BDR Report 20 July 2023

 

BDR  Report                    20 July 2023

On the night when we could have stayed in the warmth watching the Matilda's win their soccer game,  the following reported for duty on the Border Downs Railway-

Geoff   chief ringmaster
Steve master of all things at the Downs
And the 4 clowns,   oops , drivers being Ray, Tony, Reg & Ron perform their usual circus tricks.
It was Sunday morning - things were slow at the Downs

The Chief Ringmaster made reference to problems he had with locos & numbers - almost to the extent, he may have gone backwards to analogue
( I heard him during the night muttering several times about sound decoders.... )

I had the cream job of the Poison train driver ( after the loco was changed as the first one died before leaving Border Downs) but I think the work crew did not like getting out of the brake van to poison using knapsacks in hard-to-reach areas. It interrupted their card game.

slowly leaving Coonara spreading poison over the mainline

A few grain trains and locos

 

The Boss calls these locos " Coffee pots"

Charter passenger

901 leads on the Up stonie

C502 heading east from the Downs

Now for crew over the next two sessions

With session shifted to Monday 31 July so Steve is available, crew will be 

Geoff

Steve

Ray

Tony

Reg

Ron

Crew for Thursday August 17

Geoff

Steve

Ray

Tony

Craig

Ron

The Overland with unusual locos

No major hiccups ( just one or two minor ones like rolling stock falling over in the Downs) EXCEPT one driver ( won't say his name so we won't embarrass him but he is an ex-Victorian) kept up with his normal process of NOT reading instructions & did not STOP in the Yumali crossing loop but proceeded down the helix towards Riverbend nearly causing a head-on with climbing steel train. An accident of that size would have closed Border Downs for weeks , if not months....

Now for months I had been clamoring for a train time card at Easton, I have used it over the last few sessions & last night, 2 of the crew found it & used it

The debrief & finger buns went down well. The CEO presented a few of the crew - Steve, Reg & Ray "presents" - Tony & I missed out  boo hoo :'(

OK That is it from me

Sol

 Wild Creek Media Report      28^th July 2023

A sunny day with some hints of cloud cover greeted the Ops. team at the home of the Wildcreek empire on this special Friday luncheon and operational session.

A few snags on the Barby greeted operators as they arrived at the Wildcreek residence. Nothing like starting off a session with a good feed. Ron was so impressed he is thinking of starting off some of his nightly sessions with a similar spread of snags, salad and bread and of course one can’t forget the ‘dead horse’. In all seriousness the variety of Beef and Pork (with a splash of Garlic flavour) sausages was greeted with great appreciation. The Potato and Greek Salads were a bonus. In particular one said operator was very very very grateful of the main lunch as it meant that he had at least 1 meal during the day, commenting that ‘this is breakfast and lunch all at once’.

Full stomachs may assist with the operating capabilities, however, this theory hasn’t had enough research to be proven correct. Possibly with more trials, as in BBQs at Ron’s and other layout owners (Geoff M), Reg – when the shed and layout get rebuilt (apparently by October), Bob and David, then ‘test’ results can be confirmed.

A huge thanks to Ray for putting on the lunch.

The Crew included:

·       The 3 ‘R’s – Reg, Ron and Ray

·       Geoff T.

·       David

·       Bob

·       Tony

·       Craig

Drivers for the day were Geoff, Reg, Ron and Tony. David was stationed at ‘Wildcreek’. Ray was the ultimate control man who on the various layouts is known by the title of ‘Train Control’ or ‘Dispatch’. Bob and Craig were the Salt Lake and Orville Yard Masters / Shunters.

After lunch individuals were given their particular roles. No time was wasted and off to the shed everyone trundled. The Dispatcher and Yard Masters got into their positions and the train driving commenced. Steadily everyone got into a groove, although this happened at a different pace between operators. Tony was refamiliarizing himself with the Wildcreek operational aspects once again, starting off slightly late on the first run but during the session he caught up time and by his last operational sequence he was on time……..thankfully, as the passengers would have been quite annoyed if he wasn’t. Geoff was the quite achiever throughout the session. He was just going about his business with minimal fuss and appeared to master all before him.

It was obvious that Reg has worked in an industry where at times he needed to handle stressful situations with a calm mindset and level-headed attitude. These qualities showed today as there were no moments of uneasiness shown and all of Reg’s operations seemed to be completed with somewhat ease and very effective time management was noted throughout. However, and this wasn’t always the case, nothing at fault from Reg’s operational experience but more the challenge of a passenger train diesel not pulling the carriages up the incline... was a bit of an issue – something for the Wildcreek owner to consider reviewing.

