Re: (VIC) Derailment @ Elders

["< Tell >" <telljb@OZozemail.com.au>]

"Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au> wrote:
> 
> Where were these long loops in SA that could handle trains too long for
> Victoria to handle???

So ANR did not extend any crossing loops over to the
Victorian border.?  Callington, Monteith come to mind
they were done in 1979-1980 from memory, there were
others of course.
 
> My knowledge of the South Line (That really heads to the Eastern states from
> a state that calls itself SOUTH Australia), goes back many years, (firstly
> as a fan, then as an Engineman who worked the line before and after gauge
> conversion) I don't recall any long loops on the SOUTH Line.
> Tailem Bend is one, but that is yard, Petwood about 1000m, Belair not much
> more and at that time having to contend with Redhens as well. Where are (or
> were) these loops that allowed SAR/AN to pump trains to big for VR to handle
> over the border?
> More to the point, there were so few (long) trains running that they didn't
> have to cross anything in SA, were as in Victoria the intrastate traffic at
> that time was so great that congestion occurred, preventing trains longer
> than the loops of the time. As for through running of VR ("C" class) locos
> into SA this occurred in 1982 as a normal working (some trials were done in
> 1980/81).

Well, common sense would dictate that apart from the
double track to Belair, why would you want to cross
long trains between there and over the other side of
the Adelaide hills, they had local passenger services
to Bridgewater to contend with as well.
 
> The Western Line (that heads WEST out of Victoria) was upgraded to 60kg rail
> and long crossing loops (1600m or 1 mile) between 1980 to 1984 as far as
> Maroona to Serviceton. Still today the old SAR line over the border is still
> light rail and short crossing loops, the only improvement (and a big
> improvement it is) is concrete sleepers.

Why was the tonnage per train increased well over what
the SAR used to haul to the Vic border.
WHY did ANR triple the EE 900 class, not even the much
revered SAR thought of that one.
Why did it take until the 1/1/1982 some two and half
years after the first trials of a Vic loco working
through to Adelaide, to begin full time working.
Why were ANR trains held at various sidings West of
Serviceton because of delays and stuff ups on the
Victorian side.  ANR management were more than annoyed
on numerous occasions.

The real problem was/is this, nobody likes change too
much, the ex SAR employees hated ANR, Vicrail employees
hated ANR, the strikes, stopwork meetings, bans and
limitations were legendary.  But in the end they all
lost, the only winner was road transport.
 
----Terry Burton
Alice Springs NT
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