Driver's View Flinders St to Mernda Melbourne almost non-stop
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 เม.ย. 2019
- 41 Minutes. This video is unusual in that it runs express stopping only at South Morang and Mernda before creeping into the storage sidings. It is 25 minutes faster than the usual All Stations run.
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Cool, never seen past Epping before as that’s as far as the line went when I last used it. 👍😊
I like how you include details about bridges, trams etc.
Very informative clip. Well done!
I ride this train often from North Richmond to Ivanhoe. It's nice to see it from the front lol.
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Fantastic video, thanks. I grew up at Mernda in the 1950s. At that time there was a single carriage rail motor between Whittlesea and Thomastown. One of the drivers was a fellow by the name of Tom Merrigan, he would let me drive the train (at least sit on his seat) between South Morange and Mernda. I remember in 1960 the train hit a petrol tanker at the Mernda Level crossing. Terrible fire, killed the truck driver. I think the line was shut down about then. Also a steam goods train came once a week back then. Back then people would stand in the paddock alongside the line and the train would stop to pick them up. I didn't recognise one inch of the adjacent areas between Keon Park and Mernda.
Thank you for your very interesting recollections!
I’m excited to see this as I’m currently in northern Botswana and had no internet for a long time
I don’t suppose they have much of a suburban electric train service there 😊
Lol
I love your Videos from driver's cab I know lots of these lines as i lived in Melbourne and love trains keep them coming thanks posting these
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I love these little trips back to Melbourne!
thank you for the video footage, i'v been looking forward to it for ages
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Thanks Tressteleg, great as always, as a resident here and a weekly 'joyrider' on these lines it's fantastic to see these views. Though my favourite part of this video was the switch at Clifton Hill station to go around the stationary train there. I am insanely jealous of the drivers but every time I apply am yet to have any luck getting my dream job.
Yes, Clifton Hill was crazy. I hope you get job selection soon but it may be a good idea to ask present drivers how they like the job.
Great idea amalgamating three different time scales into one. Brilliant video. Thanks.
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I worked at Reservoir station 84-87. Very pleasant memories of such a well run station. It had a staff of 13 at one stage.
13!!!
Excellent vid. Love the way you were sent onto the UP track at Clifton Hill.
Thanks, but a friend is the driver 😊. Are you the Ray Marsh former Met Inspector? If so, you are seen in 2 videos already published. Maybe you would like to contact me using: tressteleg(at)icloud.com
Use the normal symbol instead of (at)
Another fantastic Vid mate well done.Keep up the good work.
Most thanks goes to our anonymous driver. 😊
Great to get an express run from Flinders street. Those station stops really stretch out after Preston - and after Reservoir almost no crossings
Interesting view. Great video 👍🏻
Fantastic video love the view of the mountains.
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So cool,my kids loved it. We have been travelled to Melbourne just a month ago.
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Great video, haven't been to Melbourne for a few years. Had a couple of beers while watching had to pause for a toilet stop about halfway, no adds which is great thanks for the upload TooT TooT (hiccup burb all good)
Yeah, I hate ads so won’t use them on my channel.
Nice Video, Thanks for posting. Living in the south east,we hardly get to go out that way. But by the looks of it, the car parks in Mernda are also chock a block, just as everywhere else in the metropolitan area at the moment .
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Love these ride-along videos! Have ridden along in Norway, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and now, Australia! Travel all over the world and never leave Kansas, USA! Thanks...
Paul Bowers A lot more fun riding here in person. Have you looked at my Playlists to easily find more videos like this one?
@@tressteleg1 Haven't checked out your playlists just yet....just found you today and subscribed! Will be going through your list as I'm anxious to see more of Melbourne and Australia. Have you seen the videos of the Union Pacific's "Big Boy"? That's their 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive that they recently restored to fully operational status. 130 ft long, 630 tons! Lots of vids on TH-cam, also UPRR.com. Thanks again...
Yes I did see some very early videos of its return to operation but the video I saw did not actually show it moving.
Unfortunately preparing one new video per week for myself occupies so much time that I get little time to spare to watch videos from other people, unless they are rather short. Some videos like an upcoming sugar cane train one has involved many emails and video clips to other people to help me with locations. And all these comments occupy an hour or more a day quite often.
@@tressteleg1 Lots of vids of Big Boy underway. Most impressive to see all that machinery in motion and to hear, although TH-cam sound doesn't do it credit.
