Re: Queensland Safeworking information required

["MattyQ" <matticue@corplink.com.au>]

Greg Young wrote in message <36c12891.0@nnrp1.acay.com.au>...
>G'day
>    I have recently purchased a pair of Electric train staffs from Off the
>Rails in Sydney. I believe they are Queensland staffs (They definitely
>aren't NSWGR). They are steel and are both of different patterns. One has a
>diamond head and one has a square head.

They definitely sound like QR staves. All electric staff sections have now
been withdrawn from Queensland. Busy sections were converted to CTC, the
rest were either converted to Train Order sections or Ordinary Train Staff
and Ticket sections. Many S & T sections have had the Tickets and Line Clear
Reports withdrawn and are now call "Block Staff" sections. Due to the
extremely low intensity of traffic, these lines only have "forward and
return" train services where the need for tickets don't exist. If something
goes wrong, a QR employee will simply "run the staff" to the other end of
the section under cover by road.

One of the staffs (the square end one) has the number 37 on one side of
>the square and the letter B on the other, the number appears to have a
>remnant of blue or green paint in the number. All reference to the
>applicable section has been welded over.

QR used A, B and C staves for standard ES working. If an intermediate
station (eg Ascot) had the capacity to cut out, Long Section Staff working
would be instituted. D, E and F staves were reserved for Long Section use
only.

IIRC, Eagle Junction to Ascot was an 'A' staff, Ascot to Doomben was a 'B'
staff and the Long Section Eagle Junction to Doomben was a 'D' staff.

When QR withdrew Electric Staff working, the staves had the section names
welded over and were offered for sale through railway hobby and memorabilia
shops. Due to safety reasons, Queensland residents were not permitted to
purchase staves which is why they were distributed interstate.

Regards

Matt Smith
Brisbane, Queensland
matticue@corplink.com.au

You can't slam a revolving door.