>According to the chatter on the PTC Radio this morning (0200) the D3
>stalled on Ingliston Bank with 5 cars and had to be pushed into Bank Box by
>a relief loco (P class I think). The Diesel was then run around to the head
>of the train and both locos worked forward ex BB.
The P class was started up at Bacchus Marsh and pushed the train as
far as Ballan, I'm told. The D3 worked forward solo from Ballan
(there is now no loop at Ballan, so the P couldn't have been on the
front ex Bank Box and the D3 still work solo ex Ballan). I noted the
D3 had removed the ZD van at Spencer Street in an effort to lighten
the load.
In spite of the delay, both trains arrived in Bendigo some 20-30 mins
early. By the time I got to Echuca at 1715, the D3 was already
stabled at the station.
Sunday morning, the D3 shunted the sleepers off the train, slipping
constantly on the foggy, wet tracks. The fog was a pea souper and the
D3 made a fine sight looming out of the morning mist (advance free
plug for "1997 - The Victorian Year in Steam" (g,d,r!!)). I watched
them depart Barnes and disappear into the fog before taking the family
back to Echuca for N class static boilers at the port and steam hauled
paddle steamers. In the evening we returned to Barnes to get the
homeward bound shot (trying for glint!), but the D3 was 30 minutes
late at Barnes. We then paced the tender-first D3 b/w Barnes and
Moama as they made "excellent" time and arrived only 10 late into
Echuca.
Monday was the opposite to Sunday.......brilliantly clear, cold, sunny
morning with a dusting of frost on the ground.....not a breath of
wind: very "South African high veldt" as the D3 headed for Deniliquin,
steam billowing high in the clear, frosty morning and pausing for a
photostop a couple of km south of Barnes. Again we left them there.
We missed their return to Echuca (they were about 20 early).
The D3 left Echuca on time, but lost time progressively, arriving in
Bendigo about 30 late. Bendigo Panel asked the D3 what was the matter
somewhere near Nth Bendigo Junction, but I missed the loco's reply (on
the scanner). One comment I did hear though from the loco crew while
shunting in Bendigo yard... "get someone to move these gunzels .....
they're about a hundred to the acre down here!!" <g!>
D3+ K left on time, or thereabouts, I shot them at Buckeye Creek, but
there must have been a problem as we overtook them before Porcupine
Hill (normally wouldn't expect to see them again till Elphinstone and
especially not with Queen's Birthday holiday weekend traffic), then
waited over 30 minutes for them to climb out of Taradale. At that
point, we gave up any further chase as the family were becoming, shall
we say, testy.
Still, a great weekend.
I'm puzzled though, why SRV didn't
a. advertise the D3+Y combo (even though it didn't happen, through no
fault of SRV);
b. combine the trains on the down at Castlemaine (only 20 minutes
apart) to give a spirited double headed run up Big Hill.. again
another tour attraction;
c. advertise the day trains Echuca-Moulamein and Echuca-Deniliquin in
the Echuca region. Our motel manager could tell us everything about
the steam (traction) rally, but didn't know there was a steam train in
town (when they asked us what brought us to Echuca for the weekend).
No-one at the Port of Echuca knew it was in town, in fact none of all
the people we spoke to while up there (and it's a very friendly place)
knew the train was in town. A couple of people said they would have
ridden Echuca - Deniliquin if they could have (I did suggest they go
to the station and find a tour manager). Was the tour that heavily
booked that a few extra paying passengers couldn't be accommodated or
is the revenue gained overshadowed by the cost of advertising?
Yuri Sos
Melbourne