OK. Check NSW Breyer Garratt Locomotive. You will see that we had something quite big which could run on quite light track.
Terrific video. I grew up in Reservoir and travelled that line often into Princes Bridge .
In my day the end of the electric line was Thomastown being single line from Reservoir.
Cant believe how hilly all the line work is from Sth Morang and the number elevated stations
Glad,you liked it. As I just replied to someone else - avoiding old level crossings made it much more of a roller coaster ride.
@@tressteleg1 I imagine the DERM that used to run from Reservoir to Whittlesea had bit of a taxing ride.
Does the line from Mernda onwards continue on from one of the storage sidings, and any idea when line will be extended to Whittlesea?
And good to see the road crossing at Reservoir is being removed....they have talked about doing that since the late 50s
Derek Flannery I did not live in Melbourne when the DERMs ran north so can’t comment.
Great Video! Nice decelerating sound at 36:50! :)
Still have the old level crossing at Clifton Hill, thought it would be gone for sure, thanks for journey Sir always a pleasure!
I think Clifton Hill removal is under way now. Glad but not surprised you enjoyed it 😊
Always like, nothing sadder than being subscribed to a channel just to thumbsdown
You probably would have seen my video Dedication (to a Moron). Some people can’t help being born as dumb as dog shit.
Thanks
Love the greenery and the trails near Rushall...
Rajiv Krishna 👍😊
Nice almost nonstop run!! Good speed too! There are sections of the LIRR where speed limits are 70mph or 80mph.
Thanks for posting this video!!😀😀💚
Our speeds in Km/h. Not as fast.
@@tressteleg1 I understand.
Thank you for taking us to the very end of the line.
Adam Adam We are just very lucky that our driver was rostered to stable the train down in the sidings. 😊
Love the three difference stages of the video great work
Yes. They blended fairly well to make a continuous trip.
The extensions on the overhead between Rushall and Reservoir originally carried 25Hz AC supply lines from the North Fitzroy substation to the Reservoir substation that was generated specially by VR at Newport as the original rotary converters used to produce 1500V DC couldn't handle the general 50Hz supply. From the 1950s onwards they were replaced by mercury arc rectifiers using 50Hz AC. This arrangement was on other lines like the Frankston Line to Seaford, Dandenong Line to Springvale, to Ringwood, between Essendon and Glenroy and along the Newport-Sunshine goods line and to Albion.
My background is Sydney and I know that they certainly used a 25Hz supply to power railway and Tramway substations. I believe that ultimately the equipment was changed to be compatible with the 50 Hz from the grid although I suspect many tramway substations were closed along with the Tramway and thus were never upgraded.
OH!! Finally! Thanks for this one!
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Thanks for the nice video. I like to watch this kind of stuff ❤
I hope you are one of the viewers who watched all 29 minutes, not the average viewer who watched just 10! 😊
@@tressteleg1
In another commentary i noted the windy conditions at 21:20. I didnt know its so windy in Melbourne.
(the long time difference between that and this comment is due to I was busy with dinner in between.)
I watched until the train reached Mernda. I even opened Google maps / street view additionally for checking where the train is driving.
Then I skipped while watching that it sneaked to the depot there. So, maybe I watched only 27 instead of 29 minutes. Hope, you forgive me. 👴🏻👴🏻
That’s fine. I’m sure that you are more diligent than most viewers. If you have the ability to stream all your TH-cam videos to a big TV, you may well find the picture is of better quality than the average computer or tablet etc. Everywhere in the world has occasional windy days but we don’t get tornadoes or often get damaging winds.
The new station built right now in plenty is across the road from my mums house in old plenty before mernda, cant wait to visit in 2 months time, love from NZ.
I’m sure you will see a lot of changes especially if you take a ride to Dandenong. Have fun down there!
I used work at Lalor station back in 76 -78.
The down trains only went to Epping and the track on the other side terminated at Lalor.
The station was old back then ,it was wooden with a tin roof ,it got very hot and it had no air-con.
I wouldn't recognise it now ,
We could smoke on trains back then and i often had to sweep up a bin full of butts from the final train in the siding.
Good old days?? Maybe.
Very nice video thanks - I will explore your channel. The line out to Mernda is surprisingly twisty and steeply graded - maybe a bit of telephoto lens but was almost rollercoasterish around Morang / Middle Gorge / Hawkstowe.
