I lived in Melbourne for a short while back in the late 70s and early 80s and often caught a train (Harris) from Princes Bridge station, I am from Adelaide and we had diesel railcars called "Red Hens" as our suburban trains. Adelaide has lost a lot of its rail network and country services no longer exist. I was unaware that Princes Bridge station is now a thing of the past and last time I was in Melbourne I was surprised that the train service to St Kilda had been replaced by a tram along the former train corridor, The last train I caught to St Kilda was a Tait. It is a pity that both Melbourne and Adelaide have lost a lot of rail heritage in the name of progress. Thanks for posting your research video.
Mark Henstridge, It’s awesome to see that you used both Princes Bridge Station and the St Kilda line while you were in Melbourne as I was obviously didn’t use them myself! I have filmed a St Kilda Line Video which will be posted soon aswell as a Port Melbourne Line Video, and an Inner Circle Line video. I hope you enjoyed the video and I appreciate the comment!
@@the_train_man Thank you for your kind words, also I have travelled on the Port Melbourne service and I look forward to your next video. Ps, I am now a subscriber.
I have a publication (in a book) of photos of Melbourne suburban stations in the late ‘70s and from the 2020 perspective was surprising how delapidated they were. I remember the protests around the proposal to close the Healesville line and the locals threatened to give the station building it’s first paint job since 1947.
Hopefully they will have Metro 2 discussed soon, which will connect the Werribee and Mernda lines VIA ST KILDA and port melbourne so that’s something cool to put into account
Hi Mark, agreed. I think Melb & Adel should have retained the lines they have lost. Northfield, Bridgewater and Tanunda should have suburban trains. They should have extended the Tonsley line to Aberfoyle Park instead of FMC/Uni. As for Melbourne, hopefully they will extend the suburban trains to Whittlesea, Healesville, Bacchus Marsh, Hastings, Clyde & Mornington as the infrastructure is already there. The Belair train service in Adelaide is a shocker, beakdowns are regular and its very slow. oh well........we live in hope!
Grew up in Montmorency 70's 80's so caught that train many times Central Station Records had a small shop near the top of the ramp they had records that Brashs wouldn't even know were available.
I was a signal fitter on the VR in the middle 1960's. That building on the end of the platform is the old D signal box. There were 4 signal boxes in the immediate area of Flinders st. station. There was A box to the west and B,C and D boxes at the east end of Flinders Street Station. They have all been replaced by a computerised signalling system. However the old D box and relay room may still house modern signalling equipment and is the reason the buildings are still there. D box was the last I worked at before leaving the railways.
One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Princes Bridge had an old street level entrance opposite Russell Street. It had a small booking office, barrier gates and an overhead bridge leading to platforms 15 & 16 (not sure about 14). It had a sign saying that it was only open in peak hours. I'm pretty sure it was demolished when the Gas and Fuel Towers were built.
@@the_train_man I was a kid, I had no opinion on them. I just remember seeing men working high up in the sky... I am surprised at how short a time they existed, given all the cost and effort of building them.
Before the lines were electrified, Princes Bridge had a traverser which moved the locomotive to the reversing track so it could run around the train. I saw a photograph where the traverser was on the wrong side and the loco had fallen into the pit.
I used to catch the train at Princes Bridge Station all the time as I live on the Epping line. But I would disagree that the Princes Bridge lost passengers in the 70s. I remember the crowds well. Its my belief that what really happened is the then, railway authority at the time just wanted to rationalise the operations to fewer platforms. Flinders St already handled Epping and Hurstbridge trains on Sundays, so they just wanted to save money. There was also a push to allow the demolition of the unpopular Gas and Fuel Towers above the station (which obstructed the views of the river and cathederal) and the creation of a new open space. Those were the actual reasons for the demolition of the station.
Having grown up in the 70's and 80's, I remember Princess Bridge station vividly. I used to live in Northcote, so the Epping line was always the way home from the city. I remember there was a deck on top of the station that you could go and have a panorama of all the Melbourne rail yard. It was fun going there for a ten year old who was fascinated by trains! Keep up the good work
Stan, that "deck", is in the very list pic of the video. I think it used to called Mezzanine (of squarish dimensions). For the un-initiated, if you look at the pic, the deck is a vast expanse of concrete which is accessed by the steps on Flinders st. You could sit down on the benches alongside huge pot-plants and not be disturbed yet you're on the edge of a city's CBD with the traffic flowing by and trains underneath. A unique experience it was. Its all stuffed up now by a monstrosity of a thing which is supposed to be a "square".
very interesting video indeed. i can remember back in the 1960's, getting off the frankston train, coming out the main entrance of flinders st, and racing across the road to princes bridge to catch the train to victoria park for the vfl.
I grew up on the Hurstbridge line through the 60's and 70's, and still remember the end of the line at Princess Bridge and walking up a ramp to exit onto the other side of St.Kilda Rd opposite Flinders St. Station. If you needed to change trains and go onto any of the other lines, there was a walkway at the end of the platform which joined up with the Flinders St platforms. Great memories. Thanks for posting
Thanks Paul, glad I could make a video that represented the station well. I wish I could've experienced the station, it seems to be a big part of Melbourne's rail history, thanks again!
Around 1980 I travelled on the Yarram pass which departed Platform 1 at the Princes Bridge end at 6:08 pm. In the consist was the BG carriage which was an aircon composite compartment and open style carriage. I remember the lights would go dim as the train slowed. In the last few weeks of the Yarram pass, the VR in it’s wisdom bulldozed the platform away from Buffalo station. When two ladies disembarked, the guard provided a set of steps down from the train. In the late ‘70s the VR bulldozed the platforms from many stations on goods only branchlines, presumably to prevent the timber edges from falling to the tracks. The station buildings looked really sad with the platforms gouged away. It was a prelude to eventual demolition.
