Last Train from Hobart

[colinw]

Yesterday, June 22, 2014 marked the end of an era, with the relocation of Hobart's rail freight service from Hobart Yard to Brighton Hub.

The last freight train has left Hobart yard, the line from Bridgewater Junction into Hobart booked out of use, and all level crossings decommissioned.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/end-of-the-line-for-tasrails-last-train-out-of-hobart/story-fnj4f7k1-1226962492424

I am now left to ponder why the heck Bridgewater to Hobart was included the scope of the TasRail project I am working on.  I was reviewing data for Bridgewater to Hobart as recently as last week.

[colinw]

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/vintage-display-as-last-train-rolls-out-of-hobart/story-fnj4f7k1-1226963128899

[ozbob]

Hobart main line down trains 1973

[colinw]

Interesting, thanks Bob.

A couple of observations.

1. Hobart to Western Junction is now UP, the definitions of Up & Down must have been swapped at some point.  Current definitions are that Up is to the NORTH or WEST on all lines except Melba, where UP is SOUTH.

2.  The timings for train 72, Hobart to Launceston Passenger are most curious ... Conara Jct 2155, Western Jct 2335, Launceston 2255?  WHAT?!

[ozbob]

^ yes noted that.  Thought interesting, guess must be a typo?

[ozbob]

Hobart railway station c. 1940

[colinw]

^ yes noted that.  Thought interesting, guess must be a typo?

I think possibly the times for Western Jct & Launceston were transposed.

[ozbob]

Hobart suburban rail car DP22 at the platform of Hobart Railway Station in August 1960

[SurfRail]

^ On a recent QOCS tour to Toowoomba area operators, we stopped and wandered into Downssteam and had a look at DP16, which got one of our interstate visitors very excited (having last seen it intact in Burnie before it was burnt out).  Apparently they are planning on getting it back into working order and running on a regular basis.

[ozbob]

... With operations moving to the Brighton Transport Hub, the last TasRail train was escorted by a 1902 C22 steam locomotive and a short vintage goods train as it travelled between Glenorchy's Elwick Rd and the Tasmanian Transport Museum ...

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/vintage-display-as-last-train-rolls-out-of-hobart/story-fnj4f7k1-1226963128899

[ozbob]

Marvellous to see steam was there at the end ..   

Onwards!!

[colinw]

It may be the end for Hobart, but it is far from the end for rail in Tasmania.  The Melba line is about to get significantly busier with upgrades of the existing loops and construction of new loops at Guildford & Bastyan. The Bell Bay Line is still going strong, and the Fingal line coal traffic continues to ramp up as does the quite intensive little cement operation out of Railton to Devonport.  Railton cement works also gets daily coalies from Fingal.

But we just have to accept that Hobart to Brighton is gone, likely permanently.  Boyer to Bridgewater won't be far behind, seeing the end of the Derwent Valley branch - our instructions are now that nothing will be operating south of Brighton Junction. The North East Line is definitely gone - and about to get ripped and rail trail converted. The far end of the Western beyond Burnie is also a definite goner.  None of these are likely to see a train again.

[Stillwater]

Are there not plans for light rail between Hobart City and Glenorchy/Bridgewater?

[colinw]

AFAIK those plans were abandoned with the change of Government in Tasmania.

[Fares_Fair]

hey, welcome back colinw.
Hope you are well.

[colinw]

Thanks FF.  I'm good. Had some health problems for a bit there, all good now.

[colinw]

The advice I was given is "nothing will be running south of Brighton", but I remain sceptical about that as I too have heard nothing about Boyer either closing or switching to road freight.  Mind you, there is precedent for doing a short road haul to a main line yard, as the Risdon traffic has gone that way rather than maintaining the short branch.

I saw one Bell Bay train departing East Tamar when I was there in Feb.  I believe it remains "as required".

For now, the main traffic remains Fingal to Railton coalies, Railton to Devonport cement, and the Melba line ore traffic.  Plus a bit of containerised freight.

On the Melba line, new mining developments are leading to quite a bit of capital works.  Specifically:

- Upgrade of Ridgley crossing loop with new points.
- New crossing loop and infrastructure siding at Guildford (former junction for EBR Waratah branch)
- New infrastructure siding at Que
- Upgrade and lengthing of Boco loop with new points.
- New loop at Bastyan (operated as a holding yard for up - empty - trains).

This will allow the traffic on the Melba line to increase from the current ~4 trains per day to as many as 10.

The Hellyer line remains disconnected at Moory Jct, but there are proposals that would see it  reactivated.  The line remains maintained & free of vegetation, so it would be relatively simple to reconnect.

There is talk of export coal from the Fingal line starting up, which would lead to a 10MTPA traffic off the Fingal line to a port (Bell Bay I presume), i.e. a similar level of coal traffic to that running via the Port of Brisbane.  If that happens it will be a game changer for rail in Tasmania.

[SurfRail]

Heading down for the first time this weekend.  First jurisdiction I have ever visited on this planet with no regular passenger rail services.