>John Wayman <bushwalker@msn.com> wrote in article
><01bc73a3$2f921ea0$3bb80ccb@pentium>...
>>
>>
>> Krel <krel4203@netconnect.com.au> wrote in article
>> <01bc7343$e1800d80$cbd13fcb@krel4203.semex.net.au>...
>>
>> Top railfan spots
>>
>> > 3/. Bethungra - spiral, grade separation, over and under rail bridge.
>> ?????
>> Didn't they destroy the Bethungra spiral when it was regraded for
>National
>> Rail Corp Trains?
>>
>>
>I guess it depends on your definition of "destroy". They certainly regraded
>the sides of the cuttings to reduce the risk of rocks (big ones) falling
>onto the tracks but the spiral and bridge and 1 in 40s are still there.
>--
>Cheers Krel
>"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguisable from magic" -
>Clarke's Law
>
ERR , I presume you mean the 1:40 on the down line,the up line which is why
the spiral was originally built is 1:66 grade compensated for curvature.
The upgrading renewed the tunnel,stabilised the rock formations on both sides
of the tunnel, widened the cuttings to prevent rock falls, replaced the rail
with 60kg CWR on concrete sleepers.
Actually one rail project that did actually provide some benefit,very rare
these days.
Its actually interesting in looking at the history of this project and why
today a few more projects like this are needed.
The Bethungra Spiral and to a lesser extent the Frampton Deviation reduced the
maximum ruling grade against up trains from Junee to Sydney from 1:40 to 1:66.
Sadly for some strange reason , noeone saw fit to do anything about the
reverse direction which still has 1:40 grades against down trains.
Maybe only up trains carried any freight.
If the three major 1:40 down grades were reduced to 1:66,(the same as the up
line),a trivial task with todays earth moving machinery,NR could haul all its
Melb - Sydney trains with 1 loco instead of 2, saving about 11 NRs or $45
million bucks.
Sadly , no chance of this happening,not in my lifetime anyway.
cheers
MD
--------------------------------------------------
Maurie Daly
Department of Communications Lab.
Canberra
Australia
mauried@commslab.gov.au
ph 6 2791331
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