Talk:W44 Concentrate Train

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W44 was hauled Parkes to Molong by a "light" AD60 Garratt assisted by a standard goods a (D50 superheated or D53 or D55). It was met at Molong by a "heavy" AD60 Garratt sent down light engine from Orange. The standard goods was taken off and the two Garratts hauled the train to Orange. This was because the 1 in 40/44 ruling grade up to Orange was beyond the capacity of the standard plus light Garratt combination. The light Garratt came off at Orange, and the train was hauled to Lithgow by the heavy Garratt, with assistance from Kelso (near Bathurst) to Raglan by a standard or a C36 class. The heavy Garratt was oriented bunker first out of Molong in deference to crew comfort in Marrangaroo Tunnel, near Wallerawang.

The Molong-Orange section for W44 was the first officially sanctioned working of double-headed Garratts in NSW, and as can be seen from the above, they were coupled "nose to nose", both of which caused considerable railfan interest. Double headed Garratts were later permitted to work coal trains from Newstan up the Fassifern bank and on to Braodmeadow, near Newcastle.

I will round up sources etc for this in due course.

Sooty6029 (talk) 03:59, 1 May 2011 (UTC)