Split-second rail operations are a vital factor in the successful working of a new £700,000 coal loading plant recently completed in Sydney to serve Australia's expanding export coal industry.
     The coal loader has been built at the No. 1 Balmain berth at the head of White Bay by Humphreys and Glasgow Ltd. for the Maritime Services Board, and is served directly by rail tracks from the New South Wales Government Railways' adjacent Rozelle yard This is connected, in turn, with the Darling Harbour -Wardell Road Junction double tracked section of the Metropolitan Goods Lines.
     The new loader has a put-through rate of 1000 tons per hour, and replaces a smaller facility built in 1952 at the same location, which required double handling from wagons to bunkers and then by 14-ton hoppers to wharf-side with final discharge to ships' holds by electric jib cranes.
     Space restrictions did not permit the reception or despatch of full train-loads from the loader area and Rozelle yard was used as the terminal point with small shunting trips providing the link between the Yard and the discharge sidings.
     The State's participation in lucrative export coal traffic, mainly to Japan, was formerly restricted by the lack of coal loading equipment capable of servicing large ocean-going bulk carriers. Completion of the Balmain and Port Kembla installations and a proposed plant at Newcastle has altered this situation.
     All three plants have been designed to be fed with rail-carried coal on a 24-hour basis, requiring complete co-ordination of rail traffic facilities, shipping officials and port authorities to ensure that put-through is maintained at the highest possible rate and ships are at wharf-side for the shortest possible period.
     Almost all of the coal shipped through the new loader is for Japan and comes from the Burragorang field. Up to nine block train loads are brought each day to Balmain direct from the Rio Tinto siding installation at Glenlee, 36 miles from Sydney on the main Southern line. Here, a mile-long branch trailing from the Up line, and served by a facing crossover from the Down line leads to an extensive washing, storage and loading plant.
     The coal trains from Glenlee are usually made up in blocks of 24 bogie hopper wagons of either the 42-ton capacity BCH-class or the 52-ton HCH-class. These are hauled by either 60-class Garratts or 44-class Goodwin-Alco diesels and run direct to Balmain via Sefton Park, Chullora, Enfield and Wardell Road Junction.

Attendants operate the bottom opening doors of the coal hopper wagons allowing the load to fall through a metal grate to the bins below.

     On arrival at Balmain, the train is shunted over a weighbridge and then broken up into two-vehicle sets for movement over the under-rail discharge point where attendants operate the bottom opening doors (see illustration) allowing the coal to fall through into bins, from which it is fed on to a conveyor belt for movement direct to the shipside.
     If shipping accommodation is not immediately available, the coal can be diverted to the stacking area for subsequent loading into the holds.
     Movement of the rail vehicles through the discharge point is carried out by a rubber tyred tractor fitted with an automatic coupler. Equipment is also available to shake the wagons if necessary to ensure that all coal is removed.

After discharge, wagons are pushed down this falling grade to the incline at rear and are diverted to the track leading to the empties sidings (at left) on their return down the grade.

     As the tractor hauls the two full wagons over the track hoppers, it pushes the two previous wagons, now empty, ahead and as they run down a slight incline, gain sufficient momentum to take them up to a dead-end slope on the other side (see picture). On reaching the top of the slope, the two wagons pause momentarily before commencing to run back, but are diverted on their return journey through a turnout leading to the empty wagon roads.
     Here, they are remarshalled into trainloads for return to Glenlee to begin the loading cycle over again.

Two conveyor belts running parallel to the ship feed the loading leads seen in position over ship's holds.

