Re: Freight is booming

[Bob <gioia@fastlink.com.au>]

Maurie Daly wrote:
Well for a start , there are 14 ELs sitting In Adelaide doing nothing, (13

> operational).
> Westrail is shortly going to offer all its remaining operational
> L class to whoever wants them, I beleive all bar two are still operational.
> Freightcorp have an excess of 81 & 82 class which no doubt they would lease to
> whoever wanted them if sufficient was offered, after all they leased a heap of
> 82s to NR for years.
> There are 20 422s sitting around acting as shunters.
> In short there are heaps of locos available for any new trains in the near
> future.
> Freight will be booming when we see an additional 20 to 30 trains a day
> between Melb - Sydney - Brisbane, as this will be required to get rail up to
> at least half of what the Road freight industry carries.
>

Sorry, I can't agree with you saying Freightcorp have an excess of 81 and 82 class. On most days
they have trouble getting enough locos to run the Hunter coal program and often they use 81s on
Hunter coal. If you consider that there are still 250 new coal wagons to be delivered and a
projected increase of 10 to 15% in coal for Freightcorp in the next year then you soon begin to
realize that stored locos like 80 class and 422s will be back. I hear that Clyde is offering a
refurbished ready power package to freightcorp for the 422s. I wonder if it will happen? Also
the A/C 48s should be used as shunters in pairs and release 422s and 80s to mainline duties even
if restricted to second unit status like the 45s were.Cheers
Bob