Edited 05 Jun 2021 13:41, 11 months ago, edited by ngarner

Not a good couple of weeks for either me or my, then employer...

The Roster Clerk had another change in roster for me, shifting me to 55D this time.
Obviously, Sunday found us in Wodonga preparing to bring an up goods back to Melbourne to complete our rest job, which would not have been part of roster 55D. We were required back at Wodonga depot at 0525 to work the 0630 up, train 9492. After signing on at Wodonga, a taxi would have transferred us across the border to Albury where X53 was at the head of our train. Taking over the New X, we checked everything was as it was supposed to be and then departed the Yard to cross the Murray back into Victoria and headed south. With another uneventful trip, I can’t recall anything specific to relate. With both of the overnight express trains ahead of us the only reason for any stops would have been to cross Sydney bound trains, the ‘Daylight’ would definitely have been a train that we were put aside for. Eventually, travelling through the Bunbury St tunnel and into South Dynon Yard we drew to a halt and were uncoupled from the train. Taking the loco onto the main on the Moonee Ponds creek bridge we then reversed into the SG Fuel Point where we left the loco at 1115 to make our way to Manpower where we signed off at 1130, getting paid equal to 1210 for our efforts.
Monday was on at 0730 for a full shift of Fuel Point duty. I met up with Driver S Greely, once more, and together we made our way to the Fuel Point Foreman’s office to present ourselves to him and then take a seat, in the waiting room adjacent to his office, to wait for his orders on what loco to take to what part of the depot We spent the shift shuttling locos around the depot once they were released by the fitters until around 1515 when we headed back to the depot where we signed off at 1530.
Tuesday’s sign on was at 0610 to work with Driver Ian Barkla, rostered to run some locos ‘light’ to Newport departing at 0630. The fitters had coupled T406 to T389 and left them for us in one of the through roads. Heading off the depot in no. 389, we departed the TR point and stopped beneath the hump to transfer to no. 406. With the signal cleared by the West Tower signalman, we set off to pass the Arrivals Yard and dropped off Spion Kop, to join the suburban lines at South Kensington. We ran to Newport where the signalman set the road for the Workshops and cleared the signal. With a low speed caution displaying we ran into the ‘shops and tied up the locos where directed. We then made our way back to Newport station, where we waited for the 0645 up pass out of Geelong. I don’t recall if we were given the job of relieving this train back at Dynon or whether the message was passed on to us while we were somewhere around Newport but, either way, when the train drew into Newport it stopped and we climbed on to the cab of B72 to relieve the previous crew, at 0734. Getting the train on the move again we ran it into Spencer St where we drew to a halt at 0751. I’m fairly sure that we were relieved of the loco and returned to Dynon, to take up seats in the meal room on standby until we were signed off at 1240.
Wednesday’s start was at 0722 for the ANZAC Pilot, however, the evening before I’d been out with friends and in a sequence of events, that only the young and foolish get themselves into, I took a tumble onto a road whilst walking backwards and landed heavily on my left elbow. I went to bed without any thoughts about it but the following morning, when I drove to work, I had trouble straightening my arm to change gears. It caused me enough problems that, as I was preparing to sign on, I spoke to the Manpower assistant who was working first aid duty. He took me to the depot’s first aid room and had a look at my elbow. Not sure of the problem, he bound it tightly and then sent me to the RMO at HQ. His biggest concern was that I was going to claim that it happened on the job and kept raising this point, no matter how often I told him it hadn’t. So I returned my kit bag to my car and then walked to North Melbourne station to catch a spark to Spencer St. Making my way to the RMO’s rooms, the doctor removed the wrapping the first aid officer had applied, and my elbow was checked out but nothing much was diagnosed. The doctor sent me back to Dynon, recommending I see my own GP. So, I walked back to Spencer St and caught the next spark to North Melbourne. Once off the footbridge from the station, as I was walking along the path, back to the depot, I started to get some serious shooting pains originating from my elbow; so strong that I had to stop walking. There was a track gang working on ‘the gauge’ alongside the path and I later wondered what they thought I was doing, as I would be walking along normally and then I’d stop for a short period, before starting moving again, only to repeat this process any number of times. I eventually made it back to the depot and was deemed ‘unfit for duty’. There was no way I was now able to change gears in a manual car, as my arm was now incapable of straightening, so I grabbed by kit bag, using my right arm, and made my way back to North Melbourne, to return home by spark. The upshot was that my GP diagnosed fluid on the elbow, with the consequences being that I couldn’t flex my left arm for quite a few days. Meanwhile, my car sat in the depot car park until rescued some days later, which was something of a feat in itself, as the depot car park had a notorious reputation for theft and break-ins.
Instead of signing on at 0710 on Thursday to work the Powerhouse Pilot I stayed at home.
Likewise, on Friday I was off sick instead of signing on at 0710 for the 0730 Ways and Works Pilot.
Saturday was OR, irrespective of whether my arm would have enabled me to work or not.

Neil