The weekend visit to Daylesford 2

Mount Franklin is a popular brand of bottled water in Australia, well Victoria at least. Apparently the real Mount Franklin does supply some spring water to the bottlers, probably owned by the giant Coca Cola Amatil. 

"Andrew, do we have the time to visit Mount Franklin?" "If you don't muck around, yes. We do have a train to catch." I had ordered the motel breakfast for $10, consisting of cereal, inadequate light milk and toast with butter and spreads, with me toasting the bread to make the toast. I had brought some chopped fruit and psyllium husks to add to the cereal. 

It was a lovely twenty minute drive to Mount Franklin, with such pretty scenery. There was nothing to see there that I know of but it is a popular camping ground. Camping?? Quell Horreur. 

We descended down to the carpark shared by those travelling on the vintage train and those attending the adjacent Sunday market. It took a little time to find a parking space but I thought we were there in plenty of time, fifteen minutes before departure. This three wheeler was parked as we walked to the station.

How did the station staff know my name? Now I surmise because I was the last person who had booked and arrived. The train was almost full and the seats weren't reserved.

 

Oh, what a beauty. A Walker Rail Motor, mostly used on country branch lines, since closed after the Beeching Report rationalisation of Victorian railways in the sixties and seventies. The Walker is two passenger carriages, in this case one first class and one second class, with another centre non passenger carriage where the two diesel motors and associated workings are located. There was little intrusion into the passenger carriages by engine noise as we climbed from an elevation of 616 metres to Bullarto at 735 metres, a quite steep rise of 1 in 50. Bullarto is the highest operating railway station in the state. 

A travel poster at the Bullarto Station. 

With a ten minute turn around at Bullarto, it was back to Daylesford, making it a perfect one hour trip. We only had two seats for three people, so Phyllis sat on Kosov's legs for the whole trip. 

We found some food at the Sunday market to fortify ourselves for the journey home, with Kosov driving to the motorway and then Phyllis for the rest to home. Some more luscious scenery along the way.

Saturday Train Arithmetic

There is a ridiculous situation of the Laverton train, travelling via the Altona Loop, is only partly recognised. In some areas it is a separate train line, but often is lumped in under the Werribee train line. It needs to be a properly listed train route. I know how the line works, but god help a stranger.

Nevertheless, with a welcome change, the Sandringham train line no longer stops at its former gloomy platform with one set of escalators, sometimes switched to up, sometimes switched to down. The off peak daytime service has been increased from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, which is terrific. 

And now, instead of the above mentioned gloomy platform, the train stops at a through running normal Flinders Street platform. The train goes on to provide a twenty minute service to Williamstown, Laverton and Werribee. 

As Sir Les Patterson used to say, 'Are you with me'? Probably not. 

I really have to be in a certain mood to start checking timetables, and I am not there yet. I caught a train from Laverton via the Altona Loop travelling to Sandringham. 

Simply put, a train from one end with a ten minute service can provide a twenty minute service to two destinations at the other end, not three. I never imagined Laverton would be included, and I have no idea how it all works. I guess I will have to edjicate myself, or someone will know. 

Public photography

I can't speak for other countries, but in Australia you are free to take photographs in public spaces. Defining public spaces is difficult, and I would certainly call anywhere government owned as a public space, with restrictions as defined by government law.

Our Spencer Street Station Southern Cross Station is privately operated but it is certainly government owned, so I reckon it is fair game for the public to take photos. After checking, personal and amateur photography is fine. 

What about Museum Melbourne Central Station?  The same as Southern Cross. 

Well, to my surprise this post is going nowhere. My suspicions about photography at private company operated railway stations seems unfounded.

Even at  a car service station where you might fill your car with petrol, while privately owned on privately owned land is considered a public space by Victoria Police.  

This was inspired by an article in an English electric newspaper, https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/use-a-dslr-in-a-railway-station-you-get-questioned-use-a-smartphone-youre-ignored-why/ 

Speaking of English newspapers, their free versions are hideous. The Telegraph had an ad over the text of a news story that didn't disappear, and nor had any usual method to close the ad. Only by refreshing could I read the article. Other electric English papers are just as bad with overwhelming advertising, and the pages jumping around on the screen as you try to read something. If I lived in England and wanted to read newspapers, I think I would buy a hard copy at the corner shop. 

