2023-24 Harvest Updates, page-104

Trains operated for GNC continue to clear grain from silos and bunkers.

At about 2330 AEDT on Friday 29 December, a Pacific National-operated standard gauge train arrived at Portland, Victoria that continues to see many trains thanks to GNC arranging bulk ships to call at this secondary port.

On Saturday 30 at 0930 AEDT, a train from Ouyen was nearing Cressy (on the Melbourne-Adelaide line) on its journey to the Geelong Grain Loop.

On the broad gauge on Saturday, a train was loading at Charlton.

In NSW, another Pacific National train was sitting at Henty West (just off the Sydney-Melbourne main line).

Further north along that major line, a Southern Shorthaul Railroad train that originated last night at Maldon (near Picton, NSW, 80 kilometres or so south of Sydney) was at Cunningar, just north of Harden. It will load GNC grain destined for domestic consumption, so if you're in Sydney eating toast for brekkie, there's some chance it could be wheat railed to one of the Sydney mills.

There is a PN train at Girral, used as a loop for locomotives to reverse as the GNC silos further south at Calleen do not have points at both ends of the silo track.

On Friday 29 an empty grain train departed Port Kembla's inner Harbour just after midnnight. Via Sydney, Newcastle, Maitland and Narrabri, it has made the long journey to distant Walgett in northwest NSW.

The regularly timetabled 0530 AEDT (early start!) loaded grain train from Cootamundra is wending its way close to Goulburn, bound for Port Kembla.

Especially in NSW where I gather some wagon rakes (i.e. sets of 40 or occasionally 50 wagons, coupled together) are stored out of service, GNC is moving less grain than a few months ago but it's far from true that movements have ceased.