Yes the telephotos lens exaggerates the hills. Rode the train and you will hardly notice the slopes. It follows the old rail line so more or less had to go where it always did.
So many memories on this line 🥰
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Love these videos
Oh my... that characteristic "wrrrr" of the electric motors winding up and down during acceleration and deceleration. I know it so well, from my periodic visits to Melbourne for certain medical check-ups.
I much prefer the real gears on Comeng trains.
Great video but shows how dilapidated and shabby Melbourne train infrastructure is.
Yep. Most of the state money goes to roads.
Looks OK to me. What ? It's light rail, not a heavy main line RR. It has modern, concrete ties (sleepers), and the catanary looks well maintained..What ? M. L.A.,Ca.
It is considered heavy rail with MU trains. Electrification in Melbourne started on existing steam lines in 1919.
Your picture quality comments were not accessible but I can only say the driver risks his job taking these so we must be grateful for what we get. Him getting out to clean the windscreen where it does not affect his view would be sure to provoke questions!
@@MarkInLA Light Rail? That's a cute joke. The city's suburban railway network is an ugly hybrid monster between true heavy-rail, suburban-rail and metro.
The Australian suburban railways are and always have been what the Germans and other Europeans ‘invented’ post World War 2, namely S-Bahn. That is, a suburban service on the city end of long distance railways. ‘Metro’ is just the Melbourne operating company’s trade name - it is not a train type. The electric trains which started there in 1919 are considered to be heavy rail and always have been. Sydney will open a Metro style line in a few week’s time but using catenary overhead.
That new section is a freaking roller coaster.
I very much doubt you will feel it when you ride it.
My favourite line. I especially like the underpasses around West Richmond Station.
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TH-cam recommendations done right :D Subbed. :)
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Great video really enjoyed it
Mark Williams 😊👍
Thanks for the view....no longer south side drivers see SMG to MDD
My sister used to work at Thornbury as a Station Clerk then Flagstaff before she left. I started riding Melbourne trains in '78 when I started at RMIT then working at various places until Vic Barracks from '89 to 2014. Lalor had better fencing in the 70s but the land adjacent to the rails was always overgrown. I recall Clifton Hill box often couldn't see up Epping trains through the trees, resulting in expresses becoming stoppers because they'd let an up Hurstbridge stopper through. It was only the mid 80s they finally found out who was responsible for those trees. My brother-in-law is senior manager now, was a train controller then line controller and gave me a tour of Metrol not long after it was first established. I can recall the three signal boxes around Flinders St and station staff shutting the doors on old Tait cars in 73 when we arrived from London. Sadly, despite recent Vic Govt efforts the system still pales compared to the Tube
Thanks for your information there. My first trip to Melbourne was in 1965 and unfortunately electric trains there have seem to always suffered from shambolic running. One big difference you must remember comparing the Tube is that virtually all their lines are all isolated from each other. The Australian railway systems are complicated because nearly every line has branches turning off it somewhere and where there are junctions there are problems.
Since this was recorded the Vic Govt have removed many level crossings including the Reservoir one which was notorious for many years. The line used to revert to single track at Keon Park which caused a lot of delay with a staff and ticket single line working system. The points were moved to the north side of Keon Park in the 80s with double line to Epping in the next few years. One oddity was in 78 when I first went to RMIT, the line South of Clifton Hill was moved temporarily during renewal of the bridge adjacent to the main road. Both approaches used 7 detonators as a warning and the staff I've spoken to later on have no idea of that safe working system. I assume the number of dets was a custom one for that track work and only a few staff other than drivers were aware.
All very interesting. I think that a lot of safety procedures have been watered down in more recent years, sometimes with unhappy results.
As I have told others, I have over 500Gig of raw video to process that was taken by the driver. I may have to do these train videos at the rate of fortnightly otherwise some will be ancient history by the time I get to them.
Thank you. I loved it. Some so familiar but seen for a new 'frontal' perspective. [nb. future vids, just clean the lens & ensure the top is shaded.] ps. sorry. I didn't realise that you you were actually operational.:-)
Thanks. The train driver should not be taking these videos. He can hardly get out and clean the windscreen without bringing attention to himself. So we just have to put up with the state of the train as it is.
Awesome ride 👍👍🍸
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Thank you I found it interesting.
