Apparently not enough for our hick systems to have learnt anything. For months, we have been unable to run a comparitively small train into the second-biggest city in Australia. The level of incompetence is mind boggling.
One should be very careful of being critical here of any party as dual gauge trackage especially turnouts and crossovers, gauge splitters are very complex engineering designs.
Seems pretty clear that someone has boobed. The XPT wheels were within the standard for wheels so the track should have been designed to cater for them.
Examination of the lead wheelset/lead bogie of carriage XAM2176 (wheelset with narrowest field edge to flange face distance) confirmed that there was limited rim contact on the rail head through the transfer area. With the left wheel of XAM2176 running on the right edge of the broad gauge switch rail (in the direction of train travel), this would likely have applied high outward torsional loading on the switch blade. In circumstances where the broad gauge switch blade is insufficiently restrained through the transfer area, the switch blade can both roll and flex outward, increasing the likelihood of one or more wheels dropping in between the track and causing the train to derail.
I suspect that the XPT retained 127 mm wide wheel treads to minimise unsprung mass which can become, via P2 force, an issue at higher speed.
Hey all,
travelling with the family by xpt to Sydney then to Brisbane this friday, Countrylink call centre already rung to advise will be bus from southern cross to broadmeadows. Really!! One turnout can cause so much disruption between two major cities for 3 months in this day and age?? We wanted to take the kids on something they have never experienced before and probably wont again, in Australia at least.
I know it's only a minor hiccup but would have been nice to leave southern cross by train to start our trip, and even less to say about the Queensland railways and their 4 am arrival into Roma st so the xpt doesn't tie up their precious tracks.
It doesn't do much to promote interstate rail travel. Any way will post anything interesting we might see.
Cheers
XPT has been using scs again for approximately a week. Buncam can confirm.
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