Re: How many NR locos are now written of?

["peter kilburn" <peekil@ozemail.com.au>]

But does anybody actually hav any numbers of written off loco's
-- 
Pete Kilburn

Maurie Daly <mauried@commslab.gov.au> wrote in article
<mauried.125.363AAB88@commslab.gov.au>...
> In article <909747244.353688@woody.hotkey.net.au> "Michael Walker"
<walker@hotkey.net.au> writes:
> >From: "Michael Walker" <walker@hotkey.net.au>
> >Subject: Re: How many NR locos are now written of?
> >Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 22:37:32 +1100
> 
> 
> >>Its interesting that in the early stages of the formation of NR they
> >>estimated that only 80 new locos would be needed, but later on
increased
> >the
> >>order to 120 , and at the same time the existing interstate Rail
freight
> >>market was approx 14 million tonnes total , its now around 10 million
> >>tonnes.
> >>Given that NR knew that they would inherit a substantial number of
existing
> >>locos from the old AN, PTC and SRA as the shareholders agreement
required
> >>its difficult to see why so many new ones were needed to handle the
current
> >>freight task , even if one assumes that NR retained its monopoly on
> >>Interstate freight , which was never guaranteed.
> >>
> >I thought it was more because the locos they received from the
shareholders
> >were by no means the best locos in the shareholders fleets (why give the
> >future competition an even break...especially when you they skim off
some of
> >your most profitable services to start with) and were apparently pretty
> >unreliable, especially the NSW 80 class. Hence the need for more new
locos -
> >this way they get cheaper to run, standardised (hence simpler
maintenance
> >arrangements than 10 different classes of loco from different
manufacturers
> >amongst other benefits) loco fleet, even if it costs a lot up front. I'm
> >sure I read that with the introduction of the new locos, their fuel bill
> >dropped significantly - can't remember where I read it but probably an
old
> >Network (must be an old edition, I haven't bought it or its descendants
for
> >a while)
> 
> >I hardly think 80 class or C class locos are much to build your fleet on
-
> >except for maybe Austrac...8^)
> 
> 
> There not , but the 80s and the Cs were never intended to be transferred
to 
> NRC, and never were .
> NRC ended up buying the Vline Cs for a song , around $100 K each.
> NRC however did receive from the 3 shareholders the following locomotives
> ANX10
> DLX15
> BLX10
> ELX 14 (these were refused)
> 81X at least 20 possibly 26
> G X 10 
> ie NRC could have received up to 84 modern locomotives if they had wanted
them 
> all.
> Now admittedly some of these locos have been badly damaged in accidents ,
and 
> no attempt has been made to fix any of them.
> 
> By my reckoning this gives NRC a potential fleet of at least 194 modern 
> locomotives , all to move a miniscule annual tonnage of 10 million tonnes
, 
> the lowest of any Govt Railway system.
> There is no doubt that NRC did need to buy new locos , but not 120 of
them .
> If one beleives NRCs own annual report they run 300 trains per week , and
to 
> achieve an annual total tonnage of 10 million tonnes , this amounts to
192300 
> tonnes per week , which in 300 trains averages around 641 tonnes per
train.
> Obviously some trains will carry more , some less , but its pretty
obvious 
> that a loco fleet of 194 locos is not needed to move 300 trains per week.
> This amounts to 1.5 trips per week per loco.
> Now either NRC are carrying lots of air , or all of their trains are
running 
> between between Sydney and Perth, as this is the only scenerio that would
come 
> even close .
> In reality what is happening is that NRC are running all of their trains
with 
> very high HP/tonne figures, ie lots of locos on every train .
> This really doesnt achieve very much though , apart from increasing the
trains 
> running costs.
> I suspect that NRC are in the same bind as the SRA , ie they have to pay
a 
> minimum monthly lease payment on every new loco, irrespective of how much
they 
> are used, so you may as well use them all.
> It does nothing for your profitability though.
> 
> MD
> 
> 
>