REGISTER

G LeClercq

Westrail

The scope of the South West project was, in order of importance, to provide communications circuits for:-

• the signalling train control systems based at Picton: Picton to Coolup and Picton to Collie.
• the emergency telephones installed along the tracks and at the road crossings. Those circuits are all connected to the controller at Picton.
• the station masters to Picton Control (direct link).
• the connection of the controllers at Midland and Picton (direct link)
• the 2 VHF radio bases at Picton and Collie (later Cookernup)
• PAX phones installed as extensions on Bunbury and Collie exchanges.

The existing overhead bearers in the area were inadequate to fulfil the new conmunications requirements and needed extensive upgrading. A cost study showed that, in the long term, a cable carrier system would be the most economical solution, and, furthermore would provide the base for a future upgrading of our communications network between Perth and Bunbury.