Re: End of the Sand Train?

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

Craig Haber <albatross@harnessnet.com.au> wrote:

>That'd be the lot of them wouldn't it?
>In which case, the demise of the original Great Southern Railway will be
>complete :(

23 December VicTrack had announced speed reductions from Clyde - Sand
sidings from 30km/h to 15km/h (same time as Melton Weir bridge was cut
back to 30km/h).  

I suppose it had to happen, though I was at Spotswood a couple of
Saturdays ago filming them making up a train.  The driver thought the
train's future was secure, but the signaller on duty said VicTrack
(and predessor) had been trying to close Spotswood box for years
rather than do up the sidings, points and crossovers.

On Saturdays, the signaller booked on to open the box, handle the
shunting moves as the train was made up and departed, then switched
out Spotswood and put his feet up and waited until the train returned
from Lang Lang some 6 hours later...opened the box, handled the moves
to place the wagons, then switched out the box again and went home.

Somehow, it didn't seem terribly efficient.

If the sand train is gone, the local people of Lang Lang, Tooradin,
Cranbourne can look forward to lots more B-doubles on their roads.

I suppose as long as the line isn't closed, K190 isn't trapped in
Gippsland, but 35km of 15km/h running would seem to make a day trip
to/from Korumburra a looooooong day.

Regards

Yuri