Interesting video. We used to put our trucks on the train from Parkeston to Pt Augusta back in the ‘80s and I used to get to ride up front. When we got to a passing loop the driver said I should go in the engine room in case there was an inspector on the approaching train. Those 16 cylinder EMDs made quite a racket lol. You wouldn’t get away with that nowadays obviously. It was around the time the speed limit was raised from 80 to 100 km/h for freight trains and the drivers weren’t too happy about that, at least not the ones I travelled with.
I travelled on trains melbourne to perth in 1955 and by car about same time. Been accros by car a few times since and by single engine airplane. The countryside is much the same as it was then. Traind and roads are much better.
Curiosity, towards the end of the video when the signalman walks over the tracks to the signal box, I thought point’s track switching is automatic, if so what’s his role?
It's not a signalman. He is one of the drivers from the locomotive. The points are electrically operated. To reverse the points to open them to the crossing loop, approx 5km away, via the ICE radio in the cab, the points can be accessed and commanded to reverse. If they don't reverse, the train stops before the points and then opens a control panel on the processer and battery box, awaits the run down and then can press a button to reverse the points to open them for the crossing loop. The radio remote reversing of points is only for approaching trains into a crossing loop, there is no radio remote activation to reverse the points to depart the crossing loop. With the crew being in possession of a Train Authority permitting them to depart the crossing loop, one of the drivers leaves the cab, walks to the processer and battery box, opens the control panel and awaits the run down, and can then press the button to reverse the points. That driver then gets back into the cab and the train can depart. After the whole train has cleared the points, they will automatically reset to the main line.
I used to live near the Ghan Railway line in Woomera. We used to get 2 trains a week through. In the 2 years I was there, 2 people managed to get killed when they were hit by a train. At the crossing, visibility was about 3km in either direction and there were boom gates. 😳 🙄
Late afternoon sun in the eyes can interfere and people just keep driving without respect... but from from what I can see today the roads are full of people that take extreme risks.
One was a guy from Spuds pub who decided to walk home and obviously then decided the railway tracks looked really comfy, the other was a car that obviously decided closed boom gates, lights flashing, bells sounding and a light on the front of the train wasn’t going to hold him up.
Is there any kind of token or key that's exchanged so that a driver can safely assume right of way? Perhaps physical or digital or is it all automated?
This looks to be a fairly old video as its now CTC with three position signals out to Tarcoola as far as I know. When this was taken it was written train authority working all the way across the desert to Kalgoorlie. Plus sounds like the open channel UHF going in the background which has since been changed to 3G ICE radio system.
As traffic increased over the years, loops would have been made longer and more loops would have been installed. Presumably it will 'morph' into a double track line in years to come.
Part of the railroad between Adelaide and Perth is the longest straight stretch of railroad in the world. It is a single track with no branches, points or turntables. A train sets off from each city every morning and they enter the straight stretch at the same time, yet they never crash. Why? “Because East is East and West is West, and ne’er the twain shall meet.”
@@VirtualR I certainly did know your Dad, used to work on the shop pilot at Dynon with him in the late 80’s, he cooked a massive breakfast every morning, lovely fella, I’m hoping he is still around, if he is getting ve him my regards, he should remember me.
@@leswhite9961 Yeah he is still going, age is catching up with his health but still in good spirits. I'll let him know, you can search his name in Facebook and add him if you like, we just got him onto the internet last year :)
That would be a perfect rendition of a roll by in the United States when one train has to wait for another in the passing loop. What we commonly call the passing siding. Example Highball UP 4311 All black and a good mark around the rear have a safe trip The engineer of the freight or hotshot would respond the same method. I bought the road by Amtrak number six all black and a good pair of markers on the rear you guys have a safe afternoon 4311 W. out
That was brilliant. Just wondering where that train stopped in Perth, would it have been Welshpool? More cargo needs to go by train, and take a lot of the big trucks off the road.
Hahaha , yeah, then when it arrives at destination about 10 days longer than a truck would take, just load that container on a truck anyway and cart it to the cargo address.
@@donaldthomas7070 Certainly is. Parts of the transcontinental route have been regauged (from 1 067 mm and 1 600 mm), but this section (from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie) was the last to be built and was always standard gauge.
Done remotely (from Adelaide) now. There were various stages of automation prior to full remote control. For example when train exited loop, points would automatically return to 'normal'. Also a driver could 'reverse' points by a local radio link when approaching a loop. If trains are crossing, seemed that crew of train already in loop had to unlock a box and press a button to change points to exit. In 1999 at Zanthus loop, a freight train was in loop and the Indian Pacific was some distance away. Freight train crew member unlocked the box ready to press the button after the Indian Pacific had entered the loop, but for some inexplicable reason pressed the button immediately - and he could not 'unpress it'. A collision was inevitable. Track circuiting the whole line would have been impracticable. Axle counters would now be used.
This is 2700 kilometers of track through some of the most remote, desolate, and harsh countryside on the planet. The cost to electrify the line isn't economically viable yet, may not be for decades to come - if ever.
You should take correct English pronunciation test before holding the mic.Every next word is missing.Australian English is not pleasant to listen anyway.
@Anthony J ,Yes I 100% agree with you.We Indians are not accustomed to the guttural and deep throated speeches of the British .All my children live in US,but that doesn’t help me!