Thanks for the anecdote Daryl, very sad some of the things you mentioned, the demolitions took out lots of the character that Victorian Rails had. Hope you liked the video
Well done Train Man, i remember getting off at Princes Bridge Station very well as a boy coming in from the Hurstbridge Line to meet my friends on school holidays for a day in the city. Our train always stopped here. I remember walking up the bitumen ramp aligned with shops up to the exit on cnr Flinders and Swanston st and then going up the stairs to a large open air terrace on situated top of Princes Bridge Station and hanging out waiting for my fiends. (part of Fed Square now). I like the old pics you posted and even a little nostalgic to see the Gas and Fuel buildings. (now demolished.) Keep up the good work.
I commuted from Rosanna to Moorabbin in the 1980s. You'd get out at Princes Bridge and take the long hike under Swanston Street to what is now platform 1 at Flinders Street then into the Degraves Street subway. People used to gallop along there to get to their trains to other parts of Melbourne. It was like a stampede some nights at peak hour.
Those 2 buildings are what we call D box. The first one that was originally there is the old signal box. Not used as a signal box but contains some relay interlocking. The newer building is also referred to as D box, but that has computer based interlocking systems. As well as some relays. It is the more integral part. They all drive the signalling system.
Thank you for filling in that bit of missing info for me, as well as the creator of this vid and everyone that's noticed that little build still up on an old forgotten platform
There are a couple of separate questions here about the abandoned platforms so I thought I'd add this as a separate comment. Platforms 10 and 11 were used for St. Kilda & Port Melbourne trains. You can still see the signs in the tiles at the river end of the underpass pointing to the abandoned lines. Platforms 12 and 13 were and still are used for Sandringham. These are the curious platforms, extensions of 10 and 11. They are under the concourse and heading east into the rail yards. To access them from the concourse you have to go to the south-east corner of the station (nearest to the bridge itself) where steps take you down with your back to all the other platforms. Platforms 14, 15 and 16 were at Princes Bridge. 15 and 16 were terminus platforms while 14 continued under St. Kilda Road above to become Platform 1 which as far as I recall wasn't used for suburban trains at the time. Only Platform 14 survives. The numbering has been retained into the present day, Note also that Platform 11 no longer exists, except as a space for the coffee stalls beyond the newish fence by platform 10 along the riverside. Then there are the other abandoned and unnumbered platforms which are roofless and disintegrating; these are near the ramp up to the station beyond the Elizabeth Street corner and were used for goods such as milk and newspapers.
Hello Vortis, that is Platform 1w / West, being the extension of 1c, and also known as the Parcels Dock, with the adjacent dead end siding known as the Milk Dock. The Eastern Pass would arrive on 1c, move down to 1w for the L class loco to run around , via 1A West, and then re-dock for the down Eastern Pass to Traralgon. Both the Milk Dock, and the Parcels Dock, stabled the Fast Electric Parcel Vans, whilst we had Train Guards, the Parcel Vans were a good income earner for the VR. .
I passed it so many times and never knew. Also, where I went to High School in South Morang, you can still see the rail reserve and remnants of some of the old stations when the line went to Whittlesea. That line closed in the 1960's if my history is correct. I went to High School at Marymede Catholic College. Where the Middle Gorge station is on the Mernda Line was the old South Morang station
Thanks very much Joshua, glad you enjoyed. Fascinating to hear about the old Whittlesea Line and it's old remnants, I will definitely check it out for a video next year, after Lockdowns, thanks again!
@@the_train_man The Mernda Recreation Reserve has a building as part of the club rooms which was part of the old Mernda station. It is a cream coloured wood panel building. Those buildings have sadly been dismantled, but right across the road is the Mernda marshalling yard.
Those 2 building are electrical switch rooms which are still being used. Each building is alarmed and cameras monitor the area. Up until my resent retirement I tested the fire systems in the rooms for years.
I'm unable to count the amount of times that I have passed the abandoned Princes Bridge station and haven't noticed what it was exactly until recently. It's so cool to see something like that still partially there from not too long ago. So cool.
i used to catch the train from Thomastown into the city with my mum when i was a kid in the early 70's. I remember walking up the steep ramp lined with arcade shops as you exited the station into Swanston Street
I remember waiting up on the top deck of Princes Bridge station for a friend, we were going to the movies to see the original Frankensein with Boris Karloff at one of the smaller movie houses. The top deck area was an open space , and you could see the railyards leading in to Flinders Street.
That is pretty cool Michael, thank you for sharing your story! I wish I could've gotten the experience that many millions got a Princes Bridge, sounds like a great spot :)
This was a great video but your comment that Princes Bridge station was closed due to falling use was incorrect as it was always a very busy station, right up until its last day. A problem with this platform was that the two tracks did not pass through to Flinders Street which meant that we had to walk through to Flinders Street to catch other suburban trains. Once the underground loop (which of course is not really a loop) was installed then there was no value with keeping this very useful terminus.
Hello Brian Williams9706, you are partially correct, there actually was a Loop, in that the City Circle trains arrived and departed on Plat 14, but patronage was low due to the time it took to enter and leave an underground loop station, it was quicker catching a tram. Also PBE/FSS 15&16 were supposedly a temporary closure, to be restored when the Art Centre above was completed, so much for that. I personally think 15&16 should have remained, as it allows for an increased frequency on the CHL group without affecting other services. I think that Federation Square is a disaster that is poorly designed, a safety hazard to walk on for the fit and able, let alone anyone else ! Also the Art Gallery has a vast area of wasted space that cannot be utilized, and one thing common to all Art Galleries is a lack of display space, yet the Fed Square Art Gallery is a perfect example of bad space allocation, regards.
@AK Gaming Vids Further to my last reply. I did a bit of homework ( I have been away from Melbourne for 30 years) It is nothing like the stadium used to be and no longer the Pies home VFL ground. Oops , AFL ground. Good to see they kept some of it going. Thanks for letting me know. I thought they demolished all of it. Looks like they knocked down two thirds of it.
Great video.i used the station when I lived in northcote n I got my train from this station back in the 1980s.damm sad to see so much history gone forever and for what?, an eyesore of a city square.thanks again for great video.
