Thanks, NR1
I've been informed that several car sets are out of service due to 'broken springs'... this includes N Sets as well. This is a great reflection on acceptable standards by ARTC who Im led to believe run the Track Inspection car.My understanding was that the broken N car springs were broad gauge cars and that out of the V/Line network, ARTC only manages the standard gauge North East .
Shepparton is the first line to lose its N Set when cars are short...hence the H Set last Sunday week...and no doubt since then as well.
Mike.
As of today. There are 11 Z cars still out on repairs.Good post, thanks.
During 2014 a number were returned to service. Now these cars are also due for rewheel.
Car sets which had Z cars are now back only as 3 N cars. N6 and N4 should have Z cars but these are at Newport.
From what I understand the frame crack issues have surfaced again.
Some of the Z cars still haven't turned a wheel since the original issue started with the complete withdrawal of the cars. They have sat in Newport in the same spot since 2012?
N cars on Broad Gauge are going through springs something odd. FN 10 had new springs on most bogies fitted recently.
In good news FN12 is back ex overhaul and the Z car 264? Had replacement bogies fitted at the same time.
The cracking is allegedly due to the quality control steel wise in the pouring of the original bogies, which has only surfaced as a potential issue in recent years . The design is quite sound, so new bogie frames ONLY (there is nothing wrong with the wheels) cast to strict quality standards is quite OK .As of today. There are 11 Z cars still out on repairs.Good post, thanks.
During 2014 a number were returned to service. Now these cars are also due for rewheel.
Car sets which had Z cars are now back only as 3 N cars. N6 and N4 should have Z cars but these are at Newport.
From what I understand the frame crack issues have surfaced again.
Some of the Z cars still haven't turned a wheel since the original issue started with the complete withdrawal of the cars. They have sat in Newport in the same spot since 2012?
N cars on Broad Gauge are going through springs something odd. FN 10 had new springs on most bogies fitted recently.
In good news FN12 is back ex overhaul and the Z car 264? Had replacement bogies fitted at the same time.
Replacing 4 wheelsets should take less than 24 hours out of service.
If the frame cracking is conformed, does not their replacement with identical ones meet one of the definitions of madness :
Doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome....![]()
They wouldn't even need to go overseas to get new carriages! Vlocity trailer cars would be perfectly adequate replacements - just take out the drivetrain and swap the Scharfenberg couplers for autos.I know they are expensive but I do not see why the V/Locity cannot be modified so that it can be used on long distance services. 300 Km is not that far.
Pushing back the N car replacement program is only going to make this sort of thing worse. Ultimately though it's just a symptom of the management culture at V/Line and within the transport bureaucracy.
I know they are expensive but I do not see why the V/Locity cannot be modified so that it can be used on long distance services. 300 Km is not that far.
I forgot about that. Your idea of modified Vlocity trailer cars are a great idea. That coupled with a new build of locomotive. Can't one be bought of the shelf from overseas modified to Australian Conditions?I know they are expensive but I do not see why the V/Locity cannot be modified so that it can be used on long distance services. 300 Km is not that far.
The reason you want loco-hauled carriages is so that you can run higher speeds through unprotected level crossings.
I'm glad that Qantas doesn't have the same sort of appalling maintenance record as VLP.
They wouldn't even need to go overseas to get new carriages! Vlocity trailer cars would be perfectly adequate replacements - just take out the drivetrain and swap the Scharfenberg couplers for autos.Would you then get drawgear restrictions?
Pushing back the N car replacement program is only going to make this sort of thing worse. Ultimately though it's just a symptom of the management culture at V/Line and within the transport bureaucracy.
It shouldn't be difficult to modify the structure to allow for locomotive haulage.They wouldn't even need to go overseas to get new carriages! Vlocity trailer cars would be perfectly adequate replacements - just take out the drivetrain and swap the Scharfenberg couplers for autos.Would you then get drawgear restrictions?
Pushing back the N car replacement program is only going to make this sort of thing worse. Ultimately though it's just a symptom of the management culture at V/Line and within the transport bureaucracy.
But please fit them with power operated end doors each end of the saloon and at the car ends. The noise level in Velocity cars is ridiculously high.
M636C
You would need a power car for HEP (although you could retain the existing HEP set under the floor, but this idea went out of favour with the N sets and was removed from the SG cars).I thought they got rid of the underfloor gensets on the gauge-converted N cars because the gensets themselves were unreliable and underpowered, not because of any inherent flaw in using underfloor generators.
Underfloor diesel generators are a maintenance, servicing and reliability problem in addition to an onboard pain to passenger comfort due to their noise and vibration.In previous threads I referred to the Vossloh Eurolight Type 68 locomotive (with HEP built in) as a good place to start for a replacement for the N Class. Or else something equally suitable. Finding a locomotive design that can be adapted to BG and deliver HEP should not be difficult at all. You need something that can haul six cars at 115kph on class 2 track and 130kph on class 1 track. Anywhere on the V Line network.
They are a brilliant way of reducing overall carriage availability thereby adding to train cancellations. They are just something else to go wrong.
Leave them off and just plumb for true head end power which, of course, brings its own problems if one is to rely on the N class head end power.
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