Putting this in the NSW forum as we are in 100% drought.
Great to see our friends in WA sending 20? B-doubles across the Nullabor loaded with hay.
But both origin and destination are on the main rail line.
Don't we have enough flat beds or whatever to do this kind of work?
Most freight Syd to Perth is already sent by rail (isn't it?).
How much would it have saved in diesel, drivers hours etc etc.??

Putting this in the NSW forum as we are in 100% drought.
Great to see our friends in WA sending 20? B-doubles across the Nullabor loaded with hay.
But both origin and destination are on the main rail line.
Don't we have enough flat beds or whatever to do this kind of work?
Most freight Syd to Perth is already sent by rail (isn't it?).
How much would it have saved in diesel, drivers hours etc etc.??

And what a great advert it would have been for rail. A lost opportunity for SCT / PN to carry it as backload.

Thanks for posting, that is the first thing that I thought when I read the article.

BG

Putting this in the NSW forum as we are in 100% drought.
Great to see our friends in WA sending 20? B-doubles across the Nullabor loaded with hay.
But both origin and destination are on the main rail line.
Don't we have enough flat beds or whatever to do this kind of work?
Most freight Syd to Perth is already sent by rail (isn't it?).
How much would it have saved in diesel, drivers hours etc etc.??

And what a great advert it would have been for rail. A lost opportunity for SCT / PN to carry it as backload.

Thanks for posting, that is the first thing that I thought when I read the article.

BG

While I agree that it would have been good for rail to have the chance to haul the hay, and going back into earlier droughts such as the 64-66 & 82-83 drought, a lot of fodder and other rural items were railed as was stock on agistment more especially the first one.  Thing is that the rail operators had a lot of spare R/S and locomotives. along with crews to man the trains.

Today with privatisation, there really is not the spare rolling stock, nor many that would be suitable for that sort of transport such as open wagons available at the drop of a hat to provide the trains for the delivery of the fodder.

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

James how many of the modern flat wagons are really suitable for hay baling transport?  Most of them are basically skeletal types for container use. In saying that if their is a way than they could/should be a means.

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

I was thinking containerised as is done for export and hauled as backload as I understand a much higher volume of freight heads east > west than vice versa.

And rail crews can volunteer their time just as easily as truck drivers can, paths could be made avl foc by ARTC etc.

Reading the article it sounds like they raised $600K and that could have been used to pay the fuel bill

For what it's worth I think this sums up the mind set of this country. I need to move a few thousand bales of feed hay 3500km so I immediately think of using a whole bunch of trucks and using the more efficient method of Rail transport never even crosses my mind.

Not for a minute wanting to take anything away from this great cause (I am buying bales when I have a spare $20.00 or so https://www.buyabale.com.au/ ) just don't think it is a great use of resources and a missed opportunity for rail to put itself front and centre in the hearts and minds of many Australians

BG

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

I was thinking containerised as is done for export and hauled as backload as I understand a much higher volume of freight heads east > west than vice versa.

And rail crews can volunteer their time just as easily as truck drivers can, paths could be made avl foc by ARTC etc.

Reading the article it sounds like they raised $600K and that could have been used to pay the fuel bill

For what it's worth I think this sums up the mind set of this country. I need to move a few thousand bales of feed hay 3500km so I immediately think of using a whole bunch of trucks and using the more efficient method of Rail transport never even crosses my mind.

Not for a minute wanting to take anything away from this great cause (I am buying bales when I have a spare $20.00 or so https://www.buyabale.com.au/ ) just don't think it is a great use of resources and a missed opportunity for rail to put itself front and centre in the hearts and minds of many Australians

BG

Would require coordination, cooperation and organisation.
Privatisation destroyed all that.

Forgive my cynicism but parts of corporate Australia see the marketing opportunities that the drought has provided and some parts don't. I would place the large rail companies in the latter group.

     As for suitable wagons, I believe PN has a sizeable fleet of ex-FreightVictoria 60ft container flats that still appear to have tie-down hardware in place.

How easy is it to lash hay bales to a flat car?  And what additional risk procedures does rail require be addressed (that road probably does not...).

I was thinking containerised as is done for export and hauled as backload as I understand a much higher volume of freight heads east > west than vice versa.

And rail crews can volunteer their time just as easily as truck drivers can, paths could be made avl foc by ARTC etc.

Reading the article it sounds like they raised $600K and that could have been used to pay the fuel bill

For what it's worth I think this sums up the mind set of this country. I need to move a few thousand bales of feed hay 3500km so I immediately think of using a whole bunch of trucks and using the more efficient method of Rail transport never even crosses my mind.

Not for a minute wanting to take anything away from this great cause (I am buying bales when I have a spare $20.00 or so https://www.buyabale.com.au/ ) just don't think it is a great use of resources and a missed opportunity for rail to put itself front and centre in the hearts and minds of many Australians

BG

Would require coordination, cooperation and organisation.
Privatisation destroyed all that.

There is already grain on backload on rail from Western Australia to nsw.

PN carries some 2 weeks ago.

But agreed more could have been done. Maybe wagons of the gondola type were needed ?

What about mustering the sheep and cattle onto an overnight Noah's ark type freight service, say in Parkes and Condo and doing several hook and pulls into adjistment lands in WA? Maybe pick up any SA mobs along the way...

Then you wouldn't need hay, and the herds can be brought back into NSW when the grass is greener.

We used to do a lot of long distance droving once upon a time. Australia is a big country.

Where are those ex AN cattle class wagons/cages kept these days? I ain't talking sit up class.

Loving the expert opinions floating around in this thread from people without a clue but who love to comment anyway.
Bailed Hay is easily loaded onto the 20 and 40 foot open containers of which there are thousands...you all know the type of container a flat deck with 2 end walls just as it is on semi trailers,absolutly no need for any flat wagons or bogie opens at all.

For the last 4 months there has been a constant flow of Road Trains and B doubles North bound through here in Hay on the Mid Western highway approximatly one every 15 minutes with the corosponding empty movements south bound.

These are ALL paid freight movents by trucking companies apart from 2 Drought relief convoys.
SHELL Roadhouse has gone from 1 B double of Diesel per week to 3 deliveries per week to cater for this traffic.