I used the Hurstbridge line in the 70's and 80's. Left Melbourne for thirty years and returned recently to find so many chamges. Princess Bridge being gone was a bit of a shock.
Oh Wow always thought it was just extra platforms of Flinders St Station never knew it was Princess Bridge Station travelled through it occasionally as a child and teenager!
I can vaguely recall looking east over the extensive railyards beside the Princes Bridge. Covered over long ago. And travelling up and down Batman Avenue by car, bike and tram, then located beside the Yarra River.
Hi...I grew up in Melbourne in the 60s and 70s....I left in 1978....my Mum worked on Yarra bank road over the river from Princes Bridge station ...sometime in peak hour Lilydale trains would leave from Princes Bridge..like when it was really busy.
That is very interesting, thank you for sharing. I never knew that Lilydale trains could depart from there! Where have you lived since then, have you ever come back to Melbourne to see all of the changes? Thanks again!
Sometimes while working in the CBD, taking the train to Flinders Street station the train would stop way over the other side at some underground platforms and we had to walk a fair way to get to the station entrance. I had no idea at the time that those platforms belonged to the former Princess Bridge Station. Thanks for the vedeo.
I recall the Prince's Bridge station during the 70s. But what I remember more is those awful Princes Bridge towers. Ugly, ugly buildings. I'm so glad they're gone, they were absolutely devoid of any aesthetic architectural beauty at all, and were a horrible brown colour. If I remember correctly, they were the home of the Gas and Fuel Corporation then. Thank goodness the landscape has improved so much since those days. Thanks for another interesting bit of rail history, TM.
There’s also another abandoned structure nearby on the same really long platform which is the old abandoned lift next to the Elizabeth Street exit on Platform 1 at Flinders Street Station! Apparently it only goes between the platform and the western end pedestrian underpass so it’s definitely quite interesting as I’ve always noticed it there! :)
@@the_train_man NP! It should pretty much be just inside the Elizabeth street entrance to the left next to the toilets and the base of the lift is right next to the stairs going into the underpass! :)
That remnant you pointed out was Flinders Street ‘D’ Signal Box. Still used today although now all automated. I’m surprised you didn’t film Platform 14 which is still in existence although not used for passengers.
@@the_train_man You might be able to. When I used the Hurstbridge line not many years ago, trains would sometimes arrive at or depart from Platform 14. It's an annoying place to get to or from along with a train-full of people, and a dingy place underneath Fed Square. Back in the day, the towers weren't so extensive, so plenty of sunlight got into Platforms 14, 15 & 16.
That was known as “D Box” and while the signal box upstairs has long been decommissioned and transferred to Metrol there is still live equipment for the signalling downstairs.
There was a cafeteria in the Princes Bridge station that I used on a weekly basis, apprentice school at Footscray then night school at Caufield then home to Springvale.
The Jolimont railyards used to be a mess of rails and points, there used to be a lot more tracks than there is today. They would park trains there, and there would be all kinds of freight trains and carriages. There was even a turntable there but they have all been removed, now the rail yards only cater to the main lines. It looks completely different today compared to the 1970's.
Yes! The Jolimont Yards, from photos look like an organised shambles haha, so many different tracks side by side, it would have looked crazy in real life.
@@the_train_man I loved it as a kid. Just watching the yards. On the other side of the city they had the shunting yards, where a loco would push carriages off a hill and they would roll down to form new freight trains. Im not sure if its still there.
tubester4567 That rail yard to the immediate west of what was then Spencer st station no longer exists, it’s where docklands and Batman’s hill areas are now. I remember as a kid seeing freight cars rolling by themselves after coming off the “hump”. This was a ramp system adjacent to the Melbourne yard “west tower” close to Dudley St. the west tower is still there but the hump is gone, there are still vestiges of the ramp system visible however. As I understand it this form of shunting has fallen out of favour with rail systems as being too dangerous.
v cool, I did get to explore the Melb train network as a 14/15 year old travelling to vfl football grounds in the mid 70's, as all games back then were played on Saturday afternoons at many grounds across Melbourne the rail network was a alive with fans and colour, particularly at Finders street
another little story....there was a line that ran to the old Fitzroy ground in Fitzroy, I actually lived in an apartment built in early 2000's where the old station was
I wonder if the station was actually demolished. If you look at 1:58 there is a locked gate. My suspicion is that they built around the platform - probably by putting supports where the train tracks use to be, and haven't actually remove it.
Mr Train Man, So what's the deal with Princes Bridge Station eventually becoming Flinders Street platforms 14, 15 &16? what happened to platforms 12 & 13? As far as I knew Flinders Street only had platforms 10 & 11 for Sandringham, St Kilda & Port Melbourne trains. 12 & 13 are a mystery to me as a kid growing up in the 70s & 80s. I remember one sunday in 1985 Dad & I travelled from Princes Bridge to Eltham where you had to change for a one carraige Tait red rattler to Hurstbridge. I remember Princes Bridge being a dark and mysterious place.
@@robmcfarlane3602 12 & 13? I don't remember that......I know that Princes Bridge were numbered 14, 15 & 16 so 12 & 13 aren't making any sense to me. I used trains in the 70s and 80s and have no memory of 12 or 13. anyway......
I remember PB station very well. I was a teenager in the '70s and used the station a lot, and I still live on the same line today. I'm guessing that while the fabric of the station has gone the platforms are still there hidden behind that ugly wall that seems a long-term temporary screen. The 1960s structure - part of the ugly brown Gas and Fuel monstrosity above it - was typical of city stations in the era: tuck them under things, have them dark and out of the way. The rebuilt Penn station in New York is the classic one. If you look at the Flinders Street clocks you will notice the absence of the Hurstbridge and Epping/Mernda lines. This is because they terminated at PB over the road and missed out on getting a clock, as it were. As you left the gate line in the station, and before you started to ascend the long bitumen ramp to the surface, there were a number of little stalls selling snacks and drinks. In summer, I would always stop at the stall selling a delicious soda cordial. The solution was in a big upturned bottle, rather like water coolers seen today in offices. I loved the lime flavour especially and it was a treat to get one in the cool of the station before heading up to the hotter air of the city. I've never seen these drinks in modern times. There was also a set of stairs at the down end of the platforms, which took you to the Russell St./Flinders St. corner. It was a quick way to gain a block if you were heading east from the station. Above the station was a little plaza which is included in a picture in this video. It was fun to go up there and see the trams hurtle up into Swanston Street from St. Kilda road. All gone now, though some of the platform space is now occupied by one of the museums or galleries accessed from Fed Square which in its own way is as ugly as the brown towers it replaced.
