News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Trains

[Omicron]

This reminds me - the SenAd Bar Meet Masquerading As Discussion Of Local Events needs careful consideration, because it displeases me that I cannot attend events such as these.

Have fun, ladies and gentlemen!

[Cruise]

This reminds me - the SenAd Bar Meet Masquerading As Discussion Of Local Events needs careful consideration, because it displeases me that I cannot attend events such as these.

Have fun, ladies and gentlemen!

i read that as: id rather go to a Piss up.

[Xaragmata]

I'm just about to leave for the city & look forward to the day.

[sam]

I'm just leaving work now - wonder if I'll bump into anyone considering all should have arrived back in 12 minutes ago...

[Norman]

It was a great day, Photospam and YouTube spam coming soon

[sam]

Hey Norman,

I walked up to Platform 6 at 5:50pm and around the station for a few minutes but seemed like everyone had already disappeared!

[Norman]

Hey Norman,

I walked up to Platform 6 at 5:50pm and around the station for a few minutes but seemed like everyone had already disappeared!

Our train pulled in at 5.45, and I was in my train a few seconds after that, so you must have just missed us.

[Will409]

Just arrived home after a full on but very good day. Everyone who said they would attend did and when we arrived at Gawler, had a total of 12 people with a group photo duly arranged.

The day started around 12:30pm with xr554 (Andrew) arriving at the buffer stop at platform 9. Soon enough, everyone except for witsend (who was around the for the limited run only) arrived for the first run of the day, the Dry Creek Squirt. As you can imagine, the train was late arriving 5 minutes behind schedule. The late running (which was the common theme of the day!) was made up for by the arrived of 5E52 (the stonie from the Barossa to Port Adelaide) with 704-902 at the noisy end which pulled to a stop next to 3005. Naturally, camera's were blazing at the oppurtunity for what would be the final meeting of the pair (the stonie and the squirt). After the catchpoint at Dry Creek was set, the stonie pulled out again a couple of minutes before the squirt pulled out back to Adelaide. Running time was improved and we arrived only 2 minutes late back in Adelaide.

With 45 minutes to spare until our next train (the limited to Gawler), the group took the tram from the railway station to Victoria Square and back. We grabbed 102 to Victoria Square and as luck would have it, 110 pulled at the same time we did. We all streamed over the platform for a direct run back to the railway station.

Our group was upto maximum strength with the arrival of witsend bringing our number to 12 when we boarded the longest run of the day, the 2:15pm limited service to Gawler. Being the good railfans we all are, we all crammed into the front seats on the Jumbo giving us. Norman, BuddyALX and myself were all either sitting or standing at the front with everyone else filling all the seats behind us. Because Norman was standing and the poor standard of the track, he had a fun time keeping his balance! Once Gawler was reached, we all walked around the station was has remained largely unchanged since the current building was built in 1860. In addition, we were lucky enough to have the driver allow us to have a look in the cab. Finally before we left, a group photo infront of 2010 was taken. Amazingly, we ran early almost the whole way to Adelaide although we were slowed down in Adelaide yard and arrived 1 minute late.

Squeekazoid (Nathan), 85trainfan (Jarrod) and xr554 (Andrew) left us at Adelaide because they wanted to get a few photos of a freight climbing the hills at Unley Park. Everyone else however caught our final train, the 4:30pm to Salisbury. As it turned out, the run was not without incident. By the time we arrived at Greenfields, we were already 3 minutes late but one of the engines on 2010 failed. The driver tried to restart it a couple of times but it just wouldn't turn over. In the end, we made it to Salisbury and then all the way back to Adelaide on one engine only. With the engine failure, half of the total horsepower (525hp instead of the full 1050hp) was available which resulted in a very slow accelaration rate delaying us even more and we arrived in Salisbury 6 minutes late. Atleast the delay at Greenfields ment we could get a couple of quick photos of the passing Balco train (5116) with 1873-103 at the noisy end.

The planned photo stop at Salisbury had to be curtailed because of a very short run around time although there was enough time to realise that a new bus shelter was being installed on platform 1. The train departed 2 minutes late and because we only had one engine running, we kept on dropping time and arrived in Adelaide 10 minutes late. However, with the setting sun and hardly anyone onboard, the run was quite relaxing. At Adelaide, we all disbanded and went out seperate ways. Photos will be coming soon, got a lot to sort through!

[Xaragmata]

It was a great day, Photospam and YouTube spam coming soon

It was a great day, & thanks Will409 for organising it, & TransAdelaide for not prosecuting me for forgetting to validate
my ticket when I jumped back on at Gawler just as the doors were about to close.

[Will409]

For those interested, here is the running report I compiled on the trip. There is a common theme here!

Blue is for the service as it appears in the timetable. Red is for actual time of arrival.

