Railway_Digest__February_2018

TM
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Bruce Belbin
Assistant Editor Shane O’Neil
National Affairs Lawrance Ryan
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International Ken Date
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Contributors
Tony Bailey, Ben Chatwin, James Chuang, Alan Graham, Peter Hower,
John Hoyle, Philip Jeeves, Geoff Lillico, Vaughn Moore, David Whiteford.
Arc Infrastructure, Australian Financial Review, Bombardier Transportation,
Braidwood Times, The Burnie Advocate, Byron Echo, The Canberra Times,
CBH Group, City of Mount Gambier Council, Goulburn Post, GrainCorp,
The Hobart Mercury, International Railway Journal, Newcastle City
Council, The Newcastle Herald, Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, Public
Transport Authority of Western Australia, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional
Council, South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment
and Conservation – Ian Hunter MLC, South Australian Department of
Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Sydney Morning Herald, TasRail,
Transport for NSW, VicTrack, The West Australian, Western Australia
Minister for Transport – Hon Rita Saffioti MLA, Yarra Trams.
www.constructionadvisor.com.au , www.forrestfieldairportlink.wa.gov.au
www.portstrategy.com , www.transport.act.gov.au
February 2018
Volume 56, Number 2
Signalling & Infrastructure:
Torrens Junction
February 2018 • $10.00
North West Frontier – revisited
Fine dining on Bellarine Railway’s Q Train
Gold Coast light rail stage two opens early
Published monthly by the Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW Division)
Features
North West Frontier – Revisited 26
Readers may recall Alan Graham’s account of his 2014 Pilbara trip,
published in the April 2015 edition of Railway Digest. In his closing
remarks Alan hinted that another visit might be possible if the right
circumstances permitted. By mid-2016, after renewed contact with
long-time good friend Greg who continued to be employed by the
Fortescue Metals Group as a locomotive driver, thoughts of returning
to the Pilbara became more compelling. In this month’s RD we present
part one of Alan’s account of the marvellous adventure that resulted.
Gold Coast light rail stage two opens early 32
In contrast to the late and controversial delivery of two other south-east
Queensland rail projects, the Redcliffe railway and New Generation
Rollingstock EMUs, stage two of the Gold Coast light rail (known as
the G:Link or simply the ‘G:’) opened ahead of schedule on Sunday,
17 December 2017. The opening celebrations commenced with the
5.29 am departure of Bombardier Flexity 2 No.05 with the first public
tram service from Helensvale station. John Hoyle was there.
Regulars
Rail Industry 4
Railway people 6
News 8
Signalling & Infrastructure 40
Preservation and Tourist 46
– Fine dining on Bellarine Railway’s Q Train 46
– Moss Vale Sesquicentenary 53
– Byron Bay solar train 56
Readers Write 57
Cover: In the late afternoon light of Thursday 7 December 2017,
ARG Goninan/GE units P2508, P2509 and P2512 haul 5725 Up
Perenjori to Geraldton loaded ore train around the sweeping curve
approaching Chintapee Road at Bringo, WA. John Scott
Back cover upper: CSR 012 and CSR 001 lead 47 vehicles of SCT train
6MB9 towards the lower bridge on Cullerin Bank between Fish River
and Cullerin on Saturday 16 December 2017. CSR 012 was built as
BK 002 for Bradken, but has operated for SCT for about a year. It
has only recently been repainted and renumbered. The numbers in
particular have a different typeface to those on CSR 001. Peter Clark
Back cover lower: It hasn’t taken long after the Christmas/New Year
break for the GWA grain train crews to get back into the swing of
things, because the harvest is well under way. GWA007, ALF22 and
GWU006 are putting maximum power to rail as loaded Wolseley
‘grainie’ 2184 slogs it out on the Callington climb on Wednesday 3
January. Malcolm Holdsworth