> >Nic Doncaster (nldoncas@cobweb.com.au) wrote:
> >: They last saw use on Commissioners specials (see old Rail Australia Mags
for pics). Their transfer terminates plans for a southern Eyre Peninsula tourist
service
The tourist operation was a proposal from local railway workers, as well as a
few well meaning locals. despite a bit of a push from out-of-towners, little
happened. Now that Alberga and Coonatto have gone, so have the plans
> >I'd never even heard of such a plan, but Eyre Peninsula would need some
> >upgrading to handle speeds in excess of 30 km/h.
>
Sounds like you've never set foot on the Coast!
EP runs gypsum at speeds of up to 80km/h between Kevin and Penong Junct.
Normal sort of speed for grain is between 40-50km/h, depending on the section.
Slowest is usually out to Kapinnie or as the trains grind up Pearlah Bank.
Extensive work was done on Cummins-PLO in the mid-eighties to tighten things up,
and reduce the bottleneck that occours in Peak Season. Part of the fix was a
bunker just south of Cummins. Other track work has been done in order to
increase mainline speeds, and thus reduce train turnaround times at some of the
more remote silos.This includes recycling steel sleepers from the NAR, and the
hire of various track machines to improve alignments.
> 30km/h _is_ a typical tourist railway speed. The only tourist operations I
> know of which approach mainline speeds are VHTR (70km/h) and SGR (60km/h
> for diesel and railcars, 50km/h for steam).
HVTR often runs "mainline" at up to 100km/h, speeds of which few of the former
WAGR engines would have seen in their service life!
>
>
Mmmmmm
Nic Doncaster