Great Western - 5. GW Chap 5

“The Rocks has new owners” was the headlines to the front page, and Dad picked it up and sat down at the kitchen table to read it. “After a few years of being on the market, the property has finally been purchased by a family.

It is believed that the family are Australian, and have spent the past decade living abroad. It is not known the name of the family, as there is virtually no traffic going in or out the front gate of the house, and with the recent planting of mature trees, now blocking any views of the front garden from the street, it is obvious that the new owners are wanting complete privacy”.

“Well as long as they keep their noses out of our business, then I guess we can hopefully keep it that way” Dad said after finishing reading the short new article.

On the Wednesday of the last week of January, two things happened. In the morning, we received an email from the WA Minster for Transport, granting us permission to operate a passenger train service from Albany to Geraldton, with two conditions. 1. That the timetable for the Great Western, is suitable to connect with the Prospector train. 2. That the Great Western travels from Northam to Midland, before continuing north on the original Geraldton Passenger line.

Dad and I checked with Google Maps, and worked out that it is an extra 100 kilometres from Northam to Midland, then 160 kilometres north to Moora, another 145 kilometres to Three Springs, and 155 kilometres to Geraldton, 560 kilometres in total, which ends up being 115 kilometres longer than the other way, which both Dad and I were not happy with.

So, we compiled and email in reply. “Dear Sir, in reply to your recent email, granting Ashburton Engineering permission to provide a passenger rail service from Albany to Geraldton, we are agreeable with having a timetable that allows passengers to make connection with the Prospector train.

However, we are not agreeable with the change of train route, with a stop at Midland, and continue on the original passenger train route via Moora and Three Springs. This would add another 115 kilometres to the journey, which we are not prepared to do.

If we can not come up with a better solution, then we will be forced to take our equipment elsewhere in Australia. Regards C & V Ashburton”. Once we had both read the email, and agreed that it was good, we sent it to the Minister. In the afternoon, we received an email from the Mayor of the City of Greater Geraldton.

This email informed us, that the City of Greater Geraldton has granted Ashburton Engineering, 8 acres of freehold land to purchase, at the agreed site near the TAFE College on Wilcock Drive, just South East of the railway line crossing, for the construction of a railway side track, a train station and a storage shed, regardless of whether the State Government approval has been received.

This was excellent news, but with the State Government trying to change the circumstances, it may just come to a crashing halt. “How about we hold a media conference, show of the train and the planned route that we want it to go, and see if the public will put some pressure on the State Government?” I suggested to my father.

“You know, every day that you work with me on this project, you surprise me some more, and I am very proud of you son” Dad said to me, and I just blushed a little, “Only doing what is best for the family business, Papa” I replied, using the name for my father which I have rarely used since becoming a teenager.

“That is why I am proud of you, becoming a very intelligent young man, where I foresee you doing great things in the future… now lets’ get to work to create a media statement, that will give the State Government a good punch in the guts” my father said, which made me laugh.

For the next four days, Papa and I worked on a media statement, and we spent long nights locked away in the shed, unwrapping the protective covering of the train, and getting the inside all cleaned up and looking nice for the media presentation, that will take place on Saturday morning at 10am.

Although there are not many media groups in the city of Albany, it is hoped that it will eventually get state wide attention.

For the past four weeks, Papa has hired and personally trained three train drivers, who had completed their Certificate IV in Transport & Logistics (Rail Operations) course at TAFE, as well as 6 weeks of on the job training, completed their Medical, Psychological and Aptitude Examinations, as well as an Integrity & Police checks.

All three of them were very new in the industry, so they were not set in particular mind frame regarding particular company rules and regulations, and all three of them are aged between 26 and 32 years, and currently single.

Papa had purchased an old colonial building that has 4 small apartments, to accommodate the three train drivers and 1 senior Porter that he had employed, and he was in the process of training another 4 port/stewards, who will be Albany based, with accommodation yet to be finalised, and all the crew will be accommodated in motels when staying over in Geraldton.

We had completed a timetable that gets the Great Western to Northam before the Prospector arrives there heading East or West, so the passengers can continue to either Kalgoorlie, Perth or north to Geraldton, with a total of two return journeys per week, plus we have prepared an advertising campaign for promoting the new train journey.

The train will leave Albany at 0800 hours, arriving at Geraldton at 1545 hours on Mondays & Thursday, departing Geraldton at 0800 hours, arriving at Albany at 1545 hours on Wednesday and Saturday, with Bronze Class tickets starting at $95 for the full journey, which is well under half of the cost of a flight for half of the journey, and similar in cost to the Prospector Train.

With just two days left of the summer holidays, before starting at my new school, Saturday morning had arrived, and the time had come for us to make the media conference, one to remember for Albany. The ABC radio station, the two local newspapers, and the country television network had all been contacted, and responded that they would be attending the news conference to be held at the old train station, which until recently was the base for the tourist information centre, and is still used at the bus terminal for road coaches arriving from Perth, Esperance and Bunbury.

At 0845, when we arrived, there were six vehicles parked just outside the shed and dressed in their new uniforms, the three drivers, one senior porter and two new stewards, stepped out of their vehicles, and approached us.