     From the track hoppers, the coal, if going direct to ship's side, passes on to a wide rubber conveyor belt, capable of handling 1000 tons per hour. This belt lifts the coal up an incline until it reaches a height of 80 ft. where it drops into either of two surge bins, each with a capacity of 300 tons. These bins act as a reservoir and overcome the need to immobilise the plant when delays occur such as the movement of the loading head from hatch to hatch or at the track hoppers whilst awaiting the arrival of a trainload of coal.
     When both bins are full, the 600-ton reserve is sufficient to maintain over 30 minutes loading at the designed put-through rate of 1000 tons per hour. On the other hand, if both are empty, rail vehicles can be discharged and coal conveyed to the bins for about 30 minutes after ship-loading has ceased.
     Coal passes from the bottom of the surge bins on to either of two 36-inch wide conveyor belts and is taken up a further incline to be dropped a short distance on to other belts running at right angles and then dropped again on to the two wharf conveyors running parallel to the ship and leading to the two loading heads.
     The coal is discharged into the ship's holds through a chute and automatic trimmer which ensures that all corners are filled.

Front-end loaders place coal from the stacking area into hoppers over conveyor belts leading to the surge bins.

     The most desirable arrangement is to have all the coal loaded into ships going direct from the track hoppers to the surge bins and then to the holds, however, to cope with delays in loading from the mines and, possibly, train movements a stockpile area with a capacity of 30,000 tons has been provided.
     A suitable quantity of coal is usually placed in the stacking area before the arrival of the ship. This is discharged into the track hoppers as usual but is diverted to the stack area at a rate of 500 tons per hour.
     Two front-end loaders with a capacity of 7 tons are brought into service to load the coal from the stack. These pick up and drop the coal into two recovery bins from which it is fed on to conveyor belts leading to the surge bins thus maintaining the loading rate of 1000 tons.

Reprinted from Railway Transportation, February, 1964

     The pulverized-brown-coal-fired engine, X32, continues to maintain its reputation for punctual running.
     Since it started about 12 months ago under general service conditions, it has never been late, and the firing equipment has worked most efficiently. Its crews have been rostered drivers and firemen.
     X32 figured in a particularly good express run on "Black Thursday", the Easter peak traffic day. Hauling the 3 p.m. Bright train (eight cars, 270 tons) X32 left Spencer Street on time and arrived at Seymour six minutes ahead of schedule. For three minutes it was held up at the home signal waiting for platform room. It was considered an excellent performance, as the X class engine is limited to a speed of 50 m.p.h. It overcame this disability by making up time on the grades.
     On the return trip from Seymour, X32 hauled the 6.10 p.m. train, consisting of 10 cars (300 tons). Because two extra cars had to be attached at Seymour, the engine left 16 minutes late, but 10 minutes of this was made up on the journey and it arrived at Spencer Street only six minutes late.
     A comparison of X32's performance with that of other engines on the express run from Melbourne to Seymour on "Black Thursday" is interesting. An X class engine burning black coal which hauled the 4.30 p.m. Bright (eight cars, 225 tons) arrived on time, but it hauled less tonnage. The 4.55 p.m. Bright (eight cars, 255 tons) was hauled by a coal- burning A2. It left on time and was two minutes late in arriving at Seymour. A C class oil-burning engine hauled the 5.18 p.m. Bright train, comprising 10 cars (345 tons). It was 14 minutes late.

CK wagon for pulverized brown coal

     When the S class engine hauling Spirit of Progress had mechanical trouble at Heathcote Junction last month, X32, which was scheduled for a goods run, was taken off to bring the express to Melbourne. The engine, which is fired with pulverized brown coal, did the journey in 43 minutes, only three minutes slower than Spirit of Progress schedule. It was described as a first class performance. The trip was made from a standing start, and it was the first time that the driver, J. Field, and the fireman, A Hollingshead, had been rostered for X32 duties.
     Another engine, an N class, is to be converted at Newport Workshops to brown coal firing. Five more C.K. wagons to transport the pulverized fuel from Yallourn to the refuelling hoppers are also being made. The Way and Works Branch will design and construct two of these hoppers. One will be installed at North Melbourne Loco Depot and the other at Yallourn.
     Two visitors from Thailand, who travelled on X32 on a passenger run to Seymour last month, were very impressed with the engine's performance.

