Sitting at Spencer Junction this morning was LDP-5. Looks like an SSR all yellow with a black mid section with a grey panel overlaid with a white section with Progress Rail a Caterpillar Company in black lettering. Looks very striking.

Sitting at Spencer Junction this morning was LDP-5. Looks like an SSR all yellow with a black mid section with a grey panel overlaid with a white section with Progress Rail a Caterpillar Company in black lettering. Looks very striking.

Thanks for the heads up.  Do we know who now owns and operates this loco?

Sitting at Spencer Junction this morning was LDP-5. Looks like an SSR all yellow with a black mid section with a grey panel overlaid with a white section with Progress Rail a Caterpillar Company in black lettering. Looks very striking.

Thanks for the heads up.  Do we know who now owns and operates this loco?

Owned by Progress Rail, leased to SCT as far as I know.  LDPs 001-005 are reportedly all leased to SCT.

Ah yes. Thanks.

Only LDP 004 to LDP 009 need to be repainted.

LDP 001 to 003 are already in (former EDI) blue and white and only need a change of logo.

LDP 004 to 009 were painted in the then QR National "Eagle" scheme and will need a new image for lease operation.

Peter

Yes as stated by others LDP001-005 going to SCT on Lease and LDP006-009 going to PN on lease for bank engine working Chillcots Creek-Ardglen 3 bankers + 1 spare.

The 3 x GT46Ace mk2 Locos sitting at Progess Rails Muncie Indiana plant are all just about complete and are soon to head here and will be interesting who looks at them and will be available to purchase or lease no doubt.

LDP came to Victoria on 21/1, I filmed her near Gheringhap loop.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v0bcAfGNUE

Big time operation.
That's certainly the way to move stuff.
Good luck to SCT.

Big time operation.
That's certainly the way to move stuff.
Good luck to SCT.

Just remember, there's no money in LCL freight on rail!!!!!!! Love SCT, especially love how the SCT stands for Specialised Container Transport!

Seriously though, there must have been more than 35 vans in there, unbelievable.

BG

Just remember, there's no money in LCL freight on rail!!!!!!! Love SCT, especially love how the SCT stands for Specialised Container Transport!

LCL probably wasn't under the previous railway practices, labour rates etc.  This is a positive example of what privatisation can do for a sector.  

Looking forward to seeing what 2018 brings for intermodal.

LCL was a big loss maker for the various traditional rail operators.
Significant LCL traffic was handled through Forwarding Agents like Sadleirs, FCL and SCT who consolidated the goods into van loads back in those days.
This is what Sadleirs still does and SCT does but on a grand scale.
44 gallon drums on the bottom layer and paper tissues on the top to max out the capacity of the van both cubic and tonnage.

Just remember, there's no money in LCL freight on rail!!!!!!! Love SCT, especially love how the SCT stands for Specialised Container Transport!

LCL probably wasn't under the previous railway practices, labour rates etc.  This is a positive example of what privatisation can do for a sector.  

Looking forward to seeing what 2018 brings for intermodal.

I returned from the Gold Coast on Saturday 20th, we passed 3 very long freights 2 on the down and 1 on the up, the first down train at ? which had NR,AR,NR up front, the other down service was crossed at Dungog, with 3 NR's, only saw around 5 empty flat wagons on one train with the others having fully laden wagons.  The up train at Nambucca had what appeared to be 2 NR's and another type in the middle, and no empty wagons.

At Wauchope the daily down Pick up was hauled by an 82 leading 81.

LCL was a big loss maker for the various traditional rail operators.
Significant LCL traffic was handled through Forwarding Agents like Sadleirs, FCL and SCT who consolidated the goods into van loads back in those days.
This is what Sadleirs still does and SCT does but on a grand scale.
44 gallon drums on the bottom layer and paper tissues on the top to max out the capacity of the van both cubic and tonnage.

SCT isn't a rail operator these days - they're a logistics company that happens to run trains. Using LCL as a moniker for SCT's service offering really doesn't do it justice IMO.

I did say 'on a grand scale' and I have no wish to argue over the definition of Forwarding Agent v Logistics Company v rail operator but at the end of the day  SCT does take my pallets of heavy dog food and your Kleenex tissues and mix and match/consolidate them into vans for transit by rail. Forwarding Agent is, perhaps, an old fashioned and out of favour term these days.

SCT is a great, forward thinking business and good upon them for being so.

Was able to get both LDP's 004 and 005 over the weekend in their new guises, photos and video are shown below

https://www.flickr.com/photos/greensleeves94/25918660538

https://www.flickr.com/photos/greensleeves94/39102374244



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsCoN0P7TOI&t=



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXH-oPjmMGg

Apart from fleet owners wanting to have consistent names, like people have personalised plates i guess, is there any need for LDPs to be renumbered/reclassified to other classes if their ownership changes?

Just remember, there's no money in LCL freight on rail!!!!!!! Love SCT, especially love how the SCT stands for Specialised Container Transport!

Seriously though, there must have been more than 35 vans in there, unbelievable.

BG

@bevans, which particular part of my post were you disagreeing with? Or was it the whole thing?

