Could readers let me know which Victorian silos are currently served by rail.
I passed through Kaniva on Monday, and whilst a large amount of grain was being delivered to the silos, there was no evidence of recent rail activity in the sidings. Later at Nhill a grain train hauled by 3 G classes was stabled, with a short line of hoppers being loaded. The train was broken up over 4 different sidings, and shunting at this location seems messy. There are a number of bunkers well away from rail sidings throughout the Wimmera. These will be cleared by truck, and whether the grain would be delivered to Dimboola for rail transport is doubtful, judging by the number of trucks on the highway to Melbourne.

Most silos at rail lines are served by rail.   It just depends on when they are due to be cleared as to whether a train is present.   At the moment there are plenty of trucks unloading at the silos.   The smaller silo stacks may only require one train per year to empty, but others like Murtoa are nearly year round occurrences.

Dimboola, Murtoa, Warracknabeal, Beulah, Hopetoun, Ouyen, Underbool, Manangatang, Piangil, Birchip, Yaapeet are the one's I know of that still get used today but there are more out there.

Dimboola, Murtoa, Warracknabeal, Beulah, Hopetoun, Ouyen, Underbool, Manangatang, Piangil, Birchip, Yaapeet are the one's I know of that still get used today but there are more out there.

Better replace Yaapeet with Rainbow (line beyond Rainbow wasn't reopened)

Dimboola, Murtoa, Warracknabeal, Beulah, Hopetoun, Ouyen, Underbool, Manangatang, Piangil, Birchip, Yaapeet are the one's I know of that still get used today but there are more out there.

Add Yelta

Out of the total silos throughout the Wimmera and Mallee, that are located on a rail line, I would say that the large majority are unused. There are a couple of reasons for this.
The first, a lot of the tall cement and adjacent silver steel silos have been condemned and are very unsafe.Particularly the cement ones, with chuncks of cement fall at any moment.
Another reason, when these structures where built, farmer Bill rolled up to the silo in his old chev truck with a load of either Barley or Wheat, it was that simple. Now a days there are literally dozens of grain segregations. The first year I was at Dimboola GrainFlow, we had 12 grades of wheat and barley as well as 2 grades of canola.
The tall cement silos hold about 1500 plus tonnes and the big silver steel ones any from 2000 to 5000 tonnes. There are plenty of farms around the Wimmera that could fill those small sites by them selves, let alone the neighbour !!
So over the past 10 to 20 years the trend has been to develop one large receival site, like Dimboola or Murtoa that excepts a large variety of grain and services a larger area.
In some places like Banyeena, between Murtoa and Rupanyup, a private grain consortium have taken over the use of a grain shed and silos, of what is largely a huge amount of infrastructure abandoned by
GrainCorp and left to fall into disrepair throughout rural Victoria.

Graincorp still use the concrete silos in the Donald yard as well as the steel silos in the extra siding.

All along the Sea Lake line most silos are in use as well as Yelta out pass Mildura, also add Elmore, Denniliquin as well as Tocumwal. Oh yeah and Muchison East..............Willura not to sure on that one...................

Yarrawonga is still used.

Of course in Metro Melbourne don't forget Kensington and Sunshine still get used quite often.

What about the smaller sites between Warracknabeal and Beulah - Lah, Brim and Galaquil ?  Are they still in use ?  Served by the adjacent rail line ?

Richard.

You can get on GrainCorp's web and check their active sites, but it doesn't tell you all the sites they actually own and are not in use.

http://www.graincorp.com.au/storage-and-logistics/country-operations/vic

BigShunter.

Carwarp is in use.

Rick

Yarrawonga is still used.

Of course in Metro Melbourne don't forget Kensington and Sunshine still get used quite often.

As is St James, Sangar, Wangamong and Oaklands.

Note, Oaklands actaully has two depots, GrainCorp and AWB one being around 1.5 kilometres out of town.

Warragoon's sidong is still there but last time I looked (a few seasons ago) the grain was being picked up by road.

woodford

Swan Hill recently reopened its Silo complex to rail traffic.

As is St James, Sangar, Wangamong and Oaklands.

Note, Oaklands actaully has two depots, GrainCorp and AWB one being around 1.5 kilometres out of town.

Warragoon's sidong is still there but last time I looked (a few seasons ago) the grain was being picked up by road.

woodford

Of these only Oaklands and Yarrawonga are being used this season.

On Murchison East, a header driver has just given me the info that this site is moving grain out by road transport instead of rail. This is causing massive delays as the silo has allowed for two grain class's, high grade (my source called it AWB class) and feed quality and the high class grade has been assigned to the bins not the outside stack. Unfortunately the amount of the high grade comming in is enormouse and the bins filled in the first few days. It was stated that long delays are being experienced of more than 40 trucks waiting to unload due to lack of space in the bins and the limited quantity of grain that can be moved out by road.

This is not going down well at all. (understatement)

woodford

Hopefully the trucks can also take some pollies with them and ship them out too, one way...................

Of these only Oaklands and Yarrawonga are being used this season.

On Murchison East, a header driver has just given me the info that this site is moving grain out by road transport instead of rail. This is causing massive delays as the silo has allowed for two grain class's, high grade (my source called it AWB class) and feed quality and the high class grade has been assigned to the bins not the outside stack. Unfortunately the amount of the high grade comming in is enormouse and the bins filled in the first few days. It was stated that long delays are being experienced of more than 40 trucks waiting to unload due to lack of space in the bins and the limited quantity of grain that can be moved out by road.

