Driver's Eye View Plus - Savannahlander - Part 8 - With Commentary - Kuranda to Cairns
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2024
- #Timsvideochannel1 #Trains
Please sit back and enjoy the ride accompanied by an informative commentary delivered with typical Australian humour by our driver/guides Will and Hamish. An alternative version of this trip for people who prefer an uninterrupted experience without commentary using video footage from an external camera will be available shortly.
The first time I travelled the 33 kilometres from Cairns to Kuranda on one of Queensland Rails Kuranda Scenic Trains, I had no idea that the railway continued for another 391 kilometres to Forsayth and at one time connected Cairns with a network of branch lines serving the needs of the mining, agricultural and lumber industries as well as carrying all manner of goods required by the towns and villages served by the Tablelands Railways.
In this video we pass through a deserted Kuranda station long after the crowds had caught the last tourist train back to the coastal resort town of Cairns. Please get comfortable and join me for trip along one of Australia's most scenic stretches of railway line accompanied by an informative commentary covering the construction and history of this line, built through some of the most hostile terrain imaginable. I could have spent ages waxing lyrical about the tunnels, bridges, waterfalls, history and the amazing views, but to be honest our guides Will and Hamish do a much better job describing the journey as it happens.
Here is a little information about the train, mostly courtesy of Wikipedia -
The service was introduced on 3 April 1995 by Queensland Rail to replace the Forsayth Mixed (marketed as the 'Last Great Train Ride'). The line was closed from Mareeba to Mount Surprise at the same time. It was initially run with a 2000 class railmotor set that was refurbished at Townsville Workshops. Initially this service only ran on the Mount Surprise to Forsayth section of the Etheridge line. However, after an upgrade of the line for sugar syrup trains from Cairns to Arriga, and a limited restoration of the rest of the line, the railmotor started travelling from Cairns to Forsayth in September 1998. In 2004 it was decided to put the running of the train out to tender and the winning bid was submitted by “Cairns Kuranda Steam Pty Ltd”. Please listen to the commentary to hear more about “Cairns Kuranda Steam” and how it came to be running the Savannahlander.
Music - Track - Composer - Source
00:00 - ES_Acoustic Dreams 19 - Örjan Karlsson - epidemicsound.com
01:29:28 - ES_Lower Down The Bridge (Instrumental Version) - Tommy Ljungberg - epidemicsound.com
Map at 00:38 - Google Earth
Map at 00:46 - Google Maps
To learn more about the “Savannahlander” or to book your own outback adventure, please click on this link - savannahlander.com.au/ Savannahlander
Facebook Page - Savannahland...
For information about the Tablelands railway - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablela...
This trip was filmed - 20.10.2023
Track Gauge - 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
To see the first 6 Parts of this trip, please click on any of the links below -
Driver's Eye View (Australia) - Savannahlander - Part 2 - With Commentary - Forsayth to Cafe Bloodwood - • Driver's Eye View Plus...
Driver's Eye View (Australia) - Savannahlander - Part 3 - With Commentary - Cafe Bloodwood to Einasleigh - • Driver's Eye View Plus...
Driver's Eye View Plus - Savannahlander - Part 4 - with commentary - Einasleigh to
Mount Surprise - • Driver's Eye View Plus...
Driver's Eye View (Plus) - Savannahlander - Part 5 - With Commentary - Mount Surprise to Almaden - • Driver's Eye View (Plu...
Driver's Eye View Plus - Savannahlander - Part 6 - With Commentary - Almaden to Dimbulah - • Driver's Eye View Plus...
Driver's Eye View Plus - Savannahlander - Part 7 - With Commentary - Dimbulah to Kuranda - • Driver's Eye View Plus...
My name is Roland Hersom and I was a fitter and Turner apprentice back in the late 1950's at Commonwealth Engineering in Brisbane when the 2000 class rail cars were built. My job on these was to build a large scale model of the underframes to assist the design engineers to design the pipework for air and electrics
Hi Roland, I'm a toolmaker in the UK, so I'm familiar with the machines you used in the 50's. I started out in the early 70's, firstly as a pattern maker before switching to toolmaking. With the arrival of CAD/CAM it was obvious that the days of wooden models were numbered. It must have been interesting working with the designers on the 2000 class railcars. I'm past retirement age, but I still design on CAD and machine with CAM, I can't imagine not going to work, but I guess I'll have to come to terms with retirement in the not too distant future. Thanks for sharing your memories.