“Gentlemen and ladies, welcome to the start of a new day, and a new career, we were going to just make a statement at a media conference and leave it at that, but last night, I received a surprising phone call from the Freight Railway company, giving us support on our campaign to establish the passenger service, as they are allowing us passage on their rail network.

Quickly go home and pack and overnight bag, as we will be travelling all the way to Geraldton, as a protest journey, I have arranged for a local restaurant to provide us with enough for and drinks for our journey, be back in twenty minutes please, that is all” my Dad announced.

Once the crew had driven off, we grabbed our luggage, and unlocking the small pedestrian door, we entered the enormous shed and turned on some lights, to reveal the shining new 6 car train, now called the Great Western.

“Open the main doors and lets’ get this beauty connected together” my Dad said to me, and I raced forward to unlock and open the huge doors, so both tracks were clear, while Dad headed to the front car to start up the engine of the train, to get it warmed up.

With the doors open, I joined Dad in the driver cab, as he slowly moved forward, and once past the connecting junction, I jumped out and walking back, I switched the tracks, and Dad backed the train towards the shed, until the connection had been made with the other three cars, making it whole once again, then moved forward, till the complete train was past the junction.

I shifted the switch once more to its original position, while Dad moved to the other end of the train and moved it forward towards town, till most of the train was hidden behind the shed. When this was done, there was a delivery van parked next to our Landrover, and as we presumed it was the food for the journey.

“Mr Ashburton? This is the food and drinks that you have ordered” a man said who was dressed in a chef’s uniform. “If it is ok with your boss, would you like a return journey on this new train, to assist the stewards with the food” I asked the chef.

He looked at me, then at my Dad who just nodded his head to confirm the request, “Well sir’s, I would love to come, I will call my boss now, to see if I can get a few days off” the chef replied, as his assistant, who I presumed to be a kitchen hand, began to unload the crates, and I directed him to cars five and six, where the main kitchens are located.

I was putting everything away, when the chef appeared. “This is a beautiful train Master Ashburton” the chef said as he looked around the compact kitchen, “Just Vern will do thanks chef, so what did your boss say?” I replied, “He said that anything to promote the restaurant will be gratefully received, so he has allowed me and Jay, the kitchen hand to go, and my name is Kit” the chef said.

“Well Kit, you and Jay had better get back home and pack your bags for three days, as this train is heading to Geraldton at 12 noon, but we need you to be at the station by 1030 am,” I said to him. “Yes sir and thankyou for this opportunity to work onboard this train” the chef said happily, and he dashed off, just as Dad appeared.

Is everything squared away?” he asked me. “Yes Papa, we have precooked meals for 60 people, although, I don’t know why so many” I responded, “Because dear son, I will be inviting the media to join us for the journey, and maybe some of the locals, if any arrive to check out the train.

Do me a favour and dash down to the supermarket, and get plenty of chips, mixed nuts, and any other snacks that you think may be used for the journey. I will send one of the crew to come and pick you up as soon as they get back” my Dad said to me, as he handed me four $50 notes.

Just as I was about to run towards the nearest supermarket, a good 2 kilometres away the senior porter arrived back. “Good you are back, I need you to take me to the supermarket for extra supplies” I said to the porter, “Yes sir, not a problem” he replied and we were soon parked in the supermarket, with a trolley to collect everything.

Arriving back at the shed at 0945 hours, all the vehicles of the crew had returned, and we delivered the snacks to the Buffet servery on Car 4, and had just finished when Dad appeared. “Everyone onboard now?” he asked, “Yes Papa, except for the two additional galley crew who are getting their luggage for the trip, apart from them we are all set,” I replied, and Dad went to the internal phone and called the driver.

“Carl, lets make our dramatic entrance into Albany,” we heard Dad say, before hanging up the phone, and we were soon slowly moving, with the horn tooting every fifteen seconds, for the 2.4-kilometre long journey to the train station. As expected, the noise and sight of a new train caught the attention of a lot of people, with its blue and red striping, and the large words of Great Western on the side of each car, people followed the train to towards the station, where we came to a stop, with guidance from two Freight railway employees assisting.

Looking out the window of the executive lounge, at the back end of car six, we could see a small group of reporters gathered on the train platform, and we headed forward, and exited the train at the front end of car five, where we were approached by the media, and the three train drivers and three other crew appeared and stood behind us, as we notice a large crowd of spectators forming nearby.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the media and the general public, my name is Christopher Ashburton, of Ashburton Engineering and we have a statement to make, then we will take questions” Dad said loud enough for all to hear, and he waited until everyone was quiet.

For the past decade I have been living and working in Europe, designing and building new trains for a large train company in Switzerland. This train you see before you is the test model and only one of its designs in the world, and I am lucky enough to be the owner of it.

I had it shipped home, here to Western Australia, where I have put forward a proposal for the Great Western Train to provide a passenger service from Albany to Geraldton, via Katanning, Northam and Dalwallinu, in approximately the same time as the Prospector takes from East Perth to Kalgoorlie.

We have the support of the Westnet Rail Freight Company, and the City of Greater Geraldton, to build a brand-new train station, but the State Government has stalled our plans, by demanding that we take an alternative route, that will put on a further 1 ½ hours and 115 kilometres to the journey, making the project less viable to go ahead. Right any questions?” my Dad said.