Re: Safeworking!

["Grahame Ferguson" <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au>]

Why all the conservatism about Train Orders.  Just stick about Port Augusta
with your scanner for a few days.  At least 100 orders issued from one board
on a Saturday, with no mishaps.  They have trains hot on each others heels
on a Saturday afternoon, and they move without delay and in safety.

Why all this electronic garbage with ASW, what a waste of money it has been.

Burlington Northern (now a part of BNSF) has had at least for 10 years Track
Warrants(Train Orders), given over the radio but they are first put into a
computer before the Dispatcher actually issues the Warrant verbally.  This
system is by far more cheaper, but has a computer to back up the
Dispatcher's directive.
Why our Australian rail systems did not model on this I don't know.  The
software licence would have only been a fraction of the ASW millions.

Sure if there is only one or two trains on a branch line per day well Staff
& Ticket is the best, but if you want to run trains fast in high density CTC
is the go.  For medium density over long distances where power supplies and
cost prohibits CTC, well Train Orders has shown its worth.

Why does NSW persist in Staff & Ticket from Parkes to Broken Hill, when
there South Australian Bretheren can do the same job at a quicker speed.
The glass ceiling for logic has only hardened in NSW.
Broken Hill has a large Entrance/Exit push button power panel, but the main
line East keeps its ancient relic. The cash strapped SAR at least put in APB
to Pt Pirie.

The electric staff north of Casino is useless unless you have men on the
ground to work the now extinct auto staff exchangers.  New locos do not have
these ofcourse.
The Ulan coal line is another case in point, 8000 tonne trains having to
stop sometimes solely to change an electric staff.
In NSW its all Back to the Future!
Their radio system still sits there unused for the past 3 years, except for
sections west of Orange.
Base stations and locomotives all fitted out, and no one to talk to!

Thank you Commonwealth and South Australian Railways for your Train Orders.