Track train in Echuca

J-C · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:11 pm

Last night the yellow SSR T class was removed and another CFCLA T was put on then around 2300 they left to go pick up more rail.

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MillzyNo6 · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:59 pm

T376 on the up end and T377 on the down end of the rail train in Bendigo but also another CFCLA T (maybe T369) sitting under the fuel point this evening. Are they replacing a T or adding another one?

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MillzyNo6 · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:50 pm

I had an oppertunity to have a look at the upgrades going on the line as they were working at the front of my place. Just a few questions to come from it was:

Why were they cutting 6m of rail out of the line and replacing it with another 6m piece of rail? I thought it would just require a weld between the join already there?

They have only welded one end of the replaced rail with the join of the original rail still there as seen in the following photos. Will they come back and weld up the other end where the bolted join is?

The last photo you can see the welded end and non-welded end. The only reason I could think of them doing this is to allow for heat expansion??

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echboi · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:11 pm

so will the vlocits run faster between nth bendigo and echuca?

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J-C · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:16 pm

The Vinelander · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:19 pm

crypticone · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:33 am

By the pictures they have put in closures, I think they are called plugs in SA and VIC, they could be getting ready to CWR continuously weld and adjust the track or put it into JWR, joint welded track, which is similiar.

If they are doing the above, the 6m closure would be put in to get rid of the battered joint at that location so that when they come along to adjust and CWR the steel they have square ended joints to weld together.

If they are installing JWR or CWR and adjusting the steel this may allow an increase in the speed for that section.

Someone with Vic track experience may know more, with regard to speeds on jointed versus CWR track.

Cheers

Highrailer · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:44 pm

As stated the sections of rail put in there are known as closure's and also to replace the battered end's of the existing rail that are already there.

There are two reason's for one of the closure's to be welded and the other end plated !
They are for keeping the line open to traffic & later on for the end's of the rail's to be trimmed (shortened by an an inch or two) for tensing (stretching) and welding by another welding crew.

Also the whole track is being "cut and bumped" this means cutting out the joint's and sliding the rail along to meet up again with the rail it was plated to, eventualy there is going to be a large gap somewhere between the rail's where it is also neccesary to put in another closure to fill in that gap which will explain the length of some of the closure's being welded into the track.

The 80lb rail that cover's most of the track between Rochester and Echuca is currently being replaced with 94lb rail as well.

Another part of the work's going on with the Echuca line is lifting it by 4 inches, this is being done by going over it twice with the tamper lifting it 2 inches at a time, ballast train's are running as well with loco's S303, T324 & i think T369.

This line is starting to look quite impressive.

The Vinelander · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:44 pm

MillzyNo6 · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:53 pm

Thanks for the info on the joins crypticone and Highrailer. On Saturday when I went and had a look a week after the previous photos were taken the other end of the closures were welded up. Where they welded the last part of the closure together they have painted it green and wrote:

247m J=16 T=21 FM-100D PMA-195 CHART=49 BP-21832 and the date 22.6.08

Does all this writing have something to do with the upgrade or is it just a recording system?

Also as you said Highrailer about the line looking very quite impressive, I have to agree. In the 20yrs I have been living across this line it is in the best shape I have ever seen and it did get pretty bad a few years ago.
Here are a few pictures in the Up and Down direction after the work has been done in the past week.

Up

Down

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KEV · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:06 pm

The writing on the left tells you the details and the conditions of the section that was welded, temp? etc.

And

The writing on the right tells who did the welding and the date on which it was done.

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per1 · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:57 pm

Why is this work being done? How fast will the track be? Will there be more services?

The Vinelander · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:26 pm

Duncs · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:46 pm

The answer to the first is obvious, to improve the track quality and safety.
As the track will now be 94lb (47kg) rail all the way to Echuca, speeds of up to 130 kph should be possible. Especially if they have replaced any worn out sleepers. They are clearly replacing ballast so the track bed will become more stable.

In reality they will probably limit the top speed to 120 kph, just to be on the safe side. But even that should allow a much faster travel time.

EG At present the 88km trip takes 1 1/4 hours for an average speed of 70kph. This is in line with the maximum speed allowed on the line of 75kph and allows for the stops at Elmore and Rocherster. I learnt about the 75 kph limit from a V Line person at Bendigo.

If the top speed was 120kph and the average speed on the line (excluding stops) was 110, then the transit time is 48 minutes. Allow one minute statonery at Elmore and Rocherster, and total the travel time becomes 50 minutes.

If we then take on board Mike's suggestion of building this into a partial express service to Bendigo, then we get a scenario like this.

Melbourne to Bendigo - 1 hour 45 minutes + a 5 minute stop over in Bendigo = 1 hour 50 minutes + 50 minutes to Echuca = 2 hours 40 minutes. As compared to well over 3 hours at present.

Once the service becomes faster and more competitive with driving, then increased demand will lead to an increase in services.

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Edith · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:35 pm

An interesting collection of old locos at Bendigo today - Steamrail T and S and another pair (Seymour ?) T and S. One T was 342 and the S-es were 303 and 313. I cannot recall the other T.

The word in Elmore was that the track would be run at 100kph soon.

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