The Abt Wilderness Railway in Tasmania, Australia ran from about 1900 to 1966 when it was closed and torn up. Recently it is being restored with massive government grants (The mines are closing and unemplyment in the area is rife). The operator is a well known "entreprenaur" - of the fake indian raids type. There has been many derailments and mishaps and it is being said that those rebuilding the line have no idea of how to run a railway. The attached newspaper article tells of the latest derailment - this time they've sent the driver to hospital. Today I hear that a loco has broken a piston - The sad thing is that this could be a world standard line, but it's being ruined for easy money. It will be worse before it gets better, and we'll all suffer from the stigma that such enterprises generate

Major Abt derailment
>
> A MAJOR derailment on the Abt railway yesterday has left the track
> between Rinadeena and Halls Creek badly damaged, the diesel engine and
> carriage overturned and the driver taken to hospital for observation after
> leaping to safety. It is believed that the train was travelling down hill
> towards Hall Creek when it lost traction and ran off the track before
> overturning in a most inaccessable section of the line. It had been taking
> ballast to Dubbill Barrill earlier in the day and was on it's second
> return
> journey when the accident occurred. It is reported that employees of the
> track laying company Colemans have been told not to talk of the incident
> or
> they will be sacked. It is believed that the railway authorities have been
> warned previously that the engine involved was defect in its braking
> ability. Member for Murchison in the Legislative Council Tony Fletcher
> claims the Governments reputation is in tatters over what is fast becoming
> the debacle of the Abt Railway development. "Clearly the Government has
> had
> evidence that both civil and mechanical engineering problems exist with
> the
> rail infrastructure and they have failed to address the problems," he said
> yesterday when commenting on the latest derailment. "It seems that the
> Government remains in denial with regard the concern about engineering
> standards, and the Rail Regulator has failed to act on advice that ought
> reasonably have been available to him," Mr. Fletcher claimed. "The major
> concern with yesterday's derailment is that it happened on a sectbn of
> line
> that has been accredited, and quite likely the cause was a mechanical
> weakness in the diesel locomotive. "I am aware that a highly credentialed
> mechanical engineer with a wealth of knowledge in the field of locomotives
> advised both Government and their consulting engineers in October 2001 of
> the inherent braking weakness in the now derailed and damaged runaway
> diesel
> locomotive," said Mr Fletcher. "I am further aware and have advised the
> Government of equally well credentialed advice that raises doubt about the
> engineering standards of the line particularly on the rack section. "The
> public have a right to know whether the Government is taking these issues
> seriously and if they are, what they are doing about it?" Mr Fletcher is
> calling for an open inquiry into the Abt Railway project. "I am calling
> for
> an open inquiry into the standards of engineering underpinning the Abt
> Railway development infrastructure so that public confidence in the
> project
> can be rebuilt," Mr Fletcher said. "The in-house nature of the development
> and regulatory roles has done nothing to win public confidences and the
> latest mishap is an extraordinary occurrence that demands a change of
> attitude by Government," Mr Fletcher said.

look at the URL below to see some of what it's like

http://www.users.bigpond.com/Rhol

The webpage I gave last time wasn't the best, try this one.

I particularly think this photo sums up all that is wrong!!

http://www.users.bigpond.com/tassteamalive/abtq.htm

> The webpage I gave last time wasn't the
> best, try this one.

> I particularly think this photo sums up all
> that is wrong!!

All I see from this view is a seemingly well maintained locomotive on well manicured track exiting what appears to be a decent enginehouse, with round light globes providing illumination. The broom heads attached to the posts do have me a bit mystified though.

What should I be seeing?

Tod Engine Foundation

todengine@woh.rr.com

Different aspect: I see a building to die for with a door problem that can be corrected with three I-beams and a sawsall. A wonderful locomotive and coach and a potential turntable almost done. Would that we had come so far! One of the things I discovered in the building of large projects from the ground up is the number of OOPs and YAHBUTS that require field correction on a daily if not hourly basis. Hence two sets of blueprints, as designed and as built. I would like to hear more details on the diesel derailment and operating problems.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

The broomheads are exactly the point - They are there to prevent decapitation of both passengers and crew, and thay were put up at the personal expense of one of the drivers (since dismissed because of his "attitude" - amongst other things he refused to take out a train with defective brakes). The management refuse to recognise that clearances were inadequate.
The railway itself will eventually become something quite wonderful - but it will only be after the present operator is replaced and people with real track and rolling stock skills are employed to put things right.
I know that every "new" enterprise has teething problems, this one is having more than its fair share.
The ultimate reality is that when politicians and entrepeneurs set out to rebuild a railway as a pork barrelling and moneymaking exercise they tend to try to re-invent the wheel and all the lessons hard learned over the last 150 years get scoffed at and have to be relearned.
I'm sure you can all think of examples!!

I understand that the latest derailment was the result of another runaway. There is some suggestion that modifications to the locomotive to fit a rack motor has unbalanced its axle loadings and affected both its stability and braking ability. The truth will out in due course, I just hope it's before someone is killed.

> All I see from this view is a seemingly well
> maintained locomotive on well manicured
> track exiting what appears to be a decent
> enginehouse, with round light globes
> providing illumination. The broom heads
> attached to the posts do have me a bit
> mystified though.

> What should I be seeing?

You saw what I wanted you to see - an apparently well "preserved" scene AND the broomheads!

That's not an enginehouse, that's the passenger station and the cars have no windows. The track may appear well manicured, but they are putting passenger trains in the dirt every week or so.