Re: QR going national?

[James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au>]

    Most of the old VR branch lines wouldn't be economical these days, thats why
they were pulled up. According to the contracts the new private companies will have
to purchase new suburban and country trains. The motive power purchased in the 80's
was 33 G's and 25 N's as well as the rebuilt B's and T's. Who knows what the new
private companies will purchase in the next few years. You must remember that for
the government, it wasn't worth buying new locomotives only to sell them off in a
couple of years. Freight Victoria is looking at introducing other freight services.
As for the Garratt, Victoria had no broad gauge garratts and only two narrow gauge
ones. G42 is currently being restored at Puffing Billy.

    Now lets put all of this into perspective. Victoria is only a fraction of the
size of Queensland. Therefore the freight opportunities for rail are less and the
route kilometres for the rail system are going to be lower than Queensland.
Victoria's rail system has been through a transition period for the last few years,
in which there haven't been many advances. Now there are new private companies
starting up and new privatised rail services. Along with Freight Victoria these new
companies will set out to make rail as profitable as it can be. We have no idea what
new locomotives or train operations will be created in the future, but I think it
looks much brighter now that what it was several years ago.

    As for the 50's motive power, what do you base that on? The closest motive power
to the 50's on interstate trains are several GM class locos operated by GNRS. The
photo on my web site is GM 22 which was completed in 1962. Apart from these, NR uses
their latest NR class locos and the Australia Southern locos are usually CLP's or
CLF's which originally date from 1970 and were rebuilt several years ago. The odd
ALF dates from the 70's.

Richo wrote:

> Who needs to boast about it - and why should boasting about it be restricted
> to Queenslanders. I live in Victoria - what do I have to boast about about
> this state's railways?:
> a railway a pale shadow of itself 20 years ago, much less route kilometres,
> main line track speeds no higher than the 1930s (unlike Qld), less
> electrification than 20 years ago (unlike Qld) newest suburban trains dating
> from 1981 (unlike Qld) system split into 2 gauges (unlike Qld, where QR
> makes no pretence of operating on standard gauge) no new motive power
> purchases since the 80s (unlike Qld) traffic restricted to grains, a few low
> value ores and the odd bit of timber (unlike Qld) no new urban rail routes
> since 1985 (unlike Qld) ...no working Garratt (unlike Qld) and no hope of
> salvation (unlike Qld)
>
> like some of the other threads I'd be happy for people to continue to add
> things to the above list - but I suspect many Victorian (and NSW)
> contributors are unlikely to, because looking at colourful 1950s diesels
> running the menagerie of interstate freights that pass through Melbourne is
> a more interesting hobby than a examining a real railway. Its like cheese -
> it only gets its colour and flavour from putrefaction and decay.
>
> By the way someone is probably ticking over whether Werribee both ways plus
> Cranbourne makes up in route length for Pakenham to Traralgon. I eagerly
> await the result

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--
- James Brook -

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