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Old 14th March 2018, 06:13
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aussiesteve aussiesteve is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Bathurst
Posts: 577
G'day all,
I have perused the press report about the Queensland Railway emu debacle.
Firstly, I watch a tv series dubbed Media Watch on Aunty (ABC TV).
The Courier Mail crops up a number of times with alleged Scoops.
Other Media mobs then publishing the scoop verbatim.
Donald (you should know which Donald I am referring to) has a pet term for such news.
I also know what went on in smog hollow on the approach of the 2000 olympic games.
PANIC.
Yes, there appears to be some problems with this multi-tasked construction.
But, as I have stated earlier, the Aussie government pas rail mobs no longer build their own.
OK, much of the construction back in the good ole days was performed by private companies.
But, these companies were local and strictly supervised by the railway hierarchy.
Mistakes naturally occur, but with railway expertise overseeing the project, get quickly resolved.
Disabled access is naturally a legislated requirement for modern day public transport.
The Gold Coast is about 87 kms by rail south of Brissy city, so I guess that such qualifies as an interurban service.
And as such, a dunny would be convenient, especially for disabled passengers.
I am not sure if the dunny provided on the NSW Trains Endeavour set dmu would be disabled access.
A wheelchair is definitely not navigable along the narrow aisleway due to the 5 across the aisle seating.
But, the SRA Endeavour sets were introduced back in 1994.
The Sydney Trains G set (Tangarbage with a dunny) and H set (Oscar), must have the dunny locked off when performing suburban duty.
It is feared that vandalism would occur, plus that the dunny retention tank would become chockers.
Such sets when performing suburban duty not venturing to a car depot to decan frequently.
Our NSW Trainlink V sets naturally possess dunnies, but such would definitely NOT be disabled access.
Crikey, I remember back when you lifted the dunny lid you copped a blast of air and dust.
That sign hanging on the wall dictating; Do not use dunny while train is standing at a station.
The Lithgow car and wagon examiners didn't enjoy performing the brakes test on the Silver Streak at Lithgow.
Being parked on platform 1 in smog hollow, the train brakes could not be checked.
So, during the locomotive exchange in Lithgow yard, the car and wagon examiners would hafta trot around the Silver Streak.
This being mandated after some incidents occurred and the train was not being checked in Adelaide Keswick station neither.
Back then the Silver Streak also had dunnies that flushed onto the track.
This brakes exam got kyboshed when one of the car and wagon examiners copped a flushing.
Well, I guess that the Silver Streak patron couldn't espy any station at the time.
The smog hollow wide body steel emu cars were all painted red, and got dubbed Red Rattlers.
I remember riding one during the early 1970s, where my seat was mobile.
The bolts fixing the seat to the floor had snapped and on each track curve the seat would sidle across the floor.
The seat returning when hitting an opposite direction curve.
At least the seat was leather, unlike the hogger's seat up front.
Red rattlers only had a wooden stool for the driver to perch on.
AH, bring back them good ole days.
Suburban emu sets were originally targeted to identify the assigned maintenance depot.
B for Punchbowl; H for Hornsby, M for Mortdale, F for Flemington. W for single decker motor cars and double decker trailers.
U set interurbans were maintained at Flemo, I guess that the U target inferred Interurban.
But, after more car designs emerged, especially double deckers, the set identity became more of a design classification.
S for standard 4 or 8 car double decker, R for 6 car double decker, L for 2 car sets.
L sets didn't last long as they failed regularly only having the single motor car and set of batteries.
K sets were the first air-con suburban emu sets, prior sets only having forced ventilation.
V sets being the luxurious double decker interurbans.
C sets being the first chopper gate power control type.
T sets being Tangara, G sets being a Tangarbage with a dunny.
M for Millenniums, A for Waratahs, H for Oscars.
Today the colour of the target plate identifies the maintenance depot to which the set is allocated.
Oh, the NSWR has had numerous moniker changes over the years.
Currently we are Sydney Trains for the suburban network, and NSW Trainlink for the interurban and regional network.
The 1970s NSW PTC (Public Transport Commission) pinched the UK Late 7 Days logo.
In the 1980s we became the State Rail Authority.
The schism in 1996 (preparation for the privatization of the freight) created four operation facets of the SRA.
Railcorp being the infrastructure mob; Cityrail the suburban and interurban network; Countrylink the regional network.
And, my lot becoming Freightcorp.
The SRA was finally dissolved in 2003 when Freightcorp became Pacific National.
But, the pas section monikers lingered on for a bit longer.
I diverged there a tad.
The original QR emu fleet were 9 foot wide and 76 foot long with a roof height of 12 foot 6 inch.
Dunnies were provided on the ICE sets which eventually ran north to Rockhampton once electrified.
The ICE sets possessing 3 across the aisle seating may have provided for wheel chair navigation.
The suburban versions having 4 across the aisle seating would definitely not provide for wheel chair navigation.
The QR emu cars were much longer than loco hauled cars on the system which were only 57 foot long.
The QR electrified network needed much modification to permit the longer emu cars to operate.
This modification occurring at the time of electrification.
As to the comment that the newbie NSW Trains interurbans will be 20 centimetres wider than the current V sets, I find this a tad dismaying.
Crikey, that be 8 inches in the old lingo.
I would doubt that such a discrepancy could occur in engineering diagrams.
As commented previously, I kinda think that NSW Trains would intend 5 across the aisle seating for the newbie interurbans.
So, this might account for such a width discrepancy.
Medium width emu cars being shorter than the V setters, might have accounted for this situation in regards to seat capacity.
If this be factual, then a heck of a lot of infrastructure will need to be modified.
I won't know the specifics until I find a car diagram to take a squiz at.
Amusingly, the destination of Wickham shown on the NSW Trains emu is also a bit of a subtle jibe by the Media.
Trains no longer rattle to Wickham station, nor Civic, nor Newcastle.
Whinging motorists complaining about the level crossings, plus property developers succeeding in getting the track closed.
The Newcastle Flyer is no more.
Some tram thing is proposed to eventually replace the Big Trains to Newcastle.
Now, as to U boats, I have uploaded a photo showing a classic 4 car U set climbing to Zig Zag;
http://www.railwayforum.net/gallery/...imageuser=8578
And, as to cowboy cars, there is also a shot of them on the ARHS vintage train;
http://www.railwayforum.net/gallery/...imageuser=8578
The NSWR imported three cowboy cars from Uncle Sam in 1877.
The cowboy cars grew to a total number of 586 on the NSWR prior to suburban electrification.
Many were converted to tourist operation (provided with a dunny) after electrification commenced.
And 362 were still in service in 1971.
QR, TGR, SAR all had end platform cars originating from the USRR cowboy concept.
I am not sure about VR or WAGR.
The Granville prang in 1977 resulted in the end for most NSW wooden body rollingstock.
Though, I do doubt that any steel car would have sustained less damage inflicted by so much concrete.
Steve.
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