Railway_Digest__February_2018

The long day had tempered my enthusiasm to take advantage of
spending some time with the port shunters. Instead, getting back to
Greg’s place for an early night was beckoning. There would be plenty
of chances ahead to see FMG rail operations in action the very next
day when I was due to go for my arranged loco cab ride all the way up
to the Cloudbreak mine, staying overnight at the mine’s FIFO camp.
Despite an initial preference to see the Solomon branch, strict security
arrangements in place at the Solomon Hub facility were deemed to be
a little too complex for a casual visitor to gain access. Not that I had any
reason for complaint!
Thursday – The Trip To Cloudbreak (or perhaps not)
Being an experienced train driver’s wife, Julie kindly prepared plenty
of food supplies for me to take along on my two day adventure. Lone
train drivers need to be well prepared for any eventuality, there being
no shops from which to obtain provisions if you happen to run short
somewhere out along the track.
Arriving back at Kanyirri depot before 6.00 am, the mandatory
breath test was conducted, and the signed authority to ride issued.
For today’s journey I was to accompany a friendly young driver by
the name of Jason, a former Queensland Rail Citytrain driver who
also hailed from Brisbane. Happy that my arrangements were sorted,
Greg then headed home for a well-earned rest after his eventful 12hr
overnight shift. However, it was not long before I was to be put on notice
that there may have to be a change of plan. An FMG employee was
required to travel up to Cloudbreak aboard our train. One passenger per
train was cited as a company rule, and my presence had created a mild
complication for the day shift driver supervisor. Just my luck!
With the next two trains up to the mines still being unloaded, possibly
until mid-morning, there was no choice but for us to wait in the port
shunter’s shed located at the end of the balloon loops until further
advice was offered. My grand entrance to the shed created concern
amongst some of those inside with it being highly unusual for any
outsiders to be seen there. It was additional cause to be wary when the
stranger had a ‘fancy camera’ with him. Once it was explained I was
there as a guest rather than a company spy, a sense of calm returned.
Sitting around in the shunter’s shed was not how I had imagined I would
be spending my valuable time, but there are always interesting characters
that are able to keep you entertained. It was brought to my attention more
than once that within the shunter’s ranks there was a famous AFL legend
who played several seasons for the West Coast Eagles. If only I had been
more of a fan and asked for an autograph while I had the chance!
Conversation that morning was abuzz with rumours that significant
changes were in the pipeline for the job description of shunters, along
with unwelcome speculation that driver redundancies might be part
of the outcome. Primarily it was being proposed that shunters would
be promoted to yard drivers, being trained to drive the trains at low
speed within the confines of the port. The normal driver pool would
then be more available for main line work. But the downside being that
perhaps some permanent driver positions would become surplus to
requirements, with casual driver positions making inroads. It was a brief
but stimulating discussion session of opinions and concerns that the
threat of change in any workplace can be certain to generate.
Jason and I then found ourselves alone in the shed while the shunters
sprang into action to deal with an incoming loaded train. Eventually Jason
was summoned to prepare the next train and departed for Cloudbreak
without me being aboard with him. It was not made known to me if there
actually was a passenger being conveyed as arranged earlier. I could only
wait for a call to be told of my fate, but when that advice was eventually
forthcoming, it became frustratingly obvious that there had been a major
stuff up and that I should have been aboard with Jason after all. Too late
now! No choice but to wait for the next one…
To help pass the time and break the escalating sense of boredom,
the opportunity was taken to photograph and examine two pairs of
locomotives parked close by from ground level. And the shed itself
aroused my curiosity. It was what appeared to be a converted 40 foot
container. Essentials, including air conditioning, kitchen facilities,
plus tables and chairs were there, but located at one end were two
toilet cubicles accessible by exterior doors. But both were found to be
completely full of junk, and in no way functional as the “out of service”
tags on the doors rightly indicated. It was apparent that if a visit to
the toilet for either the male or female shunters was required, a 2 km
The shunter guides the driver of FMG shunt loco GE Dash 9 - 009 as it pushes the compressor cars to be attached at the rear of a recently
arrived loaded rake which is occupying the TUL 3 inner circuit road at the port. Note the removed ECP monitor on the ground. A handy
lighting tower earth mound provides the elevated vantage point.
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RAILWAY DIGEST