Railway Digest Magazine Jul-15 Back Issue

Loading on the Main Line in NSW
There was a time when the idea of a country freight train regularly coming to a halt on the main line, away from a station yard or siding, to load or unload many tonnes of freight over several hours, would have generally been considered sacrilege. However, NSW has now embraced the concept of main line loading and a number of such facilities now dot the state’s inland landscape. John Hoyle looks at how this arrangement is producing positive outcomes for rail.

A closer look at train driver health
On 31 January 2003, something happened near Waterfall, New South Wales, that would change the way the Australian rail industry viewed and managed the health of their train drivers. A Tangara interurban train service derailed after travelling nearly twice the speed limit, killing seven people and injuring many others. The investigation found a number of systemic issues associated with the vigilance systems, deadman’s pedal, and the presiding safety culture at the time, but it was difficult to see beyond the contribution of one undeniable fact: the train driver had suffered a heart attack and lost control of the train. Dr Anjum Naweed and Dr Janine Chapman report on some of the results and implications stemming from their recent research into the health of Australia’s train drivers.

Geraldton Ore
Malcolm Holdsworth, with his friends Bob Grant and Kelvin Russell, finally acted on a much-discussed plan in April this year and flew to the south west of Western Australia for a 10 day chase of whatever they could find. With no expectations in terms of the motive power, train types, weather or geography that they would encounter, they focused first on Geraldton and its ore traffic from the hinterland.