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Great video! I'm very familiar with the Reservoir and Keon Park crossings and I'm so glad to see the end of them. Love or hate the current state government, I have to say removing a lot of these crossings had made traffic flow so much better!
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The line between Epping and South Morang reminds me of the line between Diggers Rest and Sunbury, but surrounded by concrete walls
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Beautiful
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Thank you.
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At 32:40 gotta sneak up on that signal nice and slow. Nice catch to see the progression from red over red to yellow over red to yellow over green as, I suspect, a train in front of us accelerates further away.
The driver would be familiar with the line and have some idea how long a signal will take to change. Rolling up to a signal without having to stop is easier than rushing up, stopping, then starting from rest again. Certainly watching the signals change ahead of you can be quite interesting, especially when following another train.
Great video.
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Cool video!
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Hi tressteleg1,
In your opinion, do you think it would still be possible to travel along the entire Melbourne train network (inc Stony Point service) in one whole day (4am to 2am) considering the recent extension of this line to Mernda? It has been successfully attempted and achieved before in around 18hrs, but this line only extended as far as Epping or South Morang. Have there been any timetabling changes that may improve the chances of succeeding? Thanks!
Sorry but riding every line in one day is well beyond my ability or interest. Maybe somebody else here can help you.
This great.
Never been to Mernda
One day, no doubt...
Good video. Just needed a polarising filter to cut down most of the glare and reflections.
It would be nice but these videos must be made with the peak of discretion. I don’t even know if they are done on a phone or camera but it has to be something rather compact.
Great video very interesting. Those speeds though..... :) One question please, where to next for this line? Any rough timetable for it to happen or typical Aussie "one day mate" stuff? Thanks again, your videos are great.
Speeds explained by a driver. 1. Speeds are faster than it looks through the camera. 2. We caught up to an All Stations in front so we slow down to avoid stopping all the time. Google may tell you when another extension north may happen.
You can be sure it will not be extended while there is plenty of available housing land along the existing route.
Fascinating I had no idea Melbourne was being built up so far north.it is becoming a monstrous city physically. Live 20 km to the East. It’s a cliche but the last time I was here it was just farms & bush.
Melbourne will soon be bigger than Sydney. You are welcome to the turmoil.
tressteleg1 Your right unfortunately. It’s an unholy mess. We have to get serious about our infrastructure & spend money on it !
Massively drop immigration below the current 160,000 per annum would be a good start. But road spending brings votes, not rail works.
Interesting. Noted most of the overhead catenery from about 17mins in is the same design as the overhead catenery on Wellington's suburban system. It must have been made by the same company.
Quite possible.
Nice stations at the end.
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As someone who catches this train everyday, it is not this fast. normally you stop EVERY station. no express t
like this is. I dream of this sort of service
Those non-stop runs were Empty Cars transfers. It would have been faster except he caught up to the train ahead.
Great ride. This is the first time I've been on a cab ride in Melbourne. Seen so many places in Sydney already. Wherw to next?
I guess you enjoyed it. 😊 Unfortunately cab rides are totally forbidden everywhere these days. I only know a helpful driver in Melbourne so until I find one elsewhere, that will be it. Where to next?? Dunno what you mean there but I already have a number of other lines covered as Driver’s View videos.
That was harrowing. So many level crossings, I thought sooner or later some dumb sap is gunna step out in front of the train and get all chopped up...
It seems that people in the area are smart enough not to mess with trains.
True. It is an electrified steam railway built with very limited funds in 1889. Reopening followed the old alignment as the land was still available.
@@tressteleg1 It is nearly as "curvaceous" as the old QR .. :)
And built at about the same time when cheaper standards gave more miles of track for the same price. No bulldozers when they were built.
@@tressteleg1 Of course, but it is good to see rail extending to those expanding outer suburbs and the car parks full. I wonder if the Ferny Grove line will ever be extended back to the Samford Valley or also the Beaudesert Branch?
Love to see inside the city loop.
Watch this one and you may get a surprise. Driver's View Blackburn to Flinders St via Loop. th-cam.com/video/UngNzk8pxss/w-d-xo.html
Nice Coverage..
