Darra to Springfield Stage 1 construction Darra to Richlands

[Golliwog]

And there is actually plans to look at turning the car park into a bit of a TOD at Ferny now too. Parking is still going to be retained but not even at the levels it currently has. I think feeder buses are therefore being looked at, although the fact the using a feeder bus from Ferny as it is currently extends your trip from zones 1-3 to zone 4 is a real disincentive to most. It really needs to be sorted out.

[somebody]

Did you take part in the community consultation? If you didn't, now is a bit late to start complaining.

Didn't know there was any.  Not living out that way, I may well have not even heard about it.

[ozbob]

I went to Richlands Today and got some pictures
http://sites.google.com/site/queenslandgreattrains/Home/train-pictures-2010/darra-to-springfield-transport-corridor/richlands-station/july-2010

Cheers,
QGT

Nice photographs QGT, thanks for sharing them.

[frereOP]

I realise the double will be more than enough for now... I'm talking 50 years down the track.  Who knows?  If another track or 2 is required, it'd be nice to think they carved out enough space to just lay another track beside - rather than having to rip out bridges, completely redesign stations and cause a lot of upheaval because they have to widen the trench the track runs along.

It's a chicken and egg situation.  If the capacity isn't there, the services will not be available and people won't be able to use it.  If capacity and frequency are there, then people will use it (eg City-Cat, 119 and Easyglider services).

Never-the-less, it's a fine line between making the investment knowing that you are going to get a return on that investment (ie there is the demand for people to use it) and making the investment for it to become a white elephant because there is no demand - known in economic terms as the Law of Diminishing returns.  Remember, white elephants have ongoing fixed costs (ie maintenance and operating costs) which have to be met whether there is 1 passenger per year or a million.  It's assessing at what point the investment actually make economic sense, and is not just there for convenience.  That's why we have professional planners to look at these things and draw up the business cases for these projects.  I have to admit though, their record on things like Clem7 is not great.  Hopefully like the Airtain, the "J" curve principle will apply.

[ozbob]

Around Darra - Darra West













Darra West











Photographs R Dow 16th July 2010

[colinw]

Nice shots.  

Regarding the 6th photo, I'm a little surprised that the mast bases couldn't be better sited to avoid that kink in the down branch line.  (But then I'm not a civil engineer!)



cheers,
Colin

[somebody]

Regarding the 6th photo, I'm a little surprised that the mast bases couldn't be better sited to avoid that kink in the down branch line.  (But then I'm not a civil engineer!)

Agree 100%.  I don't think there's a question that it could have been made straighter, but it may have saved $1000 to do it that way.

This is the sort of thing that SillyRail do all the time and it really gives me the willies (for want of a better word).

[colinw]

... and - I may be wrong about this - it looks to me like if the kink was eliminated it may have been possible to use a higher speed turnout.

[mufreight]

The kink is as a result of the staging of the works to construct the junction and moving tracks for the main line which had to be maintained in service while the works were undertaken hence the location of the masts.
As this is a junction point the speed restriction that the low speed turnout at that point have minimal effect as trains off the branch would have to slow to stop at the station anyway and a high speed turnout there would be unwarranted.
As for costs they would be significantly more than the $1000 suggested in a previous post even if services could have been suspended for the time needed to relocate the running lines without incorporating that unsightly kink.

[colinw]

Thanks mufreight, that makes sense to me.

When the Salisbury to Kuraby triplication came through out where I live, there were a few places where the masts for the existing double track were foul of where the 3rd line had to go. The way this was mitigated while keeping the existing lines operational was by building the new "portal" type stanchions adjacent to existing cantilever arm masts, then switching the overhead on to the new structures during a track closure & occupancy.

The difference in the Salisbury to Kuraby case was that the old structures simply had to go.  In the Darra case, from what you say the replacement is unnecessary as the kink in the line is not a major operational problem.

[mufreight]

At Darra the overhead structures were replaced in some cases with full portals covering four or five tracks but their placement was dictated by the necessity to maintain operations while the various stages in realigning the running tracks took place.

