Re: RIP ASW?

["Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au>]

David Langley <del@ancc.com.au> wrote in message
379F0489.8E720C00@ancc.com.au">news:379F0489.8E720C00@ancc.com.au...
> Maurie Daly wrote:
>
> > The cressy route allows double the loads to be hauled to Ararat than
does the
> > Ballarat route which in these days where Rail is struggling to compete
against
> > road makes an enormous differance .
>
> And while we haul the double loads to Ararat via Cressy (round all those
stupid curves
> like Tottenham, Newport, North Geelong, Maroona and Ararat the truckies
will win the
> race to Ararat hands down - and laugh while doing it.
>
> David.
>

What about the stupid curves at: Sunshine, Melton, Parwin, The Marsh, Ballan
and Ballarat, and the slow climb with a full load (if you got a run) from
the Marsh to Bank Box etc. or the climb on the up out of Ballarat, all that
has to be taken into account.

The Ballarat line was always the prefered route by VR because of: (a) the
political (both Local MP's & ARU) pressure to keep work in Ballarat, & (b)
the slow safeworking across the plains ie. Automatic Electric Staff
(Gheringhap-Maroona). In reality (I speak from personal experience) the
Ballarat Line was a pain if you lost your path trying to fit between all the
passes. As I said before the problems with the present route could be fixed
with money: Spent on track upgrading and CTC. With regards to the political
pressure, I can remember the Ballarat ARU members walking out of a seminar
held in Melbourne (in about 1988) because a senior AFULE official dared to
suggest that any proposed SG route to Adelaide should go via Cressy.

Regards,

Bob.