Overnight Operations

 

With B68 having been declared a failure on arrival at Ballarat at 3:25am  recently outshopped T386 hauls 9155 Melbourne - Mildura Fast Goods solo up the grade out of Ballarat. 

Early hours of the morning were quite busy through Ballarat with the the passage of interstate express goods (9103 and 9130) Mildura Fast Goods (9155), the arrival of Melbourne - Ballarat Fast Goods (9101) and Ararat - Ballarat Roadside Goods (362). The early morning pilot was kept busy shunting yard and inwards loading to the goods shed and making up the Redan Pilot (67) and the Pittong Goods 391. 

At 3:39am T321 glides downhill through Ballarat East on the 9101 Melbourne - Ballarat Fast Goods. Its a short train this morning with a consist of VLCX-AOBX-VOAA-VLBY-VOBX-VLEX-ZF.

9101 runs into the arrival sidings, where Ballarat yard pilot W243 is waiting to shunt the wagons into the yard.

T321 uncouples from the train and runs through to Ballarat East loco for stabling.

W243 runs down the yard to Ballarat East signal box and then reverses onto the rear of the goods train.

W243 pushes the train out of the arrival siding into no.4 through the station. It then shunts the guards van to the Dock siding (No.5) and pulls the wagons into Y siding in Ballarat Yard. 

Firstly the VLCX and VOAA and AOBX are shunted into No.6 Road. The open wagons will be attached with other wagons loaded with shipping containers in the yard to form the 391 Ballarat - Pittong Goods, scheduled to depart at 06:35.  The VLCX is destined for car parts manufacturer Bendix Mintex at Redan.  

VLBY is shunted into No.5 road at the Goods shed. The VOBX loaded with briquettes is shunted to the yard an will delivered to the Doveton Street sidings by the morning Flour Mill pilot. 

Finally W243 shunts a VLEX with the freight centre loading into No.3 road, the centre track through the goods shed. 

At 4:15am Y170 passes Ballarat C Signal Box with the Ararat - Ballarat Roadside Goods. The train consists of a empty GY (picked up at Beaufort) and an M with cows for the sales at the Ballarat Cattleyard yards. 

Y170 brings its train to a stop in the arrival and departure sidings. The Y uncouples from the train and runs to Ballarat East Locomotive Depot. 

At 4:50am C504 runs past Ballarat East Locomotive Depot with 9103 Melbourne - Adelaide Express Goods.

At 5:10am T367 hauls the empty block gypsum train (227) up the grade out of Ballarat.

At 5:35am X50 weaves its way through Ballarat yard with the 9130 Adelaide - Melbourne Express Goods 

At 4:05am T356 slows to a stop in Ballarat yard with a block grain working from Sea Lake. The grain is destined for the Garden City Flour Mill. T356 will remain in the yard and will be used to run Pittong goods.

Y153 pulls the loading for Redan pilot into the arrival and departure sidings. The loading includes two M wagons for the cattle yards, and 2 flat wagons and a VBAY for car parts manufacturer Bendix Mintex at Redan.  

Y153 runs around the wagons and departs for the Redan on 67 pilot.

On arrival at the Ballarat Cattleyards, Y153 uncouples and runs around the load using the loop. The 2 M wagons are shunted into the siding serving the cattleyards.

The Y then recouples to the VBAY and the two flat wagons, pushes these back towards Ballarat and once cleared the junction points runs forward to Elliot Magill Mill. 

Once the points are cleared, the wagons are pushed into the dead end siding. The Y then runs forward clear of the points, then reverses onto the wagons sitting adjacent to the loading dock at Bendix Mentrix.

With the loaded wagons now on the line to the junction, the 2 flat wagons and the VBAY are placed adjacent to the loading docks at Bendix Mentrix.

The Y pushes the wagons down the branch back towards Ballarat, clears the junction and then sets back into the cattle sidings using the loop to run around the load. Once safety working procedures are complete, Y153 will depart for Ballarat.

W243 makes up the consist for the 391 Ballarat - Pittong Goods. 

At 5:45am X40 running long end leading arrives at Ballarat with the Up Vinelander. After a short stop, X40 departs for Melbourne.

T356 couples onto 391 Pittong Goods in the departure siding.

Safety working procedures complete, T356 departs at 6:35am on the 391 Pittong Goods.

B61 reverses the first of the mornings commuter trains for Melbourne. Usually an N set, todays train is all wooden cars with a mix consist of E and W cars. 8118 will depart for Melbourne at 6:45am.