And I thought our own advertising was intrusive enough. 

Riding the old bus

Over Grand Prix weekend, Newport Railway Workshops held its annual open day, and it was grand event with thousands attending over three days. 

I had warned my tram and train fan friend visiting from Queensland that my stamina was limited, and he confessed his was too. We met up at Flinders Street Station to travel to Newport Station, where we could catch a shuttle bus running for the event. The service was frequent and the first bus that arrived, while dated, was not to our taste. We wanted an older bus. 

Helpful volunteers advised us that it would be the next bus to arrive, and it was, and we clambered aboard. The bus is what is known as a Leyland Tiger, built in England between the end of WWII and 1968. Australia imported the engine, drive train and chassis, then the body, seats and accessories were added here. 

Amazingly, the ride seemed smoother and nothing rattled, unlike what happens with our modern city buses. Obviously it was very well maintained. One of the guides suggested a donation to the driver who volunteered his and his bus's time and effort for the three days. I wanted to, but I no longer carry cash.

There were food vans and it was all so well organised. While we didn't aim to see anything in particular, we enjoyed what we saw, even though aside from a couple of steam trains running in unison, we missed everything else that moved, actually moving. 

Note how hard the driver is working the almost horizontal steering wheel to turn corners.

This video shows a steam powered tractor of some kind, idling away. I don't know its purpose. Later I saw a video of it slowly moving about the yards. 

Travelling on the Tiger.

What a handsome beast. However, I recall being stuck behind one as it climbed the Punt Road hill, very slowly, and belching huge amounts of black diesel smoke. The engine next to the driver must have kept them very warm on hot summer days. Ray had a very masculine female friend called Bluey, who drove these buses, and another wide hipped friend Marj, who was a conductor on these buses. The bus aisle was wide enough to cater for her hips. Back in those days, there was almost no fare evasion on public transport.

  

Its bum is bit ho hum. 

The workshops clock tower. 

When I say this doesn't look so old, it probably is. They could still be in use for moving train carriages around in yards.

Another Tiger.

I think this is a rail car, maybe called a Walker Rail Motor. It is a small two carriage train used on very quiet train routes. The seats were super comfortable. Why have we gone backwards with train seat comfort?

This is the business that makes it go, a diesel motor.

Oddly it has what appears to be very similar to a standard tram power controller handle. 

I think the L plate on this train stands for 'lectric, an engine using power from overhead wires that pulled the Gippsland to Melbourne train which I so often travelled on. While I know the reasons why the line was de-electrified in the 80s, I think, it was a terrible mistake.

Melbourne's standard suburban electric trains, know as Taits, or more commonly, red rattlers.

The lighting made it difficult to photograph this old steam train. 

The train sheds were rather fancy.

While some of the rail yards are used for historical purposes, Newport Workshops is also a very large train storage and maintenance facility.

The English visitors

They were a delightful couple to keep company with. We visited Sister's on the Bellarine for a barbeque lunch. We dined together at Gentleman George across the road, at Gourmet Curry Hut and at Rosco's at the old Chevron Hotel. 

They visited the Grand Prix on three days of the event. They wandered the city and St Kilda. They caught trains, trams and walked. without help from me aside from giving them a Myki card each with one day's public transport credit. We visited the Dandenong Ranges on the Labour Day public holiday, firstly visiting Mount Dandenong, having some tucker then driving on to Grant's Picnic Ground, where we could surreptitiously and illegally feed some birds with seed, but  we could not find a parking space. The best laid plans...

I had a thought, and we journeyed on to Belgrave. Ray's nephew is an excellent driver, and he did all the driving while he was here. We arrived at Belgrave and for the life of me, we could not find parking at the Puffing Billy Railway Station. Later I think I worked out that you use the suburban train car park, I think. We eventually squeezed the car into a space and illegally walked across the railway line. 

There was a train full of people and ready to depart but it didn't have an engine. But we had seen an engine being loaded with coal.

View of Melbourne from Mount Dandenong. Exciting, not.

There is more than one dangerous tree, so an apostrophe must be inserted.

Mustang!

The train reverses in to collect its cars full of passengers.

Ready to depart.

I thought it was quite a feat of the platform staff to walk upside down on the platform.

