Re: Signalling in Victoria

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <924511674.452801@woody.hotkey.net.au> "Michael Walker" <walker@hotkey.net.au> writes:
>From: "Michael Walker" <walker@hotkey.net.au>
>Subject: Re: Signalling in Victoria
>Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 22:56:37 +1000

>>I would say at Clifton Hill the centre line would be used for trains
>returning
>>from Epping to town empty.
>>
>From the many times I've seen empty trains go through Clifton Hill express,
>they almost always use the platform tracks. It has been a long time (I'm
>guessing at least 8-10 years) since I saw a train go through the centre
>track except for I think one a few years after the practice seemed to stop.
>That's not to say they never do it, just that they don't seem to very
>frequently.


Many years ago when I lived in Westgarth as a kid I used to hang out a fair 
bit at Clifton Hill and the only train that regularily used the centre line 
was the up empty coal train from the Fairfield paper mill.
Never ever saw it used for down trains.
Part of the reason was that for a down train to use the middle road required 
that the train crossed over from the down line short of the Clifton Hill A to 
the middle road which required 3 extra levers to be pulled off in A box.
This crossover was hardly ever used ,and I wonder if it simply was too hard 
for the signalman to do it , given that there was a fairly long section of 
point rodding to the crossover.
The alternative was to run the train thru the platform road ,and allow it to 
cross over in front of B box using a crossover which is used for every 
heidelberg based train.
Its common that crossovers which are mechanically operated and are  not 
used very often are quite hard to pull off,where the rodding length is long.

cheers
MD