Reprinted from The Victorian Railways News Letter, May, 1951

     One of the most persistent campaigns of propaganda that has been promoted in recent years is that having for its objective the substitution of the metric system for our present system of measurements. Through its efforts a bill was introduced in the last Congress to establish this system by January 1, 1935. As a result of the opposition of the railways and others, however, no action was taken and the bill was never reported out of committee. Although it is therefore dead, its proponents are continuing their propaganda actively and as recently as the current month the statement appeared in the house organ of a large manufacturer that, "The United States during the present year will take final legislative action to place it's merchandising on the decimal metric basis in weights and measures."
     This campaign presents a conflict between theory and practice that should receive the serious consideration of executives of all industries. The metric system has much to commend it in theory. Its advocates ignore the fact, however, that another system of measurement is already established in this country and that industry has been developed in accordance with its units. It further ignores the fact that any change in our present standards of measurement will lead to chaos in industry. It was for this reason that the American Railway Engineering Association went on record in 1920 as opposing this change and it, together with the American Railway Association, presented testimony before the committee last year showing that the transition to the metric system would involve expenditures by the railways alone running into the hundreds of millions of dollars, while the confusion in records and the possibilities of error would continue for a long time.
     Congress has adjourned and there is no further danger of legislation on this subject for several months. The railways in common with other industries cannot afford, however, to relax their vigilance as long as organizations promoting the metric system remain active, but must be prepared to meet any move that may be made by the advocates of this system until they are brought to the realization of the fact that their cause is hopeless.

Reprinted from Railway Age, 25 March, 1927

     At Reading there is an association, known as The Young Men's Railway Institute, which was established at the end of last year to meet the wants of many young men in Reading and district, who are interested in railways. The members have meetings every month, at which papers on various interesting railway subjects are given. After the reading of a paper there is a discussion on it. A feature, that shows the earnestness and enthusiasm of the members, is the fact that they have erected themselves an Observation Cabin on a plot of ground near the Great Western Railway, a mile north of Reading station, from which cabin the members are enabled to observe the working of trains, etc., and other objects of interest connected with the Great Western Railway. Although the Institute has only been in existence one year, the members have been able to very comfortably pay their way, solely through the entrance fees and subscriptions, with the exception of a small deficit on the observation cabin building expenses, which is gradually being made up.

Reprinted from Railway Magazine, January, 1907

     The present airy costume affected by the ladies, consisting of a dress, slippers and stockings, weighing about six ounces and unmentionables weighing even less, has had its effect on railway baggage. In the Chicago Union Station the effect is particularly noticeable. Here the baggage facilities are not taxed to anything like capacity, nor is the volume of baggage nearly as great as it was some years ago, despite the fact that long distance travel is increasing. The woman of ten years ago, while travelling, was compelled to take along a trunk or two and several hat-bags. If she was taking a bathing suit, an extra suitcase was necessary. The woman traveller of today tilts her hat at a more rakish angle, stuffs a compact and a few other things into a brief-case and is ready to go.

Reprinted from Railway Age, 5 February, 1927

     A Railway ticket is just a piece of pasteboard; something to buy at one station and give up at another.
     Until the public get hold of them, that is.
     Then some bite them, some bend them. Others discover they are ideal for picking teeth or fingernails.
     Some are just the size for de-mudding or de-snowing shoes, and the corners are handy for decoking a tobacco pipe bowl or easing the last bit of powder from a compact.
     The ticket collector is a student of human nature. He's got to be with so many chunks of of it coming to a dead stop at his barrier, then funneling past him bit by bit for him to have a good look at.

