Busy Ballarat

Ballarat was very busy in the three hours between 5am and 8am with 12 trains through the station, 4 passenger trains to Melourne including the Vinelander, Overland and two intercity trains, 5 goods trains and pilot workings to Redan and the Flour Mill sidings.

Operating sessions on the layout follow a sequence of movements based on actual observations from Ballarat during 1982-83 and the Western and South-Western District Working Timetable (Issued on 30th Oct 1982). There is a Monday to Friday timetable as well as Saturday and Sunday timetables. There are also different timetables for summer, autumn, winter and spring reflecting changes that occurred in the composition of trains and services that were added or deleted over the period from October 1982 to January 1984 that I model. Given the large number of train movements through Ballarat (upto 60 trains with the summer Mon to Fri timetable), it is usually broken down into 2 sessions (either AM - PM or Day - Night (6am-6pm/6pm-6am)) or a day broken into 4 sessions (of 6 hours each). Trains are run to a sequence (not a fast clock) with upto three trains operating at once (an Up, a Down and pilot working Ballarat yard, at Garden City Flour Mill, the workshops or Redan). Below is a description of train movements during a recent operating session using the summer timetable.

At 0512 T321 hauls 227 Geelong - Nowingi block gypsum train over MacArthur Street and past Ballarat C Box.

The sun is just beginning to rise as W243 on 67 Redan pilot runs past the Doveton St sidings and across Doveton Street at 0529. The livestock wagons are destined for the Ballarat Cattleyards with the 3 GY's going to the Elliot Magill Maltsters Mill at Redan.

At 0532 X48 and S305 roll down the grade through Ballarat North and past Ballarat C Box with 9130 Adelaide – Melbourne Express Goods. The train will pause at Ballarat for a crew change before tackling the steep grade of Warrenheip Bank.

Running almost an hour late C507 climbs up the grade out of the Ballarat and across Doveton Street with the 9103 Melbourne Adelaide Fast Goods at 0542.

At 0543, B72 on 8110 Vinelander passes the late running 9103 Fast Goods. B72 is hauling an all blue consist of CE-AZ-MRS-BZ-BS-Sleepersx2-Motorail. The Vinelander has a 15 minute scheduled stop at Ballarat Station.

The Motorail wagon trailing the Vinelander passes under Queen Street bridge as B72 begins the climb up Warrenheip Bank.

Ballarat yard pilot Y170 shunts the yard placing the wagons that arrived overnight on 9101 Melbourne Yard - Ballarat Fast Goods into the goods shed for unloading. Y170 has also assembled a short goods for the Kaolin plant at Pittong.

Y150 arrives from Ballarat East Locomotive and couples up to the goods in X (Goods Departure) road. The goods is short today with only 3 wagons, VFAA and AQBY flat wagons and VOAA open wagon. Once safety working procedures are complete Y150 will depart for Pittong.

At 0635 Y150 runs past the GH's in the sidings at the Garden City Flour Mill with the 391 Ballarat - Pittong Goods. It will be a slow trip along the Skipton branchline, the train isn't scheduled to arrive back at Ballarat until midday.

At 0639 T401 arrives off the Mildura line at Ballarat C Box with the 232 Maryborough - Ballarat Roadside Goods.

T401 runs through Ballarat station via No.4 road and into the Goods departure (X) road. The arrival road (W) is occuppied by a grain special that arrived overnight. The T will uncouple and run through to Ballarat East Locomotive Depot for servicing. B81 has shunted an N set from the carriage shed and can be see in platform 1 with 8118 pass awaiting departure time.

At 0645 B81 departs Ballarat with 8118 pass to Spencer Street. Y152 idles away in the carriage shed sidings. The Y will shortly move into the no.2 road and will be used to shunt the motorail wagon to the rear of the Overland.

At 0650 W243 arrives back at Ballarat with the 72 Redan pilot. The load includes 2 empty GY's from Elliot Magnill Malsters Mill at Redan, 2 M's and a KQ wagon fron the Ballarat Cattleyards. The W pulls the wagons into Y road and then pushes the wagons into no.10 road.

Right on time, 835 Overland arrives at Ballarat's station platform 1 at 0705 with back to back S class. S313 and S307 uncouple with the motorail and parcel van and pull forward to clear the double slip and then reverses the wagons onto Y152 waiting in the no.2 road.

Y152 runs via the no.2 road and through the points past Ballarat B Box and onto the Down mainline before stopping near the Armstrong Street Bridge.

The Y then pushes the motorail wagon and parcels van onto the CO guards van on the rear of the Overland. Y152 uncouples from the wagons and then run into the Ballarat yard.

Modified and continunity test complete S313-S307 depart Ballarat for Mebourne at 0725. The S's weave the Overland through the yard and begin to accelerate to tackle the grade to Warrenheip.

X40 idles away at Ballarat East locomotive depot. C501 was taken off 9149 Melbourne - Adelaide Fast Goods overnight after developing a fault on the climb out of the Bacchus Marsh up Ingliston Bank. It will receive the attention of the fitters and be returned to Dynon during the day. T401 had recently arrived at Ballarat with 232 Maryborough - Ballarat Roadside Goods.

X40 is turned on the turntable so it will be short end leading for trip to Melbourne.

X40 runs slowly past the Train examiners cabin. The Train examiner is having a cigarette before checking the grain special in the yard.

X40 couples up to the set of red wooden cars in the carriage shed. Consist is CW-AE-BE-BW.

The X pulls forward with the cars to clear the double slip and then reverses with the cars into platform 1.

At 7:45am X40 departs with the 8122 pass for Melbourne. T388 waits in the yard with a short grain special for Geelong. It will follow the X out of Ballarat once it has cleared the section Ballarat East-Warrenheip.

Y152 couples to wagons positioned in X road by the yard pilot Y170.

At 0751 Y152 departs on 75 Flour Mill Pilot with a load of 3 GY's loaded with grain from Sea Lake and an empty flour hopper. The Y will place the GY's at the siding with the discharge pit, place the flour hopper in the loop adjacent to overhead loading gantry and clear any empty GY's or GH's in the mill siding.

Y152 will return from the flour mill after shunting is complete. There is then a lull in activity until after 0935 when the 8130 Dimboola - Melbourne pass is due at Ballarat.