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QUOTE (dbclass50 @ 14 Apr 2008, 14:30) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Nice set of pic's thanks Neil.
I do like the way you can see the influence of different countries in the locomotives.
Be nice to see some of those in steam again.
**Nice piccies Neil - its a good place and I visited several times while I lived on the east Coast.
We have a similar museum here in Perth... fortunately.... with a roof!
WA railways are a real mix - 3'6 gauge historically, now all but the suburban electrics are standard gauge.
Originally UK and NZ influenced for sourcing for loco's, (The suburb with the railway worshops was called midland - that should give a good hint) but now mostly big grain trains and Iron ore trains - the latter with GE and GM's largest loco's hauling absolutely HUGE trains of Iron ore more than a KM long - and they have just started a plan to totally automate these trains - from loading to discharge and the journey in between.
Hundreds of thousands of tons, half a dozen AC6000's, travelling hundreds of KM from loading to port and not one human on the train! Eventually....All to be controlled by a pimply office worker with a joystick in a dark room somewhere....
This happening as they cannot get enough engine drivers to work for them - they just announced a $20,000 per driver annual bonus just for staying on the job - per year for 5 years minimum - this is on top of a seriously BIG (I believe $100,000k+) salary.
Any list memebrs who are train drivers out there that need a job where it is always warm
......OK, hot (but the cabs are air conditioned, and between work sessions, you can live in Perth and be flown to work and back at the company cost too).
Richard
I do like the way you can see the influence of different countries in the locomotives.
Be nice to see some of those in steam again.
**Nice piccies Neil - its a good place and I visited several times while I lived on the east Coast.
We have a similar museum here in Perth... fortunately.... with a roof!
WA railways are a real mix - 3'6 gauge historically, now all but the suburban electrics are standard gauge.
Originally UK and NZ influenced for sourcing for loco's, (The suburb with the railway worshops was called midland - that should give a good hint) but now mostly big grain trains and Iron ore trains - the latter with GE and GM's largest loco's hauling absolutely HUGE trains of Iron ore more than a KM long - and they have just started a plan to totally automate these trains - from loading to discharge and the journey in between.
Hundreds of thousands of tons, half a dozen AC6000's, travelling hundreds of KM from loading to port and not one human on the train! Eventually....All to be controlled by a pimply office worker with a joystick in a dark room somewhere....
This happening as they cannot get enough engine drivers to work for them - they just announced a $20,000 per driver annual bonus just for staying on the job - per year for 5 years minimum - this is on top of a seriously BIG (I believe $100,000k+) salary.
Any list memebrs who are train drivers out there that need a job where it is always warm
......OK, hot (but the cabs are air conditioned, and between work sessions, you can live in Perth and be flown to work and back at the company cost too).Richard