Puffing Billy sets off, full of happy and waving people. I was waving to them too.

They departed Melbourne to journey on to Bali for a few days, and then via Dubai, they were home and ready for work on the Monday. Don't ask me how they went via Dubai. I have no idea. 

AI Slop

Artificial Intelligence Slop. This is a term I've heard used and I've seen examples of AI Slop. This photo below is a prime example of AI Slop, as this photo pretended to a Melbourne Station in St Kilda but the building was actually London's Old Bailey Court.

In the 1950s there was a serious train crash at the Washington DC Union Station. The short YouTube video about the crash was interesting enough and sounded very factual, but what can be trusted in the video? I took a screenshot towards the end of the clip and something didn't seem quite right in what I was watching. Can you see it? Actually, I've seen a another AI Slop in the still. 

One day, I thought was Saturday but it wasn't

I went to bed early last night, and consequently I woke early. Not a sleepy wake where I could go back to sleep, but wide awake. At 6.03 just as the sun was rising, fourteen balloons arose at the same time. I think the most I've seen in the past were seven. Quite wondrous and they floated in my direction, but not too close by.

I was out early to meet my friend, formerly of Japan, for breakfast. Yes, too early to call it brunch. I was hungering for bacon and eggs, and that is what I had, on sourdough toast, that I am not so fond of. But our meals were nice.

Phyllis and Kosov had invited two lady friends to lunch at home, with Phyllis cooking. Phyllis was out early too, to Victoria Market to buy fresh food. I'll give them some space. I used the Franklin Street entrance to State Library Station, far simpler than the Latrobe Street entrance, and the train, a couple of minutes late, shot off like scalded cat towards Footscray Station where I alighted to catch a train to Altona. The Werribee bound train was travelling via the Altona Loop! If the trains are running the same way back, that could be interesting ona single track. The screens at Altona Station were only showing Werribee bound trains, not city bound trains for me to return to the city.

We are told to use Journey Planner in case of disruptions. It was effing useless. I drilled down and down and finally found there was a bus replacement back to Newport Station. There was signage to direct passengers to a bus stop at the northern side on the roadway but I was still unsure until I arrived at the bus replacement stop. It took forever for the bus to reach Newport Station, where I could catch a train to the city. But the train with passengers onboard had come from the Werribee direction. I just gave up trying to understand at that point. Apparently these shenanigans will continue until April. 

I left the train at Footscray to catch a Metro train home. 

At home the lady guests were still here, one obviously Indian and the other seemed to be a blonde Anglo. I tried to hear her voice, and I thought it sounded Indian. A game of Uno was underway at the lounge room coffee table. There was food aplenty, and enough for my dinner later. I retired to my quarters to eat my discounted near use by date supermarket sandwich until they departed. 

Once the mynah chicks were born on the balcony below, I ceased harassing the parents, but Jass hasn't. She and the parents are at war with each other. I saw the chicks today, and they are just on ready to fledge, so for Jass, the bird excitement will end.  

Meanwhile back in the real world, I correctly guessed that Janice at Jabblog would win the annual Laughing Horse best blog award, at a terrific ceremony on Little St James resort island, just off the US coast. It is well deserved award and congratulations to JB. 

That was the year that was

Aside from my step mother dying in September, it wasn't a bad year for me. A family outing was organised for the first anniversary of Ray's death in April where we all met at Werribee Plains Open Range Zoo, and that was a good and distracting outing.

The attempt to avoid any celebration for my birthday by visiting Sydney was a failure, with just delaying the inevitable. 

December 2024 was a couple nights at Sister's on the Bellarine for Christmas and Boxing Day taking the car on the ferry to the other side of the bay for more family celebrations.

January I picked up Sister's cats from a cattery and took them to her home and stayed several days to look after them.

In April I took Phyllis and Kesav for an overnight stay in Daylesford, with separate cabins. 

Come May it was an overnight stay in Ballarat with my age closest ABI brother for a family get together and see the Sound and Light Show at Sovereign Hill.

I was back on the Bellarine to look after Sister's cats again in July.

As I mentioned, I was in Sydney for two weeks in October, the highlight being my return journey by sleeper train. I so enjoyed that, even though much of the time was spent asleep.

More recently in November were two nights away in Marysville, sharing a two bedroom cabin with Phyllis and Kosov.

