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Re: End of the Sand Train?



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

>G'day,
>
>Victrack scheduling notice W.98/102 shows the following services
>cancelled

>In which case, the demise of the original Great Southern Railway will be
>complete :(

I went to Spotswood this afternoon to check on the sidings.  Seven
empties near the Spottiswoode pub, 2-3 deep inside AGL.  As I browsed,
a signaller opened Spotswood box for the second last time.  P23 turned
up at about 1530 with three loads, deposited them, removed the seven
empties and departed towards Newport.  According to the driver, a
regular on this working, Lang Lang is closed and cleared.  The last
train will clear the empties from Spotswood on Thursday afternoon,
closing out the sand train.

The working was scheduled to close mid-February, but the hot weather
and likelihood of buckling track and AG's desire to move to trucks
brought forward the closure.  According to the driver, the track and
sleepers appear to be in good condition, but it looks as "if someone
has welded in 30' too much rail and the rail wanders all over the
place.  According to him, it is almost impossible to stand in the loco
at 20km/h beyond Lang Lang.  In summary: a complete lack of any
maintenance to the line over many years.

The train today returned to West Tower via Brooklyn where it collected
S307 which failed on an up Oaklands wheatie and was cut off at
Brooklyn.

It would appear that the line will be available for light engine
transfers, but passenger trains have already been banned from the
line, according to the driver.  That, plus a 15km/h limit for 35-50 km
would make a trip too long to be run economically.

Regards

Yuri