Thanks for sharing. The underframes was made of Perspex so it was see-through and I had the ability of destroying the concentration of the entire drawing office staff when I was using a small circular saw to cut the Perspex. It was rather loud! My main part of my apprenticeship was spent on full reconditioning of steam locomotives. Complete pulldown and rebuild. That was a job where you could really get your hands and anything else dirty.
Perspex is an interesting material, it has a tendency to split when using self-tapping screws in pilot holes that have been drilled too small. I used it to help developed an incubator for premature babies, once the design was finished and approved it was sent to a factory that specialised in making hospital equipment to be put into production. I spent six months of my apprenticeship in a drawing office back in the days when draughtsmen drew on massive drawing boards, now I sit at my computer where I draw in 3D, once I've designed the component I can 3D print it and hand it to my customer for approval before I go on to design and make the mould tool, it's a very different way of working to what I learned in the mid 70's. Here in the UK we have plenty of heritage railways, many of which now offer full engineering apprenticeships in the hope that some of the people who pass through their courses will come back to volunteer in the railway's own workshops. I love spending time in the railway workshops, I've considered volunteering, probably something I'll do when I retire from the day job. Engineering and getting dirty go hand in hand. Thanks for sharing your memories 😊
By watching this and listening to our Australian lingo just goes to show how proud that i am to be an Australian.
To be able to feel proud of the country you live in is awesome.
and how glad that I am an Englishman ha ha 😁
Many thanks for a great Part 8 guys,
For me it's filled in what I missed out on back in July 2022 when camping out in my 1996 Super Roo Outback. Coffsa Harbour Darwin Adelaide Blue Mountains and home. 5 1/2 months.
I'd gone up on the Kuranda train but came back on the gondola.
The information and delivery thereof etc you gave was so much better than we had going up on the Kuranda train. So tonight you''ve happily filled in very nicely a hole I missed back then.
Have been following a few of these videos now but need to watch the first three I think.
You do an excellent job with the journey and these awesome videos, so again many thanks. 🤠
Hi, it's really nice to know you enjoyed Part 8, a fitting end to a memorable trip. The commentary added to the experience, I now know a lot more about termites, the trials and tribulations of filming for reality TV, how the Savannahlander helps to support people living on the Tablelands, why Mangos are grown instead of Tabaco, the difficulties faced by John Robb and his navvies in building the Kurunda railway. After riding this train I came away with a far greater understanding of a part of the world I knew almost nothing about. I'm in debt to Will, Hamish and all the behind the scenes people who work together to make this wonderful holiday possible. It was great to have your virtual company and I look forward to sharing future travel adventures with you. That five and a half month trip you did sounds awesome, if was a little younger I'd embark on a similar road trip.
@@Timsvideochannel1Tim you are never too olde. I was just 77 back then (now 79) and looking forward to a "somewhere Sojourn" hopefully later this year.
Thanks for your kind words. Congrats to you and team on a great coverage of such an epic journey, and the people involved. 🤠
@@nbrettoner I'm back home now in a rather chilly and wet UK editing these videos and wishing the sunshine would break through the clouds here. I'm only 66 although I decided to keep working until I'm 70 to finance my travelling. I'm off to the Czech Republic and Germany next month to hopefully capture some steam action on the mainline before the national railways switch to the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). It is unlikely that the enthusiasts responsible for running steam on the mainline will be able to afford to fit their locomotives with ERTMS or to buy a suitable portable ststem. Knowing what you did at 77 gives me hope that I can continue for a few more years, my wife travels with my occasionally, especially if warm sandy beaches are on the menu, for the rest of my trips she's happy to stay at home to look after the garden and generaly relax or visit one or both of our daughters. I like this time of life, still fit enough to travel, no debts, no worries and able to afford some of the things that I couldn't do before the kids left home. I really appreciate your kind words🍺and best wishes. Tim.
Thank you, Tim, for sharing your Australian holiday. I have enjoyed watching each part unfold and the incredible variety of scenery in a small part of a very large country. And thank everyone for all their comments which really complimented the journey.