Other outings with Phyllis and Kosov were day trips to, one to Mount Macedon with a stop off at the Organ Pipes National Park, a trip to the Bellarine for Jo's 18th where Phyllis and Kosov met most of the family, the trip to Geelong to see Jo slay them is the aisles in Anything Goes. There was also the surprise for Kosov with a trip to the Dinosaur Park, and a trip to travel on The Eagle chairlift at Arthur's Seat. I may well remember something else later. I did, a family trip to Funky Farm.

I was spoilt for my birthday once I returned, especially by being taken out for a surprise lunch by Phyllis and Kosov where we ate at a cafe in a train carriage (I want to say teetering, but that would be a lie) atop a three story building.

And who could forget the arrival into my home of Jass.

I can't take any pride in Phyllis graduating with a Master's degree in Food Science and Technology, but I sure as hell will take pride in teaching him to drive and obtaining his driving license. Once I realised he was at a level to pass a test, I worked hard on making him a better driver, smoother, more economical with fuel and reading other motorists' actions in advance. 

There was great sadness when the lovely Sue in Canberra unexpectedly died. She will be remembered by many of us forever. At times I return to her last blogpost, a Sunday Selections, which if her numbering is correct, they were over sixteen years. Just a week or so before, while weakened by treatment, she made the Out of the Shadows walk for suicide prevention. She has been posthumously honoured for her service at Lifeline over many years.

The world has seemed like a terribly messy place the year past, certainly not helped by the instability in the US and discontent in the UK. The year ended so badly in Australia with a horrific mass shooting, killing 15 people. We can make our own small efforts to make the world a better place, but we can't take the weight of world issues on our shoulders.

My evening was spent at home, declining an invitation from HH to watch the fireworks from her apartment with her city views. Instead being antisocial, I will watch the 9.30 fireworks from the tramstop below. By midnight I will be sound I was almost asleep, as Sister and her family prepare to party on for Hogmanay in Edinburgh. I warned Phyllis that I would probably drink too much and cry at some point, but he wasn't around to see that. Kosov was at work.

All in all, not a bad year for me. To all my blogmates, those of you who I know personally, and readers, my sincere best wishes for 2026. 

Happy New Year.

Transport Tuesday

We have some shiny new things in Melbourne, our new Metro underground rail tunnel and a new toll road, including a bridge over the Yarra River and a tunnel under the Maribyrnong River.

I've use the Metro tunnel a number of times since it opened. It works well but does have teething problems. Both incidents happened at Anzac Station, one with the train stopping short of the platform doors and having to move forward to align the train doors with the platform doors.

The second and more disturbing one was when the train I was travelling on stopped at Anzac Station, my local, and the train doors opened but the platform doors did not. Well, this is interesting. What will happen? I did not have to be anywhere soon and the worst case was the train would leave the station and I would end up in Malvern. While in the tunnel, the train is self driving, there is a driver to drive once out of the tunnel. Of course the driver and the staff along the platform would realise what was happening, and so they did. There is a green handle on the platform doors to open the doors, but after a few minutes, no one had used any of them, which is I guess like the olden days of pulling on the filthy and rusty emergency train chain, which would automatically apply the train brakes. There was a fear of interfering with the train. 

I was in the front carriage and there about three wheelchair passengers at the very front, and one of them must have opened the doors manually.  I used the exit they opened. Staff had ensured all were off who wanted to be off. I sat on a seat to see what evolved. The train doors closed and opened a couple of times. There were a couple of announcements, apologising for the delay. 

Ok, I was getting bored and as I started to walk away, there was announcement that a reset was underway and shortly after the platform doors opened. I was home ten minutes later and I saw on my phone that the train was mobile and then past South Yarra Station.

Yesterday I asked Phyllis and Kosov if they would like to try the new road tunnel and I would take them to the biggest large green shed they had ever seen. "Phyllis, I am driving through the new tunnel." It is probably the only time I will ever drive on the new road and tunnel. It is way too early, but the tunnel was dead quiet. Will this be a failed road project? I think the toll was just under $5. 

I missed seeing the big green shed as while it once stood out, it is now surrounded by other buildings. A zip around a roundabout had me in the other direction and finding the entrance. We bought what we had to, and then drove a couple of hundred metres to the supermarket where we bought food. 

