October 2008#423
October 2008
#423
Please note: These pages are provided by me, Bill Russell as a service to the Puffing Billy Railway & the E.T.R.B.
If you find a problem with them please contact me first. No other person has the ability to alter these pages.
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Following the meeting the Chairman and CEO held with the Minister three weeks ago, the CEO has been presenting the plan and outlining the Railway's funding needs to Tourism Victoria, Politicians and other stake-holders. The securing of funding remains the Board's primary objective. Beyond that, we are concerned about upwards cost pressure, notably coal costs and it is examining our cost mitigation options.
Donations can be made to the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. Please advise Russ Bowen that your contribution is for the NGG account.
After 22 years of faithful service, our old "Fergie" has been retired and been replaced by a state of the art "Mahindra".
The second unit [spares only] arrived at Menzies Creek on August 11th.
The September issue of 'Narrow Gauge' has been printed and should be received by members during September! The Society's 'Annual Report' booklet is now in preparation and will be distributed to members with paperwork for the forthcoming A.G.M. on Sunday 16th November.
Notice of the A.G.M. has already been circulated, together with a call for nominations for this year's 'Election of Office Bearers'.
Non-member volunteers are invited to apply for membership of the Society, to provide financial and moral support to the Society's ongoing commitment to the future security of Puffing Billy, particularly in respect of its funding of worthy restoration projects.
| Peter Hiscock Chairman ETRB | Eamonn Seddon Chief Executive Officer | John Thompson President PBPS |
A Trolley Drivers course will be held on Saturday 8th November 2008. Any person who is, or will be, a qualified Safe Worker by that date and has an interest in driving trolleys is invited to apply for the course.
Applications in writing to Dan O'Connor via E-mail to: danann3@bigpond.net.au. Please Note that applications close on 24 th October 2008.
Two of our regular volunteers are on the sick list at the moment. Keith Buckland, a regular SM at Belgrave has recently had a knee operation and will be out of action for a few weeks. Bob Cochrane, also an SM at Belgrave and a Guard, unfortunately broke his ankle recently and is out of action for quite a few weeks.
We wish both Keith and Bob a speedy recovery and hope to see them back on duty in the very near future.
Larry James, Hon. Sec.
We are attempting to run one last class for this year.
You need to be 18 years of age by the time the class is run [hopefully October / November]
Number of participants is limited so book early with John Hoy.
Long time volunteer and Footplate Experience co-ordinator, John Conway, has had a recent back operation and is now at home and on the mend. See you back again soon John! (John has been seen wandering around at Belgrave recently with son Matthew in tow, so he is well on the way to better health. - Ed!)
Volunteers Trevor Biggins (Parks & Gardens and Way & Works) and Dave Hancox (Belgrave Workshops) both passed away recently and to their respective families we extend our very sincere condolences at this sad time.
Readers of Monthly News may remember seeing an article a few months ago calling for musicians interested in starting up a band and playing at various P.B.P.S social events, and non P.B.P.S events. Rehearsals are already happening but …
The Puffing Billy Railway is forming a 1920's era dance band to play at Railway functions and at other venues around the hills. The era of the 1920s has been chosen as this was the time when tourism first boomed in the hills - when guest houses such as the Bella Vista, the Georgian, the Chalet and the Hospice accommodated throngs of Melburnians and Puffing Billy was at its peak. In the 1920's dances were commonplace in the hills, and especially in Belgrave. The Band is looking for musicians interested in re-creating 1920's style dance music. So far, the band consists of a lead trumpet, drums and banjo.
We would like to add a piano, clarinet, saxophone, tuba or fiddle. A trombone or second trumpet would also be most welcome. The Band already has one engagement booked for Puffing Billy Railway functions and an ongoing offer for a regular slot at a venue in Olinda.
If you are interested in joining this happy group of musicians, please contact Nicholas Aslanides
There is no need for conducting staff to travel in these cars with the passengers. Same as other cars - no standing on the ledges.
