+Ray Evans Thanks. I'm glad you like my style. Music and voice overs I often find irritating. And I use captions for overseas people who can possibly read English easier than hear it. Older videos of mine had voice as only friends would see them. RU-vid was unimaginable then.
Awesome work. My old house was on the right just before Mont Albert station. Circa 1965. WOW that’s 55 years ago. I am getting old. Thanks for your work making this
I try to explain things to people who may not be familiar with a place. And with just about every video which I make, there is usually something which I learn as well. In fact sometimes there’s quite a lot which generally I pass on.
Hello T1. A note from the dumb. I just watched your Blackburn to FS vid and have only now - back at Blackburn station - realised I'm going the other way. So much for knowing my Melbourne suburbs...love the long telephoto by the way - shows how much the early builders just laid the lines on the ground and let the operators get on with dragging the trains over the resulting gradients. Some of them must have been hell in steam days.
+Geoff Barry Since cab rides have become totally forbidden in all states, I believe, these Driver's View videos are the only way to know the geography of rail lines. Thus their popularity. Hopefully I can continue to have access to more lines in the future. Anyway I'm happy that this one has been useful to you.
Wherever there is a white X on a post left side of the track, the driver must whistle and anywhere else he feels there is a risk. Also on leaving stations.
Thanks for this. A really interesting perspective of the line I use regularly (my usual station is Laburnum). Of historic value, with the grade separation at Blackburn Road to be completed in coming weeks. Are there prompts to the driver to remind them which stations to stop at?
+tressteleg1 Response from the cameraman "The roster book specifies any express or non-stop running, as well as showing via the city loop where appropriate. If no extra information is provided then the train stops all stations direct to or from Flinders St."
+Busman500 Public Transport Fan There are several aids. There are rear vision mirrors on each side of the cab. At the end of the platform, there is a large mirror or at least one TV screen showing the view along the platform and the side of the train. There is also a light which comes on in the cab when all doors are shut.
A beautiful trip! Given the rural area with few passengers and the rugged terrain, this must be an expensive branch to operate, but it's a great service to the public. In the US, we've allowed our public transport to fall apart.
+Bob Rogers Yes it is a very nice run. However I think you have misjudged loadings. This train left Melbourne city somewhere around 9 AM when everybody had gone to work in the opposite direction and it was too early for shoppers to be going home again. Melbourne trains and trams carry very heavy loadings in the peak hours whill most offpeak runs carry respectable loads but of course much lighter. If you see the video of the train ride to Blackburn, on the same line, it was also taken about the same time of day. Yes unfortunately the USA did abandon a lot of city rail transport while Australian cities were just as bad at scrapping their tramways except for Melbourne.
Thanks for the explanation. Sydney also seems to have an active, perhaps newer, city rail system. Both cities are far ahead of what US cities have to offer for public transport. The oil interests here have made sure that tax support goes to highways and not rail.
+Bob Rogers With our small population in earlier times only governments could afford to build railways. As lines radiated out from the city centres towards rural destinations, suburban services were run on the inner portions of these lines. Thus were born the suburban operations of today which did gradually extend further out as the cities spread out. Very few suburban lines were closed and some in Brisbane were reopened more recently. Melbourne rail electrification started in 1919, Sydney 1926 and the other cities much more recently. There was never a push to replace these trains with buses or freeways.
I live in the State of New Hampshire, and there is no passenger rail service of any kind within the state (except for a few miles that pass through one corner on the way to Maine). Seventy or eighty years ago there was extensive passenger service, including a network of electric trolleys spreading out from the major cities. All gone, and most of the rail rights-of-way have been abandoned. I envy the public transport that you enjoy in Australia!
+Bob Rogers Sometimes I think our local rail passengers are unaware of how fortunate they are to have what they have even if trains sometimes run a few minutes late etc etc. If you are interested in seeing more Aussie rail video check out tassiebaz for vintage Sydney, and Sydney Trains Vlog for up-to-date short clips, both on RU-vid. Don't miss my Hershey videos which portray US style Interurbans as they used to be in the 1920s and 30s.
