Re: Oct RD report; Queenslander 2800 locos - and tilt train

["Richo" <richardc@tpg.com.au>]

John McCandless <johnmc@topend.com.au> wrote in message
380d92cb.0@news.topend.com.au">news:380d92cb.0@news.topend.com.au...
> > on another note, i heard on the grapvine today that QR might be
> electrifying
> > from rocky to cairns, then running another couple of electric tilties
> > between rocky and cairns (not through to bris.).  however i have also
> heard
> > that they might purchase some 6 car diesel tilties to run through to
> > cairns.. the latter being heard quite a while ago mind you! :) .. any
> > comments welcome.
> >
>  I would think that the chances of Rocky to Cairns being electrified are
> slim to none.  As far as the diesel tilt-train, it's well beyond the
rumour
> stage - Walkers in Maryborough are going to make them.
> In the September issue of All Aboard - Qr's staff newspaper, there is an
> article on Walkers officially opening a new Tilt Train workshop on
November
> 14 with an open day called Trainfest '99.
> "The workshop is designed to construct the new Tilt Trains that will run
> from Brisbane to Cairns in 2003"
>
> Hmmm.... so we will have a diesel tilt train running under wires from
> Brisbane to Rocky?
>
The Super Hakuto is a diesel powered 3'6" tilt train which does 160km/h on
the route from Hakodate to Sapporo in Japan - a very comfortable ride, not
much engine noise as it has power cars like the XPT, and a  well
synchronised tilt like the QLD cars in that the perception of tilt is not
great. It shares the dubious honour the Qld diesel tilt will have of
travelling half its distance under wires - and strangely the cost of the
trains was not factored into a case for electrifying the remainder. Surely
if the Qld govt had said they wanted 4 of the trains rather than 2 it might
have been worth looking at wires/and or more track realignment for their
money - with the benefit of under wires being able to run the existing tilt
train as a premium service, maybe sending the 1988 generation cars back for
some 160km bogies and still achieving substantial time savings over the pre
tilt situation.


>
> --
> John McCandless
> Never play leapfrog with a unicorn...
> Cloncurry Qld Au
>
>




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