RMweb Gold Budgie Posted February 14, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) Given that the only stupid questions are the ones that nobody asks, why is it that in most of the videos posted here the trains are diesel hauled but running under overhead wires? Don't electric freight trains run in Australia? Edited February 14, 2014 by Budgie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Given that the only stupid questions are the ones that nobody asks, why is it that in most of the videos posted here the trains are diesel hauled but running under overhead wires? Don't electric freight trains run in Australia? To answer your question, electric freight does run in Australia, although they are not as common as they once were. Queensland is the main user of Electric freight these days. A lot of videos on here are from NSW. Up until 12 years ago, electric freight trains were quite common, utilising the 86 class (the 46 and 85 class was used up until the mid-1990s). A decision was made by FreightCorp that they were no longer needed, due to the number of services requiring them having dwindled. This led to the withdrawal of the class. The electrified network in Sydney is (endpoints) Macathur-Kiama-Newcastle-Lithgow, which while it is a good amount, means that the locomotives were very inflexible in operation, as they usually only had three routes (Newcastle-Kiama-Newcastle, Lithgow-Kiama-Lithgow, Newcastle-Lithgow-Newcastle). The major advantage of the diesel locomotives is that they don't need to worry about hitting the end of the wires, and can be used all around the state. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Victoria is worse in those respects, with electric freight locomotives having retired long before those NSW dates. The lines to Warragul were de-electrified as well, a retrograde step in my opinion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted February 15, 2014 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) As with the UK and other countries electrification is not continuous and relates more to higher-traffic passenger routes than to freight operations. Most electrified routes are confined to suburban networks serving the major cities and in some cases these are on a different gauge to most freight as well. Queensland is the only state making significant use of electric traction for freight and most of that is for the coal exported from the Goonyella and Emerald regions via Hay Point and Gladstone. Something like 25 mines are served by electrified branches from the main rail routes. Four or five locos, some of which are of unusual tri-Bo design allowing maximum traction, are often required on a single train. The depots at Callemondah and Rockhampton would put Crewe Electric to shame. But most non-coal freight remains diesel hauled. The Sydney region has been covered in a post above. Melbourne only has electrified suburban lines on 5' 3" gauge while most freight is conveyed far greater distances and on 4' 8½" gauge meaning diesel traction is required. There are no electrified routes across the vast distances of the outback; it's hard enough maintaining two strips of steel on the ground let alone copper wires hung from poles above them. If the mooted inland freight railway between Melbourne and central Queensland is ever built there are arguments for it to be electrified throughout from day one but unless bi-mode locos are used or there is some significant infill electrification done it will still require diesel haulage to get trains to and from terminals and sidings away from the core route. Brisbane sees very limited electric freight operation as the main terminal at Fisherman Islands is not wired up. Some freight to and from the main interstate terminal at Acacia Ridge is worked by electric locos as far north as Rockhampton but it also has to be transferred at the Ridge from 4' 8½" wagons arriving from New South Wales to 3' 6" ones for movement through Queensland. All freight through the other states is diesel powered. Adelaide has yet to open its electrified suburban lines while Perth features only a few electrified suburban passenger-only lines. Just as we see class 66 running in the UK for many hours "under the wires" because it is more cost effective to do so the same applies in Australia but perhaps to a greater extent given the vast distances and often remote and inhospitable terrain involved. Edited February 15, 2014 by Gwiwer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Just as a sub-note, the 4 main lines in NSW (Sydney to Albury, Sydney to Broken Hill, Sydney to Bomaderry and Sydney to the Queensland border) have a total distance of about 2,832km, of which only 498km (or about 17.58%) is electrified Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Asciano announced today that Pacific National Coal Pty Ltd and Pacific National Rail Pty Ltd will merge from next Tuesday. This could see some mixing of the two locomotive fleets. Cheers David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Trains Around Sydney Volume 6 A new setup was tried out, with two cameras and operators to allow as much coverage as possible, and some different angles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 This was a chance sighting as I was crossing the footbridge as Morningside this afternoon. Not HQ as it was only taken with my phone. Cheers David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) Something I don't think we've covered yet are Queensland 2' gauge cane trains. The loads they carry these days are phenomenal. Tully Mill #3, converted from a Queensland Rail DH class. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6-3PCpsJlk South Johnstone Mill #15. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqSxH0Cj6yg Mackay Mill "Marian" and "Habana" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkvSXVI_Mdo Mossman Mill "Douglas" and Faugh-A-Balaugh" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMTAnBPl60w Cheers David Edited February 23, 2014 by DavidB-AU 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Vintage Alcos and even more vintage GM bulldogs on an empty grain. Cheers David 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted March 8, 2014 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 8, 2014 (edited) Paid a flying visit to Sydney last weekend. Fly-in-fly-out with just a few hours on the ground Still going strong are some of the 1973 S-sets though many are now withdrawn and scrapped. Their slightly younger K-set cousins (which unlike the S-sets are air conditioned) are likely to be around for some time to come however. Set S50 on a Cumberland Line working from Campbelltown to Schofields - one of the small number of trips on the network which doesn't serve