In 1968 I caught the Mildura sleeping train to Ouyen (with the recently added Motorail to carry cars). I think it departed Spencer St at 9.00pm and arrived at Ouyen at about 6.00am the next day. I got off at Ouyen sleepily and waited for the Walker 102hp railcar to take me to Pinnaroo. It arrived about 15 mins later and I was the only passenger. I sat in the front seat next to the driver, whose door was open, so we chatted about all things VR on the way. At Walpeup we stopped and he asked me if I could give him a hand to carry a really big, heavy Peters Ice Cream canvas bag full of ice creams with dry ice over to the shop, which I did. We continued on to Pinneroo where I had about five hours there. I climbed the silo (you could do things like that in those day and not get into any trouble). It may have been a water tower though, it was 56 years ago so I cant be sure, but I did get some good black and white photos of the Pinnaroo yard from high up on that tower. I remember that there was lots of SAR freight rolling stock which I hadnt seen before and several brand new workman's sleepers in Pinnaroo yard. The Walker railcar left for the return trip at about 6.00pm with the same driver, with me again in the front seat. By this time the driver knew I was a really interested in all things railways. When we arrived at Underbool it was pitch dark and the driver said did I want to have a look at the closed refreshment room there and of course I did. It was amazing it has just closed one day years ago and had be left there closed and unsused for years. The driver said would I like to see the cellar where the beer kegs used to be kept, so we lifted the trap door behind the counter up and there were steep steps to go down. We looked for a light switch but couldnt find one, so the driver went back to the railcar and got his signal lamp, so we could see. We climbed down and it was completely empty but there was a high shelf running along one wall.I asked the driver if I could use the lamp and climbed up to look and there at one end of the shelf was a VR cup and saucer in perfect condition. I said to the Driver could I have it and he said well no one knows it is here so why not. There was a hatch from the platform above and a ramp for the kegs, to be lowered down into the cellar. The cup and saucer were probably last used by station staff, who had a cup of tea while unloading beer kegs into the cellar, in maybe the 1940s, put on the shelf and forgotton. I was so sad to see in this video that the station along with the refreshment room has been demolished. I still have this cup and saucer from the old Underbool Refresh and it is one of my most loved posessions.
Well it's possible Peter. In 1968 and 1969, I bought first class 14 day All lines tickets and on my holidays I travelled all over the Victorian Railways system with them. I remember in 1968, I did 4702 miles in the 14 days, covering quite a large part of the VR system. The aim at the time was to cover the most miles and lines that I could but that meant lines that only had a weekly sevice such as Patchewallock and Cudgewa, I would miss travelling on sadly. I probably did a bit less miles the following year because I travelled on more goods trains then, to cover lines without passenger services, such as Timboon, Orbost and Koroit to Hamilton. I had a map of the VR system marked with all the lines that I had travelled on. There were still many lines left that I could have gone on after that time and I regret not going on them as they are now all sadly closed. I used to sleep on the trains at night often. I would catch the Mildura train leaving at 9.00pm to St Arnaud, which was where the up and the down Mildura trains crossed. I had to wait 30 minutes on the St Arnaud platform in the freezing cold at 1.30am, for the return train to Spencer St which arrived there at about 8am in the morning. I would then head off in another direction to say somewhere like Yarram or Mansfield. Another train I would sleep on, half way and back again was The Overland. I took hundreds of photos but unfortunately my camera was not very good, so the quality of some of the photos weren't the best. That was in the days when you took a roll of film to the chemist and waited two weeks for the processed photos to come back. Sometime around 1980 I sadly did a cull of the not so good ones. I wish I hadnt done that and I regret it so much now, but I remember that the Pinneroo line ones were quite good so there is a chance they are still here. I will try and find them and I will post a youtube of them if I do. I remember one of the Walker railcar sitting at the ground level Pinnaroo Station in the afternoon sun, as being particualrly good too. I had never seen a South Australian ground level station before my trip to Pinnaroo, stations without platforms seemed so strange to me then.
@@denise39plus Someone with the same idea as me, travelling as many rails as possible. 😀 Sounds like you would have some very interesting photos to see. 👍😀
I did this trip with steam rail in 1999. If I can figure out a way of uploading mini DV tapes, I will put the footage somewhere! Anyway great video and keep up the great work.
Question time at 3022 and many times trackside there are these boards?sticks what are they for. Again you van be in the middle of knowhere and have fans takings pics. Another Great video
Are you able to drive r707 cause if you can that’s cool and I wanna ask was the process to be able to drive a steam loco cause I’m young only 13 and my dream is to drive the n class but they won’t run when I’m older but I really wanna drive r711
@@CooperSchache34 steam locomotives are a different locomotive to drive. They take a lot of work and concentration to know what to do. I'm not qualified to drive steam but some of my work colleagues are. They do a great job 👍😀
In 1968 I caught the Mildura sleeping train to Ouyen (with the recently added Motorail to carry cars). I think it departed Spencer St at 9.00pm and arrived at Ouyen at about 6.00am the next day. I got off at Ouyen sleepily and waited for the Walker 102hp railcar to take me to Pinnaroo. It arrived about 15 mins later and I was the only passenger. I sat in the front seat next to the driver, whose door was open, so we chatted about all things VR on the way. At Walpeup we stopped and he asked me if I could give him a hand to carry a really big, heavy Peters Ice Cream canvas bag full of ice creams with dry ice over to the shop, which I did. We continued on to Pinneroo where I had about five hours there. I climbed the silo (you could do things like that in those day and not get into any trouble). It may have been a water tower though, it was 56 years ago so I cant be sure, but I did get some good black and white photos of the Pinnaroo yard from high up on that tower. I remember that there was lots of SAR freight rolling stock which I hadnt seen before and several brand new workman's sleepers in Pinnaroo yard.
