Re: VLine loco rerostering

Krel (krel4203@netconnect.com.au)
16 Oct 97 10:28:07 GMT

David Bromage <dbromage@metz.une.edu.au> wrote in article
<61usr7$26p$2@gruvel.une.edu.au>...
> Krel (krel4203@netconnect.com.au) wrote:
> >David Bromage <dbromage@metz.une.edu.au> wrote in article
> ><61sgrg$p21$1@gruvel.une.edu.au>...
> >> Here's a poser. Eventually I can see only V/Line Passenger crews being
> >> certified to work on certain lines and drive only V/Line Passenger
> >> locomotives. Who would crew the following trains?
> >
> >In Victoria loco and track certification seems to last forever.
> >Basically the crew concerned have to be certified for the track and the
> >locos so ,EVENTUALLY, the answers could be:-
>
> [much snippage]
>
> The basic answer appears to be:
>
> >The regular crew plus a pilot driver if the regular crew are not
certified
> >for the loco. (this applies for all above trains).
>
> Which means at least a 50% increase in crew costs for the operator.
>
Nothing changed there - This has always been so and is accounted for in the
hire charges.

> >> - A special train hauled by a preserved Y class diesel.
> >VLP crew. VLP has 4 Y class so certification for locos would not be a
> >problem.
>
> The crews working the Y class locos are quite often restricted to pilot
> working as a form of punishment.
>
In general a driver so restricted would not lose his previous qualification
and most, if not all, drivers in a depot would be certified for Ys for
rostering flexibility.

> >> - with a visiting 36/38/59 to Albury.
> >> - with a visiting 36/38/59 to Ararat.
> >3801 ltd have their own crew and would probably supply their own.
>
> I doubt 3801 Limited would be able to use their own crews in Victoria.

Why not ? 3801s driver are paid an approved rate and at least one is c okay
to run in Victoria over the lines you mentioned.
>
> >Eventually as long as you are certified in the loco and the track you
will
> >be able to run the train. It won't matter who you work for. Each Rail
> >Operator with crews will be able to negotiate to run any trains as long
as
> >they have locos and crews available.
>
> Hopefully even volunteer crews will be able to work on the main line as
in
> NSW.

Hopefully anyone, volunteer or paid, will be able to work on a main line as
long as they are certified for the train, the loco and the track. One would
hope that some sort of time limit on qualifications will ensure recency.
>
> >Another poser - since September 7th, 1997 no VLP trains travel to/from
> >Ballarat via North Shore. IF the line via Bacchus Marsh is unusable for
any
> >reason do the VLP drivers require a pilot driver from Ballarat to North
> >Geelong ?
>
> I think that's more a traffic problem than a partitioning problem. North
> Geelong C - Gheringhap is a bottleneck at the best of times. My guess is
> all the Sprinters now go via Ballan to free up some more pathways for
> standard gauge freights.
>
My guess is that the via North Shore trains were run to free up paths for
the Overland and the Jets on the Straight in the BG days and the
timetabling people have only just discovered that they are no longer
required.

-- 
Cheers Krel


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without having to get out of the cab and go to a lineside phone is inversly
proportional to the amount of rain falling at the time :-)