Random observations around the network ...

[ozbob]

SMU239 platform 3 Oxley down service



Down coalie on the UP sub at Oxley







Photographs R Dow 30th December 2010

[Arnz]

Meanwhile SMU280 (didn't catch the trailing set) operates up to Nambour on the 4pm run.  I hear customers don't mind getting the new sets every now and again.  But then again, there's always the question asked by at least one commuter every time a SMU260-280 series set runs one of the afternoon peak services up to Nambour.  Where is the toilet on this train?  

(Note: There are none despite the new SMUs and IMUs having the same exterior/front).  The only 2 differences in both interiors is that SMUs has no toilets and no baggage racks at the doors on the SMUs.

[Golliwog]

That is certainly something I didn't like about the new trains. You can't easily tell the difference between a toilet and a non-toilet service. Perhaps when QR decides if its going to roll out those red paint jobs across the fleet they could come up with 2 different ones, one for SMU's and one for IMU's?

[p858snake]

That is certainly something I didn't like about the new trains. You can't easily tell the difference between a toilet and a non-toilet service.

They have a big black section next to the drivers/guards cabins from the outside.

[WTN]

That is certainly something I didn't like about the new trains. You can't easily tell the difference between a toilet and a non-toilet service.

They have a big black section next to the drivers/guards cabins from the outside.

And IM printed on the side of each carriage. But all of these are not obvious to the travelling public.

[mufreight]

On the IMU sets have the front colour green with the SMU sets retaining the red colour scheme

[Derwan]

Mains were closed through the city today.  Workers between Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills - perhaps addressing the "flooding" issue that stopped trains the other night.

[ClintonL94]

Mayne is a ghost town



All that is left at Mayne is SMU 234 and three diesel locomotives..



Apparently 150+ trains have been stored between Roma Street to Sherwood and Albion to Northgate

Photos at Eagle Junction:




Click here to look at damage on the Blackwater line

Photography of HappyTrainGuy and Huggies

[#Metro]

Good on QR. They're doing a good job.

[ozbob]

Moving the units, spreading them around the network on high ground is good thinking indeed.

[longboi]

Very cool 

[Golliwog]

Click here to look at damage on the Blackwater line

I've seen helicopter footage of the Rolleston line. It was only built to Q20 flood levels. It takes about 5 seconds of watching to realise the tracks are supposed to be 5-10m to the left of where they are on top of what is supposed to be an at least 2-3m high embankment which is in some places totally missing. No ballast in sight. The bridge spans themselves however are in good condition, they just aren't attached to the ground most of the time.

[mufreight]

To get a skeleton service operational on the Ipswich line they have 1901 and a three car 2000.
At the present time because of electrical problems sparks can only operate as far as Sherwood, and water levels at Wacol and Goodna over the rails which even if overhead power was avaliable prevent the operation of sparks.
The 1900 and the 2000 set not only have no need of the power supply but they can safely be operated through water up to 100mm over the rail head and thus would be able to provide a basis service between Sherwood and Ipswich possibly two days before it would be possible to operate electrics.
Almost a return to the post 74 floods operation of SX sets hauled by DH's.   

[HappyTrainGuy]

Driving past Wooloowin station and saw vandals had already struck some trains.
SMU209 (Can't confirm but SMU212 was the last train I saw it coupled to) was tagged on the run between Albion and Wooloowin Stations.
SMU242 was tagged aswell which was stowed next to SMU208.
But SMU208 has a whole new livery. The first two carriages are completly covered in paint as well as the platform.

[#Metro]

  FFS how can people do this?
A total waste of money to clean that up!
Money better spent on services.

[ozbob]

Looters were spotted at Goodna.  Same class ...

[HappyTrainGuy]

Apparentley a bull shark has also been spotted in a main street of Goodna. - http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/12/3111496.htm

[ClintonL94]

Here's a picture of something you'll probably never ever see again!

[IMGT]http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3629/17096917791870076301478.jpg[/IMGT]

Photography of Samuel Sharpe

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[ClintonL94]

I didn't realise you were Huggies HappyTrainGuy? Regardless I will credit

[HappyTrainGuy]

lol, I'm not him. I only posted the first two photos. The two photographs outside Eagle Junction were taken by him

[#Metro]

What? High frequency rail services? 

[MichaelJ]

I'm sorry to say but there are rail employees who facilitate vandalism by passing on commerical-in-confidence information to these vandals.  I'm not going to mention names here, but the stats certainly stack up against them.  Sickening.

[Stillwater]

High frequency suburban rail services have been operating in Gympie over past few days - courtesy of the 'Silver Bullet' rail motor of the Mary Valley Heritage Railway fleet.  It as been doing sterling work operating on the hour from the old Gympie Railway Station to Monkland via Nashville station and the 'Inglewood Siding', then returning on the half hour from Monkland.  Operating hours are 7am to 5.30pm.

It has been the only land transport link between Gympie CBD and Monkland, and gives spectacular views of the floodwaters that have divided Gympie.  And it's been popular too - 80 passengers on the 1pm run Gympie to Monkland.  The 'fare' is a voluntary donation to the MVHR.  In addition to carting people, it has been delivering bread baked in the CBD to Monkland outlets, and taking milk from a Mary Valley dairy to the Gympie northside.

