Re: Freight is booming

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

Greetings Mark and others.....

MarkBau1 wrote:
> And Craig,
> please dont quote WallyRail fuel consumption figures again, EMD, GE and > every
> class 1 in the US would prove you wrong.

Errr, I have _never_ quoted fuel consumption figures....other than to
say it's 'horses for courses' and on our operation, a B/S uses the same
fuel as an N, a tick more than an A.  Then again, if we ran the Bendigo
it'd be a different story :)
 
> Actually with decent maintenence the B's and S's should last a while  > yet given
> their sedentary lifestyle these days.

Like any loco they have a lifespan of 'x' kilometres, after which they
require major overhaul.  At that point we have to ask is it more
economic to overhaul the locos, or buy new ones.  Those mileages will
run up pretty quickly too....36 trains per week, 267 kms each train,
that's near enough to 500,000kms/year, spread over 5 loco's thats near
enough to 100,000kms per loco per year.  We don't have to worry about
overhaul/replacement just yet, but the time will come.  

Give them some credit Mark, the old girls are 40-45 years old, flogged
up and down at 70mph on unwelded track day in, day out, and doing it
well (most of the time!)

And in a railway world quickly becoming devoid of character, the honking
B's and screaming S's (those 'Hurricane' whistles on the S's are
appropriately named!) are a welcome sight and sound.  How appropriate -
the pioneers of dieselisation in the state, and the pioneers of
privatisation.  Long live the ML2's and A7's! :)  God, I love this job!

Sorry, I'm on holidays and getting a bit carried away perhaps :)

Cheers,
Craig.
-- 
Craig Haber
albatross@harnessnet.com.au
Manufacturing Systems Engineer (almost) 
Web Page Designer, Harness Racing, Railways, and Essendon Football Club
fanatic
http://www.harnessnet.com.au/