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Numerous comments here about the slow running and comparisons with trains in the 'old days'. Couple of things to remember! This line has a station about every one km. (The stations are further apart at the Down end, where the track speed is 80km/h.) It could easily be 95 km/h from Mernda to Epping, but only Metro Management can explain why not. Starting a train from stop to 55 km/h and stopping again at a station less than 1,000 metres away taxes the limits of electric traction in the wet, hence the same track speed as about 100 years ago. But 100 years ago you did not have 20 minute service for nearly 20 hours a day or six minute service during peaks. And if you still think trains are slow, try driving from Mernda to the CBD in peak hour in less than an hour and find a place to park! Good Luck.
Melbourne running has always been fairly leisurely. At least that makes it easier to stay on time and earn brownie points ($$$) for the Metro company. As for close station spacing, it would be political suicide to cut out stations although a new station is replacing two in the Mont Albert region. I dare say that driving would be no faster in the peaks. In fact motoring difficulties would be a major traffic generator for public transport.
Crossing in Thornbury is Normanby ave nice vid
You will find a lot more similar videos here
Driver's View Trains Melbourne
th-cam.com/play/PLLtOIHp49XNDtaNr2H41P2th0S56s6bIH.html
Interesting ride. Am I imagining things or have the new concrete sleepers on this "new?" line been doubled in quantity?
I would not know, but maybe somebody else will comment. It would not be hard to improve upon previous standards.
Thanks
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Did I miss the speed limit signs? And how do you interpret the red & green signals?
No. Melbourne train drivers have to learn the maximum speed for the various sections by heart. So only reductions from the normal speeds are shown. This video may explain the wacky signal system they use .
Melbourne Train Signals Explained I Hope!
th-cam.com/video/U9VM3fkJ6Bg/w-d-xo.html
Will there ever be a flyover at Clifton Hill? The perpetual delays of the Mernda/Greensborough trains at the station seem to be caused waiting for the other train to pass, something that a flyover would eliminate just like at Burnley and Camberwell.
Doubtful. Unlike Skyrail type projects, a flyover for trains will not help motorists at all.
Any chance the speed limit from clifton hill to flinders st is only 55kmh? As the crow flies this is not that far but it feels like it take much longer than it should.
If you do a Wikipedia check for the line it may tell you more about speed limits. In Melbourne the ‘Normal Speed’ for a line is not displayed. Driver’s must learn it.
I am noticing at the sidings after Mernda they do go a little farther beyond the station...are there plans to bring the line back to Whittlesea? or is that out of the question?
I cannot be certain but I think those sidings were designed so that 2 roads could continue out the back, but don’t hold your breath for it to happen.
When the train is parked in the siding, does the driver chock or some way block some of the wheels from moving, apart from using brakes or handbrake ?
As much as possible sidings are on level ground although Mernda does appear to slope towards the buffers so a train could not to roll far. I suspect that newest trains are like newer trams where brakes are spring applied and released by air pressure or hydraulic oil. Comeng I expect are parked with the handbrake on. No chocks.
Ok thank you, was curious if some drunk punk could roll a train off end of rail on a dare. Not that I am thinking of doing it. Unless it was for research, yeah that's my story and I am sticking to it.
I believe that they would need at least 2 very different special keys to have any hope of moving it at all, not to mention specialised knowledge of train operation.
Hi sir, would likely to know what is the chime sound at 1:30 (after crossing the junction) ?
I can’t be certain but it’s a very good chance that this is advising the driver that we are passing from one radio communications area to the next. I don’t recall whether it is Melbourne or Sydney, but I know that sometimes there is a little notice beside the track giving details around the same time that the tones are heard. I couldn’t see one here.
I don’t know if you knew Rod W, or “Rocketboy1950”, but he put up cab view videos like this. Sadly no longer with us.
No. I only knew Lindsay Adams who you will see in my Harris Trains video. He is still around.
Being a former British Rail employee of 22 years, I found this a very interesting video. Signaling system is different from the British Rail system. Is there an Advance Warning System (AWS) built into the cabs, as I did not hear anything beep/ring or whatever.
So many level crossings, unbelievable really. I think nearly every station had at least one. Saw a couple with level crossings either side of a station.
The Victorian signalling is based on some American system. I forget which one. Sydney and Melbourne have trip arms which stand up beside red signals and apply the brakes. Brisbane has AWS. Not sure about Adelaide and Perth. As I have told others, there were no rich people in Australia in the 1850s so railways essentially had to be built by governments on borrowed money most if not all from Britain. They were built when populations were extremely sparse by your standards so level crossings both foot and road were not a problem.