Hi Chris, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride, Queensland is a fascinating part of the world, about which I knew little. Shooting these videos and doing a little research to check the information I give, both in the video descriptions and in answering viewer’s comments has been an enlightening experience. The history is comparatively recent compared with Europe and there are family members alive today who knew the people who were responsible for opening up the outback. Every village has a museum and a story, I will post a video in the coming months showing some of the non Savannahlander elements of this trip. I enjoyed listening to the commentary given by our drivers, it helped passengers to make sense of both the industrial heritage and the wildlife, especially the termite mounds.
Thanks again - looking forward to the next Australian journey.@@Timsvideochannel1
Another fabulous ride in Australia this day. One of most picturesque train rides I took through my travels in the past. Thank you Tim for your labours in making this videos. Always look forwards to them. Cheers Tim! 🇦🇺🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸
Thank you Martin, it was good to have your virtual company on this fascinating rail tour and I look forward to sharing more of my travel adventures with you 🍺 Tim.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Thank you Tim. 🇦🇺🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸
Greetings from California...what a fabulous ride, this is a great 8 part series ! Fascinating, to say the least !!!
Hello, it's nice the hear from California and I'm really pleased you enjoyed this Queensland adventure 🤠.
What an incredible trip. I have watched all 8 episodes and I will miss my Aussie fix. Thank you, and the train crew for a journey through a wonderful country. Somewhere I should have gone in my younger days.
Thank you, It's nice to know you enjoyed this Queensland adventure, I've still got more from this Aussie trip to share, including some steam action, before going on to New Zealand. The crew who run this train are passionate about what they do and that really comes over during the trip, nothing is too much trouble.
In 1981 travelled from Cairn to Kuranda. The group I was with took the train also instead of taking the coach drive around. Looks like the Falls have changed since I was there in 1981. I love watching all your videos, thank you.
Hi, I've travelled by coach and by train, the view from the train is way better than the view from the coach. The water flowing over the falls in influenced by hydro-electric power station and by the rain fall on the Tablelands, the route the water takes today may well have changed over the years. It's nice to know you enjoy watching these videos, thank you for your support, it is appreciated.
I watched the 8 episodes of the Savannahlander journey and enjoyed it immensely. Thank you Tim! 🫠👍🏻🤩
Hello Larrisa, I'm glad you enjoyed the journey, Queensland is an awesome state 🤠.
Невероятно красиво и уютно, хочу там дом свой 😊❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Это красивое место, и я бы тоже хотел там жить 🤠🐫🦘🦘🦘🐊.
Brilliant episode. Thanks Tim for sharing so many of your journeys.
The commentary & scenes on this one, emphasised by the edit and production were first class.
Hello Peter, the people behind this train deserve a big thank you; they are doing a great job running this first class railway journey along with the added attractions available when booking a tour with them. I will make a video featuring the non-railway aspects of this trip over the coming months. I really appreciate your support, many thanks. Tim.
Thanks to you, too
Очень познавательное,увлекательное,интересное видео!Хоть и долго,но посмотрел на одном дыхании.Большое спасибо!И за предыдущие благодарю!
Спасибо за ваш добрый комментарий, это ценно. Мне посчастливилось путешествовать на многих поездах по всему миру, и если бы я выбрал пять своих любимых путешествий, это было бы одно из них.
Thanks for the video. One of the best ones yet. All the bridges and tunnels makes me want to go along with you. Two thumbs up
Hello, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride. This railway was difficult to build and the freight it used the carry has switched to lorries now that the roads have been improved. Fortunately the tourist trains to Kuranda are still popular with holidaymakers, without them this railway would have closed a long time ago. Thanks for the thumbs up.
Thanks Tim for sharing your holiday with us. 🏳🌈
It was my pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊.
OK Tim this series pushed me over the edge and I subscribed to TH-cam Premium to get away from the ads. I'll confess that I watched the watched the last one first as I wasn't much in the mood for more outback after watching the Gulflander vids. I'll go back and watch the rest of the Savannahlander on rainy days. Nice insect video, I hear Australia has a lot of 'em!
Oh, I'm so sorry to be the one who pushed you over the edge, although to be honest I think TH-cam Premium is worth the money, you get extra films and music too. Some videos have ads every ten minutes, which drives me mad. When I upload my videos I try to extend the ad spacing to every 30 minutes, any more than that and I run the risk of the algorithm ceasing to recommend my videos. The Gulflander is a very different experience to the Savanahhlander, the scenery is more varied and the commentary from the drivers gives a fascinating insight to both railway and the wildlife seen from the train. That insect looked as though it was going to eat me, I was the guy wearing a blue and white tee shirt taking video film as the train crossed the bridge. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.
