Re: C class's and Belarine Peninsula Railways (two qns)

[Craig Haber <albatross@harnessnet.com.au>]

David & Julie Donald wrote:
> It all seems rather strange.  My understanding, though, and this seems to be the
> publicly stated scenario, is that the EL's are due for heavy maintenance and
> overhaul (possibly their ten-year component changeover), and this is the reason
> that no-one wants them - don't want the expense involved.  Word indicates that
> whenever ASR hired the units, they were very particular about which ones they
> wanted, for this particular reason.

This is a major issue.  How nominally 'old' a locomotive is, is a poor
way of judging its economic value.  Yeah OK a nominally old loco (say a
B class) uses old technology compared to a nominally young loco (the
EL's), BUT the key issue is "how much life is in that loco?".  How much
life is in the loco depends on it's last major overhaul.  If the EL's
are at major overhaul, then they're life expired.  If the B is at half
life, its the one you want hauling your train, because it'll do so for
many kms to come.  Yeah it might have old technology, you gotta upgrade
the cabs etc etc, but it's got a lengthy service life before major
overhaul.  Upgrading cabs on old loco's costs pocket money compared to
major overhauls on younger locos (or alternatively, buying new locos).

When any loco comes up for major overhaul, you can spend megabucks on
making it like new (it'll still have old technology, but it'll be in
similar condition to the day it rolled out of the builders factory), but
you've gotta weigh that up against the cost of a new loco, with new
technology.  The EL's are basically a purpose built passenger train
loco. And unfortunatly, on the SG there's really only one loco hauled
passenger train operator (who are of course GSR), and they're
out-sourcing locomotives from NRC.

So if it's correct that the EL's are at major overhaul, then I'd reckon
there's little prospect of them returning to traffic.

Cheers,
CH.
-- 
Craig Haber
albatross@harnessnet.com.au
Manufacturing Systems Engineer (B. Eng, RMIT 1998)
Web Page Designer, Harness Racing, Railways, and Essendon Football Club
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