Page 16 - October 2021 Track N Times

LORAM PTY LTD.

60 Years of Service Continued
2000. Phil Homan was dispatched to Australia for several
months to wind down contract service operations. Lo-
ram’s contract service business, including RG7 and SBC7,
was sold to John Holland and Loram pivoted to servicing
Australia as an OEM machine sale market.
Loram delivered John Holland two 4-stone grind carts
powered by a Volvo hi-rail (JH’s RG8) which was converti-
ble across three track gauges and serviced customers such
as PTA, V/Line, WestNet (now Arc), ARTC, and Ade-
laide’s and Melbourne’s tramways. Loram later sold this
machine to South Africa. RGI3, a 48-stone rail grinder,
was commissioned in 2004 and operated as JH’s RG9 on
the G&W line between Alice Springs and Katherine, West-
Net, CRN, QR’s standard gauge south of Acacia Ridge, and
ARTC. Michael Luyten and Michael Haines started their
rail grinding experience with John Holland, as did Jason
Phillips, who also operated SBC7. In 2009, John Holland
exited the rail grinding business. After 28 years, RG7 was repurchased by Loram in 2011 and, in exchange for sup-
plying QR with spare parts, it was cut up by Zarb in Victoria. SBC7 was retired in 2019, and the remains of RGI3
are still in a yard in Melbourne.
QR began to grow its rail grinding service from its own track maintenance department to a full contract service
offering under the leadership of the late Michael Turner. Glen Mullins, then Group Infrastructure Manager at QR,
sponsored Turner and Flynn’s global tour of the three major grinding OEMs for proof of effective single pass grind-
ing, which they only found with Loram.
QR became Loram’s key OEM Customer in Australia and went on to order several machines; Ray Johnson was of-
ten there to deliver them. LRG11 entered service in 2008 and Rob Randell led its dual gauge service capability on
WestNet. C2104, an 80-stone production rail grinder, and LRG10, a 24-stone production rail grinder, were both
commissioned to serve Queensland’s narrow-gauge networks. QR won an 8-year contract tender for ARTC and
the 80-stone RG331, which began service in the American fleet, underwent a modification to fit tighter clearances
and was delivered in 2009. David Randall provided maintenance planning for this machine for a time from Newcas-
tle.
The public float of Aurizon in 2010 included the rail grinding business. Loram delivered RGS11 in 2015 for Auri-
zon’s work on ARTC before it won a multiyear contract with BHP. Then in 2019, Aurizon briefly took ownership
of RG419, the most productive rail grinder in the Southern Hemisphere, when it was unloaded in Adelaide. In this
period, Loram also sold SBC34 to ARTC in 2013.
Loram’s contract service operations in Australia recommenced with a return to the Pilbara when Fortescue Metals
Group (FMGL) urgently changed rail grinding contractors. Kevin Burton led the effort to establish the new Austral-
ian team. Mickie Vance lent his expertise to operators including Bruce Oliver when MPC2, previously part of the
North American fleet, made first sparks in Australia on 4 December 2013. This was followed by RG409 making
first sparks on 2 July 2014 with its first Superintendent Mark Lenihan at the helm. This entrepreneurial team, under
the management of Tyson Brownlee, soon established a reputation with our Customer for leading in safety, quality,
and reliability despite being 16,000 kilometres from Loram’s global headquarters in Hamel, Minnesota.
Building upon this success in the Pilbara, Loram renewed its global expansion of contract service operations and it
now operates throughout North America, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Middle East, and Australia, while
continuing to serve OEM Customers in many other parts of the world.

Volume 2 : Issue 9 Page 14