Pacnat - Banning riding on wagons

Steamy · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 4:24 pm

It seems that as from next week pacnat are banning riding on all wagons, be it an endstep, sidestep (safest) on the wagon or in the wagon.

What do you think?

Cheers,
Steamy
-------------
Steve Shotton

sarail · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 6:32 pm

When I did work experience at PN Islington, I was told that you couldn't ride on shunters steps then, and that was nearly two years ago.

Peter Michalak

K163 · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 6:39 pm

the only time you would EVER seen people riding in the frieght cars on the mainline would be when they are shunting realy long trains, where the shnter would ride the shunter's step to save walking time. and in the wagon, would be on tourist railways where the train has to push-pull the train where there is no gaurds van.

Regards,
Craig Walton
What I say here is my thoughts, and doesn't represent the MRPS or Woolworths ltd... smeg imagine it did!

If you want to loose weight, don't eat anything that comes in a BUCKET!

Alco King · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:33 pm

As an X-Pacific National employee I can confirm that shortly after the sale of Freight Corp and National Rail, Pacific National decided to go all out on safety. Don't get me wrong as im all for a safe workplace but they seemed to go overboard. One of the first things they banned was the riding of trucks either on the side, back step or even on the back of the wagon. They also banned gravitating trucks in Enfield and Clyde yards. This caused a great decrease in production. Confused

I Don't Chase Trains I Drive Them.
Nothing Beats Being Paid to Gunzel.

joe · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2003 3:37 am

Just goes to show that the clowns that are running that mob have no
hands on experience,I used to work at Enfield in days of old and if the
Railway upset the shunters we put the lead boots on which means no
riding of shunts and we walked infront of the shunt when useing the
Engine.When this happened the goods trains would block back as far
as the main lines,eg Lidcombe,Sefton Junction and Wardell Road Junction.
Of course You all know what happened then the passenger trains were
delayed something shocking.There were even times when goods trains
would be put away as far down as Moss Vale on the south,Gosford,Wyong
on the north and Lithgow,Bathurst on the West.

Shunter

Steamy · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2003 8:55 am

Gday, some say that riding wagons has been banned for years. This may be true in some locations where a local rule has been enforced due to gauge clearnces or narrow track centres. This is especially evident in broad gauge or former broad gauge areas.

Someone referred to mainline wagon riding, however my original post was about yards and ternminals. I've been at Morandoo (Newcastle) for 3 years and we have been riding endsteps (sidesteps banned) without incident. Personally I prefer a sidestep because if the smeg hits the fan you can safely bail out without going under the thing. It aint a good feeling pushing a loaded billet train from Morandoo Yard thru to Onesteel (former BHP) Rod & Bar at Newcastle when your on the endstep with 2500-3000t behind your arsecrack.

The banning of riding has far reaching implications. If we can't ride our trains in the yard we have to walk, there are only two T/O (Shunters) in the yard, so we have to plan our long trains and big shunts to make the least amount of walking possible. Using a vehicle helps, but doesn't solve all problems. A covertruck or shunter's float isn't really viable at Morandoo, it may work elsewhere but the amount of work and the length of our trains (800-1500m) means it just isn't efficient.

What all this means is extra time, late trains, tired and fatigued workers (extra walking on uneven ground, our yard's walkways are smeg), increase in foot/ankle related injuries, interuptions to other operators including passenger services and upsetting train control ain't a good thing.

Joe got it right when he said the clowns who run the show don't have a clue. They are running the place like a business not a railway. That's why we (pacnat) are losing business to other operators.

ONLY THREE SHIFTS (INCLUDING THIS ONE) TO GO THEN I'LL BE OUT OF THIS PLACE - CAN'T WAIT

Steamy

Cheers,
Steamy
-------------
Steve Shotton

barryc · Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 10:37 pm

I was a shunter 30 odd years ago. I couldn't do it now. I'm too old and slow.

We used to ride on the sides of trucks - no end steps on NSW vehicles then. We'd couple up hook drawgear cars in the dark - and that can get hairy.

Jumping on and off moving vehicles was expected - but dangerous. And jiffying was the only way to shunt some places efficiently.

Trains were short and you could often shout to the driver as well as hand signal.

How times change