Re: See R711's tyres being manufactured!- Victorian Standardisation

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

Yuri J Sos/Melbourne AUS wrote in message
<36d7bc83.10001299@news.enternet.com.au>...
>As you know, R711 ran only one revenue trip last year before being
>sidelined with tyre troubles.
>
>Over the summer months, West Coast Railway have commissioned Ring
>Rollers in South Africa to manufacture a complete set of new tyres for
>
>R711.  These tyres were manufactured on 17 February 1999.
>
>Steam Media Productions sent expatriate Australian videographer Trevor
>Staats to the factory in Springs to cover the actual manufacture for
>inclusion in  "1999 - The Victorian Year in Steam" and we are able to
>present stills from the whole process here for your enjoyment.
>
>The latest word is that R711 will be back in action sometime around
>last third of April '99.
>
>Go to my home page below then follow the R711 links at the top of the
>page.
>
>Enjoy!
>
>Regards
>
>Yuri
>--
>==================================
>Yuri J Sos
>Melbourne VIC AUS
>
>Reply to: steam4me@enternet.com.au
>
>Personal Web site at http://people.enternet.com.au/~steam4me
>Steam Media Productions: http://people.connect.net.au/~steam
>==================================

With all this money going on wheels, why isn't any thought being given to
converting some Victorian Railway Heritage stock to standard gauge?  The
writing is on the wall.
     Look what happened to South Australia.  It is all gauge locked between
Mt Barker and Victor Harbour.  No Heritage steam or diesel
South Australian Railway locomotive is running in Adelaide.  No more Dry
Creek Steam Ranger Depot.  The only ex SAR steam locomotives run on the
narrow gauge Pitchi Ritchi Railway. The South Australians 10 years ago did
not think that it would end up like this.
    At present in Victoria only those lines west and south west of Ballarat
are isolated from any Victorian steam locomotive.  'Down the track' in ten
years in Victoria it may well be confined to the Sale, Warnambool, Ballarat,
and Bendigo lines.  After that it may contract to the Sale, Ballarat, and
Warnambool.
    Victoria needs to think of some long term plan to gauge convert some of
its historic rolling stock now.  There is no railway siding owned by
Preservation Societies in Victoria at present that can accomodate any
standard gauge fleet.  Will all their depots become the Steam Ranger depots
of the future?
    The R class is the easiest of the Victorian steam fleet to convert to
standard gauge.  Has anybody given it some serious thought.