Push-pull

[David & Julie Donald <dsjmd@hermes.net.au>]

Here is another of those inane questions.

Apart from the situations listed below, and as well as EMU's/DMU's, can any
reader think of any other situations where Australian or New Zealand rail
operators use a system of "push-pull" (sometimes also referred to as "top and
tail".

The ones that readily came to my mind were:
(a) the Tahmoor coal traffic, in the Southern Highlands of NSW, but only, I
suspect when the traffic is operating to/from Port Kembla via Moss Vale - the
reason here would seem to relate to the nature of the junction at Tahmoor
Colliery;
(b) some of what I will call the Outer Suburban / InterUrban passenger traffic
(notably on the Bendigo line (e.g. Kyneton), Seymour, and Bacchus Marsh) running
around Melbourne, where there was two three-car sets (from memory, "H' sets)
combined into one six-car set, with a P-class on either end (I think that there
was a variation whereby the sets were joined, such that the second loco was in
the middle of the train) - I believe that the reason for this working related to
the HEP equipment, and the fact that the equipment in a single P-class was
inadequate to supply the necessary power etc to all six cars;
(c) the other situation is that being used by Westrail, with a single member of
its P-class situated at either end of grain trains - this is an efficiency
issue.

Any others ??
-- 

Regards

David Donald
Springwood, NSW

dsjmd@hermes.net.au