Re: Vale Vic Steam (and all special trains?)

["Graeme" <grimegrime@hotmailnospam.com>]

Slightly off topic,but Who or what is the Rail Tourist Association?
I went looking for a web site and had a look in the yellow pages but not a
mention.
"Frank Jones" <fjones@pipeline.com.au> wrote in message
3ac0a1bc.13219287@news.pipeline.com.au">news:3ac0a1bc.13219287@news.pipeline.com.au...
> On Mon, 19 Mar 2001 08:30:48 +1100, "Stuart Thyer"
> <s.thyer@anatomy.unimelb.edu.au> wrote:
>
> >>Vale Rail Heritage in Victoria.
> >>
> >
> >While I'd like to deny things you wrote Graeme, they are all true. The
worst
> >thing about it is I can't remember the last time I actually got involved
in
> >a restoration project; fighting the BS just to get the next train out the
> >gate is all many of us seem to do now days. No one seems to be putting
their
> >hands up to help with this kind of help, and who can blame them.
> >I only hope I can hang in long enough to see to the end of the crap, but
> >then I thought that in 1996.
> >
>
> There is no doubt that the current situation in Vic. post
> privatisation is an absolute shambles.
>
> Operating even the simplest rail tour in Vic. is now a organiser's
> nightmare, with the great number of different entities one now has to
> deal with (most of which don't seem to know who is exactly responsible
> for what). Of course, all the demarcation (and other) problems only
> surface 2 days before a tour...
>
> The Rail Tourist Association ran a tour with a FA X class to Colac
> last year. Basically a very simple tour, a day trip in 1 crew shift
> with loco and 1 car about 150 km each way, clear of regular services -
> no more difficult than a return trip to Bendigo. There were major
> problems with crewing (which operator had crews qualified in X class
> locos?), and carriage accreditation (the originally proposed cars were
> 'accredited' but this may or may not be recognised by the particular
> operator. We were told that if there are 20 different operators, a
> particular item of rolling stock has to have 20 accreditation
> certificates!!).
>
> To their credit the Dept. of Infrastructure called a meeting in Dec.
> last year to try to address some of these issues. Virtually all
> interested groups were represented. Many raised issues such as:
> - organising a tour months in advance only to be told 2 days
> beforehand that no crews are available;
> - lack of operating agreements of common rolling stock on various
> operators' lines (try running a K class to Camberwell these days!).
>
> It was noted that virtually no thought had been given to heritage
> train operators when the system was privatised - although some of
> these issues have at least been recognised and moves are being made
> towards resolving some of these problems.
>
> Many problems arise from the 'accredited operator' status (or
> otherwise) of the various groups. You see, *none* of the groups in
> Vic. (unlike say RTM in NSW) are accredited operators in their own
> right. They thus have to nominate someone (e.g. FA, VLP) to provide
> crews and be the 'accredited operator' on their behalf.
>
> Not only are there insurance issues here (what happens if there is an
> accident - who would become responsible?), but also we have the
> problem of the OPR (Operational Penalty Regime), where operators are
> fined for late running. What happens if an Steamrail special fails at
> Ballan and delays a Sprinter? Well, VLP will be looking to recover its
> penalty from the operator - but Steamrail isn't the *accredited*
> operator, FA might be. Hence FA becomes the 'meat in the sandwich' and
> hence technically liable for the fine. Of course, FA in turn would
> probably be looking to recover their fine from the 'real' operator,
> and the fines are apparently quite substantial.
>
> On a recent suburban DERM tour the RTA was left in NO doubt as to its
> fate if we ran even a few minutes late - several checks were known to
> have been made on our progress during the day.
>
> I understand that VLP has recently decided it will no longer be
> responsible for special trains, I would imagine probably because of
> the OPR and other issues. Certainly FA's attitude to special trains
> seems extremely reluctant and (in the light of the above paragraph)
> even antagonistic.
>
> Other problems arise because of clauses in the privatisation contracts
> stating that heritage operators are to be given X km of free track
> access. But if VLP is the 'accredited operator' on behalf of Steamrail
> for a particular tour, then effectively VLP has to grant free track
> access to itself -- but VLP isn't a heritage operator and isn't
> entitled to it!! Thus a contradiction is created in the operators'
> lease agreements.
>
> What a mess we have created... Kennett's legacy?!?
>
> I'm sure the road transport sector won't mind watching the rail
> industry either self-destruct or sink in a sea of regulation over the
> next 5 or 10 years....
>
>
>
> Frank Jones
> President RTA
>
>