I saw no need to use the same tunnel and road to return home as it would take longer, and cost another $5. Well, it may have been faster as even on a Monday, the Westgate Bridge and Freeway was congested. "Phyllis, you drive." I really don't like driving. I concentrated on the road guidance signs and still we nearly ended up in Williamstown. I think the signage at that point was very poor. 

State Library Station is rather confusing if you are lift user. I should try the escalators to how they work...well I did on opening day and the escalator failed and I had to walk up many stairs The problem is that most stations have a platform, concourse and street level, whereas State Library has a mezzanine level in between, making it three lifts to get to ground level, and none are next to each other. 

Here are a few photos of my travels.The entrance to Arden Station is nice.

With a great building opposite. I don't know what its use is. 

Photo separation problem above, and a linking problem here. 

A bus stop with no bus. I believe a new 421 bus route will begin next year and service this stop. 

Platform paving art. 

Rather nice art at State Library. 

Train doors auto opened, but platform doors did not.

Both sets of doors closed.

Train doors reopened, but platform doors remained closed. 

The new choo choo line

I had a thought to take a trip on our new Metro Tunnel rail line on Sunday afternoon, but in the morning I wanted to shop at Big W in South Yarra as I had foolishly lost a cap on Saturday. The 58 tram was in trouble, with a city car accident blocking its path. On the appropriate app, it was showing a tram due in 8 minutes, a second 8 minutes and a third in 9 minutes. In ten minutes when nothing had changed, I changed my plan and headed for Anzac Station, to catch the second train to ever run from there with passengers to the city as our new train line opened.

The train was crowded, but not unbearably so. The train arrived on time, yet it took forever to unload and load passengers on, many in baby pushers and plenty of wheelchairs. It was even worse at Town Hall. 

I left the train at State Library and because of the crowding, I couldn't immediately find the lifts, so I used the escalator from the platform to the concourse. As I was almost at the top, the escalator stopped, I think because it was overloaded. I walked the last few steps, and then took the longest escalator in Melbourne from the concourse to street level, I didn't know this and while it was not overloaded, it too stopped soon after I stepped on. I should have gone back down, but because of the people behind me, I walked up. This was getting hard. I paused and someone asked me if I was ok. I replied yes, I just needed a rest. By the time I reached the top, I was absolutely buggered. I leant against the wall for a bit and overheard staff discussing whether it should be called in as a serious fault or just restarted, for the third time. The latter was decided. 

After I recovered I went on to Big W at QV and then uneventfully caught a crowded train back home, again the station being so crowded, I couldn't find lifts. 

While I think Sydney's new Metro Stations are more attractive and have better wayfinding, I think our new Metro system and stations will function well, decades into the future. I was quite impressed with how well it all worked in spite of being opening day and overcrowded by the excited and curious, and it really was a very exciting day. This new train line, connecting two conventional train lines will change Melbourne travel patterns substantially.

Photos of the crowded train stations would be boring, and it would have bored me to take them, so just text in this post.  

Sydney thoughts and boobies

Sydney and Melbourne have similar population numbers, but within the Sydney city itself and its inner areas, the streets felt far more busy and more alive. Maybe it's that Sydney has warmer weather? I don't know. At times it felt crowded. Curious. 

Sydney's Metro train is amazing. There is a train every five minutes in the middle of the day. I think it becomes every three minutes in peak times. It is driverless, incredibly fast and passenger numbers have exceeded expectations. I loved it, except...

The seats are all sideways and the train's acceleration away from stations gives very strong G forces. The feeling is quite unpleasant. I'd rather face forward or backward than sideways. Just like London's DLR driverless trains, it feels odd as it speeds up at times, and then brakes, whereas if the driver in control, there would be coasting.

The seats are hard, and while the tracks are all new, the weirdest thing happened between Crows Nest Station and Chatswood Station. The train may have travelling at 100/60 and in my carriage, it was bouncing about every half second, you could say rapidly jiggling along. And, even though I have little interest in women's breasts, I could not fail to notice the women within my view had breasts jiggling up and down in tune with the train jiggling. It felt so unpleasant, and I thought at the time, unsafe. Are we about to derail? This is on new tracks, and in a new train!