DEADPAN

     A good collector is never surprised at anything. He must never show a flicker of amazement at what people can do with a ticket.
     Into his hand they drop — from hatbands, coat cuffs and collars. From the tops of men's socks, or the tops of girls' stockings.
     The ones who leave their tickets in the carriage, tucked up the back of the seat in front, can always be picked out by the agonised clapping of hand to mouth as they near the barrier, followed by a smart leap to the left, and a quick disappearing trick into the moving train. Then another smart leap out again at the end platform.
     With every train arrival there is at least one performance of THE RITUAL TICKET DANCE.
     This starts always with the solemn request of the ticket collector: "Can I see your ticket please, sir or madam," as the case may be.
     The dance then commences slowly, accompanied by a look of stunned disbelief on the faces of all good performers.
     There is a slow slapping and searching of all pockets, wallets and handbags. This gradually works up to a frenzied climax as trouser turnups, linings, and even shoes in extreme cases, are torn off and ripped apart before the little so and so is found.
     People are so different as they hand their tickets over.
     There is the furtive type, who keeps it well out of sight in the palm of his hand, sidles up to the barrier and whips it across at the very last minute, with a last look round the station to make sure no one is watching.
     The next in the queue waves his ticket on high like a ban-the-bomb banner — and keeps it there so that collector has to stand on tip-toe before he can see it.
     The comedian is also well known at every station. "Oops, caught you that time. Look, it's in me other hand."
     Another type, mostly feminine, never want to let go of their ticket. They hold it tight as they walk past the collector, gazing into his eyes all the while. Very popular with tight sweaters.
     Quite a few people seem ashamed of the cheapness of their ticket and press money as well as the ticket into the waiting hand. "Where did you get on then? Oh did you, another nine-pence please."      There are the slow past the post, and the quick. There are the walkers, the trotters, the bumpers and the hop, skip and jumpers.
     And, now and again, the two-together ones. Very dangerous if they both wear bowler hats and carry umbrellas.
     They come and go in endless variety — and ticket collectors wouldn't believe half they see if they didn't have a big heap of those little pasteboard tickets to prove it.