[Golliwog]

Cool, so currently its a bit of a win-win, they didn't have to disrupt services as much and it doesn't really matter if theres a low speed turn-out as its just before the station (similar to the crossover just after Indooroopilly station). I have no doubt though that if they decide they need a high speed turnout that all it would take would be a day/weekend closure of the area to change it over.

[colinw]

Another difference in the Salisbury to Kuraby case is there was less of an imperative to keep the existing lines operational, as only passenger and very infrequent livestock services to Holmview were affected.

A full line closure at Darra shuts a line that carries quite a bit of freight, and, most importantly from the revenue perspective, coal.

[Golliwog]

Yes, although now that QR is only the passenger section, it will be interesting to see if they worry about that as much as the old QR.

[colinw]

Yes, although now that QR is only the passenger section, it will be interesting to see if they worry about that as much as the old QR.

Not so - QR retains regional freight and about 8000km of the network.  Lines like Charleville, Warwick, Thallon, etc. stay with QR.

[Golliwog]

But do they actually run the freight trains? I thought that was what QR National was supposed to do.

[ozbob]

Track vehicles parked on the down line of the branch to Richlands



Photograph R Dow 19th July 2010

[ozbob]

Ballast train on the UP sub, and onto the UP sub loop, the first train on this line and through platform one Darra!  
(train is being pushed)































UP sub loop







Photographs R Dow 20th July 2010

[Jonno]

Happy for a new thread to be started but I am interested in how the ballast is offloaded and the track which the train is running on ends up ontop of the ballast?  Is it a 2 stage process?  Does the train drop the balast somewhere or does it deposit it along the track? I have never had to opportuity to see one in action.

[ozbob]

The train is positioned over the track to be ballasted and then moved slowly forward, sequentially the wagon bottoms are opened (note the wheels and the enclosure at the end of the ballast wagons that contains the gearing etc to open the bottoms).  The ballast is just gravity feed (dropped) onto the line.  Track machines then come along and lift and pack the ballast under the track.  This ballasting and lifting and tampering is done twice at least.  With the various track vehicles they have today track conditioning is relatively swift.  Trains will be running through on these lines in weeks. 

[ozbob]

Ballasting and track conditioning continues at Darra and Darra West




















Darra West  Up sub loop almost done











Photographs R Dow 24th July 2010

[frereOP]

The train is positioned over the track to be ballasted and then moved slowly forward, sequentially the wagon bottoms are opened (note the wheels and the enclosure at the end of the ballast wagons that contains the gearing etc to open the bottoms).  The ballast is just gravity feed (dropped) onto the line.  Track machines then come along and lift and pack the ballast under the track.  This ballasting and lifting and tampering is done twice at least.  With the various track vehicles they have today track conditioning is relatively swift.  Trains will be running through on these lines in weeks. 

What do they use to ensure correct track alignment?  Is the whole process laser guided or just visually surveyed?  I know lasers are used to align tracks (lengthways and across) on Shinkansen lines to ensure the two rails are perfectly parallel with the correct gradient and correct "tilt" into curves.  This means the whole thing doesn't end up like a roller coaster but gives a perfectly smooth ride without side-to-side movement.

[ozbob]

Not sure.  But this explains one approach --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballast_tamper

[mufreight]

The alignment is monitored by laser guided equipment but they also have surveyed reference points to work from.
The tamping machines set the rail height (top), level super-elevation (cant) and alignment.

[Golliwog]

Cant is the difference in height of the two rails, correct? From the class I did in the UK, they run the tamper to change the levels, but also run a measurement train (in the UK they use the New Measurement Train, although its not so new now, they've been using it for atleast 10 years) which records pretty much everything about the levels and angles of each rail. Once you have that its not too hard to come along with your tamper and change the levels to whatever you want them to be, the problem being of course that freshly placed ballast tends to shift a bunch while it first compacts to a steady arrangement, which is why you usually have speed restrictions in place and run a few trains over it so it does compact.

[mufreight]

Yes cant is the super elevation, once track is aligned and tamped they now have a machine that is like a vibrator to bed down the track allowing return to service without speed restrictions.
The wonders of modern technology, a far cry from a gang lifting track with manual jacks and tamping it with irish anchors.