The new and yet to be finished Sydney Metro is great, but the trains used are not. They are horrible, and to add, the air conditioning blows air straight down onto your head.

So after my visit to Chatswood I did not catch the Metro back to the city, but a stopping overground train. It was slower, but I was a tourist with time to spare. The seats were so comfortable, the train, smooth, quiet and no air blowing on me. 

A former Prime Minister, John Howard, lived in the suburb Wollstonecraft, and what a delightful station was that as they train paused. I was slow with the camera, but I did capture one view of the city from the train.  

And this one from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Friday Funny

I thought I'd posted this but I can't see that I have. If it is a repeat, sorry. Having your sound adds to it when watching. 

I thought that the top hats fitting into the train smokestack clearance in the tunnel was clever. It was clearly made for public viewing but who knows by whom and when. 

A shocking train crash

It was a long time ago when I posted about the local Sunshine train crash back in 1908. I was reminded of it when I recently came across this memorial plaque at Sunshine Station.

You can read about the detail on Wikipedia, and here is a snip. 

The Sunshine rail disaster occurred on 20 April 1908 at the junction at Sunshine railway station (in Sunshine, Victoria, Australia) when a Melbourne-bound train from Bendigo collided with the rear of a train from Ballarat. 44 people were killed and over 400 injured, almost all of them from the Ballarat train, as the Bendigo train was cushioned by its two locomotives.^[2]

It is the second worst train disaster in Australia after the much later 1977 Granville train crash with 83 killed. Nowadays, train crashes are so rare here, and deaths even rarer. 

Removed, it didn't work.

I worked on this for a long time, simply to find the audio, upload it and somehow place it here. Hence no post yesterday. I think it will work but truly, you are better to go to the website and just click play, and the lyrics are there too. 

An outing and home decoration

What to write about?

I had lunch today with neighbour HH. Her sister has returned to Sydney, I think somewhat to HH's relief. They are not at all alike. We chose a new cafe, where we had to drive to, Halcyon Days. It was not cheap but that staff were so nice and the food was good. Within ninety minutes, we had caught up on everything, and sorted out some of the world. I expect our basic political views are different but that is really just a guess.  

Phyllis received a very good pass for his English test, 7.5/10. I had no idea how difficult it was. Kosov is going to send me the sample paper test.

I was a bit surprised that the gubbermint has cut my pension by 2/3rds. I felt poverty stricken. Phyllis noticed I had received a letter from the gubbermint and I told him how was now in a state of poverty. I don't know how he so quickly picked it up but, "Andrew, you have too much money and that's why the government has cut your pension". I think I am repaying some money that I shouldn't have been paid after I received my inheritances from Ray and Mother.

Well, if I have enough money, I should spend some and get my pension back. I haven't spent money on a proper holiday since Ray died. 

Tuesday I booked the overnight sleeper train from Sydney to Melbourne. I had to book two bunks to get a sleeper cabin on my own, but there was a pensioner discount. I also booked a flight to Sydney and after a taste of business class when Ray I flew to and from England in 2023, via Sri Lanka, I decided I would do so for the single flight to Sydney, and so found a reasonable price with Virgin Australia. The trip will happen in October, for about eleven days. It will be a whole new experience for me to travel alone. I am full of doubts, especially the number of days I am away. Now I need to focus on accommodation. 

The two red cushions on the lounge room chairs looked grubby, without zip off covers, and misshapen. I wanted new cushions. As usual, I looked and looked, Myer, Big W, Kmart and Bed, Bath & Table. There was one I liked in Myer, and a possibility in BB&T. The Myer price was ridiculous,and the BB&T price not much better. I saw cushions for $4 in KMart. I looked again at the Myer cushions...yes, I liked them. I showed photos to Phyllis and Kosov, and they liked them.

Yay, on sale, half price. They were still expensive but I wanted them. I tried them on the chairs and they were ok, but then I thought to swap the smaller sofa cushions to the chairs and put the new cushions on the sofa, and they looked perfect. Happy, happy, happy. All done without Ray's advice and the consultation. I think I've made some very good choices on my own, getting the new carpet and the painting done, the new fridge and the new microwave. The holiday remains to be seen.

The lounge room is so old fashioned, but I like it how it is. The two single chairs are up for replacement, one with a broken spring and sagging and the other just sagging. Only visitors sit on the couch.