The Walker railcar left for the return trip at about 6.00pm with the same driver, with me again in the front seat. By this time the driver knew I was a really interested in all things railways. When we arrived at Underbool it was pitch dark and the driver said did I want to have a look at the closed refreshment room there and of course I did. It was amazing it has just closed one day years ago and had be left there closed and unsused for years. The driver said would I like to see the cellar where the beer kegs used to be kept, so we lifted the trap door behind the counter up and there were steep steps to go down. We looked for a light switch but couldnt find one, so the driver went back to the railcar and got his signal lamp, so we could see. We climbed down and it was completely empty but there was a high shelf running along one wall.I asked the driver if I could use the lamp and climbed up to look and there at one end of the shelf was a VR cup and saucer in perfect condition. I said to the Driver could I have it and he said well no one knows it is here so why not.
There was a hatch from the platform above and a ramp for the kegs, to be lowered down into the cellar. The cup and saucer were probably last used by station staff, who had a cup of tea while unloading beer kegs into the cellar, in maybe the 1940s, put on the shelf and forgotton. I was so sad to see in this video that the station along with the refreshment room has been demolished. I still have this cup and saucer from the old Underbool Refresh and it is one of my most loved posessions.
@@denise39plus great story. It's a pity a lot of this history is gone and just in a few people's memories now. 🤔👍😀
Are the black and white photos still alive, be good to see😅😅
Well it's possible Peter. In 1968 and 1969, I bought first class 14 day All lines tickets and on my holidays I travelled all over the Victorian Railways system with them. I remember in 1968, I did 4702 miles in the 14 days, covering quite a large part of the VR system. The aim at the time was to cover the most miles and lines that I could but that meant lines that only had a weekly sevice such as Patchewallock and Cudgewa, I would miss travelling on sadly. I probably did a bit less miles the following year because I travelled on more goods trains then, to cover lines without passenger services, such as Timboon, Orbost and Koroit to Hamilton. I had a map of the VR system marked with all the lines that I had travelled on. There were still many lines left that I could have gone on after that time and I regret not going on them as they are now all sadly closed.
I used to sleep on the trains at night often. I would catch the Mildura train leaving at 9.00pm to St Arnaud, which was where the up and the down Mildura trains crossed. I had to wait 30 minutes on the St Arnaud platform in the freezing cold at 1.30am, for the return train to Spencer St which arrived there at about 8am in the morning. I would then head off in another direction to say somewhere like Yarram or Mansfield. Another train I would sleep on, half way and back again was The Overland.
I took hundreds of photos but unfortunately my camera was not very good, so the quality of some of the photos weren't the best. That was in the days when you took a roll of film to the chemist and waited two weeks for the processed photos to come back.
Sometime around 1980 I sadly did a cull of the not so good ones. I wish I hadnt done that and I regret it so much now, but I remember that the Pinneroo line ones were quite good so there is a chance they are still here. I will try and find them and I will post a youtube of them if I do. I remember one of the Walker railcar sitting at the ground level Pinnaroo Station in the afternoon sun, as being particualrly good too. I had never seen a South Australian ground level station before my trip to Pinnaroo, stations without platforms seemed so strange to me then.
@denise39plus That would be great, might be a Labor of love though, time wise
@@denise39plus Someone with the same idea as me, travelling as many rails as possible. 😀 Sounds like you would have some very interesting photos to see. 👍😀
The striking green of the farming fields amidst all the desert and scrub always keeps it interesting.
@@georgeheilman4243 it sure does. 👍😀
7:46 Oh my goodness. The sun came out! 😳
🌥⛅🌤☀😎
👍👍😀
hard to believe there was a refreshment room at Underbool.
@@darylcheshire1618 extremely. 👍😀
Great video
@@yargn3594 very happy you enjoyed the ride 👍 😀
I did this trip with steam rail in 1999. If I can figure out a way of uploading mini DV tapes, I will put the footage somewhere! Anyway great video and keep up the great work.
@@GlenMorrowConsulting sounds like interesting video. I have uploaded some of my earlier videos from DV tape here. Glad you enjoyed the ride 👍 😀
This would have been the first passenger train for years on this line.
@@RichardFelstead1949 it sure was. 👍😀
This track had an upgrade in 2022,so freight trains can travel at 40kph
@@gregthompson3274 👍😀
in 1986, I applied for a job in Walpeup, didn’t get it.
@@darylcheshire1618 that would be interesting. 🤔🤔👍
The Murrayville line is rarely used
It doesn't see a lot of trains. 👍😀
Only one or two grain trains last year, and only to Underbool. Very disappointing.
@ tbh, it was worth closing beyond Underbool or maybe even the entire line
Question time at 3022 and many times trackside there are these boards?sticks what are they for. Again you van be in the middle of knowhere and have fans takings pics. Another Great video
@@thomasrobinson8336 if you mean the white cross, they are whistle boards. The whistle is blown at them. 👍😀
Are you able to drive r707 cause if you can that’s cool and I wanna ask was the process to be able to drive a steam loco cause I’m young only 13 and my dream is to drive the n class but they won’t run when I’m older but I really wanna drive r711
@@CooperSchache34 steam locomotives are a different locomotive to drive. They take a lot of work and concentration to know what to do. I'm not qualified to drive steam but some of my work colleagues are. They do a great job 👍😀