SGI.3.95.1001010131210.157327B-100000@spaten.ecr.mu.oz.au...
>
>> Not sure how much difference it makes, but you will find all N sets, H
>> sets, Z and S cars and LPDRVs (Sprinters) have "East End" and "West End"
>> marked on them. (quite a lot of things in Melbourne are based on the East
>> and West system).
>Kinda gets messed up on the sparks, because the west end becomes the east
>end as soon as the train goes through the loop! If a spark driver has a
>defect on a west end car before he enters the loop and he will be going
>through the loop straight away, does he report it as an east or a west end
>defect?

Well this system is not used on the sparks, neither would it be used in
general fault reporting. All vehicles can be coded No 1 and No2 end. This is
done by making the No 1 end the end which the brake cylinder points towards.
This is, as far as I know, a 'VR thing' and may vary from state to state. 
The 1 and 2 ends are usually marked on the frame or ends of cars to avoid
having to crawl under the car to find the brake cylinder!

Stuart Thyer
Photographer
University of Melbourne