@@tressteleg1 Thank you very much for replying. Very interesting info. Those trip arms are what they use on the London Underground system.
As nobody else will bother looking at this, maybe around 1990 I did get the opportunity to drive a British Rail train out of Victoria station at midnight. I forget the destination but it was quite some miles to the south. That was my first and only first hand experience of the AWS. A few times there was a rush to push the button before anything happens. Personally I think the trip arm is a safer idea but of course I really don’t have enough knowledge of AWS to compare the pros and cons. With the trip arms, the train will stop. The driver must climb down to reset, I think. With AWS, a sleepy driver I believe can keep pushing the button past all the red signals until CRUNCH.
@@tressteleg1 I believe that the AWS has been enhanced a lot now with all the modern signalling. As most of our modern fleet is computer controlled, it is all linked to the signalling system, so even if a driver has a medical emergency, the computer will kick in, and bring the train to a stop. Plus drivers cannot override the AWS these days.
The trip arm concept is ok for local slow trains, but where you have trains travelling at 80Mph plus, then it's not a safe system.
I was not a driver, although when I worked on the Southern Region at Grove Park Station, I got to know most of the drivers & guards as it had a depot there. Used to ride in the cabs a lot, and was given the opportunity to take control at times. quite an experience.
Thanks for that update. Due to some paranoia, anybody riding in the cab with a driver is now absolutely forbidden, even a workmate off duty unless it is written into his roster or something. So I don’t get up-to-date information much any more regarding AWS. And I know that trip arms will smash above certain speeds.
15:04 even Clive Palmer cant keep himself out of youtube during election season XD
Ironic: he certainly wouldn't be interested in representing the locals in that area!
Hey Kool Video
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Awsome
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Brilliant ---different to west oz-- Those grades at the last few stations 1 in 40 ??
Thanks. Those grades are definitely no steeper than 1:40. A driver sent me the official charts for that stretch.
I was going to comment how slow the train appeared to run and this was not far short of half the service time, but others got there first. I imagine car use remains very high for he same journey. The general impression I got was the track and stations on the older part looked like the UK in the 1980s, all worn out and spartan. The newer parts were to a much better standard.
Yes, slow because it caught up with the all stops train in front. Inner parts of the line are a virtual museum. Roads get nearly all the money here but if there is a transport strike the motorist are the first who wish it to end to unclog their roads.. it is mainly city workers who find public transport the most sensible means of transport, not cross city travel.
I forgot to say there are lots of pedestrian level crossings and level crossings why is that?
Lack of money to build bridges from day 1. No rich people to buy railway shares. All railways built on loans from Britain I expect.
Thanks for the vid. I use to live near ruthven station when i was a kid, that area was crap but now it doesn't look bad. Can you get footage from flinders st to hurstbridge? I use to live in macleod
I do have footage of the Hurstbridge line but as I think ?tunnel works are still ongoing, at this stage I have not looked to see what I have got. The newest video I have is from last January, but not necessarily that recent of that line. Maybe you can update me.
@@tressteleg1 tunnel works? I haven't been in that area for over 10 years
I think that it was this line which had a single track tunnel which was duplicated. I will have to check.
@@tressteleg1 yeah there was a tunnel between Heidelberg and roseanna with a single track and a passing loop
I don’t know what to do for next week but have started looking at Heidelberg. The oldest scenes are in early 2017 but I don’t think any scenes go all the way to the terminus. I think it just covers the crossing sites and the tunnel duplication. There are at least 10 folders/scenes. Wait and see😊
When the trains go into the yard do they get cleaned before use
I expect that there would be overnight cleaning, but not during the day if just stabled in the yard for a few hours between peaks.
I know why because sometimes the trains depart from platform 2. Because trains may come from the Burnley tunnel and that’s the trains from platform 2
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Comment went before I was finished. You mentioned the “old Whittlesea line”. So what happened to Whittlesea? Great to see they are adding train lines - even if only extensions. Thanks for this.
I suppose a few hundred people live there. I have never seen it.
tressteleg1 I guess that means that there is now no station stop for Whittlesea. Not that it was ever much of a town as far as I know. But I thought it would have grown not shrunk. As a kid we took the train from Fairfield into the city. In those days i think I remember a single line across the Merri Creek between Clifton Hill and Westgarth. From your video it looked like a double line now.
Whittlesea is further out. I’m sure Mr Google can answer your questions. Personally I know nothing about the line or town.