+TrainsOfSander When you see on the video a board beside the tracks with a white cross on it, the driver must blow the whistle. Between stations, these are usually for road or foot crossings. Also the driver is required to blow the whistle before shutting the doors at stations. Melbourne trains are driver only, and there is no guard or conductor on them. Thus the noisy ride.
+Jacob Krins I have one soon to be posted of Blackburn to Flinders St via the Loop. The rebuilt section will be handled later and I will probably put the before and after affected stretches in the one video. But not until I get the new bit which may not have been taken yet.
+Jim Bradley If this is near the end of the video, what happened in the 1960s I think it was, Puffing Billy was cut back a few stations and the electric trains extended more or less exactly where Puffing Billy had run - the same track alignment.
+QuebeC VR The driver advises that he keeps no record of the trains he drives. In case you did not know, drivers are not supposed to have cameras running.
The opposite direction has already been done. Blackburn to Flinders St as well. You will find them in the Playlists. Generally I prefer to do all lines in one direction before doing the other direction on lines already covered. Also I will have to check if I have what you require.
+darren gulliver Sorry for the late reply. My mate missed the email. He says: “All the announcements are prerecorded and played automatically. The driver only has to use the PA during times of disruption.”
From somebody who knows what he is talking about: Green over red - Clear normal speed - Proceed at maximum line speed to the next signal - NSW = green/green.Yellow over red - Normal speed warning - Proceed at maximum line speed prepared to stop at the next signal - NSW = green/red.Red over red - Stop - Something Victoria and NSW can agree on.Yellow over green - Reduce to medium speed - Proceed but reduce speed to 40km/h (unless otherwise indicated) by the next signal - NSW = green over yellow without the necessity to reduce to a specific speedRed over green - Clear medium speed - Proceed at a maximum speed of 40km/h (unless otherwise indicated) to the next signal - NSW = yellow /yellow (Note: Victoria has no specific turnout indication)Red over yellow - Medium speed warning - Proceed at a maximum speed of 40km/h (unless otherwise indicated) prepared to stop at the next signal - NSW = yellow/red (See note above).
Generally red over green means it is using crossover. Good example is Clifton Hill, where aspect green over red goes to South Morang, red over green it uses crossover to go to Hurstbridge.
Points, if any, are set for the intended move. Track section ahead is clear to the next fixed signal. The next signal is showing a some sort of proceed aspect. Medium speed (40km/h) to the next fixed signal, unless you have an illuminated 65 or 80 fixed to the signal post, where medium speed will now be 65 or 80 to the next fixed signal. There is an exception on the Automatic and Track Control safeworking system, if you have a red over green departing you onto a single line section, you can resume track speed once the whole train has cleared the points entering the single line. This exception does not apply to red over yellow, where you need to maintain medium speed to the next fixed signal.
Great videos, my only suggestion would be to have a sped up video with music overlay alongside your real time videos, similar to the RU-vid Profile Sydney Train Cab Videos. Cheers and keep posting these videos!
+MrAljosav Thank you for your comments. Removing original train sounds is not my thing as to me they are as important as the vision. To watch a video faster, download it with YTD and then you can play it forwards or backwards as fast as you like. More 'Drivers View' videos have been made in Melbourne but are not received by me yet. I will start posting them as soon as the first arrives.
This is not easy to do as passengers and electronic devices are not allowed in the cab. If such a video were taken, it is vital that there is no way the driver can be identified.
IF green over red means line clear / full speed, what purpose does the red serve, given that it is obviously the green which signals a clear line and not the red?
+Peter Taylor To me originally from NSW it is a totally illogical system. One possible indication is Red over Green which has a meaning all its own so there may a greater choice of indications is possible. I gather it is based on some American system. Enough said. Probably a Google search will show you more.
