VGR Safeworking into Castlemaine

aus.rail · Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 6:32 pm

One for the safeworking nuts to ponder and debate.

VGR is making excellent progress rebuilding from Muckleford to Maldon
Junction. Once this and Castlemaine platform 3 are complete, VGR should
be able to run into Castlemaine. Herein lies the question about safeworking.

IIRC, Maryborough - Castlemaine is still worked by Train Staff & Ticket
as a single section. The tourist railway crews would not need to learn
much more above the tourist railway TS&T rules, so this shouldn't be a
problem. VGR can obviously commission a Muckleford - Maldon Junction
staff, but what happens when the two systems meet?

AFAIK there isn't a precedent for this anywhere in Australia. tourist
railways meet "main" lines either at attended junction stations (e.g.
Picton) or the two systems butt onto each other (e.g. Nyora). What do
you do at an unattended junction on a line with untimetabled freight
movements? Will Maldon Junction require fixed signals?

Cheers
David

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aus.rail · Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 6:33 pm

On Mon, 12 May 2003 17:39:41 +1000, David Bromage
<dbromage@omni.com.NOSPAMTHANKYOU.au> wrote:

>AFAIK there isn't a precedent for this anywhere in Australia. tourist
>railways meet "main" lines either at attended junction stations (e.g.
>Picton) or the two systems butt onto each other (e.g. Nyora). What do
>you do at an unattended junction on a line with untimetabled freight
>movements?

Although not controlled by Staff &Ticket, both the Don River Railway
and the Tasmanian Transport Museum junction with the main Tasrail in
section. When a train arrives at the junction, a track warrant for the
mainline section is obtained from central train control (Launceston)
via radio, then the points are unbolted and the train departs. Both
goods and passenger trains are controlled by the same system.

In days of old, the long section would have been withdrawn and
replaced by two short sections, although this almost demands attended
stations. The use of Train Order (or whatever its called) between
Maryborough & Castlemaine would make the operations at the junction
easier.

Regards,

Stuart

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aus.rail · Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 6:33 pm

Question: Is Castlemaine manned 24/7 with a signaller?

Question: Is there a track diagram that I can look at?

I am thinking along the lines of making the junction included into yard
limits and the TS&T system is only worked beyond that but the staff will
still be issued at Castlemaine. I think this would still require some fixed
signalling.

Wilco

Wilco

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aus.rail · Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 6:34 pm

The easiest way I can think of is for the Maryborough-Castlemaine section be
changed to Maryborough-Maldon Jcn and Maldon Jcn-Castlemaine sections, with
fixed signals. This would be quite easy with the TS&T system, the only
expensive part would be the signals but this would probably be required
anyway. This would then become effectively the same as the junction of the
Michelago Tourist Railway at Queanbeyan (NSW), the train control boundary
could be at the home signal from Maldon. I should clarify this by saying I
have very little knowledge of the Victorian safeworking systems and have
used the principles I know from NSW.

Dave Malcolm

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aus.rail · Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 6:34 pm

There would be problems with dividing the staff section at Maldon
Junction. Suppose the Staff is normally kept at the junction, but there
is a short notice wheat train from heading south. That requires a staff
transfer by road, and a safeworking stop at Maldon Junction.

I'm told the current proposal is that Maldon Junction would effectifely
be made part of Castlemaine yard, and the junction points would be motor
worked from Castlemaine. 'A' Box would be recommissioned to work the
platform 3 and the former goods yard, which will be exclusively VGR
territory. The existing Castlemaine panel would control movements from
the Maryborough line to platforms 1 and 2. There would be some sort of
cross locking arrangement between the box and the panel.

In theory this means VGR crews wouldn't even need to learn VicTrack
TS&T, as they would be either under tourist railway TS&T or within
Castlemaine yard limits. But there would still be some "main line" rules
to learn and I suspect they wouldl need to carry FA/VLine radio.

Hmmmm.... anybody for a two arm semaphore repeater on Post Y? Smile

Cheers
David

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kuldalai · Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 11:17 pm

Looks like it could almost be a repeat of previous arrangements at this junction. Points were motor operated, and three position signals controlled from Castlemaine were installed. Train staff working applied beyond the junction on both legs. Arrangement was simple and operated by two levers at Castlemaine. One worked the signals and one the points. The points were set first with one lever to Normal (for Mbh) or Reverse (for Maldon), then the second lever operated for the signal (Right) for Down trains cleared down departure signal at points for either route as points set, (Left) cleared the Up home arrival on the line for which the points were set for a train to arrive from. During hours of passenger train operations for VLP Castlemaine currently switched out on Sundays with down Bendigo trains going through platform 2 and all Ups through plat 1.