Re: Let's Go Adventuring with CityRail

["Jane Campbell" <janecampbell@optusnet.com.au>]

Buses were used because lightning struck Granville box and blew everything
into oblivion.  I was rostered to work the 2045 from Central to Berowra and
it hadn't arrived three hours later.....another run was transposed to form
it and I ended up cancelling it at Hornsby because I would have been working
over 12 hours.  It was an ill-organised, very annoying debacle and rest
assured, guards, drivers and station staff were just as annoyed as
you........

Regards to all

Jane
David & Julie Donald <dsjmd@hermes.net.au> wrote in message
384F84FF.95670B20@hermes.net.au">news:384F84FF.95670B20@hermes.net.au...
> Living in the Blue Mountains, I basically have two options of getting from
> Springwood from the City under the current "trackwork" arrangements
relating to
> the commissioning of the new signalling, and related activities, at
Blacktown.
> I decided to exercise the rail option, as a change from catching the
Express
> Coach, this afternoon.
> WHAT A MISTAKE !!
>
> My intention had been to catch a Suburban service that is scheduled to
depart
> Wynyard at around 1642 (Redfern, Parramatta, and all stations), which
should
> then connect with the 1810 departure from Penrith (the replacement for
"The
> Fish").
> I caught the first Penrith service from Wynyard, following my arrival on
the
> platform, but the stopping pattern at Town Hall was different to that
advertised
> at Wynyard, and it looked like a very slow trip, so I decided to change at
> Central, and catch a more suitable service (and more than likely the one
> intended).  It departed Central at roughly 1650, and I was able to get a
seat at
> Redfern.  I was half asleep for the next ten or so minutes, but something
drew
> my attention, as we were heading out of Flemington, that something a
little
> unusual was happening, with this being heightened by the fact that we
crossed
> over at Flemington (the old Car Sidings) to the line that can only lead to
> Olympic Park - well, at least I have been there now.  Well, the next
thirty
> minutes or more was pretty interesting, and exceedingly boring, going
around the
> Olympic Park loop (including a stop at Olympic Park), and finally into
> Lidcombe.  Information was filtering through that there were problems in
the
> Lidcombe - Granville - Parramatta area, allegedly associated with a
> mid-afternoon storm; one on-train announcement indicated that there had
been a
> lightening strike on Granville Signal Box.
>
> After sitting at Lidcombe for nearly fifteen minutes, due to preceding
traffic,
> we finally left at 1816 (already 86 minutes travelling time from Central),
and
> proceeded at a very slow slow pace, making unofficial station stops (let
alone
> worrying about the mid-section stops) at Clyde, Granville, and Harris
Park.  We
> finally departed Parramatta at 1851 (a further 35' after leaving
Granville, and
> over two hours from Central - normal running time for an express service
from
> Central to Parramatta is under thirty minutes, with most InterCity
services
> doing it in 23 or 24 minutes), and, following some slow speeds early, and
then
> having to "dodge" the Blacktown "trackwork, we finally reached Penrith at
1936
> (some 2 hours 45 minutes after leaving Central).  Fortunately, the 1935
> InterCity service was held for a couple of minutes, and I finally arrived
> Springwood at something like 2008, having been "on" trains for roughly
three and
> a half hours.
>
> Anyone want to better that situation tonight.  I understand, for whatever
> reason, but presumably related, buses were being used between Granville
and
> stations on the Liverpool line.
>
> Of additional interest:
>     8152  was on a down trip train (looked like a load of cement hoppers)
on the
> Down Goods at       West Junction, Lidcombe
>     Clyde Yard:  8040    8243
>     NR34  on PS7 (Trailerail) on the Up Main at Doonside -= running at
least
> five hours late
>     Train 8162 (engine was an 81-class) running around four hours late
through
> Blaxland.
> --
>
> Regards
>
> David Donald
> Springwood, NSW
>
> dsjmd@hermes.net.au
>
>
>