Good info james, yes reports of huge daily intakes of grain right across the Wimmera, think Nhill may have set another daily record too.

The week before Chrissy, everyone is usually at Fever Pitch to get things rounded up, quite a few smaller farms have already finished but seems the Wimmera could be in for some nasty rainfall here and there.

https://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/7063574/heavy-rainfall-isolated-thunderstorms-forecast-for-wimmera/?cs=12

Yeah bloody paywall perhaps but think you will get the concept. Keep an eye on here;

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR953.loop.shtml

That'll do ya for now...

BigShunter.

And as of Sunday, GrainCorp in Victoria has received 3.22mt of grain.  Massive year for Victoria.

I would think ARTC

Just backing up what james has said above, a bit more info here on Western Victoria.

Bin burster for Victorian grain producers.

IT HAS been obscured by the big NSW turnaround, but Victoria is once again enjoying an excellent cropping season, which could push to be the biggest on record.

As of Tuesday GrainCorp had received 1.345 million tonnes in Victoria, with 648,300 in the past week.

And there is still plenty more to come.

GrainCorp Murtoa site manager Nathan Tepper said Wednesday's result of 13,500 tonnes received was believed to be a daily record and that with the focus shifting to wheat it was expected there would be a run of big days over the next week.

He said the Murtoa site had so far taken around 140,000 tonnes and would continue to take significant volumes right up until Christmas before the harvest tapered off.

It is a similar story at Nhill, where GrainCorp site manager Fraser Kent took 13,160 tonnes on Tuesday, before a localised downpour of 20mm immediately over the Nhill township slowed things down from Wednesday afternoon.

It has led to GrainCorp opening previously mothballed 'flex' sites in central Victoria and far southern NSW, with Tandarra, near Serpentine and Barnes Crossing, near Moama, both reopening.

https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/7060110/bin-burster-in-victoria/

BigShunter.

Just backing up what james has said above, a bit more info here on Western Victoria.

Bin burster for Victorian grain producers.

IT HAS been obscured by the big NSW turnaround, but Victoria is once again enjoying an excellent cropping season, which could push to be the biggest on record.

As of Tuesday GrainCorp had received 1.345 million tonnes in Victoria, with 648,300 in the past week.

And there is still plenty more to come.

GrainCorp Murtoa site manager Nathan Tepper said Wednesday's result of 13,500 tonnes received was believed to be a daily record and that with the focus shifting to wheat it was expected there would be a run of big days over the next week.

He said the Murtoa site had so far taken around 140,000 tonnes and would continue to take significant volumes right up until Christmas before the harvest tapered off.

It is a similar story at Nhill, where GrainCorp site manager Fraser Kent took 13,160 tonnes on Tuesday, before a localised downpour of 20mm immediately over the Nhill township slowed things down from Wednesday afternoon.

It has led to GrainCorp opening previously mothballed 'flex' sites in central Victoria and far southern NSW, with Tandarra, near Serpentine and Barnes Crossing, near Moama, both reopening.

https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/7060110/bin-burster-in-victoria/

BigShunter.

Great to see Tandarra now open.  Hopefully the rail siding gets used too - it's been a long time!

Great reads and information! What line is Tandarra on?

Tandarra is between Raywood and Dingee on the Piangil/Swan Hill line.  It has a fairly short rail siding.

Tandarra is between Raywood and Dingee on the Piangil/Swan Hill line.  It has a fairly short rail siding.

Very small site but obviously GrainCorp are looking every bit of capacity possible.



BigShunter.

Reports that SSR loading their Kensington rake at Tocumwal today.

Carnot: "Great to see Tandarra now open.  Hopefully the rail siding gets used too - it's been a long time!"

If you zoom in on Big Shunter's photo, part of that siding looks to be underwater. Wonder if they've done the siding up?

Last time I saw Tandarra used was a few years back after the Pyramid derailment (Broken rail in dirt level crossing). They stabled some wagons there for a few days. Since then some track machines

I doubt the siding is useable now for trains; but it is also a slow site to load, also they cannot shunt a full (40 wagon) train clear to load. I suspect it has become redundant to rail.

Note nearby sites at Mitiamo and Elmore still used, so less need for Tandarra

Last time I saw Tandarra used was a few years back after the Pyramid derailment (Broken rail in dirt level crossing). They stabled some wagons there for a few days. Since then some track machines

I doubt the siding is useable now for trains; but it is also a slow site to load, also they cannot shunt a full (40 wagon) train clear to load. I suspect it has become redundant to rail.

Note nearby sites at Mitiamo and Elmore still used, so less need for Tandarra

Thanks for the info hbedriver and Mitiamo doesn't look a very big site either but both together, good thinking, I reckon the people running GrainCorp could be as clever as us
I assume you can still load a train at Mitiamo, it's a bit hard to see when you zoom up. It's 25k so only a very short trip to
the  truck grain.

BigShunter.

