Livestock special

Today a livestock special operated to the Ballarat Cattleyards transporting cattle from Echuca. The special operated via Castlemaine and Maryborough, arriving off the Maryborough line at Ballarat C Box at 9:26am. The special ran to Ballarat yard where T361 ran around the cattle wagons before running the wagons out on the branch for the cattle to be unloaded at the Ballarat Cattleyards. The special consisted of both M cattle wagons and cattle containers on KMQ and KQ 4 wheeled flat wagons. T361 was used to the position each of the wagons for unloading at the cattle ramps, usually this task is performed by the resident Rail Tractor or one of Ballarat's Y or W class pilots. 

Livestock special hauled by T361, arriving off the Maryborough line at Ballarat C Box at 9:26am.

T361 arrives in Ballarat yard where it will run around the wagons before running out to the Ballarat Cattleyards.   

T361 crosses the Peel Street bridge while running around the wagons in Ballarat yard.

T361 couples upto the ZL and pushes it into the adjacent siding.

W250 is used to transfer the ZL guards van to the rear of the train

T361 runs past Ballarat C Box on its way out to the Ballarat Cattleyards.

T361 arrives at the Ballarat Cattleyards, uncouples, pulls forward and runs around the wagons using the loop.

The guards van is uncoupled from the wagons, T361 couples to the ZL and pushes it to near the Gillies Street gates.

T361 collects the wagons in groups of 3 or 4 and pushes these into the siding adjacent to the ramps so that the cattle can be unloaded. 

The Redan junction points are switched the loaded wagons are pushed down the siding. T361 then retrieves another 3 or 4 wagons from the rake and pushes them so that they are adjacent to the cattle ramps so the cattle can be unloaded. 

This is repeated until all the wagons have been unloaded.

T361 shunts all the empty wagons togther and pushes these onto the guards van waiting near the Gillies Street gates. 

Safeworking complete T361 departs for Ballarat at 1:16pm. The empty wagons will be temporarily stored in Ballarat yard until they are next required.