International Railroad Discussion > Recent Downunder Images

Hi all,

Some images from March, April and May. All are in South Australia unless noted.

1. 3AD1 from Adelaide to Darwin waits on the crossing loop at Wirraminna as the sun rises hauled by GWA005 and ALF19 on 3/20/19.

2. Pacific National service, 2PM6 from Perth to Melbourne approaches Ferguson hauled by NR58 and NR39 on 3/20/19.

3. Pacific National grain train, 4AG4 from Gladstone in S.A. to Parkes in N.S.W. loads at Gladstone with 8258, DL47 and DL44 up front on 4/3/19.

Justin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/19 02:52 by AussieGWAdriver.

---

---

---

Next lot.

1. Genesee & Wyoming empty grain train to Bowmans, 1451S prepares to depart Dry Creek North yard with Freightliner liveried G533 leading GWA009 on 4/4/19.

2. In the middle of a dust storm, GWA002 waits on the siding at Long Plains as D515S light engine to Gladstone to assist a failed grain train on 4/5/19.

3. Waiting under the grain loading bins at Gladstone is Pacific National's DL44 still wearling its 23 year old National Rail paint job on 4/8/19.

---

---

---

Next lot.

1. DL44, DL47 and 8258 assit in loading 2AG4 at Gladstone on 4/8/19.

2. DL41, 8257 and 8236 assit in loading Pacific National grain train 2GA3 at Bowmans on 4/9/19.

3. Pacific National's DL41 at Bowmans on 4/9/19. This Clyde Engineering built EMD model AT42C entered service for Australian National in October 1988. They are powered by a 12-710G3 engine with AR11 main alternator and D87 traction motors so you could almost call them an SD59F!

---

---

---

Next lot.

1. Pacific National's 8257 at Bowmans on 4/9/19. This Clyde-EMD built JT42C entered service for Freightcorp in June 1995.

2. Pacific National's 8236 at Bowmans on 4/9/19. This one entered service for Freightcorp in November 1994.

3. Another PN grain train, 5AG3 has finished loading at Gladstone with 8161, DL43 and DL47 up front on 4/11/19.
 

---

---

---

Next lot.

1. Pacific National service 3PS6 with Southern Spirit liveried NR84 leading NR69 as it passes 5AG3 at Gladstone on 4/11/19.

2. Freightlink liveried FQ04 (EMD GT46C) leads 2207 (EMD J26C) on 1911S empty copper ore service to Wirrida as it waits to depart Dry Creek North on 4/21/19. FQ04 was the last of its class to wear the Freightlink livery and had just been released from overhaul before this shot was taken. It has since been sent to Progress Rail's Port Augusta Workshops for painting into the G&W livery.

3. SCT service 1GP1 from Parkes to Perth passes through Wirraminna hauled by a pair of GT46C-ACe's SCT009 and SCT015 on 4/22/19.

 

---

---

---

Last one.

7AD1 with GWA010 and ALF18 waits on the siding at Impadna in the Northern Territory for a cross on 5/12/19. Impadna is around 180km south of Alice Springs.

Enjoy.
Justin

---

Were you involved in the testing of US built GT46C-ACe last Weekend?

Photos of GWB102 at Crystal Brook are circulating on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/portaugustatrains/photos/pcb.587524395092809/587524278426154/?type=3&theater

Also
https://www.facebook.com/portaugustatrains/photos/pb.331679430677308.-2207520000.1557748452./588824584962790/?type=3&theater
 

Very nice, Thanks for posting

Tim
Hanesworth

Great bunch of photos! So much to see. Thanks for sharing. Feel free to elaborate about what you are showing us in the photos.
 

Why do most trains have the passenger car?

tomstp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why do most trains have the passenger car?

Crew accomodation for long-distance runs.

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

thehighwayman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tomstp Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why do most trains have the passenger car?
>
> Crew accomodation for long-distance runs.
>
>  
They carry two crews who swap off after their crew duty day runs out.
Kinda like the truck drivers do with one driver driving and one in the sleeper.

Lots of neat variety... educational for me. I had thought with the bulldogs gone the time to go there was also done. Now you got me wanting to head down there for this stuff.

"Crew swaps".  Is it that long of a run or is it that speeds are low?  What is the normal length of a run.?

