Edited 06 May 2021 09:38, last year, edited by ngarner

I was rolled onto 131N which had Sunday OR.

Monday, I was rostered to relieve the Port Melbourne Pilot, with Driver M Wilson, and to bring an up load into the Arrivals Yard departing Port at 2100, however I was put straight onto standby, when I signed on at 1700, apparently on my lonesome, as Driver Wilson seems to have been given a different job, with another fireman. I registered my disapproval of this turn of events by knocking off at 1900, having sat in the meal room for two hours, doing nothing.

Tuesdays start was on at 1714 to run the 1826 Sale pass, train 8431, rostered, once more, to work with Driver Wilson, which actually happened this time, unlike the day before. We made our way to Spencer St to where L1152 was waiting for us in platform 8. We relieved the crew in occupation of the cab, settled in and waited for the ‘right away’ from station staff and guard. Getting under way we passed HQ as we accessed the original viaduct on our way to platform 1 at Flinders St. After the pickup there we headed on to Caulfield where we collected a few more passengers and then travelled on, to Dandenong for another pickup of passengers. Being a longer distance train I assume that we then ran to Warragul with no more stops, where we arrived at 1958 to be relieved by an eastern depot crew, who took the train onwards. Our return was supposed to be travelling ‘per’ on the 2015 up but, for reasons unrecorded and remembered, ended up getting into a taxi that pulled up in the station forecourt to take us back towards Melbourne, as far as Pakenham station, where we left the taxi and entered the platform to wait for the next up spark from there. After changing trains at one of the city stations, we made the walk back to Dynon from North Melbourne, where we reported back to Manpower at 2150. We adjourned to the meal room on standby until we signed off at 0114.

Wednesdays start was 1716 for the 1810 South Geelong pass, train 8271, once more with Driver Wilson. After getting ourselves to Spencer St our train had B83 at the pointy end. Relieving the occupying crew, we got underway when given the all clear. Stopping for the pick up only at Footscray we continued on to Geelong, for a pause, before heading for the tunnel, picking up the staff on the way towards it and heading on to stop at the platform at South Geelong at 1925. The loco was cut off to run around and recoupled on the up end of the train. After the obligatory continuity test, we prepared for the up empty cars back to Geelong Station Yard. This run was unrecorded so I can’t provide timings but once the carriage rake was stabled we ran no. 83 over the pit at Geelong depot. Here we had a break, including our meal break, before taking X50 off the pit to North Geelong Yard where we set back onto our train to form the 2115 up, running as train 9144, bound for Melbourne. I noted that the load was over 1,000 tons, so we earned the tonnage allowance for our efforts in moving this load. My noes indicate we earned 3 hours’ worth of this allowance, which in conjunction with other occasions it was earned suggests that it was paid on an hourly rate, so if you worked more than 1,00 tons for, say, 2:15 you were paid for 3 hours’ worth. Departing North Geelong, we made our way out of Geelong to pass through Lara and Little River to enter the suburban area again. At Newport we headed towards Brooklyn, then through Tottenham and on towards Melbourne through the Bunbury St tunnel. Instead of going towards the Arrivals Yard, we ran past the Bogie Exchange and South Dynon to terminate the train in the Canal Yard, where we drew to a halt at 2345. With the loco released from the train we then ran it back to the depot to leave it at Fuel Point. We ended up on standby to finish the shift, signing off at 0116.

Thursday was a 1735 start for an 1820 Korrumburra goods, with Driver Wilson. Being pay day I was at the depot early. My notes record that I thought that we were only taking the loco off the pit since we were supposed to change over with the 1520 up from ‘the ‘Burra’. The up goods was obviously running behind time, as not only did we take T373 off the pit to the East Yard and test the train, we also departed the Yard heading towards Dandenong. As I didn’t think we were going to run the train, I failed to note the trains running number. We cleared Flinders St and continued on over the Yarra River to climb the grades to Malvern. We ran through Caulfield and headed on towards Dandenong where we finally met the change-over at Dandenong. I wrote down a time for when we finished this run but scratched it out, probably because I anticipated this event happening a lot earlier than it did. In the end I failed to record our actual change-over time. Our change-over was train 9480, being run with T371, so we exchanged sister locos with the Korrumburra crew and then set off on the return journey to pass through Melbourne, continued on past the Arrivals Yard and headed on along the suburban line through to Spotswood, as the loading was purely sand, in the relatively new VHSX bogie covered hopper wagons, from Koala siding, near Nyora. We arrived as Spotswood and pushed the train back into the sidings there to tie the train up at 2050. Uncoupling the loco, we returned to the up main line and then ran ‘light’ back to the depot. In a repeat of the previous shift we completed the shift sitting in the meal room on standby, signing off at 0135.

On Friday, it was 1715 on for the 1940 Seymour goods, train 9327, which was scheduled to depart from Tottenham Yard. Tonight’s driver was D Arnott, which was the one change from the posted roster, which listed me as working with a Driver D Jones. We found T342 idling in the depot Yard and took it off the pit for the light engine run to Tottenham. We were due to change-over with the 2315 up out of Seymour, train 9334. At Tottenham, we coupled to the loading, tested the train and prepared to head away from Melbourne. Cleared to depart, we drew out of the Yard and dropped down to Sunshine to wait for access to the suburban lines. When the signal cleared we moved off the Goods Lines and travelled through Sunshine to diverge onto the Albion Loop line. At the Broadmeadows end of the Loop we climbed up the grade to pass through Broadmeadows and set off to head away from Melbourne. Climbing the grade up to Somerton, then the next climb up to Beveridge we dropped down to Wallan to then attack the grade up to Heathcote Junction. Once over the crest of the Great Dividing Range, the T class was throttled back as the grades became descents more often than climbs. Taking advantage of the momentum grades meant an easier run for the loco until the flatter track around Tallarook. We crossed the Goulburn River and entered Seymour Yard to stop at 2305. Train 9334 was still in the Yard, headed by S305, with a trailing load of over 1,000 tons, so we left no. 342 and took charge of the S class instead. Getting the okay to depart and a clear signal, we powered out of Seymour to re-cross the Goulburn and head for Melbourne once more. The run to and through Tallarook was simple enough but once we hit the grades approaching Broadford our speed would have dropped off, however once successfully over the Great Divide at Heathcote Junction the S class did more work retarding the trains speed via the dynamic brake than dragging it us hills. Going the usual route of the Albion Loop line and Tottenham Yard we drew into the Arrivals Yard, to have the loco cut off by the shunter and then ran it back to the depot where we left it at 0245, which gave us four hours of the tonnage allowance, with sign off at 0300.

Saturday was rostered off and remained that way.

Neil