Saturday in Sydney

[David & Julie Donald <dsjmd@hermes.net.au>]

A few incidents from the Sydney area on Saturday, 31st October ("Halloween").

1.  I suspect that it was going to be a rather "long night" for the passengers
on NT1 to Brisbane last night.  My timetable indicates that departure from
Sydney Terminal is at 1624, but information received indicates that the train
was still in the Strathfield area three hours later.

On a more general note, from various pieces of information, I believe that there
was quite significant suggestion in the Inner West due to the trackwork in
progress, especially for traffic heading north.

2.  Here's one that perhaps David Johnson can answer.  I heard a reference late
last night to NS86, which was apparently to have a loco change at Flemington
Markets, and head out as SL87.  What was this ??

3.  It must have been "silly season" in the west last night, with the following
incidents:
(a) there were reports of a car parked inside the fence on the up side between
Doonside and Rooty Hill.  I gather that this did not cause too many problems.
(b) however, of a more serious nature was an incident between Marayong and
Quaker's Hill, when an apparently "totally pissed" driver came out of side
street near the line, crashed through the protective fence, and ended up on the
line.  Indications were that the track had been moved some ten centimetres. 
Trains on the Riverstone / Richmond line were immediately cancelled, with a
couple of trains trapped on the Richmond side of the incident.  I understand
that there were some initial problems in obtaining buses, but that they were
eventually obtained.
(c) of a less serious, but equally disturbing, nature, and perhaps a "sign of
the times", I understand that there was an incident at Wentworthville station,
wherein either the station was broken into or the ticket machine etc vandalized
and broken into - I have to say that I am not quite sure what.
(d) I gather that there were other issues around Blacktown involving concern for
the activities of drunken people and their interaction with traffic and the
running lines.'


A minor point, and this is probably due to the trackwork.  6AB6, Sunday, is
running about an hour earlier out of Chullora.

-- 

Regards

David Donald
Springwood, NSW

dsjmd@hermes.net.au