[Derwan]

Here are some photos of stowed trains between Albion and Nundah:

Nundah:




Toombul:




I did a full-zoom photo of a stowed train towards EJ.  I didn't realised it 'til I got home, but I think I may have caught a vandal in the act!  (I have passed the photo on to QR.)




Eagle Junction:

   


Near Woolloowin:

 

Albion:

[ozbob]

Thanks Derwan,  excellent and good to document a bit of history.

[#Metro]

Vandals make me sick! 
It is a brand new train too!

Nobody should be on the rail tracks.

I hope the newer trains are fitted with external cameras near the entrances- the new BCC buses have this.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Derwan, I hope none of the ones on platforms like Wooloowin (Or any of the other stations you visited) were targeted again? It looks like they were heavily targeted on the run between Albion and Wooloowin Damn scumbags.

Its also just amazing to see all these trains just stacked up one after another. Truly a sight to see.

[Derwan]

Derwan, I hope none of the ones on platforms like Wooloowin (Or any of the other stations you visited) were targeted again?

You can't see it very well as I've resized the images to post online, but the in the Toombul photo, there are a couple of tags and some graffiti "art" along the side of a couple of carriages.

I'd actually prefer NOT to show a clear image of the graffiti as this would only encourage the criminals.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Yeah, that's alright. I'm not after photos anyway. Its just that dad wanted to know roughly how many trains were tagged as he used to clean the "art" off them

[Golliwog]

I actually like some of the murals that get painted on things (the legit ones, not the graffiti crap). I would actually think that some of the trains could be quite done up with murals all along the outside, but the one shown above the "artist" has totally ignored the windows and doors and just gone straight over them (not to mention most of that is a tag).

[mufreight]

It is well past time that the courts started dispensing sentenceing relative to the offence.
These graffiti vandals should be given a mandatory jail sentence of at least 30 days, have costs awarded against then reflecting the real cost of removing their efforts, cost of actual removal and the cost of the out of service time for the trains, no forever time to pay through SPER, attach their assets and sell them off then bill them for any costs beyond that recovered and garnishee their income until such time as the court decreed amount is paid in full.
If there is a repeat offence then double the jail time, a third double that again and take these low lifes out of circulation.
As well as charges for the graffiti, charge them with willful damage and tresspass.
Put a few through the courts, seize their assets and dock their dole and the word will get around that it simply is not worth it to destroy public property.

[#Metro]

A lot of trains were covered in graffiti today. Disgusting! Obviously targeted while stabled in long lines on the network while the floods were on. 

[HappyTrainGuy]

I heard the diesel tilt was also hit hard on the exhibition line 

Please don't quote me on this but didn't someone in Singapore get 6 months or something last year for tagging a carriage?

[Golliwog]

There was an article in todays mX saying QR is changing its graffitti policy so that now they will pursue financial compensation no matter the age or situation of the offender. If they have no income they won't charge extra but will just wait until the offender has an income and make them pay up then. The article also said the graffitti during the floods was going to cost roughly $1M to clean off.

[ozbob]

Oxley 4.37 am

Down coalie (full) on the up sub!  2364? second loco

[somebody]

Oxley 4.37 am

Down coalie (full) on the up sub!  2364? second loco

I thought the Twba range was unpassable?  Any idea how this could be?

[ozbob]

Ebenezer  see --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5234.msg45689#msg45689

Looks like they have ramped up production in lieu of the problems with the range.

As I came back from Richlands noted another empty coal heading west ..

[HappyTrainGuy]

Todays EMU 067-086 Caboolture-Ipswich train had the first carriage renamed to the laughing carriage after everyone started laughing out loud courtesy of the guard telling jokes between Bowen Hills-Roma Street. Great to see QR/QR National employees and even passengers having a laugh. And yes, it has been gloomy weather this past couple weeks. Also thanks for reminding me to grab my wallet, mobile phone and toiletries before I got off the train

Also noted a few trains still covered along the very tops in graffiti (Mainly EMU013).

[Arnz]

The "Internet Train" (SMU261 and partner) operated the 10am service from Nambour to Roma Street this morning.  After the announcement of "internet access carriage" trial, first carriage pretty much was full of people with laptops & ipods/handhelds.

Came back this afternoon on EMU83/60 then swapped over to SMU271 (subsituting for the ICE) on the 3:53pm Caboolture-Nambour run. I've noted IMU106/108 on the Cooroy-Brisbane run and refurb'd SMUs 237 (and partner) on the 3:04pm Nambour to Roma Street (non-toilet) service.

Edit: I've noted that SMU271 has a different voiceover person on the automated announcements.  Certainly different from the voiceover person on SMU261 (and most early SMU260s/IMU160s).

Clip of SMU271 at Landsborough below (shot on Ipod Touch Generation 4)

[p858snake]

Had a toilet train from ferny grove (07 08) this morning to central.

There was a freight train parked at toombul for like 2 hours the other day.

Train I was on the other day had a wet "spot" near a car interchange door which has resulted a mold growth patch and a strong mildew smell, so i have emailed and reported that.... That train also had (what i hope is) a fake warning/penalty sticker which said "Urinating on this train is not permitted".