Hello Vortis, your soda cordial was a speciality of the VR Refreshments Branch, as was orange juice, and remember those small boxes of sultanas, another VR innovation, all initiated by Harold Clapp, VR Chief Commissioner of Railways (and the only Chief Commissioner of Railways in Australia !)
@@the_train_man I was only 8 in those years but from 1990 to 1997 has been confirmed that your vids are quite accurate. It was a dark station with those gas and fuel towers they were brown eyesore.
Hey The Train Man, here's an interesting one: did you know that there was a train station partially constructed underneath Tullamarine Airport? I've seen photos of it, I believe it was around 1970? Maybe worth researching.
@@the_train_man From what I've been told there was never actually a station built but a void during construction was allowed in which to build a station in the future. So more of an empty space exists but no actual station so to speak.
Actually that building that the end that still remains was retained so it could be used for the track yard signalling and point control server equipment! :)
THAT OUTSIDE LINE USE TO GO RIGHT INTO TO THE ABANDONED NUMBER 1 PLATFORM WHICH NOW THE OLD NUMBER 2 BECAME 1 AN I'VE BEEN ON THAT TRAIN AN THE ORIGINAL ST KILDA ONE FLINDERS STREET HAD SO MUCH MORE CHARACTER BACK THEN
Have you ever gone to flinders st staion and walked right to the end, there are remnants of the old station. Im not sure if it used to be longer or what but i have a cigarette there unbothered every time o go there. Its pretty long and makes you feel like you went back in time. Just keep walking, not sure if every platform is accesable but 6/7 is
The towers were never liked and regarded as an eyesore as were the railway yards so they tried to cover up the lot by covering it with........an eyesore !
Thanks for the suggestions, I will definately be doing more abandoned stations videos in the future, aswell as a few tram videos. Hope you enjoyed this one!
I lived in Melbourne for a short while back in the late 70s and early 80s and often caught a train (Harris) from Princes Bridge station, I am from Adelaide and we had diesel railcars called "Red Hens" as our suburban trains. Adelaide has lost a lot of its rail network and country services no longer exist. I was unaware that Princes Bridge station is now a thing of the past and last time I was in Melbourne I was surprised that the train service to St Kilda had been replaced by a tram along the former train corridor, The last train I caught to St Kilda was a Tait. It is a pity that both Melbourne and Adelaide have lost a lot of rail heritage in the name of progress. Thanks for posting your research video.
Mark Henstridge, It’s awesome to see that you used both Princes Bridge Station and the St Kilda line while you were in Melbourne as I was obviously didn’t use them myself! I have filmed a St Kilda Line Video which will be posted soon aswell as a Port Melbourne Line Video, and an Inner Circle Line video. I hope you enjoyed the video and I appreciate the comment!
@@the_train_man Thank you for your kind words, also I have travelled on the Port Melbourne service and I look forward to your next video. Ps, I am now a subscriber.
I have a publication (in a book) of photos of Melbourne suburban stations in the late ‘70s and from the 2020 perspective was surprising how delapidated they were.
I remember the protests around the proposal to close the Healesville line and the locals threatened to give the station building it’s first paint job since 1947.
Hopefully they will have Metro 2 discussed soon, which will connect the Werribee and Mernda lines VIA ST KILDA and port melbourne so that’s something cool to put into account
Hi Mark, agreed. I think Melb & Adel should have retained the lines they have lost. Northfield, Bridgewater and Tanunda should have suburban trains. They should have extended the Tonsley line to Aberfoyle Park instead of FMC/Uni. As for Melbourne, hopefully they will extend the suburban trains to Whittlesea, Healesville, Bacchus Marsh, Hastings, Clyde & Mornington as the infrastructure is already there. The Belair train service in Adelaide is a shocker, beakdowns are regular and its very slow. oh well........we live in hope!
Grew up in Montmorency 70's 80's so caught that train many times Central Station Records had a small shop near the top of the ramp they had records that Brashs wouldn't even know were available.
I was a signal fitter on the VR in the middle 1960's.
That building on the end of the platform is the old D signal box.
There were 4 signal boxes in the immediate area of Flinders st. station.
There was A box to the west and B,C and D boxes at the east end of Flinders Street Station.
They have all been replaced by a computerised signalling system.
However the old D box and relay room may still house modern signalling equipment and is the reason the buildings are still there.
D box was the last I worked at before leaving the railways.
One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Princes Bridge had an old street level entrance opposite Russell Street. It had a small booking office, barrier gates and an overhead bridge leading to platforms 15 & 16 (not sure about 14). It had a sign saying that it was only open in peak hours. I'm pretty sure it was demolished when the Gas and Fuel Towers were built.
I remember those Gas&Fuel Corp. towers being built when I was a kid (1960s), and now they've been GONE for decades!
I must be getting old...
Haha, you're not that old! That is pretty cool though, were you for, or against the construction of the towers?
@@the_train_man I was a kid, I had no opinion on them. I just remember seeing men working high up in the sky...
I am surprised at how short a time they existed, given all the cost and effort of building them.
Fair enough aha, so much cost, for such little reward. Shame something else wasn't built instead.
I loved the gas and fuel towers waste of money demolishing them and building ugly fed square also closing batman avenue for that open space
@@Magpie_Mark92I don't believe you
Before the lines were electrified, Princes Bridge had a traverser which moved the locomotive to the reversing track so it could run around the train. I saw a photograph where the traverser was on the wrong side and the loco had fallen into the pit.