PN are currently about to leave Toc with their second load this week. They are due to head out again tomorrow. Another PN rake due to head to Elmore tonight also. SSR also loaded at Woorinen and Elmore today so they may cross the PN grainy this evening.

PN are currently about to leave Toc with their second load this week. They are due to head out again tomorrow. Another PN rake due to head to Elmore tonight also. SSR also loaded at Woorinen and Elmore today so they may cross the PN grainy this evening.

Looks like a full occo through Ballarat at present.  Hence all the grainies on the Bendigo and Toc lines this week.

PN are currently about to leave Toc with their second load this week. They are due to head out again tomorrow. Another PN rake due to head to Elmore tonight also. SSR also loaded at Woorinen and Elmore today so they may cross the PN grainy this evening.

Looks like a full occo through Ballarat at present.  Hence all the grainies on the Bendigo and Toc lines this week.

Toc especially with the St James derailment.

Toc especially with the St James derailment.

Track through St James should be fixed, and the line available for service.

Toc especially with the St James derailment.

Track through St James should be fixed, and the line available for service.

Should be by now, but it wasn't for a while.

I thought it was only the Melbourne to Warrenheip section of the Ballarat line was closed, leaving the way for Ballarat to Geelong open. It would be silly to close the line to Geelong, we've been having about 2 grain trains every day lately to/from the North going to Geelong.

PN are currently about to leave Toc with their second load this week. They are due to head out again tomorrow. Another PN rake due to head to Elmore tonight also. SSR also loaded at Woorinen and Elmore today so they may cross the PN grainy this evening.

Looks like a full occo through Ballarat at present.  Hence all the grainies on the Bendigo and Toc lines this week.

I saw an Up grainy coming off the RRL at Deer Park Jct last night. I'd never seen a freighter on the RRL.

I thought it was only the Melbourne to Warrenheip section of the Ballarat line was closed, leaving the way for Ballarat to Geelong open. It would be silly to close the line to Geelong, we've been having about 2 grain trains every day lately to/from the North going to Geelong.

I believe they are doing work in the town on the signals also, hence the general closure.

Just a bit of a round up of the West Wimmera from the last weekish, the mad rush of harvest up to Christmas didn't happen this year and last week saw not a lot of harvesting done at all. Weather conditions weren't too friendly, showers earlier in the week and cool days, by mid arvo some may have got the harvester cranked up but not many.

Most people would be finishing up with their Barley and waiting to hook into the Wheat, which really requires 30+ deg and low humidity. Another reason fires are a constant worry.

As said over in the Portalnd thread, Lilimur, Sout West of Kaniva has ceased rail transportation of their grain due to the silo's being condemned and are currently trucking their grain to Portland down through Edenhope and Casterton. Both Nhill & Lillimur are having ball busting receivals and on track for record harvest intake.

Just regarding Lillimur, they have had some big changes and smartened up their operation big time. A couple of years ago they were luck to take 50,000 tonne a year, the last couple best part of a 100,000 and as a matter of fact, during the last few days ticked over 106,000 tonne and they haven't started stripping wheat yet. They are also at the minute constructing a couple of new bunkers so well done to the team out there.

Probably 10 years ago Vittera opend at Dooen with a very well equipped and up to date site and got bugger all support for a couple of years, GrainFlow and GrainCorp ruled the roost, a mate who lives North of Horsham used to cart their grain to Dimboola because it was a very well run site, well things change and the same fellow delivered mainly to Vittera this year, there's some big and productive farms in that area, hot competition in the grain industry.  

So fingers crossed for some fine hot weather to finish this big harvest off, may be looking like towards the middle of Jan before she's over red rover.

BigShunter

and may god save the road to portland from kaniva because nothing saved the governor general !

you also know it's a bloody good year when this district is having a great year

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-12-23/bumper-grain-crop-millewa-after-worst-drought-in-70-years/12984612

Somewhere around 100 000 tonnes at Lillimur, 180 000 at Nhill, just about all over at Nhill. About 30 000tonnes already shipped out from Nhill.

Report from "Country News" supplement to "Shepparton News": Graincorp receivals at Elmore, 160,000 tonnes. Deniliquin & Dookie about 130,000 tonnes each. All record receivals at those sites as well as records at Oaklands and Murchison East.

I think its fair to say if the Dookie branch hasn't been reactivated for this year's harvest, it never will be.

130,000tonne of grain coming out of there and all going via road. What a bloody shame.

I think its fair to say if the Dookie branch hasn't been reactivated for this year's harvest, it never will be.

130,000tonne of grain coming out of there and all going via road. What a bloody shame.

I still am of the view the the best hope of getting that line re-activated will be of the grain company puts in the lions share of the coin to make it happen, or SG makes its way up to Toc at some point. After the debacle of the north west, SG going up there isent going to happen as early as it might have had the project gone well. Thinking another 10 years. Doubt its worth a few million to the grain company's to do that. They probably would stump up some cash to contribute to the gauge conversion. They will more likaly road direct to port, or over to the oaklands line.