Outstanding series Tim! Well done!
Thank you, I really appreciate your kind comment 😊.
Thanks Tim. Good trip video as usual. I hope Will and Hamish looked after You.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride, Will and Hamish were first class hosts, nothing was too much trouble and I loved their commentary.
Amazing! After the experience of all the Savannahlander's parts I really wish to go there and try it! The only problem is that I live on "the other side" - in Norway where we have quite a few railroad adventures. But northing like this. Thank you!
Hi, I'm from the UK, a lot closer to Norway than Australia and I must do the Flam Railway one day. Queensland is a lovely part of the world; it's got the Great Barrier Reef, awesome beaches, sunny weather and some really interesting railway journeys, both along the Coastal Plain and into the Outback. Actually riding the Savanahlander is way better than watching these videos. If you do make it to Queensland, I think you'll enjoy the experience. I'm glad you liked the videos.
I enjoyed videos 1 to 8 and of course you also enjoyed this wonderful journey, thank you for sharing these videos ;-)
I only found out about this train by chance and now I've done it, it's certainly in my top 5 all-time favourite railway adventures. It's great to know you enjoyed all 8 Parts of this extraordinary railway journey. Thank you for your support, it is appreciated. 😊.
I haven't traveled that part of the line Tim since I was very young and it must have been in the 1970's for that was the last time I was in Cairns. I can remember seeing sugar cane being fired in the fields basically to get rid of the snakes. For years the stopped firing the cane but some have returned to it again.
I've never seen the line from the cab only from carriage window. It's better from the front thanks to you Tim.
Hi, did you ride on the twice weekly mixed train? Described by Queensland Rail at the time as the last great train trip - th-cam.com/video/QkWswvvwNiI/w-d-xo.html I wish I'd had the chance to ride the mixed train. They were starting to cut the sugar cane whilst I was there, although I didn't see any burning. The driver certainly gets the best view and it was so nice of the Savannahlander drivers to allow me the place cameras up front. I'm glad you enjoyed the ride.
I would say this was your best series ever but i might be a bit biased seeing it's in my backyard, People around the globe will see this amazing adventure and come on down to ride on this wonderful journey, Are we now going across the ditch to continue our great adventure thanks Tim cheers Bob. ps did you see the black scrub turkeys running across the tracks where not allowed to eat them there protected.😋🍗🍺😄
Hello Robert, I'm glad you enjoyed this rail adventure; it ranks in my all-time favourite top 5 rail journeys. I want to go back and do it again shortly after the rainy season ends, maybe early next year. There are several comments from people who having watched the series are now planning on doing the ride for themselves. A few extra bookings would be a nice reward for the operators as a thank you for all the help they gave me in obtaining these videos. I will be covering the rest of this holiday in Queensland before going onto New Zealand. I am also intending to make a video covering my Queensland by rail adventure, including some useful links for anyone who fancies doing a similar holiday. I will also suggest this holiday to one of the holidays by rail companies here in the UK, because I'm sure Queensland Rail's own booking office along with the Savannahlander team will want to help put together a repeatable itinerary that is reasonably easy to put together at a sensible price 🤠.
Beaut!! Thanks Tim, I really enjoyed this. Would so love to travel this line in person. Good job!!
Hello Anna, it's nice to hear from you. I think this a ride you would really enjoy, the view from the window is fascinating and if you don't mind the Aussie humour the commentary is both amusing and full of interesting facts about the countryside the train passes through and the wildlife seen along the way.
@@Timsvideochannel1 I am used to the humour here down under.
Much better than last time !!! LOL😄😄Nice to be with civilization again !!!
Hi, I hope you enjoyed travelling with me all the way from Forsayth to Cairns, it was nice to have your company 😊.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Thanks a lot !🥸
W pociągu dobrze się rozmawia. Stacyjki jak przecinki, stacje jak kropki;😀🥰
Witam, cieszę się, że podobała Ci się jazda tym pociągiem. Przydatny był komentarz dwóch kierowców, opowiedzieli nam o kolei, a także o dzikiej przyrodzie widzianej z pociągu 😊.