This is not going down well at all. (understatement)

woodford

victoria is starting to go the way of SA.  there are many silos on rail in sa where the contents are trucked.  the silos you speak of are on the mainline to the border are they not?  does any grain come off the shepparton line?  can that line take a grain train?

what other silos are on the same line that are being served by rail?

victoria is starting to go the way of SA.  there are many silos on rail in sa where the contents are trucked.  the silos you speak of are on the mainline to the border are they not?  does any grain come off the shepparton line?  can that line take a grain train?

what other silos are on the same line that are being served by rail?

Wouldn't agree with the statement, vic is going the way of sa.
There with out question has been a decline in the use of silos, along the rail system or what's left of it. I would say the vast majority of grain is still moved by rail, probably because the grain belt in Vic would reach a lot further from the ports, as well as going well up into the southern new south. There is always going to be a certain portion of the years harvest moved by road, as in the domestic market.
It was only a couple of years ago that GrainCorp and the Govt pulled their fingers out and worked together to re-open the Rainbow line for use, also it was probably more good luck the Oaklands branch was saved with the change of gauge instead of being closed.
While the rail system isn't quite making giant leaps and bounds it is just tredding water.
There usually is a heap of grain delivered to the Dookie, site, another job where GrainCorp and the brains trust should get together.
BigShunter.

It's  a pity that the $7+ million that was wasted on the Toolamba - Echuca line wasn't put into the Dookie line.

As for Murchison East that is surely a Graincorp decision to move grain out by road. The grain sidings were booked back into service earlier this year and I believe grain wagons were loaded some months back - possibly the last of last seasons harvest.

It's  a pity that the $7+ million that was wasted on the Toolamba - Echuca line wasn't put into the Dookie line.

As for Murchison East that is surely a Graincorp decision to move grain out by road. The grain sidings were booked back into service earlier this year and I believe grain wagons were loaded some months back - possibly the last of last seasons harvest.

the management of the regional network in victoria is the responsibility of vline or victrack?

As for Murchison East that is surely a Graincorp decision to move grain out by road.

Does any know where they are carting it too, would they be transferring it to another site nearby ?
I guess its not all that far to the port, either.
BigShunter.

Sorry Emma Street must disagree with you on Echuca-Toolamba being a waste.  The Deniliquin Rice train NEEDS to go via Toolamba in order for 9"6" high shipping containers to go by rail.  They won't fit through Tuunnels on the Bendigo Line.  Around 30" of the rice traffic from Deni still goes by road because it goes in 9"6" high boxes.  Transferring all that business onto the Rice train increases the economics for that train very significantly and it is why Sunrice have contributed the funds for the reinstatement.  The fact the Rice train didn't immediately transfer to the Toolamba route was about commissioning and other problems.

Secondly there is an ever increasing volume of grain going in containers as is occurring out of  Tocumwal and Horsham and in NSW on account of more grain varities and the deregulation of the grain handling sector.  There are very big opportunities especially with QUBE involved to get more of that business in the region and that business overwhelmingly moves in 9'6" high boxes.

The Denni Rice trains will soon go permanetly via Toolamba...............................Sunrice has paid a substanial amount of funds to have this line reopened, appears some say, objectors want a 30kmh speed limit on line,

Sorry Emma Street must disagree with you on Echuca-Toolamba being a waste.  The Deniliquin Rice train NEEDS to go via Toolamba in order for 9"6" high shipping containers to go by rail.  They won't fit through Tuunnels on the Bendigo Line.  Around 30" of the rice traffic from Deni still goes by road because it goes in 9"6" high boxes.  Transferring all that business onto the Rice train increases the economics for that train very significantly and it is why Sunrice have contributed the funds for the reinstatement.  The fact the Rice train didn't immediately transfer to the Toolamba route was about commissioning and other problems.

Secondly there is an ever increasing volume of grain going in containers as is occurring out of  Tocumwal and Horsham and in NSW on account of more grain varities and the deregulation of the grain handling sector.  There are very big opportunities especially with QUBE involved to get more of that business in the region and that business overwhelmingly moves in 9'6" high boxes.

Not true. 9'6" boxes can easily be taken on the Bendigo corridor post RFR as that's what PN were putting on their VEKX's for the Toke diversions in 2011. QUBE are running CQRX's which are essentially the same wagon (both originated at SKX flats). Back when the Boort containers ran via Bendigo before the realignment of the track they were running 9'6" boxes up there all the time, on VQCX's, VQLX's and VQOF's alike. I've said it before but I'll say it again. As far as I'm concerned it's more a case of V/Line not wanting it on the RFR corridor, because when WOLO's occur, the proverbial hits the fan.

[img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5188/5591160773_df4b4edf54.jpg[/img]

[img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5175/5576727344_9299d6fd35.jpg[/img]

As far as I'm concerned it's more a case of V/Line not wanting it on the RFR corridor, because when WOLO's occur, the proverbial hits the fan.

[img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5188/5591160773_df4b4edf54.jpg[/img]
[img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5175/5576727344_9299d6fd35.jpg[/img]

That's very much the case.

Echuca to Melbourne Is also flater and more direct via Seymour then to Bendigo (that has to save $ In running costs)