Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
Still no one knows (or is saying) re the braking of loco hauled Vlocitys.
Why do I wonder............?
Why do I wonder............?
V/Line trains pulled from tracks due to safety concerns
YM-Mundrabilla
Minister for Railways
Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
railblogger
Chief Commissioner
Location: At the back of the train, quitely doing exactly what you'd expect.
Found this on V/Line's Twitter feed:
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Still no one knows (or is saying) re the braking of loco hauled Vlocitys.
Why do I wonder............?
Loco hauled Vlocitys?
railblogger
Chief Commissioner
Location: At the back of the train, quitely doing exactly what you'd expect.
@bevans VLocities had to be towed between the city and the Bombardier plant in Dandenong.
skitz
Chief Commissioner
How many level crossings have the detection issue? One wonders why competent employees cannot man the crossings as consideration cost wise to the alternative of supplying buses. Would it be cheaper? Certainly the disruption would be less.
Even if this was a possibility, we all know Gippsland copped the brunt of the service disruptions due to the combination of the wheel wear issue and the level crossing issue.
One would expect any available Vlocity to be put into service in the west.
Even if this was a possibility, we all know Gippsland copped the brunt of the service disruptions due to the combination of the wheel wear issue and the level crossing issue.
One would expect any available Vlocity to be put into service in the west.
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
@bevans VLocities had to be towed between the city and the Bombardier plant in Dandenong.
Thanks @railblogger
The issue with VLocity rollingstock activating the level crossings on the Dandenong Line has been talked about here for months. The issue (what I have read and been told) appears to relate to the wheel profile shunting the track joint at the crossings. Extended wheel wear has caused this issue together with extended maintenance cycles designed to stretch out maintenance even longer than recommended by Bombardier.
The Vinelander
Minister for Railways
Location: Ballan, Victoria on the Ballarat RFR Line
After not being able to get on the 6:37 am at Ballan on Monday morning due to the train being 5 carriages, already having about 50 pax already standing from Ballarat and me having a lot of stuff with me, I and a few other pax gave up and waited for the next service, the 7:02 bus.
Whilst waiting for the express bus which took precisely double the travelling time of the earlier VLocity I had a chance to pen an email to my local MP, explaining the 5 cars VLocity was ridiculous as many pax have altered their work day to catch the faster train instead of the bus I caught. The 7:02 bus had about 25 pax so the majority have been on the earlier train.
My MP wrote back to me the same day and advised he had spoken to Jacinta Allen who advised V/Line not to run short trains on the Ballarat line and she had spoken to A/G V/Line CEO Garry Liddle regards this.
Yesterday, (Tuesday) a 6 car VLocity, however all seats were taken at Ballarat and about 20 standing on arrival at Ballan. I stood.
This morning (Wednesday) I grabbed one of the last few seats on the train.
Tomorrow, (Thursday), I'm off to Mildura by V/Line for long weekend..
The return to 'normality' on the Ballarat line, in a weeks time with surging patronage can't come too soon.
https://www.vline.com.au/News-Alerts/News-Articles/More-trains-back-in-service
Mike.
Whilst waiting for the express bus which took precisely double the travelling time of the earlier VLocity I had a chance to pen an email to my local MP, explaining the 5 cars VLocity was ridiculous as many pax have altered their work day to catch the faster train instead of the bus I caught. The 7:02 bus had about 25 pax so the majority have been on the earlier train.
My MP wrote back to me the same day and advised he had spoken to Jacinta Allen who advised V/Line not to run short trains on the Ballarat line and she had spoken to A/G V/Line CEO Garry Liddle regards this.
Yesterday, (Tuesday) a 6 car VLocity, however all seats were taken at Ballarat and about 20 standing on arrival at Ballan. I stood.
This morning (Wednesday) I grabbed one of the last few seats on the train.
Tomorrow, (Thursday), I'm off to Mildura by V/Line for long weekend..
The return to 'normality' on the Ballarat line, in a weeks time with surging patronage can't come too soon.
https://www.vline.com.au/News-Alerts/News-Articles/More-trains-back-in-service
Mike.
Carnot
Minister for Railways
A shame that a couple of the early Bendigo Up services will still be out of action. The morning Up express is currently 6 carriage (was 4 cars a year ago, 2 cars in 2010) and pretty full after Gisborne. Goes to show how much patronage growth there's been.
House prices in Melbourne make it attractive to move elsewhere and commute. Hopefully V/Line get their act together....
House prices in Melbourne make it attractive to move elsewhere and commute. Hopefully V/Line get their act together....
mm42
Chief Train Controller
Mike, during the wheel crisis are the peak Ballarat services still getting overloaded with Bacchus Marsh passengers, or have they learnt that it's better to get a seat on one of their own services and site than stand on a Ballarat service ? How has it worked on the return journey - do many seats get freed up at Bacchus Marsh ?
mm42
Chief Train Controller
Mike, are the Ballarat services still getting overloaded with Bacchus Marsh passengers, or have they learnt that it's better to get a seat on one of their own services and site rather than stand on a Ballarat service ?
