At Ballarat C Box

With the peak of traffic associated with the grain harvest, two hours were spent at Ballarat C Box recording train movements on Friday 30th December 1983.

At 1600 Y155 runs past C Box on the 395 Ballarat - Skipton Goods. The train consists of 10 GY's for loading with oats at the silo at Skipton. 

 

At 1621 T354-T398-T362-T327 crawl past Ballarat C Box with a Down empty block train of VHGY's for loading at the subterminal at Dunolly.

7 minutes later workshops pilot W242 pulls forward with a rake of wagons out of the Ballarat North Railway Workshop before setting back into the adjacent road. The pilot then brings a refurbished S car out of the workshops, theres a few minor adjustments to be undertaken before the car can re-enter service. 

At 1640 X31 runs through the junction and onto the Maryborough line with the Down Mildura oil train.

At 1645 B72 glides down grade on the Up Horsham pass. Consist is a VBPY and set N9.

At 1653 W243 arrives at Ballarat C Box pushing the 97 Flour Mill Pilot. The train stops once the loco has cleared the points and it then pulls forward into the Flour Mill sidings. The W will place the GH hoppers in the siding with the discharge pit, pick up the empty open wagons and flour hopper. 

At 1700 Y152 returns on the 96 Redan - Ballarat pilot. With many Ballarat industries closed over the Christmas / New Year period, the pilot only consists of 3 flats and lourve van.

At 1715 S313 powers up grade past Ballarat C Box on the 9127 Melbourne - Adelaide Express Goods. It's unusual for interstate goods to be hauled by a solo S class, but the load today is light, well within the S's capacity. 

At 1735 with shunting of the mill complete, W243 pushes the wagons forward through the junction onto the Maryborough line and then departs via the Up main line back to Ballarat yard on the 98 Flour Mill Pilot. 

At 1738, T401 - T338 on Up grain train of GH's that had loaded at overflow silos on the Mildura line rumbled through the junction and across MacArthur Street. The train had been held at distant signal awaiting W243 to clear the section from Ballarat C to Ballarat B box.

The last train observed was C504 on the 9133 Melbourne - Adelaide Express Goods at 1803.

The junction will remain busy into the evening with a number of grain extras running today.