I used to catch the train at Princes Bridge Station all the time as I live on the Epping line. But I would disagree that the Princes Bridge lost passengers in the 70s. I remember the crowds well. Its my belief that what really happened is the then, railway authority at the time just wanted to rationalise the operations to fewer platforms. Flinders St already handled Epping and Hurstbridge trains on Sundays, so they just wanted to save money. There was also a push to allow the demolition of the unpopular Gas and Fuel Towers above the station (which obstructed the views of the river and cathederal) and the creation of a new open space. Those were the actual reasons for the demolition of the station.
More great, worthwhile history with wonderful, interesting and pleasant sounding narration. Well done young man!
Thanks David, glad you liked it
Having grown up in the 70's and 80's, I remember Princess Bridge station vividly. I used to live in Northcote, so the Epping line was always the way home from the city.
I remember there was a deck on top of the station that you could go and have a panorama of all the Melbourne rail yard. It was fun going there for a ten year old who was fascinated by trains!
Keep up the good work
Thank you for sharing your story, glad you liked the video about something that was apart of you life, thanks!
I went to Helen Street Primary back in the 70's. May have known each other
@@vinorob it was westgarth primary for me
Stan, that "deck", is in the very list pic of the video. I think it used to called Mezzanine (of squarish dimensions).
For the un-initiated, if you look at the pic, the deck is a vast expanse of concrete which is accessed by the steps on Flinders st. You could sit down on the benches alongside huge pot-plants and not be disturbed yet you're on the edge of a city's CBD with the traffic flowing by and trains underneath. A unique experience it was.
Its all stuffed up now by a monstrosity of a thing which is supposed to be a "square".
@@DeMews Perfectly described. I was up there overlooking the church the year the Pope visited.
very interesting video indeed. i can remember back in the 1960's,
getting off the frankston train, coming out the main entrance of flinders st,
and racing across the road to princes bridge to catch the train to
victoria park for the vfl.
I grew up on the Hurstbridge line through the 60's and 70's, and still remember the end of the line at Princess Bridge and walking up a ramp to exit onto the other side
of St.Kilda Rd opposite Flinders St. Station. If you needed to change trains and go onto any of the other lines, there was a walkway at the end of the platform which joined
up with the Flinders St platforms. Great memories. Thanks for posting
Thanks Paul, glad I could make a video that represented the station well. I wish I could've experienced the station, it seems to be a big part of Melbourne's rail history, thanks again!
Yep and as you walked up there were toilets on the right and a food shop on the left. Great times.
PB station was the start of the city walking up the steep concourse to arrive in "town". Exciting as a child.
I wish I could have experienced it, how cool it would have been for you!
Around 1980 I travelled on the Yarram pass which departed Platform 1 at the Princes Bridge end at 6:08 pm. In the consist was the BG carriage which was an aircon composite compartment and open style carriage. I remember the lights would go dim as the train slowed.
In the last few weeks of the Yarram pass, the VR in it’s wisdom bulldozed the platform away from Buffalo station. When two ladies disembarked, the guard provided a set of steps down from the train.
In the late ‘70s the VR bulldozed the platforms from many stations on goods only branchlines, presumably to prevent the timber edges from falling to the tracks. The station buildings looked really sad with the platforms gouged away. It was a prelude to eventual demolition.
Thanks for the anecdote Daryl, very sad some of the things you mentioned, the demolitions took out lots of the character that Victorian Rails had. Hope you liked the video
Well there you go. I passed that every day for 10 years and just assumed it was a disused part of Flinders Street. Super interesting. Good Work!
Thank you for that insightful glimpse of our town's railway history.
Well done Train Man, i remember getting off at Princes Bridge Station very well as a boy coming in from the Hurstbridge Line to meet my friends on school holidays for a day in the city. Our train always stopped here. I remember walking up the bitumen ramp aligned with shops up to the exit on cnr Flinders and Swanston st and then going up the stairs to a large open air terrace on situated top of Princes Bridge Station and hanging out waiting for my fiends. (part of Fed Square now). I like the old pics you posted and even a little nostalgic to see the Gas and Fuel buildings. (now demolished.) Keep up the good work.
Thanks very much! I hope to redo this video, and get a tour of the station. Glad you enjoyed and shared your story of your experience!
I commuted from Rosanna to Moorabbin in the 1980s. You'd get out at Princes Bridge and take the long hike under Swanston Street to what is now platform 1 at Flinders Street then into the Degraves Street subway. People used to gallop along there to get to their trains to other parts of Melbourne. It was like a stampede some nights at peak hour.
Wonder if any of that tunnel still exists...
Those 2 buildings are what we call D box.
The first one that was originally there is the old signal box. Not used as a signal box but contains some relay interlocking.
The newer building is also referred to as D box, but that has computer based interlocking systems. As well as some relays. It is the more integral part.
They all drive the signalling system.
Thank you for filling in that bit of missing info for me, as well as the creator of this vid and everyone that's noticed that little build still up on an old forgotten platform
Part of ACMI at Fed Square uses part of one of the platforms.
There are a couple of separate questions here about the abandoned platforms so I thought I'd add this as a separate comment. Platforms 10 and 11 were used for St. Kilda & Port Melbourne trains. You can still see the signs in the tiles at the river end of the underpass pointing to the abandoned lines. Platforms 12 and 13 were and still are used for Sandringham. These are the curious platforms, extensions of 10 and 11. They are under the concourse and heading east into the rail yards. To access them from the concourse you have to go to the south-east corner of the station (nearest to the bridge itself) where steps take you down with your back to all the other platforms. Platforms 14, 15 and 16 were at Princes Bridge. 15 and 16 were terminus platforms while 14 continued under St. Kilda Road above to become Platform 1 which as far as I recall wasn't used for suburban trains at the time. Only Platform 14 survives. The numbering has been retained into the present day, Note also that Platform 11 no longer exists, except as a space for the coffee stalls beyond the newish fence by platform 10 along the riverside. Then there are the other abandoned and unnumbered platforms which are roofless and disintegrating; these are near the ramp up to the station beyond the Elizabeth Street corner and were used for goods such as milk and newspapers.