KRviator
Moderator
Location: Up the front
Still no one knows (or is saying) re the braking of loco hauled Vlocitys.If it is anything like "other" railcars....Use a transition coupler, reduce the loco BPP setpoint to whatever the V/Locity uses, do not bail off, do not use dynamic brake.
Why do I wonder............?
As for setting up the V/Locity airbrake equipment - indeed if any setup is required at all - might be as simple as draining the MR and cutting-in the DED if fitted.
When we towed a set of NSW suburban cars with an 81, all we did was couple up, reduce the BP to 425Kpa, conduct a continuity and off we went. Pans down and running off the battery meant there was no chance of carrying passengers, but it wasn't overly complicated.
YM-Mundrabilla
Minister for Railways
Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
Thanks KR - might well be the case.Still no one knows (or is saying) re the braking of loco hauled Vlocitys.If it is anything like "other" railcars....Use a transition coupler, reduce the loco BPP setpoint to whatever the V/Locity uses, do not bail off, do not use dynamic brake.
Why do I wonder............?
As for setting up the V/Locity airbrake equipment - indeed if any setup is required at all - might be as simple as draining the MR and cutting-in the DED if fitted.
When we towed a set of NSW suburban cars with an 81, all we did was couple up, reduce the BP to 425Kpa, conduct a continuity and off we went. Pans down and running off the battery meant there was no chance of carrying passengers, but it wasn't overly complicated.
I know nothing about gee whizz brakes (and precious little about anything else). I was just curious as to whether some more complicated interface/arrangement might be needed.
ab123
Chief Train Controller
Limited to 40kph loco hauling Vlocity
ed31880
Train Controller
80kph running loco hauled through transition coupler when velocity dead. Turn a cock on the brake rack, manually release park brakes. When main res is dropped park brakes reapply. Not sure about velocity running when loco hauled as I believe main res for velocitys set at 900 kpa whereas loco usually set 830-850 kpa no restriction of use of dyno while towing loco afaik.
The Vinelander
Minister for Railways
Location: Ballan, Victoria on the Ballarat RFR Line
Mike, are the Ballarat services still getting overloaded with Bacchus Marsh passengers, or have they learnt that it's better to get a seat on one of their own services and sit rather than stand on a Ballarat service ?
All able bodied pax join at Bacchus Marsh and make their way into the cars as best they can. I assume their reasoning is its only 30 mins for the express run to Footscray so it's worth standing compared to the 45+ mins for the dragging its asre and stopping at Melton diesel hauled pass.
Mike.
steven_h
Train Controller
Location: Melbourne, Australia
V/Locity 6-car set has just passed Hawksburn on the Down under its own power.
trainbrain
Chief Commissioner
I drove the replacement coach service yesterday for the Wyndhamvale 17.40 service picking up at Footscray, whilst I was parked in bus bay spot 71 , I noticed the large number of Velocity sets parked in the sidings, a Vline dude informed me that a number of empty car workings are taking place over this weekend. Velocties will be working solo.........................
TOQ-1
Deputy Commissioner
Location: Power Trainger
Getting things back into place before things are "back to normal" starting Monday? This week will be interesting as the week before Easter is notoriously one of Vline's busiest weeks, with the day before Good Friday being cited by some as its busiest day (I've had at least 2 conductors announce this as we all stood in the aisle down the train). So even if Vline are operating at their normal capacity, I suspect it will still be grossly inadequate and reflect poorly on them.
SamTheMan79
Assistant Commissioner
Location: Geelong
Nothing left down in Geelong this weekend apart from 5 car sprinter set at Geelong loco.
bramt
Deputy Commissioner
I found 60 train wheels from comsteel on a side street in Northcote yesterday.
Are they VLocity wheels?
http://imgur.com/a/oAtTY
Are they VLocity wheels?
http://imgur.com/a/oAtTY
The Vinelander
Minister for Railways
Location: Ballan, Victoria on the Ballarat RFR Line
Hmm...proudly made in China 
woodford
Chief Commissioner
Hmm...proudly made in ChinaChina like most manufacturing countries makes both rubbish and excellent quality items. The reason why we see so much poor quality merchandise is that most people will INSIST on paying the cheapest price possible regardless and then whinge about the poor quality rather than purchase good quality items from the beginning. One sees this time and time again.
China DOES make some excellent quality items, for instance most very large marine diesels are made in Chine, each vessel only has one and has no gear box, the engine runs in both directions and these are some of the most reliable engines around.
woodford
freightgate
Minister for Railways
Location: Albury, New South Wales
Are the wheels from China or not ?
Lad_Porter
Chief Commissioner
Location: Yarra Glen
Are they Vlocity wheels, and if so why are/were they parked in Northcote? If not, then what are they? The close-up photo shows two different order numbers, but not much other info, and no Chinese writing.
YM-Mundrabilla
Minister for Railways
Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
They could be wheels for other types of vehicle, freight, for example. Probably waiting for Newport or Bombardier to open on Monday.
Subscribers: bevans, Boss, doyle, Duncs, Edith, freightgate, KRviator, randomnarwhal, ShaneB, skitz, TheMeddlingMonk, vlinecars, vlocity27
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