The 10.00 am ex Belgrave train arrives at Platform 1 at Menzies Creek and the 10.30 am ex Belgrave arrives at Platform 2. I have a blackboard for each platform indicating the destination of each train for the 11.00 am departures. Please could these boards be bought in after these departures. Check the suggested announcements at the station and please advise passengers continuing onto Lakeside that they need to board at the rear of the train in the carriages vacated by our tour groups.
Jean Clowes
If anyone would like to volunteer to work in the Thomas souvenir shed and food & beverage area, it would be much appreciated. Could you please call April
From September 1st, Menzies Creek Station no longer services the Lunch Train. The shop will be refurbished and local Lavender product will be introduced. This product will only be available at Menzies Creek. If you are able to spare some time to work at Menzies Creek, please contact April
If you are able to spare some time to work in Refreshments at any of our stations anytime this month, it would be much appreciated. We have many gaps to fill and selling refreshments and souvenirs is one of the best ways of making money to pay for the things we all want to see done on Puffing Billy.
April Williams
Well, it will be a pretty rough month ahead as you can see with this month's roster. Currently there are 9 Guards away on holidays overseas and 3 who are off with injuries or pending an operation. So regretfully I will be telephoning many of you in the hope that you can offer an extra one or two shifts during this difficult month of October.
I hope those heading to Japan and Europe have a wonderful time. I've not been to Japan, but late in 1999 and well into 2000 I spent seven months travelling Europe and Scandinavia by train; this would be one of the longest train trips I will do other than of course the Indian Pacific or Ghan. I commenced the journey from Athens to Patras, then took the ferry to Brindisi in Italy, train through 18 countries then took the ferry to England from Rotterdam; it was a trip I'd love to relive and maybe one day I will.
On behalf of all Guards I'd like to pass on a get well to Bob Cochrane and Grahame Gardner; Bob as you may know injured himself recently while on duty and I believe Grahame is soon to have an operation, we hope that you both recover and that you back in action in the very near future.
From time to time there are breakdowns in communications where guards are unavailable, sometimes at short notice which is naturally unavoidable. While I have put in place a policy covering non availability at short notice, I have decided to review these matters and enlarge on the policy. As soon as I have completed the document, I'll place it in Monthly News and Email a copy to those with that service, as well as leaving copies in the Safeworking Room.
Kevin Stanes
These have now been distributed to all those on the 'Active Safeworkers' list. For those on the 'Inactive' list who are inactive either from not having returned a re-exam or awaiting a medical, I have started sending out the updates to you.
If you have not received your WTT update in the next few weeks, and you have not taken yourself off the list or have no intention of returning to active safeworking duties, please let me know so that I can send you an update. (My list is not infallible.)
As in previous years, I have produced an Operational Procedure for Time Table B. When putting these together a lot of assumptions are made as to the best way to do things. Experience of operating the time table for a few days usually shows up any flaws and this time has been no exception.
Since the procedure has been printed it has been decided to just alternate the carriage sets used for the 10.00am train and the 10.30am train - the set used for one train today is then used for the other train tomorrow. This arrangement saves shunting the last set back into No.2 Road and then shunting down the set from No.4 Road.
Please Note that an Operational Procedure for Time Table Y will be issued shortly.
Guards are reminded that it is not 'essential' to communicate all your train running times to the SM via radio. You should of course contact the SM by radio when your train is running late or after departing Gembrook, Lakeside or Menzies Creek. If a Signalman is on duty, they should report train departure times to the SM to keep him abreast of train locations - especially important for Up trains departing Menzies Creek as this allows the SM to prepare for the arrival of the train. Otherwise, please keep your radio communication to the necessary. If you want an SM to have your train times - give them to him when you arrive back at Belgrave.
In all cases, talk to your SM at the start of the day and ascertain what information he wants to get from you and at what intervals.
Rob Emmerson
It is intended to start Safeworking Course No.30 before the end of this year. The general plan is to hold interviews of potential safeworkers by the end of October.
