Re: RTM and steam. My personal opinion

["Rod [comtrain]" <freight_man@hotmail.com>]

Big problem in Victoria, is that V/Line and now F/A have sacked so many
people, removed most of the signal persons, and just kept enough
infra-structure in place for their own needs. They no longer have the means
of accommodating extra trains.
As an example
In the North East on the BG, the Societies often run towards Yarrawonga.
9357 waits in Wodonga for the arrival of the last down Albury pass, and on a
train Order heads towards Benalla
The Oaklands wheat train if on time has to depart clear of Benalla on the
Oaklands line before the Wodonga Goods can depart Bowser Loop. The steam
Special then has to arrive, and that cannot enter the Yarrawonga track till
the Wheatie is locked away somewhere, and it is shunting on the way. In the
meantime the Wodonga goods is either sitting at Bowser Block Point, or has
been locked away at Wangarratta, if the section Riggs Creek to Benalla was
unoccupied long enough to get their from Bowser......During the day with 3
up and 3 Down Pass. movements as well as the up and Down goods during the
night, and sections being Seymour Riggs Creek Loop (about 40 minute) Riggs
Creek Loop to Wodonga about 90 minutes, their just is not any room for an
additional train to run, without major disruption.
Rod [comtrain]
Stuart Thyer <s.thyer@anatomy.unimelb.edu.au> wrote in message
98pa7l$9vf$1@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au">news:98pa7l$9vf$1@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au...
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>
>
> ----------
> In article <3ab00508.2383267@news-server.bigpond.net.au>,
> lbrown2@bigpond.com (Brown Family) wrote:
>
>
>
> >Concerning acces to the state's rail network, Victorian heritage train
> >operators were guaranteed rail access (50,000km per year, wasn't it?)
> >by the Kennett govt and I do not believe this has changed under
> >Bracks. It might be tricky running steam, but Victoria's advantage is
> >that the rail operators are using heritage locos for revenue traffic
> >which makes it kinda hard for them to say no when you want to run a
> >train or two. My impression is that F/A bends over backwards to help
> >most heritage groups. Not every railway line in Victoria sees heavy
> >traffic. The problem is not so much can we run a train, but where and
> >when.
>
> FA certainly do not bend over backwards to help heritage groups, in fact
the
> exact opposite is the case. Despite FA and a lack of thought by the
Kennett
> govt as to how heritage groups would integrate into the main line network
> tours still do manage to run, but the problems that have arisen over the
> last 12 months have pushed all heritage groups to the edge in terms of
> resources to deal with these issues.
> Free track access is 30 000k per year.
>
>
>  If you guys stopped your in-fighting and
> >started co-operating and behaving professionaly, maybe Bob Carr might
> >be more generous.
>
> I think the only reason in-fighting died in Victoria is some of the old
> guard passed on and we are all now faced by a bigger enemy (FA).
>
> Stuart (these opinions are mine and mine alone)
>