@@williamoreilly125 The Mernda line is double track all the way through. I'm led to believe that most of the extension past Epping (the previous terminus) is on the old Whittlesea ROW. Seeing the sidings as they are at Mernda I wouldn't be sure if there would any extensions beyond it.
William O'Reilly the line toward Greensborough over Merri Creek was duplicated in January 2009.
27:41 who needs signals at the end of the old terminus, (South Morang)?
I’m pretty certain that the video was made up of two separate clips made weeks, or even months apart. That explains the stop signal’s sudden disappearance.
Are you able to show as the Keon Park level crossing removal as it stands now? 🤔
If you asked me 10 days ago, I could’ve made sure I went there and got some ground level scenes. I’ll just have to wait and see what my driver comes up with. That will be in 12 months time.
Since when do Merida trains leave on Platform 2 in Flinders Street?
The shambles that is Metro is liable to send trains from anywhere but as this was an empty cars run, its origin is irrelevant.
Nice.
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When will there be a updated video that shows new Reservoir station and bridge
Not before I go to Melbourne next month and only if my driver has been out that way with his camera. Wait and see.
Mernda inbound will feature tomorrow night. All prior to construction.
I'm in Los Angeles.. Is this US standard gauge, 4'8.5" ? It looks like it might be 5' gauge. No ? M
True. It is not the British and European standard gauge of 4’ 8 1/2” but Irish 5’ 3”. No time to explain why here.
Mark Harris
What I have been told. The Irish gauge was agreed to by the NSW and Vic governments around 1850. Vic built Australia's first line. When NSW built there's they had a Scots engineer had he demanded standard gauge. Neither state would change their gauge and so trains, passengers, and freight had to changed at the border. Different rail gauges caused a major problem during WW2. It remained so until the 1960's when the Victorian line from Albury on the border to Melbourne was made standard gauge. Most of Victoria's western rail lines that carry wheat are now standard gauge. Melbourne's suburban rail network remains broad gauge. QLD, SA, and WA all have differing gauges.
That sounds pretty correct to me. Lately I am getting swamped with comments and I just don’t have time to do research like this so thanks for doing it for us all.
Amazing all Melbourne signal have the home Green and the distant red.No Green/ Green or variations Amber....
The other thing that is different to Sydney the speed is generally slower -- Why?
Went thr two reds near Epping .?
Maybe the long walk for the drivers would keep them healthy.
If he went through 2 reds, there would have been a little orange below. Melbourne signal speed codes are too complicated for me to remember. Sydney much simpler.
The reason it is slower is because Victoria is the home of the nanny state, notice how long this took despite the train not taking passengers??
The reason it was slow for parts of the journey was because it was following an all stops train, and without an extra track cannot overtake!
Nevertheless generally Melbourne is not known for its speed, but Sydney is much slower than it used to be as well.
Is that a new extension or was it rebuilt to remove grade crossings. For an express it is still slow. A lot if slow speeds. It was still fun to watch.
All beyond I think Lalor is reopening of the Whittlesea line which was closed in steam days. Old level crossings have been bypassed.
After a number of accidents at level crossings in Victoria in both metro and country areas there was a decree that there were to be no new level crossings constructed. Also the government and PTV are doing a large blitz to grade separate a number of level crossings. 50 were identified with I think about 30 having been done. Certainly High St Reservoir and Clifton Hill crossings on this line would be in the count to be amended
Of course it would be stupid to build any new level crossing today.
What is the voltage in Melbourne?
Trains 1,500 V DC, trams 600 V DC domestic 240 V AC.
Why are there little to no fences on the sides of railways in Melbourne? Isn't it safer to install fences along every section of the railway lines in Melbourne?
Flizey While there are some sections with fencing, there are many kilometres without and some quite close to houses. Nevertheless deaths and injuries from being hit by trains seems no worse than anywhere else. One could argue that fences are a waste of money. Teach people not to play around train lines.
Yes nice scenery
View very good also
I live on geelong line
Any chance of warrnambool service including via werribee
Well unfortunately I don’t have a VLine driver taking any videos for me, so for the time being, not possible. Maybe some day somebody will cover those lines for us.
