Re: Long Island Freights

[steam4me@enternet.com.au (Yuri Sos/Melbourne)]

"Chris Brownbill" <cbrnbill@enternet.com.au> wrote:

>The Up Long Island freight passed through Carrum station this afternoon
>behind six locomotives - four X class and two T class - all in equally
>faded and tatty V/line orange and grey livery.  A very impressive lashup
>though!
>
>This started me wondering - whose train is this? 

Locos are hired from V/Line, and are run by Melbourne NR crews.

>is the loading transshipped and does this
>happen in Melbourne 

Melbourne Steel Terminal near the corner of Dudley Street and
Footscray Road, West Melbourne (just below and behind West Tower):
big movable gantry cranes lift the yellow and orange boxes from BG to
SG.  From personal observation, most of these big boxes seem to go out
on the western line Adelaide way
 
>why do they need six locos, I know steel is heavy but it wasn't that long a
>train or was this an aberration?
>
Normal roster is X-T-X combinations not all are running/on
line, (9553-9556) the T is usually left shut down and only the rear X
is powered all the way, the lead loco is used from Sth Yarra to
Caulfield and Frankston to LIJ and from LIJ to Frankston.

9553 on Saturdays is X-T-X-X-T-X; a set is left behind at LI to run
9558 on Saturday night (actually Sunday's 9552 train, but there are no
signallers at Frankston or Glenhuntly early on Sunday, so train can't
run in early hours on a Sunday am).

Rumours have it (pick one only <g!>) that NR is looking at replacing
X+T+X with C class, 81 class or BL class (most likely).  C class might
be butchered, quietened if possible, and evaluated for use as shunt
locos in intermodal and steel terminals.  

Given that the all NR class are now delivered and running, attention
will probably turn to NR's second string locos and their possible
uses.

Regards

Yuri