The original horsepower was around 6000. At this time Pacific National were notorious for underpowering their grain trains. The failures always occurred in the Ballarat area due to the 1 in 50 grades against loaded trains. It is possible that one of the locos on the grain train originally, lacked sand. This wouldn't help, but neither does insufficient power for the section. In making the combined power 12,000 HP, it may be that there were only these two locos available for Broad Gauge work, sitting at North Geelong.

Thanks for your comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I only discovered the drawbridges over the existing QR lines, during my research for my first trip up there, in May/June of this year (2024). As for the street running, this amazes me! I now come from a place where rail vehicles in the street in the form of Melbourne's trams, are a totally normal sight. One day I'll get to doing trains and trams in the street on the same day! Meanwhile if you would like to see a bit more street running, check out my other video from earlier this year where I focus mostly on Denison St, Rockhampton. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHKXiYp8frKahK8

Thanks Alex, meeting you guys this morning made a difference to my plans. Either way it was going to be a good day, but meeting like-minded people makes things better still! Today was a *LOT* of fun!!! 😀

@@tobys_transport_videos Likewise mate, it was a good fun day spotting trains.

Hi Paul, thanks for tuning in to my old KiwiRail videos. I like certain Electric Trains, but Roots Blown EMD has to take the cake for me when it comes to Diesel traction! Your DC class reminded me of the NSW 49 class back home in Aus, with 4916 certainly coming to mind, and being a favourite loco in two forms! 4444 was another that became a favourite. I had seen her as a bit of a wreck at Hutt, and was surprised to see her reactivated and used in Auckland.

It was an interesting time in Auckland, that's for sure! I was fortunate, I guess, to get over there a few times during this era, and followed its progress from the line looking like an overgrown siding, to the railway it is today, bar electrification. If I went to Auckland or Wellington now, all these years later, it would seem strange to me without the DC's and SA sets.

The locos you see are 3000 HP each, but that isn't why they failed. They failed due to wet weather and PN penny-pinching at the time. PN don't use anything under 3000 HP on the Broad Gauge network, but there are still X class in use on the Standard Gauge with PN, plus many lower horsepower locos in use with other operators, including some 80 class Alcos with PN, of only 2000 HP output, plus a handful of 950 HP Alco 48 class still with PN in NSW.

You are correct in that R711 is an oil burner as it was rebuilt as such by West Coast Railway (Victoria) in the 1990s for a Regular Service run on the West Coast line down to Warrnambool. Whilst I can't find out exactly what the whistle type is on her, I did find this article that may be of interest to you: www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/pg/westcoast/anatomy.htm

Hi Frank, thanks for your comments. 🙂 PN _were_ running three XR's on grain trains up Warrenheip Bank, but that seems to have stopped. From what I hear, PN are short on BG motive power, with most of the XR fleet out of service. IMO PN are only seeing out existing BG contracts. The loss of all BG freight traffic probably wouldn't bother them as their existing trans-Australian intermodal freights and the Queensland coal traffic, combined with the NSW coal traffic and Queensland North Coast freights would no doubt more than make up for the loss of BG revenue.

Glad you enjoyed it! Not bad for mostly one day's efforts by a Mexican! 😃

Thinking about it, they're all the same vintage. The GM class date from the 1960s, as do the S class. The B class are a little older, being 1952 vintage or thereabouts. As at mid-March 2024, SSR have four ex-V/Line N class on short-term lease on the Broad Gauge, with these being additional motive power.

Thanks 💯

Glad you enjoyed! It's an interesting little operation!

Too much competition for views, too many other things going on in my life... I'll get back into it again one day... Thanks for tuning in! 🙂🙂🚂🚂🚃🚃

No, sorry, nothing else much on Adelaide. I'm from Victoria. My focus has been local transport stuff or UK and Europe. Thanks for watching!

Wow!! I'm expecting a few more this coming winter!

Thanks!

I found The Hague to be quite interesting - what I saw of it. I know the Melbourne system inside out, so given the opportunity I look at other systems around the world and try to make videos of them. There's plenty here on my channel of Melbourne trams. 🙂

Two gone, two left. Gardiner has been gone for some years and Glenhuntly is in the process of being removed. This leaves Kooyong and Riversdale, but for how much longer, who knows??

@@tobys_transport_videos I c thx for that

True! To ARTC's credit, the line was reopened in a week, with a diverted PN freight to Perth taking the hilly route as train # 2SP7 making its way through the site last night. The funny thing is I photographed that same train in Junee earlier in the day. 🙂

For sure! Otherwise you'd have a huge environmental disaster on your hands with thousands of litres of diesel fuel, coolant, and engine oil spilt everywhere!

Yeah bs 19 caused it 😡

The thing is, the track itself wasn't actually flooded! It was water UNDER the track!

@@tobys_transport_videos Thanks. I won't blame the driver as I did when a signalman. Lol.

Why werent the track owners doing inspections oh shit what a stupid question ask kennet he sold it out years ago

Well said! They also need back up plans for if the Standard Gauge between Gheringhap and Ararat is ever out of use for anything more than a few days in the future. There was a plan pre-Covid to dual gauge the line to Ballarat and Maryborough. I'd like to see it dual gauge to Ararat to create a backup line, instead of relying on going via the NSW Main South and across to the West. That has to be well over 1200 kms extra!

Very much so! Considering the Indian Pacific has been going that way as well as the twice weekly Overland in each direction, this, although not good, was a far better outcome than what could happen...