CityRail Guessing Games - 23 & 24 Oct.

["Bill McNiven" <wmcniven@gunzel.ozemail.com.au>]

This weekend's puzzle was how all lines could be shut between Strathfield,
Regents Park and Granville without Olympic Park trains being affected.

The short answer was that somebody forgot Olympic Park in the published
shutdown list.

Since every ticket I buy from CityRail has "TRY OLYMPIC SPRINT" printed on
it, I thought I had better put a Green TravelPass Weekly to good use.
(After of course, like all good CityRail customers, checking at the CityRail
web site for any shutdown to the Olympic Sprint!)

Bridgework:  On Saturday afternoon, the rail bridge over Arthur Street at
Lidcombe was missing.  By Sunday afternoon, track was being laid on a new
bridge.

Trackwork:  Re-sleepering etc on the Down Suburban at Flemington.  On
Saturday afternoon 48111+4872+48?? on a ballast train on the Up Suburban,
on Sunday afternoon 4880 + 4855 on the Down Suburban.

Overhead Wiring:  New catenary for the Up Main and Up Suburban between
Homebush and Strathfield.  On Sunday only, some work on the Main Lines at
Auburn and on the Goods Line near Homebush.

Signals:  Some signals on the Main just west of Lidcombe were replaced.

Stations:  Re-surfacing platforms at Homebush.

Train services:  All-stations trains for Lidcombe and beyond terminated at
Ashfield.  Trains for Penrith, Riverstone/Richmond, Glenfield/Campbelltown
via Granville ran empty from Strathfield to Rhodes (and maybe, in some
cases, points north).  Extra stops at Croydon and Ashfield for some trains.

Local bus services:  Strathfield to Granville and to Regents Park.
Strathfield to Olympic Park (usual STA route 403).  Lidcombe to Olympic
Park.  Strathfield to Granville express. (I didn't check out Wynyard -
Blacktown).

Freight:  On Saturday, I saw NR81+NR69 heading north through Concord West
around 1540h, followed by NR120+NR26 at Homebush around 1600h.  42219 was
ready to leave Clyde Yard towards Lidcombe (going via Lidcombe Loop???) with
a load of containers around 1630.  On Sunday, I saw no freights and I don't
think any were possible.

So the score from two weeks of testing the published shutdown info is:

Last weekend:  they forgot the East Hills train diversions.
This weekend:  they forgot that Olympic Park was shut down (I still must try
Olympic Sprint sometime when it's not a bus!)

A few other observations:

I caught the bus from Granville to Strathfield at one stage.  Most of the
passengers then bought tickets from the machine at Strathfield.  I guess
that travel is "free" when buses are running?

There was no work on Lidcombe station itself.  About six station staff, one
to sell tickets and five to watch.

Entertainment at Lidcombe included an RSA flat-top truck trying to drive
across the Up Main for 15 minutes.  Rubber tyres and wet steel rails are a
fiendish combination!

Next weekend there's no puzzle: looking at
http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/upgrading/SUM991025-991031.htm, there's a big
Blacktown shutdown, a big Liverpool shutdown and work north of Gosford.  It
might be simpler to publish a list of which trains ARE running!

BTW, how did the Ghan get in and out of Sydney today?  Via Douglas Park and
East Hills?  Via Unanderra?  Via Lidcombe Loop and Bankstown?  By bus from
Goulburn after flooding?  By bus from Blacktown?

Mystery observation:  around 1745 Saturday, 4827(green)+48119+4852 heading a
ballast train from the Goods lines at Sydenham (NSW) towards Central.  Going
to the New Southern Railway?  Going to Circular Quay?

Rgds

Bill :)