Re: Sydney 10/10/99 Mishap or Stupidity?

[<glillic@msn.com.au>]

Bill McNiven wrote in message ...
>All day, I've been hearing very loud Kogarah announcements (at a range of
>about 200m) telling the entire suburb that the train to leave platform 1
>goes to the City Circle ... change at Town Hall for a bus service to Bondi
>Junction.  So I guess that the Illawarra Line may have been closed at
>Erskineville Junction.
>
>I read in another thread that the 3801 Limited special (8.04 am Ashfield -
>Maitland) was cancelled by SRA Network Control at 9.00 am.  I read in
>aus.loco that SP19 (7.45 am Sydney - Canberra) and NP23 (11.05 am Sydney -
>Armidale) were cancelled as the Explorer sets were trapped in Eveleigh by
>trackwork.
>
>I guess that if the Up and Down Illawarra were closed from Loco Jct to
>Erskineville Jct (inclusive) and Up and Down Main were closed Illawarra Jct
>to Tunnel Jct (inclusive) then it would be impossible to get a train in or
>out of Eveleigh.
>
>What's the whole story?  Mishap or stupidity?
>
>TIA
>
>Bill


You forgot the Engine Dive. The 3801 Limited train was timetabled to use
this dive IN BOTH DIRECTIONS yesterday. The STN issued for the movement in
the morning and a telegram and a RovaSafe issued for the return to Eveleigh
WRONG ROAD that evening. (We had previously been advised that the return
through the Illawarra Dive could not take place until 02.00 Mondaty!) I
understand that similar arrangements had been made for Xplorer and Endeavour
movements between Eveleigh and Central.

To the best of my knowledge there was no emergency occurance that precluded
those arrangements being carried out. Again, the possibility of this matter
being brought to litagation is real and I can not comment further.

Geoff Lillico
Tours & Marketing
3801 Limited