Excellent video as always. But what a shame, in the 21st century, that Melbourne's suburban trains are no quicker, (with passengers, or empty cars), than the old days of the 60's and 70's. But to be fair, the Epping line was never one for quick speeds, with so many crossings, and track alignments that hadn't changed from the days of steam. Queensland is much the same, tracks in most areas following the same routes as the old steam days. It is a joke. Both Melbourne and Brisbane had the chance to straighten out their slower lines, but chose not to, saying no money to buy properties etc. The problem is, most of the areas where they could have removed slower curves for faster times was Crown land, much of it is still vacant today. Will never be developed. If a train in the UK or Europe took so long to cover the 35 km's or so, as it does on the Mernda line here, the people who spent the money on the extension would be sacked. Even in third world countries trains are quicker, and no....safety is not compromised in third world countries, their safe working is as good as anywhere else. It is a real frustration to see such modern, passenger friendly stations being built, as well as newer extensions of lines, only to be laughed at, due to the routes being so slow by world standards. I have timetables from the 1960's and 70's, (as I was a VR officer), and the journey times to places like Epping, Hurstbridge, and Frankston, to name just three, were faster than today, even for expresses, yet today the trains are more modern, and there are even more tracks on the routes, but it will never be a world class suburban system, with the same track alignments and curves,, that the old red rattlers used. Raising the lines above the ground level such as on the Pakenham line is only a part solution. Melbourne simply has a very slow metropolitan system in the main, and it is an embarrassment. Seriously what must people think, who come here from overseas on holidays? And if anyone wants to have a go at me over my comments, go for it....but please don't be an "armchair expert" who has never worked on a train. I do know a little of what I am talking about.
I basically agree. But within curve limitations etc they could readily bank the curves and go round much faster. Another unfortunate factor is that trains are kept slow to give them more chance of actually arriving on time, but Melbourne still falls far short of the mark, it seems. This disease affects Sydney and Brisbane. North Sydney to Central many years ago took 10 minutes. Now it is close to 14 at any time of the day and they using trains that are much more powerful than the old red sets.
Good point too. In Melbourne, back in the "old days", electric trains were driven by more experienced drivers for the day as well, (nothing against today's drivers either who do a great job and no guards in Melbourne puts unfair pressure on them too), but back in the day you had to be a qualified diesel driver for at least 3 years, before you could even apply to become a driver on the Melbourne suburban network. Trainee Drivers never came directly onto electric trains, they had to apply after being diesel drivers. Privatisation stopped all that, Unions got involved and they streamlined the course for all applicants off the street or from within. Not such a bad thing, but it created a few issues. And they wonder why the SPAD's increased so much over the last 20 years. Let;s hope Sydney never goes private!!. Brisbane actually needs to, the unions control it, and the service is still poor. and its really not a huge network in the big scheme of things anyway.
Really many factors result in poor service. Minimally trained drivers, lousy track, over generous running times and, I can assure you, management who mistreat staff to the point that they could not give a darn about the job and do absolutely nothing to help management, especially after some major disruption. Same with Yarra trams, that last factor at least.
Heavy on the horn!
He only was obeying the whistle boards - white X on white post.
i enjoyed it too. seems to be some steep grades on the newer section of this line. do you know what the rate of climb is and what is the steepest for modern electric trains?
I don’t know offhand but if you can find the answers via Google I will be happy to have them here. Best if you start a new thread for that so more people may see it. Avoiding the old level crossings north of South Morang is the result of some of the roller coasting.
@@tressteleg1, i asked you about the grades because you obviously know drivers who often just happen to know. my dad was a driver in victoria and knew all the grades in the state, being on steam before sparks. i am aware of why the roller coaster. its a wonderful thing for car drivers and train drivers. dad sometimes came home early and if i asked why i was told to 'mind my own bloody business'. that meant another level crossing incident. the climb rate on this line seems far steeper than i've noticed with the skyrail and trenchrail on the dandy or frankston line. i don't live in victoria any more. your train rides are as close as i can get.
vsv nrg I have emailed you question to a driver.
@@tressteleg1, ta for that. i remembered that i had come across what i'll call grade charts or maps somewhere on this instrument of satan (the internet). i thought it was vicsig. however i could not find them there if that was where i saw them.
The driver I asked says he has to wait until he gets to work again for the answer. Your internet search for curves and gradients would be no less successful than any I might make.
Hey can you please do one for the Belgrave/Lilydale line as well?
Unfortunately I don’t have anything at all on Lilydale but Belgrave is already in my TH-cam.
@@tressteleg1 oh thanks!