Toolamba-Echuca stuff up

[Douglas Mason <dmason@deakin.edu.au>]

Some of you may already know that the railway line from Murchison East
to Strathmerton, on the Tocumwal line is receiving an extensive
upgrade.  Approximately 300 sleepers per kilometer are getting
replaced.  The sleepers are coming from Echuca, and to get to the
Tocumwal line vic track are using the Echuca Toolamba cross country
line.  This line is of appalling condition, and the only think keeping
it open is the seldom traffic to a Pivot siding at Kyabram.  Back just
before the start of the month they started discharging sleepers between
Murchison East and Strathmerton on sundays.  The train would depart
Echuca about 5:30am and was timetable to reach Toolamba at 7:45am.  For
four weeks X class locos had the pleasure of running this train, some of
these locos being X40, 34, ?, 34.  However on the queens birthday long
weekend the sleeper train ran four hours late because it was found that
X class locos could not travel the line and this ban had been in for two
years.  Get it right Victrack and V/Line.  so for now it is back to the
days of T, and P class locos for the seldom used Echuca - Toolamba line.

Doug.