Extra long 9135 Melbourne - Adelaide Express Goods

 

With strike action by rail unions over the Victorian Government's proposed closure of 24 regional freight centres to commence from midnight, an extra long 9135 Melbourne Adelaide Express Goods operated on Sunday 4th December 1983.  

Hauled by C507-S305-C501, the express goods crawled through Ballarat yard and along no.2 road at 2:30pm, passing B69 idling at the station on 8132 Ballarat - Melbourne pass. 

At Ballarat C Box, 9135 Express Goods passed T321 on a grain extra coming off the Mildura line. 

All services were stopped by midnight on the Sunday 4th December. A standard Sunday timetable was operating for the day but some services were cancelled (those that would not reach there destination by midnight). Other service were halted at stations/crew depots, the train secured and the locomotives shunt down.  This meant that a number grain trains were halted at Ballarat and that neither of the overnight passenger trains operated.