Alice-Darwin and East Timor

[pcc@ocean.com.au (Les Brown)]

David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au> wrote in aus.rail:

>The Department of Defence concluded about 20 years ago that rail to
>Darwin was not vital to their needs. The 1st Armoured Regiment, part of
>the 1st Brigade, is now based in Darwin instead of Puckapunyal. The 3rd
>Brigade is based in Townsville. If one had to reinforce the other, the
>railway they need still wouldn't be there.
>
>The other problem is that much of the army's equipment is out of gauge.
>The Centurion tanks were only slightly oversize, but the Leopard tanks
>are even bigger. 
>
The DoD also concluded 20 years ago that the US would defend
Australia, so now what?

It's not so much the defence of North Australia that a railway is
needed, but for the supply of troops, food, medical supplies,
ammunition, APC's, whatever, with Darwin as the jumping off point for
theatres north.

Yes, a Herc. C5 could supply it all, but I would leave such duties to
less immediate forms of transportation such as rail, and leave the C5
to be used more effectively. Australia does not have an unlimited
supply of C5's. 

Regarding the tanks, you are correct, from Pucka, the Loading Gauge is
very restrictive, but not from Port Augusta or Adelaide. Personally,
don't think tanks would be the main traffic when they would most
likely only constitute a tiny percentage of the overall traffic task.

Les Brown