All travel Melbourne - Geelong as per previous posts, unless otherwise
noted (ie, 7:46 down
pass N loco - FSH set, 17:00 up pass, N loco FN set).
Mon 12/5
GEX loco G531+534, T400, G511, A81, X42
17:00 up
GEX loco T400, T388
noted new V/Line stations signs at North Shore and Cirio.
Tues 13/5
travel down on 6:55 Sth Geelong
GEX loco G518, A60, S307+S301 nose to nose
training runs to/from Melbourne on 8220/8217
Wed 14/5
OL at No. 1 box at 7:50 with CLP 8 - Tantini-Dorai-Club
2-3AJ-10BJ-1RBJ-AM-AMRZ
8:41 x classic C508+507 back to back on up NRC SF at North Shore
GEX loco T379+T388+X37, T400+G511
Noted the new V/Line station signs have white background, blue name
lettering, crimson
underscore, with the platform number being white number on a blue
square.
17:00 up
Nth Geelong yard has a 'new' VLCX van for storage - it was sitting in
the dirt on it's bogies
without draftgear for a few days, it's since had the bogies removed,
been placed on the
ground, and repainted.
G532 shunting Arden St
XPT due 7:30
S302 on 8237
Shepparton Pass had N472+N466-N set
Thurs 15/5
X32 shunting WCR ACZ257 around Spencer St - this vehicle has since moved
to Ballarat
East for an overhaul
S300 on 8207
N loco for the 7:46 Sth Geelong didn't arrive until 7:42, hence didn't
get away till 7:49
8:27 x up BL+BL (both in NR colours) on up SF
8:36 Y169 shunting at Corio
GEX loo G521, G512, S307, T379+X34+T388
17:00 up
GEX loco G513, T379, G528+G515
G521+A77+T388 on up goods at Nth Geelong 'A' box
Friday 16/5 - training run to Geelong on 8207
OL arr by 8 am with CLP 12
8:25 Bacchus Marsh had X43-PCJ-H set
9:35 Ballarat pass dep P2 (usually P13 I think)
9:14 x C510+NR11 up SF at Laverton
9:33 x back to back C's on up SF on down side of Little River
GEX loco G534, G511, G531, G526, T379
Sometime on the weekend (Sat 17th or Sun 18/5) Fairfield's down platform
building was
demolished. Floodlights and new stations signs installation completed
at Rosanna over the
weekend atoo.
Monday 19/5
S311 on 8207
GEX loco G512+S307+S301, T379+T392
17:00 up
GEX loco S301 and S307 now sitting on turntable run-off roads
Tues 20/5
GEX loco T388, T379, S301 and S307, all still there on the 17:00 up
Wed 21/5
T379 shunting in NOG yard
GEX loco X34, T392, T388, T369, S301 and S307 still there.
17:00 up
Parallel running with C505 leading NR 83 on up NRC train, consisting of
containers-steel-
SRA wheat hoppers - then more steel. C505 still had the V/Line logo on
it's nose, but not on
it's side.
Thurs 22/5
T379 again shunting NOG yd
GEX loco A81, X44
17:00 up
GEX loco G514, T388
N458+X46 on Shepparton pass
XPT due 20:00
Friday 23/5 - again on 8207 Melbourne - Geelong
XPT 30 mins late, OL close to time
17:40 up
GEX loco T392, S301+S307
x down TNT at Newport 18:28
Tues 27/5
S/Z set had ACZ259-BS216-BZ???(268?)-BCZ251-BS217
S300+S302 on 8207
GEX loco - G514, 532, T392+X33, S307+S301, A 85
17:40 up - N loco - N set - BZ - BCZ
Loco failed at 18:00 on down side of Little River, got rolling again at
18:15, use Werribee P3
at 18:30 (sparks in P1 and P2), Spencer St arr 18:59
H4, CLP 8 at Spencer St
OL consist CLP 8 - Motorail - HM - RBJ - 8BJ-2AJ-Club3-Weroni
Wed 28/5
OL arr by 7:40, included "Oasis Lounge" (Ghan car) in consist, and 2
ex-Bluebird (?) trailers,
marshalled behind the HM van. Both were silver only, with "Indian
Pacific" logo's on their
sides.
S/Z set ACZ259-BS216-BZ268-BCZ251-BS217
R761 in steam at SRV old depot
8:42 x BL (AN colours) + BL (NR colours) + NR - up SF at Nth Shore
GEX loco X44, A60, S301+S307, T392
Return on 17:40 up, no observations, other than on the local side - a
new building is under
construction on the down platform at Fairfield. The old building was
demolished, with just the
verandah remaining. It appears that some timbers in the up platform
building have been
replaced.
Thurs 29/5
11:55 down pass, N loco - FN set
12:32 x BL+BL+NR - steel slabs - louvre type wagons - more steel slabs
GEX loco G532, X43, A78, A85, T390
This was the first day I worked solo as Conductor on WCR services 8217
(Geelong -
Warrnambool) and 8246 (Warrnambool - Melbourne). Consists were
S300-BRS223-BS206-
BRS229-BZ269-PCP294
Friday 30/5
Worked the same trains as Conny, 8217 had
S311-BZ205-BRS224-BZ270-ACZ255-
PCP292. S311 had ground relay problems at Little River, hence we got
away from Geelong
21 late, but arrived at Warrnambool only 10 late (16:00).
Return working on 8246 had S311 leading S300 (both no. 1 ends leading),
PCP292-ACZ255-
BZ270-BRS224-BS205. We waited time at most locations, arriving at
Geelong 3 early,
giving plenty of time for S311 to be removed from the train and placed
behind Geelong 'B'
box, with S300 continuing solo to Melbourne, losing time through signal
checks and arriving
at Spencer St at 21:11. S311 proceeded to GEX loco for repairs on
Saturday, was still there
Monday morning, pending movement to Ballarat East.
Sat 31/5
Worked 8207 out of Melbourne, with
S300-BS205-BRS224-BZ270-ACZ255-PCP292. We
were held outside Lara from 9:23-6 awaiting a cross with our up service
(8220), then
proceeded on the West line, slowing through Corio acc. trackwork (the
East line pit was
replaced with concrete-sleepered track panels), then crossing back to
the East line and
arriving at Geelong at 9:42.
Returned on the 12:30 up pass - 4 Sprinters (2 for passengers).
Sun 1/6/97
Worked 8237 out of Melbourne - a very busy train, and very challenging
for a young
Conductor (and even for more experienced Connies!)
S302-BS201-BRS225-BS206-
BRS223-BZ269-PCP294, dep Spencer St 18:55, I think we made Geelong on
time.
Cheers,
Craig.
-- Craig Haber albatross@harnessnet.com.au Manufacturing Systems Engineer (almost) Web Page Designer, Harness Racing, Railways, and Essendon Football Club fanatic http://www.harnessnet.com.au/