Ron, well he started off well with timely operations and trains going where they should but as the session progressed it appeared that some things were going amiss. At one stage he said out loud, ‘I have no control’! What this was in reference to……who knows. Another comment heard slightly later in the session was, ‘you have to be bloody joking.’ He was at Weedon at the time. Maybe it was as a result of getting so familiar with the Yardmaster at Saltlake and Orville that he felt like a lost sheep when given a regular driver gig, or maybe it’s like, as one wise Owner of the Wildcreek said in a conversation with said media reporter after the session, ‘Young people have no resilience these days, sometimes you just need to be thrown in the deep end and work out how to climb out’. Very wise words really.

David managed the Wildcreek station with his usual prowess. He is getting like the ‘Pi’ (Steve W.) is at Border Downs station and yard – he just keeps on keeping on, does the job with minimal fuss and handles most trains and operators that come within the vicinity of the realms of the heartbeat of the railway. David shunted, guided, and managed the Wildcreek yard with what appeared to be 'trouble-free' operations with no train issues or derailments, or it could have been that the writer of this report was too far away to hear any curse adjectives get shared amongst the crews when things go wrong.

Bob and Craig plodded away at a new venture, well new for them. Craig had done it once before with Connor but the new team were considered ‘learners’ at this ‘Yardmaster’ gig. It was a worthwhile experience and while Craig had the pen and running sequence sheet in hand, Bob did the shunting and point switching was shared amongst both workers. There was an issue of a short in the yard but that wasn’t the fault of the Yardmasters but of a train operator whose throttle hadn’t quite been switched to zero – no dramas though. Bob and Craig seemed to work cohesively together with no debates or arguments. They just did what they had to do to keep the trains running on time. It was a great team effort.

All in all it was an excellent event. Even the participants were given an award at the end. A big thanks to all that were involved, especially the Wildcreek Owner, for providing lunch and the layout.

That’s all folks – Happy Railroading or Happy Training or just ‘Happy Hobby’

Cheers

The Stand-in Media Assistant for the Wildcreek Corporation / Media Manager for the D&S. 

 D&S Operational Report                                 Wednesday the 19^th July 2023

 

Crew and Locations:

 

· Owner / Dispatcher / Train Control = Ron

· Tawnton West = Geoff D.

· Tawnton East = Geoff D (no, this is not a typo.)

· Watchit = David

· Laid back Charde = Craig

· Marabost = Ray

Overview.

The media manager presumes the evening started with the usual routine of coffee, tea, Aldi Biscuits and general chit chat. At 7.32pm Craig arrived and the crew entered the railway domain at 7.35pm.

 

As per usual the entry procedure was followed like a shepherd leading his / her sheep, with knowledge of the routine and each person knows who enters before and after who.

 

Laid Back Charde.

 

Yes, Charde lived up to it’s reputation as the ‘laid-back’ operation. I believe the term ‘laid-back’ can have negative connotations, so for future reference maybe Charde can be referred to as an ‘idyllic’ English Branch Station. We don’t want operators getting an inferior complex, with the notion that they are ‘laid-back’, or worse still, ‘Slackers’ or ‘Lazy Bums’.

 

Anyhow, Charde was typical with a number of DMU timetables and a couple of goods operations. The DMU ran faultlessly and lived up to it’s real life prototype with the Flying Banana’s portrayed as reliable and speedy beasts. The model form proved no different. Passengers at Charde were also appreciative of the timely services.

 Tawnton 

 

Unbeknown to many, Tawnton now has a new King and his name is Geoff Denton. If you haven’t met him, hopefully one day you will and you may be lucky enough to witness why he has been inducted as the Tawnton King. Fellow legend, ‘King Arthur, (of which a Class of Southern Engines were named after) would have been proud of the absolute effectiveness and efficiency the Tawnton railway was managed.

 

The key point here is that King Denton did it all by himself. It was done with a typical Geoff calmness and professionalism. Yes, there have been cases before whereby individuals have singularly managed Tawnton but certainly not with the calm and efficient manner that Geoff did, and certainly, unlike previous individuals who operated Tawnton alone, the level of proverbial language was not existent, however in the past, you would have heard the %$*!& on a regular basis.  