BG

Apart from fleet owners wanting to have consistent names, like people have personalised plates i guess, is there any need for LDPs to be renumbered/reclassified to other classes if their ownership changes?

I don't believe their ownership has changed, just a new lessee.

Apart from fleet owners wanting to have consistent names, like people have personalised plates i guess, is there any need for LDPs to be renumbered/reclassified to other classes if their ownership changes?

I don't believe their ownership has changed, just a new lessee.

No im not saying they have, just wondering if it is necessary to change when any loco does.

in the past did any 830s change to 48cl and vice versa, for examples sake?  I haven't seen any reference to this happening so not sure why it is done with the modern fleets.

Apart from fleet owners wanting to have consistent names, like people have personalised plates i guess, is there any need for LDPs to be renumbered/reclassified to other classes if their ownership changes?

I don't believe their ownership has changed, just a new lessee.

No im not saying they have, just wondering if it is necessary to change when any loco does.

in the past did any 830s change to 48cl and vice versa, for examples sake?  I haven't seen any reference to this happening so not sure why it is done with the modern fleets.

The most recent change was BK 001 and BK 002 which became CSR 011 and CSR 012 about a year after SCT purchased them.

Silverton purchased two 830 class and renumbered them 48s30 and 48s31. 961 was renumbered 44s1

I've just mentioned in another thread that ten VR N class 2-8-2s were renumbered 750-759 by the SAR

AN renumbered five(?) T class into CK class.

The SAR renumbered some VR E class 2-4-2 tank locos to M class.

AN Tasmania renumbered QR 2350 and 2370 class to ZB class and 1300 class to ZC class.

Tasrail renumbered some QR 2150 class to 2050 class (you wonder about that being worthwhile, since no Tasrail locos had the 2150 numbers - but in Tasmania, 2100 numbers were for English Electrics and 2000 numbers were for EMDs).

Peter

Ok, great crash course in loco numbering changes!  Thanks for that.

Still not sure why its done though.

Ok, great crash course in loco numbering changes!  Thanks for that.

Still not sure why its done though.

James each state and private operators had their own class numbering systems, pre the privatisation of the government systems.

There were many cases of state rails leasing loco's from other states and even private operators, examples include the SAR 600's and 830's used in NSW, the 600's had some minor mods to them but IIRC the 830's were ok. When through running came into operation, especially on the South, engines working through retained the class and numbering of their owners, and that is generally what took place overall.

In the late 70's 4 D class from BHP were leased to the NSW for use out of Port Kembla for use in the local area of Bombo to Coal to Thiroul.

Loco's leased all retain the owners class and numbering systems, when sold to new owners they will generally (but not always) reclass them to conform with the rest of their fleets.

From a personal perspective, I cannot work out the modern system especially with LDP, 60's XRN's and the like, although XRN's I must think were assigned to the Xtrata coal working.  I can only think its to show/separate loco's into a set pool type of working, but often that seems at odds these days.

Apart from fleet owners wanting to have consistent names, like people have personalised plates i guess, is there any need for LDPs to be renumbered/reclassified to other classes if their ownership changes?

I don't believe their ownership has changed, just a new lessee.

No im not saying they have, just wondering if it is necessary to change when any loco does.

in the past did any 830s change to 48cl and vice versa, for examples sake?  I haven't seen any reference to this happening so not sure why it is done with the modern fleets.

Tasrail renumbered some QR 2150 class to 2050 class (you wonder about that being worthwhile, since no Tasrail locos had the 2150 numbers - but in Tasmania, 2100 numbers were for English Electrics and 2000 numbers were for EMDs).

Peter

Err TasRail did use 2150 numbers, 2150 ex Y1 and 2151 ex Y5.

[img]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3736/9813549763_3e4847546e_o.jpg[/img]

Err....

TasRail did use 2150 numbers, 2150 ex Y1 and 2151 ex Y5.

Indeed they did,
You could have used my own published photo of 2150 if you'd wanted to make the point...

Were 2150 &2151 still in service when the QR locos were obtained?

Technically, I think they were all numbered above 2151 so there wouldn't have been a conflict...

Peter

From a personal perspective, I cannot work out the modern system especially with LDP, 60's XRN's and the like, although XRN's I must think were assigned to the Xstrata coal working.  I can only think its to show/separate loco's into a set pool type of working, but often that seems at odds these days.

Locos of the same model but a different class usually have a different owner - or a minor difference in equipment. Is that simple enough? The only difference is that these days there are a lot more different loco owners!

LDPs (on Standard Gauge) are GT46C-ACe's built by Downer and were owned by their leasing company subsidiary Locomotive Demand Power. Progress Rail now owns the freight rail part of Downer's business, hence the new decals. The SSR class are exactly the same loco - they were built as LDPs - but they are owned by Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

The XRNs were purchased from UGL by Xstrata for their coal haulage operation. Xstrata (now Glencore) owned the locos and trainsets and contracted a train company (Freightliner) to crew and run the trains. Nowadays the locos, trainsets and the Glencore coal haulage contract are all owned by GWA, which also owns Freightliner.