At about 11:00am the 10:40 down Lakeside stopped near the landslide site
(about 4 minutes on the up side of Menzies Creek, trains don't normally stop
here). Both injectors on loco 12A had packed up. The fireman got them
working enough to limp us into Menzies Creek. Here, the carriages were
stabled and the defective loco was sent back on the next up with the driver
and fireman going back to get the diesel (DH59).
At about 1:00pm, an up Belgrave (Hauled by loco 7A) had the suspension fall
apart right at Emerald station. This train was unable to move at all. DH59
went out to rescue the second failed train (the first still being at Menzies
Creek without passengers). DH59 hauled the second failed train (minus 7A)
back to Belgrave, closely followed by the only remaining steam hauled set.
These trains were both terminated at Belgrave and as a result, no Down
services left Belgrave after 1:30pm. When DH59 arrived back at Belgrave, it
shunted its set and after the steam service arrived, it went out to rescue
the set at Menzies Creek. By the time DH59 arrived back at Menzies Creek, it
was about 4:45. The set that had been at Menzies Creek all day became a Down
Lakeside. This arrived at Lakeside at 5:00, just in time to become the last
advertised up service at 5:10 ex Lakeside.
7A was repaired on the spot at Emerald and went back to Belgrave light
engine, ahead of the 5:10 ex Lakeside.
-- Sam Eades. metman@earthling.net