Hello Vortis, that is Platform 1w / West, being the extension of 1c, and also known as the Parcels Dock, with the adjacent dead end siding known as the Milk Dock. The Eastern Pass would arrive on 1c, move down to 1w for the L class loco to run around , via 1A West, and then re-dock for the down Eastern Pass to Traralgon. Both the Milk Dock, and the Parcels Dock, stabled the Fast Electric Parcel Vans, whilst we had Train Guards, the Parcel Vans were a good income earner for the VR.
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I passed it so many times and never knew. Also, where I went to High School in South Morang, you can still see the rail reserve and remnants of some of the old stations when the line went to Whittlesea. That line closed in the 1960's if my history is correct. I went to High School at Marymede Catholic College. Where the Middle Gorge station is on the Mernda Line was the old South Morang station
Thanks very much Joshua, glad you enjoyed.
Fascinating to hear about the old Whittlesea Line and it's old remnants, I will definitely check it out for a video next year, after Lockdowns, thanks again!
@@the_train_man The Mernda Recreation Reserve has a building as part of the club rooms which was part of the old Mernda station. It is a cream coloured wood panel building.
Those buildings have sadly been dismantled, but right across the road is the Mernda marshalling yard.
Those 2 building are electrical switch rooms which are still being used. Each building is alarmed and cameras monitor the area. Up until my resent retirement I tested the fire systems in the rooms for years.
I'm unable to count the amount of times that I have passed the abandoned Princes Bridge station and haven't noticed what it was exactly until recently. It's so cool to see something like that still partially there from not too long ago. So cool.
Glad you find the same interest in it as me, very fascinating station. Hope you enjoyed the video!
i used to catch the train from Thomastown into the city with my mum when i was a kid in the early 70's. I remember walking up the steep ramp lined with arcade shops as you exited the station into Swanston Street
I love the history lessons that you give us in each of your videos, thank you very much for all your work
I remember waiting up on the top deck of Princes Bridge station for a friend, we were going to the movies to see the original Frankensein with Boris Karloff at one of the smaller movie houses. The top deck area was an open space , and you could see the railyards leading in to Flinders Street.
That is pretty cool Michael, thank you for sharing your story!
I wish I could've gotten the experience that many millions got a Princes Bridge, sounds like a great spot :)
This was a great video but your comment that Princes Bridge station was closed due to falling use was incorrect as it was always a very busy station, right up until its last day.
A problem with this platform was that the two tracks did not pass through to Flinders Street which meant that we had to walk through to Flinders Street to catch other suburban trains. Once the underground loop (which of course is not really a loop) was installed then there was no value with keeping this very useful terminus.
Hello Brian Williams9706, you are partially correct, there actually was a Loop, in that the City Circle trains arrived and departed on Plat 14, but patronage was low due to the time it took to enter and leave an underground loop station, it was quicker catching a tram. Also PBE/FSS 15&16 were supposedly a temporary closure, to be restored when the Art Centre above was completed, so much for that. I personally think 15&16 should have remained, as it allows for an increased frequency on the CHL group without affecting other services. I think that Federation Square is a disaster that is poorly designed, a safety hazard to walk on for the fit and able, let alone anyone else ! Also the Art Gallery has a vast area of wasted space that cannot be utilized, and one thing common to all Art Galleries is a lack of display space, yet the Fed Square Art Gallery is a perfect example of bad space allocation, regards.
I have fond memories of Princes Bridge Station. From Watsonia Station to PB, early 80s. :)
I love that you must do a tonne of research. Impressive stuff and really informative.
going to Victoria Park when carlton played collingwood was quite an "experience"
Haha, I'm sure it was, that would have been crazy!
@@the_train_man yes, and a little dangerous for a 15 yr old
Always a great view of the black and white stripes on Victoria park from the station. I am told even Vic park is gone now too.
@AK Gaming Vids Great. Someone told me the ground was sold developers.
@AK Gaming Vids Further to my last reply. I did a bit of homework ( I have been away from Melbourne for 30 years) It is nothing like the stadium used to be and no longer the Pies home VFL ground. Oops , AFL ground. Good to see they kept some of it going. Thanks for letting me know. I thought they demolished all of it. Looks like they knocked down two thirds of it.
Great video.i used the station when I lived in northcote n I got my train from this station back in the 1980s.damm sad to see so much history gone forever and for what?, an eyesore of a city square.thanks again for great video.
Love these videos about old Melbourne, especially the rail network. Thanks for your awesome videos, look forward to many more!
This video is a shocker, but glad you still enjoyed haha
That was terrific. So well researched. Thank you.
Glad you think so Peter, thank you for watching!
I used the Hurstbridge line in the 70's and 80's. Left Melbourne for thirty years and returned recently to find so many chamges. Princess Bridge being gone was a bit of a shock.
You would have seen a lot of changes, some good, some bad!
Oh Wow always thought it was just extra platforms of Flinders St Station never knew it was Princess Bridge Station travelled through it occasionally as a child and teenager!
I can vaguely recall looking east over the extensive railyards beside the Princes Bridge. Covered over long ago.
And travelling up and down Batman Avenue by car, bike and tram, then located beside the Yarra River.
Hi...I grew up in Melbourne in the 60s and 70s....I left in 1978....my Mum worked on Yarra bank road over the river from Princes Bridge station ...sometime in peak hour Lilydale trains would leave from Princes Bridge..like when it was really busy.
That is very interesting, thank you for sharing. I never knew that Lilydale trains could depart from there! Where have you lived since then, have you ever come back to Melbourne to see all of the changes? Thanks again!
Well done Train Man. It is always a delight to watch and learn from your videos.
Sometimes while working in the CBD, taking the train to Flinders Street station the train would stop way over the other side at some underground platforms and we had to walk a fair way to get to the station entrance. I had no idea at the time that those platforms belonged to the former Princess Bridge Station. Thanks for the vedeo.