Australia = open access track, Vast distances with a very sparse population outside of 5 sprawling coastal city complexes, and coastal areas in general.
Train operator do not own the track they are running over. Track is like a toll road, open to all. There are no franchised areas.
In comparison to North America high wages, plus a regulated wages structure.
Australians in general prefer the comfort, lifestyle, and the convenience of big city living.
Highly reluctant to move house to where work is available.
FIFO is the most common method of staffing mines, infrastructure projects, and related service industries away from the coast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly-in_fly-out

Long distance train crews are in the main capital (coastal) city based. West of the east coast strip many crew bases disappeared when state governments bailed out of rail ownership in the early 1990's (Queensland hung on till 2010),  

Australian rail networks are no longer vertically integrated. Split into below rail, the owner who sells "windows" and manages train control, and above rail, the train operator. G&W acquired the BOT franchise for the north-south corridor to Darwin, however the line remains open access.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide%E2%80%93Darwin_railway

So PHall's analogy is spot on. "Kinda like the truck drivers do with one driver driving and one in the sleeper". If operators don't own the track, and can wander continent wide, the concept of fixed crew bases is rather nonsensical. Also the reason some long haul trains drag along a diesel tender, Diesel is cheaper along the coast. and with locos fitted with automatic refueling, they suck in fuel on the move. http://www.refuelin.com/products/innovative-systems/rail-connect-system-inline-refueling/

If you take the time to read prior posts by AussieGWAdriver, you will find the rostering schedule, and in one post interior shots of the crew cars

jmt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Were you involved in the testing of US built
> GT46C-ACe last Weekend?
>
> Photos of GWB102 at Crystal Brook are circulating
> on Facebook
> https://www.facebook.com/portaugustatrains/photos/
> pcb.587524395092809/587524278426154/?type=3&theate
> r
>
> Also
> https://www.facebook.com/portaugustatrains/photos/
> pb.331679430677308.-2207520000.1557748452./5888245
> 84962790/?type=3&theater
>  

Not me as I was on an Adelaide to Darwin run and return. Pt. Augusta based drivers were used for the testing.

Justin

King_Coal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great bunch of photos! So much to see. Thanks for
> sharing. Feel free to elaborate about what you are
> showing us in the photos.
>
Thanks and I will try to do more info on future photos.

Cheers,
Justin  

erielackawanna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lots of neat variety... educational for me. I had
> thought with the bulldogs gone the time to go
> there was also done. Now you got me wanting to
> head down there for this stuff.

Thanks and the Bulldogs are still alive and well with SSR running them on both broad and standard gauge in Victoria and in NSW on the SG.

Genesee & Wyoming still has four Bulldogs in active duty - GM37, CLF6, CLP14 and CLP17.

Cheers,
Justin

Thanks everyone.

I am back home as I was in Darwin after working one of these relay jobs to Darwin and then back to Adelaide.

Thanks jmt for the explanation of how Australia's railways work in terms of access etc.

For Genesee and Wyoming on relay working there is four drivers. We work as a pair and do 8 hour rotations - 8 hours up front then 8 hours in the crew van then 8 up front again etc for a maximum length of 54 hours. This will allow us to get from Adelaide to Darwin which is around 2960km (1838 miles). The trip generally takes around 48 hours and once in Darwin we must book off duty at motel for a minimum of 12 hours then do it all again back home. The whole trip away is 5-6 days.

We do other local work like grain trains etc with the shift lengths being rostered for normally 10 hours but 12 is the limit.

Photo 1: The crew van on my last relay job earlier this week. It was originally built as Club Car No.3 in 1970 for the Victorian & South Australian Railways for The Overland passenger train which runs between Adelaide and Melbourne. It was converted into a crew car in 2011/2012. All eight of GWA's crew vans, ADFY1-ADFY7 and ECA98 are fitted with through MU and brake pipe connections to allow them to run with locomotives powering on either side, The ADFY's also have ECP braking fitted for use on likewise equipped trains.

Photo 2: End of crew car ADFY7 showing the MU and brake hose connections.

Photo 3: Kitchen area of an ADFY crew van.

Cheers,
Justin

 

---

---

---

Very informative posting, and photos.  Thank you!  Brings more details about RR life in Australia.