Railcar: 3005

Adelaide 12:49pm 12:49pm
North Adelaide - -
Ovingham 12:53pm 12:56pm
Dudley Park 12:55pm 12:58pm
Islington 12:57pm 1:00pm
Kilburn 12:59pm 1:02pm
Dry Creek 1:02pm 1:07pm

5 minutes late

Dry Creek 1:18pm 1:18pm
Kilburn 1:21pm 1:23pm
Islington 1:24pm 1:25pm
Dudley Park 1:26pm 1:27pm
Ovingham 1:28pm 1:30pm
North Adelaide 1:30pm 1:31pm
Adelaide 1:34pm 1:36pm

2 minutes late

Railcars: 2010-2114

Adelaide 2:15pm 2:15pm
Mawson Lakes 2:28pm 2:31pm
Greenfields 2:31pm 2:33pm
Salisbury 2:36pm 2:37pm
Elizabeth 2:41pm 2:43pm
Smithfield 2:46pm 2:49pm
Gawler 2:55pm 3:00pm

5 minutes late

Gawler 3:21pm 3:20pm
Smithfield 3:32pm 3:32pm
Elizabeth 3:38pm 3:37pm
Salisbury 3:44pm 3:42pm
Greenfields 3:51pm 3:50pm
Mawson Lakes 3:52pm 3:51pm
Adelaide 4:05pm 4:07pm

2 minutes late

Railcars: 2010-2114

Adelaide 4:30pm 4:30pm
North Adelaide 4:33pm 4:36pm
Ovingham 4:35pm 4:38pm
Dudley Park 4:37pm 4:40pm
Islington 4:39pm 4:42pm
Kilburn 4:41pm 4:44pm
Dry Creek 4:45pm 4:48pm
Mawson Lakes 4:49pm 4:53pm
Greenfields* 4:51pm 4:56pm
Parafield Gardens 4:53pm 4:58pm
Parafield 4:55pm 5:00pm
Chidda 4:57pm 5:02pm
Salisbury 4:59pm 5:05pm

6 minutes late - Engine failure at Greenfields, only one operational.

Salisbury 5:07pm 5:09pm
Chidda 5:09pm 5:11pm
Parafield 5:11pm 5:13pm
Parafield Gardens 5:13pm 5:15pm
Greenfields 5:14pm 5:16pm
Mawson Lakes 5:15pm 5:18pm
Dry Creek 5:20pm 5:25pm
Kilburn 5:23pm 5:29pm
Islington 5:26pm 5:32pm
Dudley Park 5:28pm 5:34pm
Ovingham 5:30pm 5:37pm
North Adelaide 5:32pm 5:39pm
Adelaide 5:36pm 5:46pm

10 minutes late

[Will409]

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/stor ... 01,00.html

TRANSADELAIDE track workers have been blamed for a bungle that almost led to a train derailment near Adelaide station last night. Twelve passengers were forced off the 10.55 Belair-bound service after the driver stopped the 3000-class train when he heard a loud noise shortly after leaving the station. Services on the Belair, Outer Habour and Gawler lines were suspended following the incident in which nobody was hurt.

A TransAdelaide spokesman said initial investigations revealed that staff working on the track during the week had failed to reset a track switch.

He said the switch, which is used to direct a train down its intended path, had remained in the wrong position since Wednesday but was only used for the first time on Friday night. "TransAdelaide and the Transport Minister (Pat Conlon) are satisfied this is the error and have praised the drivers actions,'' he said adding that services were returned to normal by Saturday morning. "The driver was going from Adelaide to Belair, he got to a point and heard a noise and stopped the train before it derailed. Had he continued he would have continued down the wrong track.'' He said TransAdelaide will conduct a formal investigation into the accident.

The incident happened near the location of a peak-hour train derailment in September in which 15 people were injured.

That accident, blamed on failings in TransAdelaide's track inspection process, was caused by tracks shifting under the weight of the carriages. Mr Conlon will be holding a press conference on last night's incident at 1pm today.

[Will409]

After a tip off, I have found these reports going into detail about the upgrades to the Belair and Noarlunga lines.

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/NR/rdon ... roject.pdf
SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/NR/rdon ... roject.pdf
FINAL REPORT

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/NR/rdon ... DIXA_2.pdf
http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/NR/rdon ... DIXA_1.pdf

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/NR/rdon ... 071023.pdf
Communication Implementation Plan

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/NR/rdon ... 071015.pdf
Sustainability Management Plan

[AG]

Interesting piece of info to notice on the 34th page of the Final Report. The report claims that performing electrification before upgrading the tracks and sleepers would add $40 million to the cost of upgrading the tracks on the Belair and Noarlunga lines resulting from time that would be lost in turning off the electrical system. That's quite a significant cost.

[Shuz]

The Belair line will be finished by the end of this year, and the Noarlunga line finishing thereafter in 2009.

Just curious to know if the Noarlunga upgrade will include Tonsley branchline as well? If it doesn't I think that signifies that the line could be earmarked for closure, which wouldn't suprise me, now that Mitsubishi have ceased operations at Tonsley Park.

[Düsseldorfer]

great to see the network will be fixed up by 2009, all except for the Gawler line...

you'd think Upgrading of the Gawler line would be more important than the Belair line