Given there are more rail enthusiasts trackside than there are rail workers
in today's environment, in particular the country areas, most of us have
encountered a freight train passing with a potential disaster looming, in the
form of a load shift, seized bearing, dragging brakes, tarpaulin blown loose, or
dragging undergear. A good example is depicted in the September edition of
Railway Digest, and indeed the incident at Junee earlier this year certainly
highlights the fact. In days of past,signalers and station staff usually
reported these defects and contacted the appropriate authority to rectify the
situation. Us as observers are now the Guardian Angels for these potential
mishaps but who do we tell?? I used to carry the Melbourne phone number for
standard gauge traffic, after the death of a truck driver at Wallen, when he
careered down an embankment, and then a freight train ploughing into him. Now
most of us carry a mobile in our travels, therefore we should have direct
access to the train controllers and inform that their train has a potential
disaster on board.
Your Guardian Angel
Thommo
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