Re: See R711's tyres being manufactured!- Why not standardise??

[dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David Bromage)]

Grahame Ferguson (grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au) wrote:
>     Thank you to all.  I am glad to have stirred some debate at last!!  But
> it appears to me that we are still making excuses why we should not, rather
> than biting the bullet and going for it.  It seems who ever does some degree
> of standardising their rolling stock

Why? Railfans do not support the market. If you rely on railfans to keep
your operation afloat, you're finished. It's the public and charters which
keep you running.

> and conversion of their yard facilitites

Then what? Who is going to fork out the million or so dollars to get sg
through Newport Junction.

> will in the end get a quantum boost to their charters , if they
> are the only show in town that can run any where in Victoria, and for that
> matter Australia.

But it's not a quantum leap. You're only going to get a minimal benefit
for a huge cost. Charters rarely run beyond the first ring of turntables
outside Melbourne. Anything beyond about a 2-3 hour journey is pretty much
restricted to the railfan market.

>     If South Australians some 20 years ago had quitely and slowly planned
> for some standardisation well they would have it all, but now the exposure
> of the General Public to Steam is very small.

Nobody was given 20 years notice of regauging. Even when sg went through
to melbourne in 1962, there was no serious proposal for Victorians to
start getting sg equipment.

>     The only way you promote yourself to the young and Mr & Mrs Average is
> by going through their home town.

80% of whom live in the greater Melbourne and Geelong areas. Add in the
major regional cities of Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley, and
thay's closer to 90% of the population of the state.

It sounds nice, but really just not practical in the forseeable future.

Cheers
David