Freight trumps passengers

[john...@nospam.com.au]

Yesterday arvo it seems that a Cityrail Endeavour to Moss Vale was "bumped" off
the track by ARTC to let a steel train pass, then ultimately terminated because
the total delay equalled the scheduled interval between trains.

My train was stopped by a red light before the Picton viaduct and there was a
faint announcement about letting another train pass. The delay extended to
about 20 minutes during which time no train passed and the crew became agitated
and silent. I phoned the Cityrail switchboard, and after reminding the operator
of Cityrail's duty to keep passengers informed, was told (a lie) that there was
a failed train ahead and we would be moving shortly.

We backed up to Picton and were ordered off, then immediately told to get back
on as the train would proceed to Yerrinbool where we would change to buses. The
train went nowhere for a long time during which the Northbound XPT made an
unscheduled stop so that we could return to where we came from should we choose.
Some did.

Eventually we headed off on the wrong side and, after confusing the boom gates
at Tahmoor, stopped there and I abandoned my journey to Moss Vale to pick up
my car, and waited for a taxi home. A steel train came through on the correct
side but slammed on his brakes and stopped over the crossing. Luckily for the
locals he got moving again.

So was there high political drama between Cityrail and ARTC?

[Chris Diesel]

<john...@nospam.com.au> wrote in message
news:c1.2c.3Z6RSZ$0...@PC1.BIGPOND.COM...

Actually, it more like passenger train trumps all others. It would appear
that the cause of all these delays was the total failure of SN62 at
Yerringbool Platform. Then later when there was an attempt to assist this
failed train, the emergency auto coupler failed to work. SN67 was then used
to travel from Picton to recover SN62 on a SPA. But during this process, the
driver of SN62 was allegedly involved in a safeworking breach and had to be
relived of Safe Working duties. So, no delays were caused by freighters. In
fact, the freighter you mentioned (5NY3) was delayed nearly 1.5 hours be all
this, as were several others. So the whole matter is very much in CityRail's
lap.

[john...@nospam.com.au]

A fiction writer would have difficulty coming up with that story.

[terryc]

On 16/02/13 12:45, john...@nospam.com.au wrote:

>> Actually, it more like passenger train trumps all others. It would appear
>> that the cause of all these delays was the total failure of SN62 at
>> Yerringbool Platform. Then later when there was an attempt to assist this
>> failed train, the emergency auto coupler failed to work. SN67 was then used
>> to travel from Picton to recover SN62 on a SPA. But during this process, the
>> driver of SN62 was allegedly involved in a safeworking breach and had to be
>> relived of Safe Working duties. So, no delays were caused by freighters. In
>> fact, the freighter you mentioned (5NY3) was delayed nearly 1.5 hours be all
>> this, as were several others. So the whole matter is very much in CityRail's
>> lap.
>
> A fiction writer would have difficulty coming up with that story.

Oh, I don't know. I and 500 other people once had to wait for three
hours when ??rail directed the driver of double lectric locos to drive
onto non-electrified line to collect the special train carriages for the
return trip.

[Chris Diesel]

"terryc" <newsnine...@woa.com.au> wrote in message
news:kfmq46$oi7$1...@dont-email.me...

Yes, driving electric traction into a non powered section is always going
you lead to tears. I remember someone being wrong roaded and taking their 86
class powered train onto the Botany Branch, that didn't end well either.

[Sylvia Else]

On 18/02/2013 11:32 PM, Chris Diesel wrote:

> Yes, driving electric traction into a non powered section is always going
> you lead to tears. I remember someone being wrong roaded and taking their 86
> class powered train onto the Botany Branch, that didn't end well either.
>
>

How often does wrong-roading happen?

Sylvia.

[Chris Diesel]

"Sylvia Else" <syl...@not.at.this.address> wrote in message
news:aofrvn...@mid.individual.net...

I happens from time to time. But not as much as when there were lots of
local signal boxes about the place. Generally it happened because a signaler
was given the wrong train number by the previous signaller. That's probably
what happened in the incident I mentioned earlier and the signaler thought
the coal train was a trip train heading to Cooks River or Botany and the
driver didn't notice the error prior to taking the wrong road. It happened
to me several months ago, when Sydenham Complex had the road set for the
East Hills line rather than the Illawarra. But we saw the signal was wrong
and pulled up in time. At that time, the main south was closed from Sefton
Junction to Liverpool and most trains heading south ran via the East Hills
line. But not our train.

[Sylvia Else]

Thanks for that.

Sylvia.

[Matthew Geier]

Then there is the mid day train to/from Goulburn that seems to be permanently 'Rail Replacement Buses'.
I've been told a story that Cityrail was outbid on the path the midday service used, so being the happy train operator they are, they called in coaches.

I had reason to travel from Marulan last week and spent half or more of the total travel time on a CountryLink branded coach to Moss Vale.

[Sylvia Else]

<http://www.artc.com.au/library/Macarthur%20to%20Albury%20-%20Monday%20to%20Sunday%2021%20Jan%202013.pdf>

Doesn't even look very busy around that time of day, even if such an
outbidding of a passenger service is possible (which I'm somewhat
doubtful about). More likely Cityrail are just saving some money on an
off-peak service.

Sylvia.