The drought of 1982/83 had been disastrous for the state's grain growers with only 350,000 tonnes harvested, the lowest grain crop in nearly 40 years. In 1983 good autumn, winter and spring rains fell over most of Victoria and saw the forecast grain harvest grow to over 4 million tonnes.Although the start of the harvest was still a month away, there were a number of grain specials run during late October 1983 to clear the subterminals and some of the silos in preparation for the bumper harvest. Below are some of these movements through Ballarat on the way to or returning from the Grain Elevators Board terminal at Geelong.
B61 leads T381 on a long rake of empty GH's for loading at silos along the Mildura line.
T321-T401-T388 haul a rake of VHGY's past the Doveton St sidings and into Ballarat yard. The train had loaded at Berriwollock and Wycheproof Central Receival Points on the Kulwin line. Yard pilot Y152 will be used to assist Ts with the climb up Warrenheip bank.
Recently repainted X32 leads a block working of VHGY's from the sub-terminal at Dunolly. The train will be held in Ballarat yard and will follow B65 on the Up Horsham pass once it clears the section Ballarat East to Warrenheip. Several services are operating each week between the port and Dunolly sub-terminal to clear the storage before the harvest commences in late November.
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