An 'Introduction to Safeworking' day will be held in November. Much of the preliminary and observation runs will be conducted over the summer holiday train running period.
We are especially keen to train young volunteers. I am hopeful that we may in the future be able to use safeworkers as young as sixteen years as Guards on trains. We are also keen to have more 'mature' safeworkers as well, as the supply of qualified safeworkers is becoming quite limited.
Expressions of interest to John Morice as soon as possible, please. Those who have already expressed their interest to Rob Emmerson need not contact me, as Rob has already passed on your details to me.
If there is enough interest, we will run two concurrent courses.
Basic safeworking will soon have to become a requirement for all operating staff. We therefore seek applications from conductors who want to stay conductors, engine cleaners who want to become firemen and drivers, and other volunteers to be signalmen or simply travellers in the 'Executive Observation Car', a.k.a. the Guard's van.
John Morice
Operating staff are reminded that the following is the designated sequence for Safeworking message transmission:
If direct telephone communication is not possible, then the message may be sent by Fax. Only if these 2 methods are out of order should messages be transmitted by radio. In addition to the internal (3 digit) connection, all Safeworking phones and Fax machines are provided with Indialling capabilities.
All staff please note:
If internal connection appears not to work as desired, then it is expected that you will attempt to dial the required extension by utilising the external Telstra connection. i.e. dial '0' , then the indial '9757 0' followed by the 3 digit extension (for the telephone or fax as appropriate).
Fax machines operated in this manner will require the "Start" button to be pressed to effect the connection.
IDR's should be submitted whenever the internal and/or external connections fail (in addition to calling the S&T depot - Extn. 650)
The Up end crossover was restored to service recently. (Refer to A.10/2008 issued on 19th September for details.) During repairs, the opportunity was taken to replace all timber foundations and to completely re-align the point rodding. The end result provides an improved operational and aesthetic layout.
The phone lines have suffered from ongoing tree damage, however all services are operating as expected. Clean up works will continue as time and effort is available. Again - thanks to those who continue to keep us informed of faults.
Andrew Wheatland.
Our team, headed by Dave Conlan, returns to WA to complete three more bridges and 'tamp' and 'line' the track. This work will take 8 to 10 weeks.
Construction of a new staircase is under way and this will complete the project.
Work continues on the Up side of the river with five more piers out of 31 to repair. Replacement of 14 beams and complete re-decking of the bridge (including handrails) will follow.
Pathways, fencing and signs still remain to be completed.
Our small contract to install approximately 55 metres of 3'6" gauge track at the Sorrento Tramway is complete and we are currently refurbishing the old buffer stop.
John Shaw
| AUGUST | 2008 | 2007 |
| On-time running (OT - 5") | 69% | 75% |
| Locos docked on trains by due time | 87% | 83% |
| Carriage sets docked by due time | 83% | 95% |
| Train kilometres for the month | 3,069 | 12,723 |
| Loco kilometres - steam | 2,937 | 2,713 |
| Loco kilometres - diesel | 132 | 214 |
| NA locomotive days for month | 70 | 40 |
| G42 days for month | 2 | 30 |
| Carriage kilometres | 25,348 | 23,729 |
| Carriage Days for month | 667 | 705 |
| Highest kms operated - loco | 1,154 | 1,247 |
| Highest kms operated - pass vehicle | 1,477 | 1,292 |
| Highest kms operated - wagon | 48 | 150 |
| Scheduled trips run (one way) | 208 | 194 |
| Revenue trips (one way) | 220 | 214 |
| Non-revenue trips (one way) | 8 | 12 |
For the first time in 11 years, there were no double headed trips during the month.
Bob Wilson
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Updated Monthly. Contents © 2006 by the P.B.P.S. for the E.T.R.B. This service is provided for the Emerald Tourist Railway Board and maintained by Bill Russell. URI: http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/puffing.billy/monnews.htm |
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