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 Given there are more rail enthusiasts trackside than there are rail workers 
in today's environment, in particular the country areas, most of us have 
encountered a freight train passing with a potential disaster looming, in the 
form of a load shift, seized bearing, dragging brakes, tarpaulin blown loose, or 
dragging undergear. A good example is depicted in the September edition of 
Railway Digest, and indeed the incident at Junee earlier this year certainly 
highlights the fact. In days of past,signalers and station staff usually 
reported these defects and contacted the appropriate authority to rectify the 
situation. Us as observers are now the Guardian Angels for these potential 
mishaps but who do we tell?? I used to carry the Melbourne phone number for 
standard gauge traffic, after the death of a truck driver at Wallen, when he 
careered down an embankment, and then a freight train ploughing into him. Now 
most of us carry a mobile in our travels, therefore we should have direct 
access to the train controllers and inform that their train has a potential 
disaster on board.  
Your Guardian Angel 
Thommo 
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