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Guardian Angels but who do we tell



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