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.

GSD 30 June Update

 Well it’s all happening, concrete is poured, Shed kit delivered and today, in the misty rain Luke and Nic are putting the kit together. Shed will be up and complete by Tuesday evening. 

D& S Report 26 Jun 23

 D&S Operational Report 

Crew and Location:

• Owner / Dispatcher / Train Control = Ron
• Tawnton West = The Scotsman (alias David)
• Tawnton East = The Scotsman's offsider (Craig)
• Watchit = The Ex.......Traindriver (Paul)
• Laid back Charde = The South Australian Railway living encyclopedia (Geoff M)
• Marabost = The long distance traveller (Reg)

Overview.

The evening started with the usual routine of coffee, tea, Iced Volvos, Choc Mint biscuits and Wagon Wheel delights. General chit chat prevailed and at 7.35pm an exodus from the dining room to the train room occurred. Yes, note the slightly late start. 

The usual entry order is becoming like an Army marching ritual with Ron barking orders as to the next in line to enter the room, 'single file' of course. After 8 minutes of familiarisation and controller check the clock started. A breakdown (pun) is below.

Laid Back Charde.

Obviously the most knowledgeable South Australian railway guru had this station but alas, there was no South Australian railway stock in sight. The English orientation did not fool the operating qualities of the Charde operator. Basically Charde did not appear to have any issues. His running issues were caused by other operator error, one such error being when he was driving a goods into the Tawnton yard and had the points set to the route but a point on the East end got changed at the last minute onto the main. No logical explanation was forthcoming, however, the Charde operator was on the ball and stopped his train just prior to the point - hence no derailment or accident occurred. There was certainly plenty happening underneath Charde but more about that later and trains the Charde operator drove to and from particular destinations. 

     Charde operator giving the Thumbs up.                            Charde Operator with cards and a controller.

                                                                                          Something must be happening at the Laid-Back station

The Charde DMU

The Tawnton Twins 

Sometimes teams just click and this is proving the case with the current operators at Tawnton East and Tawnton West. They are like an Olympic Rowing Pair - In Sync and very 'smooth' operators. Communication was valuable in this partnership and it was a matter of when to listen and when to speak. The shunting movements at Tawnton were extremely efficient and very timely, with the first part of the session being particularly well timed. Wagons were shifted into their respective sidings at a rate rarely witnessed at Tawnton. In saying this and not wanting to blow one's own trumpet there were 2 Tawnton errors for the evening and both of these involved the track not being set properly for goods trains coming into the yard. There weren't any derailments or head-ons with these errors as they were picked up very quickly. Even though Tawnton got busier toward the end of the operating session all wagons and locos were still shunted away into their correct sidings. 

  All sidings clear, ready for the next train

Marabost

Reg likes Marabost, well that is what he said at one stage during the operating session or was it post the operating session? Doesn't matter, he is not alone as there are others on the operating roster that quite enjoy operating at Marabost. The Marabost operator was also effective in his shunting movements and even though he too had a train he was operating derail, it wasn't his fault........we think. However, (starting a sentence with 'however' can indicate there is more to the story, a flip side). A comment from the Charde operator at one stage was in relation to 'Pigs can't fly', well we didn't see any pigs flying but there was a hand-in-the-sky flying a brakevan from Marabost to Tawnton. Apparently it got left behind and to be honest.... The guard was not happy. But wait, there is more. Later in the session a Marabost conflat appeared on a train from Marabost that was going to Tawnton, so thanks to the Charde operator for flying it back to it's home at Marabost. No other errors were noted from the Marabost part of the world and it was the Marabost operator who had to take time out from operating to fix a number of derailments that occurred at his end of the layout. One in particular was the derailment of the cattle train. It ended up being quite a shitty problem and took a bit of cleaning up. Cows can really shit lots when they have been fed green feed after drought conditions and after wobbling around in wagons. 

                                                                               A picture of concentration.

Watchit 

The Watchit operator was quite efficient for most of the evening. He 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 was one issue of note and still to this hour there isn't a logical response that has come forth. The Tawnton operators operators witnessed a Goods train driven by the Watchit operator doing something unusual, something rarely seen on the D&S, Wildcreek or BDR. Put it this way; the Station Master at Brownbill Halt was screaming and shitting himself when he observed a train that (3 minutes previously had gone through his station) was coming toward his station Brakevan first. Now, for those unfamiliar with English operations there were trains that ran pre 1950 that were push-pull sets, usually consisting of an autocoach or Push Pull coach leading. This only occurred on smaller branchlines and occurred West and South of London. BUT a brakevan running first.......NO! This did not occur unless it was accident waiting to happen. It was like slow motion viewing from the Tanwton operators. This goods train was going to the west, led by a class 20 loco and all of a sudden it changed direction (near the West End Bridge) and backwards it went - thankfully not fast. A quick 'who is driving the Class 20 goods' from both Tawnton operators soon raised the awareness of said Watchit operator and thankfully the train was eased to a stop before it entered the tunnel, It was envisaged that the train travelled 4 real miles before the directional problem was rectified. Wonder if he ever did that in real life train driving operations?

                                                                    Taken after the Backward train incident. 

Train Control / Dispatch

Clock was stopped twice during the session. This was due to the cattle having the shits from their derailment and some major derailments in the Durston region (underneath Charde). 

You wouldn't believe the carnage that occurred behind this green board. Blurred to protect the innocent.

Other errors noted included a Irish coach on its side which caused a derailment. This occurred on the track that enters Brownbill Halt and a couple of point changes that caused derailments, in particular Durston. There were a few 'my fault' words coming from the where the dispatcher bases himself and it didn't sound like Paul's voice. As per usual and like on a number of layouts we know operational nights would not work if it wasn't for the Dispatcher / Train Control, so hats off to these folk. But one must not be too critical because even with the best intentions or preparation there is still a possibility that:

1. Murphy can join the operating crew on the night and the
2. FU Fairies can be present as well. 

* For those unfamiliar with the letters FU they are representative of terms that have recently been used to describe those invisible fairies that appear in layout rooms. The 'U' represents the word 'UP' and the 'F' represents an acronym that was first coined in Medieval English whereby certain people could only partake in Fornication Under Consent of the King. 

** Also the reference to the phrase Pig's can't fly!, 'It's impossible', which is precisely what the expression means. We say it as a response when someone tells us something that we think is impossible or very unlikely.

In times when everything was running smoothly - happy dispatch camper

The D&S Media Manager.