I recall the Prince's Bridge station during the 70s. But what I remember more is those awful Princes Bridge towers. Ugly, ugly buildings. I'm so glad they're gone, they were absolutely devoid of any aesthetic architectural beauty at all, and were a horrible brown colour. If I remember correctly, they were the home of the Gas and Fuel Corporation then. Thank goodness the landscape has improved so much since those days. Thanks for another interesting bit of rail history, TM.
I Remember Catching Trains A Few Times From Princes Bridge Railway Station Back In The 1980s And 90s Last Time In 1996!🙂🚇🚃🚃🚃🛤️🌉🌁
I live on the Mernda line and everytime i go to the City i always look at the former station
Very Cool, hope you enjoyed the video!
Great video again... really enjoy your passion for exploring these places... I will definitely stay tuned for what you find next
Thank you Dieter Koch! The support means a lot and I hope to hear from again in the future
There’s also another abandoned structure nearby on the same really long platform which is the old abandoned lift next to the Elizabeth Street exit on Platform 1 at Flinders Street Station! Apparently it only goes between the platform and the western end pedestrian underpass so it’s definitely quite interesting as I’ve always noticed it there! :)
No way! I'll have to check it out when I do a Flinders Street video, thanks for letting me know
@@the_train_man NP! It should pretty much be just inside the Elizabeth street entrance to the left next to the toilets and the base of the lift is right next to the stairs going into the underpass! :)
Nice insight in to.the history of the station. Used to get the City Circle service from there.
Harry Goldun very cool that you used this station once, and I’m glad you liked the video. Thanks!
That remnant you pointed out was Flinders Street ‘D’ Signal Box. Still used today although now all automated. I’m surprised you didn’t film Platform 14 which is still in existence although not used for passengers.
I should have, I think I rushed this video a lot, if I were to do it again, I would try and get access to Plaltform 14
No it is D box...... E is up near the MCG and controlled Richmond junction
@@robmcfarlane3602 ah thanks. I’ll update my comment to match.
@@the_train_man You might be able to. When I used the Hurstbridge line not many years ago, trains would sometimes arrive at or depart from Platform 14. It's an annoying place to get to or from along with a train-full of people, and a dingy place underneath Fed Square. Back in the day, the towers weren't so extensive, so plenty of sunlight got into Platforms 14, 15 & 16.
Very good ....you are a railway expert
Miss the old Princess Bridge station, wish they'd bring it back.
At 1.19 I can still hear the announcer say please stay behind the yellow line for your own safety
The building on the end of what was princes bridge station, is Flinders St D signal box and relay room
I believe they are no longer in use.
That was known as “D Box” and while the signal box upstairs has long been decommissioned and transferred to Metrol there is still live equipment for the signalling downstairs.
Keep up the good work !!!
Thanks Anthony!
There was a cafeteria in the Princes Bridge station that I used on a weekly basis, apprentice school at Footscray then night school at Caufield then home to Springvale.
That's awesome, so many experiences that I won't have :(. Hope you enjoy the video!
As well one on a lower level on the Finders St Station. Access from Finder St.
The Jolimont railyards used to be a mess of rails and points, there used to be a lot more tracks than there is today. They would park trains there, and there would be all kinds of freight trains and carriages. There was even a turntable there but they have all been removed, now the rail yards only cater to the main lines. It looks completely different today compared to the 1970's.
Yes! The Jolimont Yards, from photos look like an organised shambles haha, so many different tracks side by side, it would have looked crazy in real life.
@@the_train_man I loved it as a kid. Just watching the yards. On the other side of the city they had the shunting yards, where a loco would push carriages off a hill and they would roll down to form new freight trains. Im not sure if its still there.
That's cool, didn't know about loco shunting, fascinating!
tubester4567 That rail yard to the immediate west of what was then Spencer st station no longer exists, it’s where docklands and Batman’s hill areas are now. I remember as a kid seeing freight cars rolling by themselves after coming off the “hump”. This was a ramp system adjacent to the Melbourne yard “west tower” close to Dudley St. the west tower is still there but the hump is gone, there are still vestiges of the ramp system visible however. As I understand it this form of shunting has fallen out of favour with rail systems as being too dangerous.
@@johnyoung1128 Thats the one. Im from south east Melbourne but I used to go past while going to the footy at North Melbourne. Shame its gone.
v cool, I did get to explore the Melb train network as a 14/15 year old travelling to vfl football grounds in the mid 70's, as all games back then were played on Saturday afternoons at many grounds across Melbourne the rail network was a alive with fans and colour, particularly at Finders street
That's awesome Barry, would have been pretty cool to see many fans going different ways on a Saturday. Which team do you go for?
@@the_train_man I'm a Carlton guy, was great then, not so much now unfortunately
another little story....there was a line that ran to the old Fitzroy ground in Fitzroy, I actually lived in an apartment built in early 2000's where the old station was
@@barrymcdonald9868 Pies supporter right here ⚫⚪ haha
@@barrymcdonald9868 Yes the old Fitzroy Line will be the subject of a video soon, thanks for the reminder
It was brilliant thank you.
Trains from the east would, very rarely, offload passengers there. It only happened to me once and until then I didn't know it existed!
i live on the old epping line and remember the station fondly !!!
Excellent work. Great, authentic content. Keep it up.
Thanks heaps for the support mate, hopefully I can continue this into the future :)
I wonder if the station was actually demolished. If you look at 1:58 there is a locked gate. My suspicion is that they built around the platform - probably by putting supports where the train tracks use to be, and haven't actually remove it.
In the past I have heard unconfirmed rumors that this area is now being used for storage by the ACMI building that is directly above it.
Not that is an awesome rumour. With the growth of my channel, hopefully I can find out the true answer and get authorised access down there 😯
Mr Train Man, So what's the deal with Princes Bridge Station eventually becoming Flinders Street platforms 14, 15 &16? what happened to platforms 12 & 13? As far as I knew Flinders Street only had platforms 10 & 11 for Sandringham, St Kilda & Port Melbourne trains. 12 & 13 are a mystery to me as a kid growing up in the 70s & 80s. I remember one sunday in 1985 Dad & I travelled from Princes Bridge to Eltham where you had to change for a one carraige Tait red rattler to Hurstbridge.
