kevinlms

You can easily tell the shorties at a glance. They have one less set of windows, only 7 whereas a proper mk3 should have 8!

Maybe about the ETH, but my comments were mostly aimed at the raw available power from the engine. The ETH is always going to be a drain, if it uses the same source. With both class 31 & 37 have ETH turned off or nonexistent, the 37 is going to have 300 more horses available to it.

It isn't just fence packaging, it's everything that is supplied these days. It all comes in plastic these days & usually the plastic used is getting thicker. I know why this is done, because it protects the product better and reduces complaints about damaged goods. However, the world is using plastics more and more, yet a low percentage of it, is actually recycled. Western world countries normally put it in tips in a reasonable manner, but a quick search on line reveals major issues with the world's oceans in particular. Usually caused by people dropping all their litter, where they stand.

Well you can reuse them, but how many boxes and the like do you need for track pins, fishplates etc. One will last for years, so where does the endless supply of new ones get reused?

Yes that is the weakness of the system. There is a lot of discussion about glass in the only recycle bin in Oz. It is claimed that some types of glass contaminate the truck load of recycling and so it goes to landfill. Which rather defeats the point! A trial is going to be undertaken of a separate bin for glass.

Regardless of the parking ticket, I don't understand why anyone was sacked.

I'd be more concerned about injuries to railway staff movings cars.

Would have thought that the power difference had more to do with it. The Class 37 engine was around 20% more powerful, yet weighed a handful of tons less, so no wonder the overall performance was like chalk & cheese.

Some of our roads here are 'Tow Away' zones at peak hour. Come 10 minutes before time, parking inspectors & tilt bed tow trucks are lined up waiting for the clock to tick over. On time the ticket gets typed & photo taken, while the tow driver is tilting his tray & pulling out the chains. Doesn't take long at all, until your vehicle is GONE. No messing about moving it! Expensive to get back. https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/parking-and-transport/parking/parking-rules/Pages/towed-impounded-vehicles.aspx I'm sure they could be easily be convinced to pick up a mere car blocking a fire engine! Money for jam.

IIRC originally all Lima diesels (except the Class 20), picked up on one side on the motor bogie. The other side was picked up from the dummy bogie wheels, via the long pin, which was sprung to a copper spring which rubbed on the axles. Later models had an extra black wire for the opposite side of the dummy bogie - exactly how it so I can't remember. But effectively the locos now picked up from 4 wheels on one side & two on the other! Sort of reminds me of a C0-B0.

But would it hold true if there was a major emergency, where every appliance was required to attend ASAP?

If you do find that you have short circuits in DC, then the problem should be addressed IMO. What nonsense to suggest that the trains will 'just coast through'! Not at very slow speeds they won't. Peco points (and other brands) are designed to work straight out of the box, but this can raise some unreliability issues. It is easier IMO to install them, with recommended improvements, rather than try to fix the problems at a later date. Certainly, you will get conflicting advice here!

Fair point.

I suspect you don't NEED a headshunt then, but you might want one for the parcels road. It again depends on what goes on & how frequently it is used.

How many trains a day use the Motorail platforms? Not many I suspect. If that is all the two tracks are used for, perhaps a headshunt for them isn't required? Once the Motorail arrives, does it get shunted away, or does the stock stay until the evening departure?