Reprinted from South Australian Railways Institute Magazine, March-April, 1966

     Five weeks ago I had occasion to travel from Sydney to Adelaide, via Melbourne, by rail, which afforded me an opportunity of travelling by the fastest and longest-distance non-stop express in Australasia, if, indeed, it can be termed such, and I thought that, perhaps, a few particulars concerning it might be of interest to some of your readers.
     The train is composed of six twelve-wheeled vestibuled cars; the exterior of the cars are painted a reddish brown, not unlike the colour of the Midland Railway cars at home, and are lined with gold.
     A clerestory roof runs from end to end of each car, which are 65 ft. long over the body.
     A side corridor runs down each car into the vestibule at either end; the doors from the corridor to the compartments are constructed so as to slide back, so that the corridor is never blocked by open doors. The interior of the second class compartments (there are no third out here) are upholstered in brown leather, constructed to seat four passengers on either side, and are lighted by an electrolier containing three lamps. The first-class compartments are similar to the second, but more elaborate.
     The first and last cars are composite baggage ones, whilst another car is fitted up as a boudoir car.
     The train is timed to leave Sydney at 7.50 p.m., and runs from there to Moss Vale Junction without an intermediate stop, a distance of 87 miles, at which place it is timed to arrive at 10.25 p.m. This is the longest run in Australia without a stop; but I think that 2½ hours is rather a liberal allowance for 87 miles, although there are some very heavy gradients to negotiate, the steepest being as much as 1 in 38: but, considering that the gauge of the line is the standard 4 ft. 8½ ins., I cannot see why the journey could not be done in at least two hours. Between Moss Vale Junction and Albury, the train makes frequent stops, arriving at the latter place at 7.25 a.m., which place is distant 392 miles from Sydney. Here 26 minutes are allowed to obtain breakfast in the dining-rooms, as the breakfast, luncheon, or dining-car is an unknown luxury in Australia, with one exception, and that is one which runs daily on the West Australian Government Railways, from Perth to the Gold Fields.
     The train is heated only by the obsolete foot-warmer, and the night that I travelled by it was very cold, with the result that one had very little chance of obtaining a doze, but sat shivering all night instead. At Albury there is a break of gauge, so that the train by which we have been travelling all night proceeds no further, but returns again in the evening to Sydney. On the other side of the platform to which we arrived from Sydney, stands the Victorian Government Railway train, which is about to take us on to Melbourne. This train is an entirely new production, and is worthy of notice, as it has been constructed entirely in Australia, and was built at the Newport shops of the Victorian Government Railway.
     The gauge of the Victorian Government Railways is 5 ft. 3 ins., which has permitted the cars to be built on a very liberal scale. They are 70 ft. long over the buffers, and are fitted with side corridors and vestibules; the doors from the corridors into the compartments are made to slide back, like those of the New South Wales Railway trains.
     The second-class compartments are upholstered in green leather, with one arm rest in the middle of each seat; the first-class compartments are similar, but more elaborate.
     The train is lighted throughout by gas.
     There has been no provision made for heating, so that the old-fashioned foot-warmer is called into requisition once again.
     The cars are fitted with clerestory roofs, and are painted similar to the New South Wales Railway trains, with the addition of 'Vestibuled Car' written in large gold letters above the windows.
     The train is timed to leave Albury at 7.51 a.m., and to arrive in Melbourne at 1.17 p.m. the distance between the former and latter places being 190^ miles. An allowance of 326 minutes for this mileage hardly sounds like express run- ning, but, of course, the train makes frequent stops.
     The word 'express' is more of a cognomen out here, as it is applied to trains that would be termed stopping trains at home.
     The distance from Sydney to Melbourne is 582½ miles, and the time occupied on the journey is 17 hrs. 27 mins., but there are no less than 18 intermediate stops, which, altogether, take up 85 mins. of the journey time, so that the actual running time is 16 hrs. 2 mins., or 962 mins. for 582½ miles.
     Adelaide and South Australian passengers have to change again at Melbourne (Spencer Street station), the express for Adelaide leaving there at 4.40 p.m., and is timed to arrive in Adelaide at 9.12 a.m. next morning, the distance between the two points being 482¾ miles.
     This train is only noticeable by the fact of the poor rolling stock of which it is composed for a journey of such length. The train is non-corridor, and the cars are of various shapes and sizes. Two twelve-wheeled boudoir cars are attached to the train. These are the joint property of the Victorian and South Australian Government Railways.
     When travelling by this train I was very much struck with the violent oscillations of the cars, even when travelling at the moderate speed of 30 miles per hour.
     It is a true, but none the less strange, fact, that it is possible to travel farther in the tight little island of Great Britain, without change of car, than in the vast continent of Australia.
     The longest journey here without change of car is from Bourke, N.S.W., to Sydney, a distance of 508 miles. While from London, Euston to Inverness, per the West Coast route, is 568 miles, which can be accomplished, at any rate, during the summer months, without change of car.
     In conclusion, I would say that Australia might learn a great deal from railways in other parts of the British Empire, where conditions prevailing are similar, I might mention, for instance, Egypt, the Soudan, and South Africa, with its Zambesi Express (Train de luxe}, which is one of the highest examples extant, of comfort on the rail.
     I believe that a dining-car is about to built for the Sydney-Melbourne service, and also that a new train is being built, partly at the Newport shops of the Victorian Government Railway and partly at the Islington shops of the South Australian Railway, which will be a replica of the Melbourne-Albury train when completed. These will undoubtedly supply a long-felt want between the Metropolises of the various States.

Reprinted from Railway Magazine, January, 1907

NEXT WEEK 1,000,000 TONS OF STONE TO BE RAILED SYDNEY-NEWCASTLE SPEED RECORD SLASHED PRESIDENT CALLES GETS NEW TRAIN THE HONEYMOONERS' RAILWAY CARRIAGE "BLUE LAWS" MAKE RAILROADS OUTLAWS DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES TESTED BRITISH EXPERT PRAISES AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS NORMAL PASSENGER EXPRESS BECOMES ROYAL TRAIN