I remember Princes Bridge being a dark and mysterious place.
12 and 13 were accessed from Platform 1
@@robmcfarlane3602 12 & 13? I don't remember that......I know that Princes Bridge were numbered 14, 15 & 16 so 12 & 13 aren't making any sense to me. I used trains in the 70s and 80s and have no memory of 12 or 13. anyway......
I remember PB station very well. I was a teenager in the '70s and used the station a lot, and I still live on the same line today. I'm guessing that while the fabric of the station has gone the platforms are still there hidden behind that ugly wall that seems a long-term temporary screen.
The 1960s structure - part of the ugly brown Gas and Fuel monstrosity above it - was typical of city stations in the era: tuck them under things, have them dark and out of the way. The rebuilt Penn station in New York is the classic one. If you look at the Flinders Street clocks you will notice the absence of the Hurstbridge and Epping/Mernda lines. This is because they terminated at PB over the road and missed out on getting a clock, as it were.
As you left the gate line in the station, and before you started to ascend the long bitumen ramp to the surface, there were a number of little stalls selling snacks and drinks. In summer, I would always stop at the stall selling a delicious soda cordial. The solution was in a big upturned bottle, rather like water coolers seen today in offices. I loved the lime flavour especially and it was a treat to get one in the cool of the station before heading up to the hotter air of the city. I've never seen these drinks in modern times. There was also a set of stairs at the down end of the platforms, which took you to the Russell St./Flinders St. corner. It was a quick way to gain a block if you were heading east from the station. Above the station was a little plaza which is included in a picture in this video. It was fun to go up there and see the trams hurtle up into Swanston Street from St. Kilda road. All gone now, though some of the platform space is now occupied by one of the museums or galleries accessed from Fed Square which in its own way is as ugly as the brown towers it replaced.
Hello Vortis, your soda cordial was a speciality of the VR Refreshments Branch, as was orange juice, and remember those small boxes of sultanas, another VR innovation, all initiated by Harold Clapp, VR Chief Commissioner of Railways (and the only Chief Commissioner of Railways in Australia !)
Very interesting and informative. Nicely done, though :)
Thanks for the good video again mate
I was quite young in this video, hopefully I can go back one day and do a more thorough video, thanks!
Awesome video thanks mate!
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The Train Man hey dude.... comfirmed, i saw the station today as heading out of flinders street station, 1/10.2019
Cool how you can see it so easily!
@@the_train_man yes i did....
I remember the station well in the 90s
How cool! Very jealous of your experiences
@@the_train_man I was only 8 in those years but from 1990 to 1997 has been confirmed that your vids are quite accurate. It was a dark station with those gas and fuel towers they were brown eyesore.
Hey The Train Man, here's an interesting one: did you know that there was a train station partially constructed underneath Tullamarine Airport?
I've seen photos of it, I believe it was around 1970? Maybe worth researching.
I had absolutely no idea about this!
How do I find the info, no one has ever told me anything about an abandoned Airport Station
@@the_train_man From what I've been told there was never actually a station built but a void during construction was allowed in which to build a station in the future. So more of an empty space exists but no actual station so to speak.
Actually that building that the end that still remains was retained so it could be used for the track yard signalling and point control server equipment! :)
0:08 That loco was perserved!
Dang dis is interesting great job! Even i am not aware of this
Thank you Vincent, glad I could teach you something!
THAT OUTSIDE LINE USE TO GO RIGHT INTO TO THE ABANDONED NUMBER 1 PLATFORM WHICH NOW THE OLD NUMBER 2 BECAME 1 AN I'VE BEEN ON THAT TRAIN AN THE ORIGINAL ST KILDA ONE FLINDERS STREET HAD SO MUCH MORE CHARACTER BACK THEN
I used PB and loved it!
Have you ever gone to flinders st staion and walked right to the end, there are remnants of the old station. Im not sure if it used to be longer or what but i have a cigarette there unbothered every time o go there.
Its pretty long and makes you feel like you went back in time.
Just keep walking, not sure if every platform is accesable but 6/7 is
I wonder how they’re using princes bridge station today
Apparently the crossing subways below are still present!
How much distance between this station and Flinders street station? I assume it was ridiculously small and the main reason it would have been closed
Never knew such thing existed and those 2 towers
The Gas and Fuel Corporation towers. Demolished for Federation Square, etc..
The towers were never liked and regarded as an eyesore as were the railway yards so they tried to cover up the lot by covering it with........an eyesore !
I wish it was all still there
Me too :(
I remember when they were platforms 14, 15 and 16. I arrived in Melbourne in 1980.
That is awesome, I wish I could have properly visited the station in my lifetime :(
Where were platforms 12 & 13????
I'd often wondered about that!
Amazing an abandoned station so close to the CBD
Thanks !!!!
Max the train man did you know that platforms 15 and 16 were under the two towers
I sure you now know, kept those bits because they have signal infrastructure still in use
I actually wasn't aware of that, I guess now you mention it, it does make sense. Thank you for sharing that fact :)
Awesome video at 0:22 thats my great great grandpas old photo
Thanks very much Izac! Hopefully I did you great grandpa's photo justice!
i think the platforms the had been integrated are not called 14,15 and 16 but 14 ,13 and 12 are the ones you mean am i right
who many times has prinsese bridge station been rebuild
I think it was rebuilt 3 times, although I am not certain of that number (at least twice)
Man, you think of everything, and find everything. I should offer you my lamington and cream.
what line do you live one the train man
I shall reveal that in my Q&A video!
I Subbed
miss princes bridge station with twin towers
Never saw how it looked, wish I could have
Fastest work video
Abandoned Victoria station train and tram Melbourne like look 2050
Thanks for the suggestions, I will definately be doing more abandoned stations videos in the future, aswell as a few tram videos. Hope you enjoyed this one!
Croydon train station