Last part of a fantastic journey. And as promised few videos earlier: I haven't finished my huge Brickstone Castle. Something around 10k parts to built to finish it.
Thank you for a beautiful tour.
Hi, it's good to know that Brickstone Castle is still keeping you entertained; how far are you from finishing it? I have a model railway I have worked on, on and off for the last forty years, there would be a big hole in my life if I ever finished it, yet at the same time I like to finish it whilst I still can. It was nice to have your company on this tour and it would be nice to have your company again on future adventures. Good luck with Brickstone Castle.
@@Timsvideochannel1One or to months. Depends on my freetime. I will see. Here in Germany spring starts very early. So it can take longer than shorter to built that castle.
Do you have another enjoyabletrain rides in your playlist?
@@derw4397 Finishing Brickstone Castle will be a massive achievement, what will you do next? are there any similar projects? My next rail adventure will take me to the Czech Republic and on to Germany, I'm looking forward to it. Here are a couple of rail playlists I think you might enjoy - th-cam.com/play/PLPdTWbkwx85qangrZY_6YpuprEmDGYDTb.html and th-cam.com/play/PLPdTWbkwx85reZPlPUrazkuiHLE8CpHlf.html
Beleza muita natureza verde ,parece cheio de vida achei bem diferente dos outros vídeos legal
Olá, a última parte desta viagem é bem diferente do início. No início o campo era seco e árido, 400 kms depois o nosso comboio desce para a exuberante planície costeira. Espero que você tenha gostado da viagem.
اللهم صل على محمد وال محمد goooood
16:20 Forward's Lookout, named for Ted Forward..... well, he wasn't backward! LOL😁
مقطع فيديو جميل جدآ 🧡☕️🌻
شكرا لك، أنا سعيد لأنك استمتعت به 😊
@@Timsvideochannel1 وأنت كذالك يعطيك الصحة والعافية عزيزي 🌸💜
@@alking.abwhajr شكرا لك وأتمنى لك نفس الشيء
@@alking.abwhajr شكرا لك وأتمنى لك نفس الشيء
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Hi Tim! I think I was the first 👍. Best regards from Hans and Cheers 🍻🇦🇹.
Yes Hans you were number one.🦘🐨🍺🍺
@@robertcoleman4861 Thank you Robert 🍻.
Hello Hans, you must be an early riser, as always it's nice to have your company on these trips 🍻🍺👍 Tim.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Yes Tim, I stand up in the morning between 4 and 5 am. 😊
@@johannperaus6890 Gosh, I don't get up before 8, although I don't usually go to bed until well after midnight 🍻😊.
At 1.21.55 I notice that the signal for trains coming from the opposite direction is down! Why would this be so?
Hi, this was the only train operating at the time and the signallers were about to go home. When this happens, all signals are set to allow trains in either direction to pass as if they were not there and the section is operated on a one engine in steam basis. In the UK when a section is taken out of operation in this way it is said to be "Switched out".
Tell the Machinist to warm up when they are working and FILMING THE TRIP.
25:22 Camp Oven - a place to get baked! LOL😁
You really *cooked* that one up 😂
You did well to spot that one, you're really on the boil now 🤠.
@@Timsvideochannel1 Possibly "fried"! LOL 😁
@@neilforbes416 The heat's on now 🤠 with jokes like that, you've gotta be half baked 🥴.
@@Timsvideochannel1 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The video is spectacular with landscapes that would relax the eyes and the mind if it weren't for the charlatan who doesn't stop talking throughout the video.🤣🤣🤣
Hello, I'm really pleased you enjoyed the video and you can watch it without commentary. Please click on this link - th-cam.com/video/IWJ6pciAmVQ/w-d-xo.html
Not one human being or snimal seen...except drivers & passengers
It's nice to know that there are still some quiet places left where life is slower and the pace is far more relaxed.
43:45 Bloody roach ruining your shot here! *UGH!*
Now it's famous
It looks as though it's going to eat me (the guy wearing the blue and white striped tee shirt holding a video camera).
@@Timsvideochannel1 LOL
@@neilforbes416That roach is a hawthorn supporter for Aussie Rules black and yellow. 😆
@@neilforbes416 *Bloody roach ruining your shot here! UGH!* This is Queensland what did you expect. 😆
Fantastic journey, greetings from Kalisz in Poland:))
Hello, it's nice to hear from Poland, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride 😊.