Tawnton errors were minimal, if any. Shunting was done and trains were made up efficiently. There weren't any major derailments or head-ons. Even though Tawnton got busier toward the end of the operating session most or possibly all wagons and locos were still shunted away into their correct sidings. 

 

In reality a very good job was done by the newly crowned King of Tawnton.

Marabost

 

The Marabost operator performed like most others on the night – with efficiency and very little fuss. For the Marabost operator there is still some confusion about what country the layout rolling stock is based on. The English don’t have ‘boxcars’ or ‘Cabooses’. This is just such a minor cliché in the big scheme of things but hopefully the correct terms will be used one day. Most probably no-one cares but the British purist in the room does  – Guess who?

 

Over the past months Ray has made some very worthwhile suggestions to the owner of the D&S and some of these suggestions are coming to fruition and as they are implemented it is making a positive difference to the operational capabilities and outcomes of the D&S. These additions include:

 

·       The Watchit additional track

·       The Marabost additional track

·       The Newton Abbot Wall Panel.

 

Just on this last recent addition, what a positive move it was, particularly for the Marabost operator. The non-flashing Blue LEDs on a white background work a treat. It is very visible and is a clear indicator of when a track is set. Well done to the installer of the wall panel – good job.

 

I think the operators were pleased.

Unfortunately there is still one suggestion that is not getting enacted on but hopefully soon. It starts with a 'H' and ends with an 'X' and has 5 letters. 

 

The Marabost operator had some revelations during the evening. He finally admitted to all in the room that the term ‘instructions’ are something foreign to him (well, the reading of) and indicated to all present that he doesn’t read instructions. There was some back and forth conversation between the Marabost operator and the D&S owner about something to do with ‘10 years’ and ‘that’s the rule’. It may have been in a context of ‘how something occurs’ and / or ‘re

Watchit 

 

The Watchit operator was quite efficient for most of the evening, although he does take the prize for the amount of the of ‘Fornication Under Consent of the King’ comments that were heard during the session. He very effectively ensured the Platform and other tracks were available when other trains were coming into the station region. Shunting was done effectively and the operator appeared quite focused on the tasks at hand. There were no major incidents at Watchit and like most other stations during the operational period things were done with efficiency and in a timely manner. There were a couple of yawns from the Watchit operator during the session but be reassured, it wasn’t because of boredom. It was due to a big railway related day.

Notice the 'Hand'

Train Control / Dispatch

 

Train Control had quite a smooth running operational session. There were some wagons that were derailing near the ‘Lift Up’ due to a slight rise in either the trackwork or baseboard or wood between the rails and or ballast. Only a couple of wagons derailed there twice but the Marabost operator was also ‘Mr Fixit’ for the session and he did ongoing repairs that seemed to fix the problem. Train Control did what he does best, changed the signals and track when required and confirmed with operators the departure times and arrivals. Overall, he would have most likely classed it as one of his most ‘error-free’ sessions he has been involved with. Nothing really went wrong and at one stage he was even seen with a controller in his hand. Was he operating a train? It appears so……..’a mainline passenger’ because there was no second operator at Tawnton to do it. Good on him for chipping in to help the railway break even and to assist with passenger traffic.

 

Overall, the operating session was very well managed and all operators were quite effective and efficient at their respective stations. All up, it was a very good evening and finally ‘Ode to the King’. Well done Geoff for managing Tawnton as a one man operation.

Hand in Controller. That's new for the D&S Dispatcher. 

That's all folks

D&S Media Manager.

GSD July Update

 Well July has been a busy month on the Great Southern Division. At the end of June we had the beginning of the new train room being erected. July has seen almost completion of the room. First fix electrical work has been completed. Gyprock and insulation being installed this week and second fix electrical on the 31st. Hopefully painting will occur in the first week of August and construction can start on the Great southern Division soon after.

I continue to refine the track plan and thanks to an evening with Geoff Matthias, who kindly went through my plan and provided sage advice I have now decided on a final plan.

The main change is to bring the Snuggery Branch in front of the VR mainline so it eliminates the hidden crossover.

During July I have also increased my Locomotive Fleet with a Trainorama VR S Class and SAR 930 to haul the Overland and an Auscision 830 for freight work.

I saw this photo on a blog somewhere and thought OK looks like I am in the market for some AX or ALX wagons, and to think I was 15 years old and living about 1 kms away from this event.