[ozbob]

Richlands branch, and rail train on the down line Richlands branch ..

(Photographs with permission, authorised access)
































Darra West










Photographs mufreight 26th July 2010

The rail train was late getting back to Corinda and was held waiting a later slot.

Rail train on the new freight line through Corinda, returning from dropping rail on the Richlands branch.  







Photographs R Dow 26th July 2010

[colinw]

Nice shots.  Thanks for posting them. 

How far towards Richlands has track laying proceeded?  Any line over the Ipswich motorway yet?

cheers,
Colin

[mufreight]

Rail was complete on the down line to a point just past the Ipswich Motorway, the rails unloaded on Monday 26th will enable rail to be laid past the Boundary Road overpass.
Ballasting will take place over this week on the down line from Darra junction towards Richlands.

[tronixstuff]

Fantasic photos mufreight, ozbob and all - thank you. It is so refreshing to see a nice new railway line. 

[WTN]

Fantasic photos mufreight, ozbob and all - thank you. It is so refreshing to see a nice new railway line. 

Agreed. I'm watching the progress with much interest. It's like viewing a masterpiece coming together - close up, piece by piece. I can't wait until it's finished.

[ozbob]

.. It's like viewing a masterpiece coming together ..

What a wonderful description!  A masterpiece indeed it is!

Yes, it is a rare opportunity to observe modern rail civil techniques at close hand; the track amplification between Corinda and Darra West, the upgrade at Oxley and Darra, the construction of the branch line.  It is to Track Star Alliance's and the Horizon Alliance's and QR's and SEQIPP's credit that we have been able to properly document these extremely significant projects for future prosperity and history.  The construction alliances do record a pictorial history as well of course, which is for their construction documentation purposes as well.

The next train all stations to Springfield via Woolloongabba will be departing Kippa-Ring in only a few more years!   

[Derwan]

Richlands branch, and rail train on the down line Richlands branch ..

Can someone (perhaps mufreight) explain the purpose of the larger sleepers in this photo?  I've seen this set-up before and have wondered why they're like this.

[Golliwog]

I thought they were usually around switches and crossings as you need to support both sets of track, the continuing one and the diverging one. However given the look of the fastening points on the sleepers this doesn't look to be the case so I don't know for sure.

[mufreight]

The longer sleepers are for the splay rails, these are used to gather in a derailed wagon so that the guard rails in the centre of the running lines can restrict the sideways movement of a derailed wagon/carriage.
These are frequently used and can be seen where the tracks cross over a bridge, have a look out the window and watch where the adjoining track crosses over a bridge.
They are progressively being installed throughout the system, previously before the advent of concrete sleepers some bridges only had guard rails between the running rails and in some cases not even the guard rails.
This is one of those safety features that everyone hopes will never see use but when things go wrong help to minimise the damage.

[Derwan]

   Thanks mufreight.

The other place I remember seeing them is near Eagle Junction - right beside the bridge supports.  And now that I think of it, I remember seeing the "splay rails". 

[mufreight]

Rail has now been laid on the down Springfield line as far as the Boundary Road overbridge over the line and the Centenary Highway with ballast trains scheduled to operate on the line next week and another rail train to operate the week after which should see rails as far as the Garden Road exit off the Centenary Highway.

[ozbob]

Richlands nearly has rail!

From Boundary Road overbridge looking North towards the Ipswich Motorway showing the rails in place for the down line which will be ballasted this coming week and where the next rail train will unload the week after.






Alignment looking south towards Richlands from the Boundary Road overbridge





Photographs mufreight 30th July 2010

[david]

Pictures look fantastic! The progress is very fast!

Are they trying to finish it at the same time as the Corinda-Darra project? (Progress at Darra Station seems to have stalled again - the overhead wiring for Platforms 1 and 2 haven't even been done yet)

[Derwan]

(Progress at Darra Station seems to have stalled again - the overhead wiring for Platforms 1 and 2 haven't even been done yet)

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming the overhead work can only be done during closures (and power shutdowns) - even though they're over on the other tracks.

Once you get onto the branch line, you're in green fields so the work can progress without having to consider the existing lines.