Re: Mistakes of 100 years ago

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <35b6a838.1@139.134.5.33> "Ben Staples" <BenKim@bigpond.com> writes:
>From: "Ben Staples" <BenKim@bigpond.com>
>Subject: Re: Mistakes of 100 years ago
>Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 20:18:27 +1000

>Now lets just make sure that the initial gauge problem is put into
>perspective.

>The three states that were originally proposing railways in the 19th century
>(NSW, Victoria, SA) all agreed on a common gauge, Broad Gauge. Then, at the
>last minute, a Scottish Engineer came from the UK to NSW and decided that
>the standard gauge is better, and changed NSW's gauge to Standard Gauge. NSW
>stuffed it up. Victoria and SA went on the build the first inter-colonial
>link, with Broad Gauge. NSW was left behind.

>Ben Staples


Correct, but thats only part of the problem.
Even though we had uniform guage between melbourne and adelaide from 1920 , 
when the Nairne to SA/VIC Border railway Act was passed , for the next 70 odd 
years, every train arriving at that border was stopped, locos were removed, 
crews changed , for no good reason whatsover, except that the States insisted 
that it be done.
Exactly the same madness happened at Albury from 1962 when the SG line was 
built till just prior to the creation of NRC when Countrylink successfully ran 
the first XPT thru Albury without it having to change drivers.
At least in the case of the extension of the Nth Coast line from kyogle to 
brisbane in the 1930s such madness didnt occur at Border Loop.
It also doesnt explain at all why SA also went ahead with narrow guage for 
large parts of its network,as did Qld and WA.
And the problem hasnt gone away even today.
We are still seeing examples of each state continuing to do its own thing in 
relation to rail without any referance to what other states are doing.
The classic examples are the PTC with its ASW safeworking , (a system unused 
anywhere else in Australia,requiring every loco running over its tracks to be 
modified.)
We also are seeing the SRA introducing its very own versions of 
train order working (totally differant to everyone elses) on interstate lines.
Whats been learnt from the past 100 years, bloody nothing.

cheers
MD