central Sydney - calls at Parramatta New and old at Central station, Sydney. The H-set (usually known as an OSCar : from Outer Suburban Carriage) dating from 2006 is berthed nose to nose with a 1986-built Inter-City V-set which are still going strong despite advancing years and a reduction in their numbers. Oscars can be found on many of the longer runs out from Sydney towards Gosford and occasionally further, the lower Blue Mountains up to Katoomba and on the South Coast line; V-sets are confined now to the Newcastle expresses and the Blue Mountains line usually on the Mount Victoria or Lithgow trains. They no longer work on the South Coast line towards Wollongong and Kiama. The newest deliveries to Sydney are the "Waratah" or A-sets most of which are now in traffic. These are permanently coupled 8-car units unlike all other Sydney EMU sets which are mostly 4-car though with a very few 2-car sets remaining. Set A02 has never entered traffic; it was found to have rusted welds upon delivery from China and was scrapped before being fitted out! A replacement is being provided which will take the next number in the series after the main batch as A80. This is hardly the best view but is taken from the south side of the harbour bridge looking at full zoom across to the north side with the train around a kilometre away from the photographer and approaching Milson's Point station having just crossed the bridge the structure of which can be seen across the middle of the image. The difference in height between the double-deck electric cars and the single-deck diesel XPT is shown here with a K-set berthed for the night in a middle road and the XPT having arrived from Melbourne at Central station, otherwise known as Sydney Terminal. Edited March 8, 2014 by Gwiwer 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Very appropriate post-the last S-sets were formally withdrawn a year ago today, with S144/146 forming the last official run. S2 and S12 were the last actually left, in April. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted March 8, 2014 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 8, 2014 S-sets were supposed to be gone by now. The L and R sets are extinct other than for a 3-car training set. But by my reckoning there are 33 4-car S-sets still available for traffic at Flemington and 10 at Hornsby, with several having just left storage at Enfield possibly to re-enter traffic. There were plenty of them in traffic last weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 S-sets were supposed to be gone by now. The L and R sets are extinct other than for a 3-car training set. But by my reckoning there are 33 4-car S-sets still available for traffic at Flemington and 10 at Hornsby, with several having just left storage at Enfield possibly to re-enter traffic. There were plenty of them in traffic last weekend. My bad-I left out 'on the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line' in my last post. Some are being refurbished to stay in service until 2018 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Speaking of modern scene, a couple of rare catches today: 5x 82s on an up coalie at Sutherland this morning And a mixed bunch-NR75, NR21, 9313 and 8211 head through Jannali on an up loaded steel service 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 One of the few "real" passenger trains left, sadly likely to be gone by the end of the year. Cheers David 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Another TAS that has been in the works for a bit, with some older footage: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 More Chinese locomotives for AustraliaCSR Qishuyan Locomotive Company, China, has completed a batch of five SDA2 diesel locomotives, which will be used by Pacific National (PN), Australia, on the 1067mm-gauge heavy-haul coal network in central Queensland.The six-axle ac traction locomotives are designated class 88 by PN.http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/australia-nz/more-chinese-locomotives-for-australia.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 More of CFCLA's latest beats, the MPI/Wabtec MP33C. Cheers David 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Some people just never learn... Cheers David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) Some people just never learn... 1396937987513.jpg Cheers David I do hate to think of what could've happened if they were only a few meters forward Edited April 9, 2014 by 69843 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosiesBoss Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I guess it would have looked rather like the car in this: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-09/man-injured-in-train-car-crash-near-cairns/5377500 Regards, Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 The last of the A-sets/Waratahs were delivered this evening. The train ran fairly well, getting up Cowan Bank in 18 minutes, and had a slight problem on the number 6 car with a sticky brake. It was good that 4464 had the A-end leading both ways, as it provided some nice photos.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Apologies for the delay, but here are some photos from Thursday: An unusual sight to start the day was an Endeavour set stowed in the perway siding in front of the substation at Sutherland. Brand new SSR101 and SSR102 at Wyong undergoing test. They are coupled nose to nose as they are testing the new cameras on the B-end (between the number boards and below the headlights) V50 in the new NSW TrainLink ('Cheeseburger') livery Qube 1104/1105 pass through at quite a clip heading South M8 heads through Wyong on return from Downer EDI at Cardiff. This was for a experimental refit of the interior seating with the anti-vandal material used on the A-sets, confirmed by a chance catching of M35 the next day, to which M8 was attached. The destination board read 'Not In Service; Via Special' 4464 heading light engine to Cardiff to pick up A80 (which is really a repaired and renamed A02) XP2018 and V19 pass each other, with XP2018 having just stopped and V19 accelerating away from the station Freightliner PowerHaul liveried CF4407 and CF4408 head light engine past Wyong 4464 with A80 in tow pauses at Wyong for a change of crew for the remainder of the journey to Auburn The adapter coupling for hooking up a knuckle to a Scharfenberg coupler And the train departing Hornsby 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 A few more little trains. (For interest, the articulated flats behind the crew car are ex-British Columbia Railway) And finally a little passenger train. Cheers david 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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