Re: R711

[reuben-dejanews@mira.net]

Hi,

In article <373FB467.10F1A12F@hotmail.com>,
  harry <sorry@hotmail.com> wrote:
> West coast are a heap of shit.
> When they actually can run a proper train service it will be a very god
> day.
> When their trains brakedown, not let the passengers sit for 31/2 hours for
> a relief engine when a road is only 50 meters away.

If that is the case then yes, it's rather tragic.  But I've seen many
proposterous workings with VLP (and what was The Met) as well - not to mean
that it's necessarily good...

> If they spent as much money on there normal rolling stock and engines they
> might go somewhere.
> Fraction of the money spent on the blue engine would have put proper toilet
> retenction tanks on their carriages.

This is a valid point - see my comments below.

> Fraction of the money would make their engines reliable.
> Fraction of their money would make Warnabool yard a safer place to work.
> Fraction of the money spent on the West Coast Staff on HEP B injections
> would make it a safer work place with al the needles around.
> do you want me to go on.
> I could list many pages on problems with West Coast and the very very low
> morale its normal staff have.

You've now come out and raised a number of interesting points, which at least
adds some credibility to your original posting.  While I would not say that
WCR "are a heap of shit" I would agree with you on at least one of the points
you've raised above.

In this day and age it's somewhat amazing that ALL carriages with all rail
carriers don't have retention systems built in to contain effluent.  The day
when I believe raw dumping of waste on railway lines went away not long after
long drop toilets were done away with.  I understand that the Sprinter series
here in Victoria have retention systems but it appears that most of the older
saloons (WCR have them as well as VLP) do not.

Your comments also suggest that you work for WCR.  Your opinions are somewhat
surprising - WCR appears to me at least to be reputable and gunzel-friendly.
WCR is also one of the railway organisations with some respect for the
typical Gunzel - and I would have imagined it would be a great place to work
for anyone who is really into trains :>

And lastly, I would expect WCR to make _some_ money off R711 when it is
restored and working reliably (I'm sure it will be soon).  It would not be in
WCR's interests to run it at a loss, or even run it if they have other diesel
locos in service which could help them make more money.  While not a big
steam buff myself I tend to think that if it is marketed well it may become
just like Puffing Billy - one of those "must see & do" things in Victoria one
day in the future.  It certainly adds character to the railway scene and may
well turn out to be a profitable venture.

Good luck to WCR.

Reuben

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