Re: Clyde Yard

[mpp_editor@my-dejanews.com]

In article <3649488D.98A288F7@hermes.net.au>,
  David & Julie Donald <dsjmd@hermes.net.au> wrote:
> It would seem that there might be an 80-class permanently based at Clyde these
> days.
> 8011 was there this afternoon.
> --
>
> Regards
>
> David Donald
> Springwood, NSW
>
> dsjmd@hermes.net.au
>
>

No there is no locomotive allocated as the shunting engine anymore. But
several trip trains do visit Clyde yards to drop off and pick up wagons, and
if there is a need for shunting, these locos off the trip train will carry
out the work. There are several sidings on the up side which require shunting
daily: two cement sidings, one sugar siding and the RSA metrop works siding,
which mainly stores the track laying machines and concreate sleeper wagons. 
These sidings all have seperate sidings and each has a very steep incline
back up to Clyde yard. Generally the cement and sugar sidings are shunted in
the pre- dawn hours because the cement train from Kandos arrives at about 3
am, and the sugar off the north arrives about the same time via a trip train
from Enfield.  The cement train from Kandos is usually 2800 tonnes and use
the new wagons built at Islington workshops in S.A. The ones they were having
problems with. Due to the steepness of the grade down to the cement siding
and the length of the siding, this  requires two 48s or now an 80 class
engine to carry out the work. Each siding in the main cement siding has
capacity to hold approx 12 wagons and there are three side by side.  These
sidings are generally cleared during the mid to late afternoon, and this
probably explains why you saw 8011 in the yard. The cement train usually
departs Clyde heading west about 21:00.  I was based at Enfield as a trainee
engineman for approx 2 years and I can remember fondly one early morning the
cement train off the west had come in, and we had to drag the whole 2800
tonnes from the lower part of the yard up to the top to allow the placement
of wagons. The 80 class we were using 8015, snorted and growled for a while
but eventually got it's feet and managed to lift this load up the 1 in 100
grade of the yard.

I hope this helps

Stuart Ellis

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