I've always understood Victorian signals to indicate what SPEED a driver can pass through a block, rather than whether another train occupies two or three blocks down. Supposedly it was to allow trains to bunch up closer together so you didn't have to slow down so much to wait for the train in front to clear his block. It was around 1910s when they decided to put up two sets of semaphores. The top semaphore applied for travelling through the block at full speed, the bottom for medium speed. It's all lighted signals nowadays, but this is how I memorise them. Green(vertical) = CLEAR, Yellow(45 degree) = WARNING or "prepare to stop" Red (horizontal) = "speed setting does not apply" The signals essentially allow you to run at either the full speed limit (top light) or at medium/40km/h (bottom light). A CLEAR NORMAL SPEED (green over red) has a green (CLEAR) on the top light (NORMAL SPEED) - the red on the bottom light simply means that medium speed settings do not apply. Similarly a MEDIUM SPEED WARNING (red over yellow) is a yellow (WARNING) on the bottom light (MEDIUM SPEED) - the red means normal speed does not apply. The same principle applies to all the other aspects e.g. STOP (red over red) means neither normal nor medium speed, similarly for LOW SPEED (red over red + small yellow) = no more than 15km/h. REDUCE TO MEDIUM SPEED (yellow over green) is a WARNING for a medium speed setting.
Until about 1955 the Puffing Billy 2’ 6” gauge steam railway ran to Belgrave. Then they extended electric trains up the narrow valley. Obviously single track is enough for the number of passengers using the trains.
+Colonel Leon The Melbourne train horns could well be louder than those in Sydney but Melbourne’s certainly are blown a lot more often. Some years ago the need to blow the whistle upon leaving a station was removed but also Sydney has about 4 level crossings in total while Melbourne must have a hundred or more, all requiring the whistle.
+tressteleg1 "Some years ago the need to blow the whistle upon leaving a station was removed" Really? I was on a Belgrave train and the driver blew the whistle upon leaving every station? What is the point of blowing after leaving stations, anyway?
+Colonel Leon At the station, the whistle is to warn people about to get on the train that it is about to move. This was a lot more important before power operated doors. A whistle is blown for any fool about to rush across the track. Elsewhere the whistle is to warn anyone in a tunnel, worker or intruder. Standard warning anywhere is a whistle when approaching a road or foot crossing over the tracks.
+Max -_- I had only recently been thinking that although Brisbane is a fairly hilly city, there are no decent grades anywhere that I can think of on the suburban network.
Mostly in hilly areas it's cut into it so there are steep cliffs on the side. Like Roma street stations around there are good examples. One part has a cliff of about 10-15 metres!
Also the exhibition line has a tiny gradient I'm pretty sure but u can't concentrate with all the freaking squeaking and squealing lmao since the turn off is used like 2 times a year
Ah! I meant to add that it was February 2016. I cannot be more precise as the use of the camera may be against the rules under which drivers are employed.
+Canis Major I don't live in Melbourne so I really don't know but if you watch my recent Driver's View Blackburn video, it stops at the start of the new work and you might get some clues from that. Otherwise you might find something with a Google search on the subject of Level Crossing Removals Melbourne.
Melbourne suburban lines in general are not Known for their speed. The Belgrave line does have some excuse as it is in the Dandenong Ranges, a long range of hills. The last few stations on the line were previously part of Puffing Billy, 2’ 6” gauge steam railway which still runs further out. Blowing of the whistle is required before every road and every foot crossing, and Melbourne has a lot of these.
A bit shocked to see that they still were using single tracks from Ferntree Gully Station to Belgrave. This would be a significant bottleneck for trains running to and from Belgrave.
This has got to be your best video! The trip to Belgrave is absolutely the most gorgeous I’ve seen on RU-vid! Not a dull moment. And it kept my attention with ever greater wonder as it got closer to Belgrave! I would love to see you do a video of this same journey during or after a rain. It would top this even. Well I’m definitely taking a ride on this line when I visit Melbourne!
I’m pleased that you liked it so much. There are no trains in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne where the passenger can see out the front so videos like mine are the only way to see the ride. I have to rely on a driver to do these for me so can only use what he sends. Before you come to Melbourne you may as well watch other lines in my Driver’s View series. If time is tight you may need to choose in advance.
tressteleg1 thanks for the tips. I’m going through a lot of drivers view videos to get a preview of where to go. I know that our experience riding on the train is quite different from the drivers view videos. Still they give me an idea of what the areas look like and this ride up to Belgrave looks great even if it’s just the regular passenger’s view.
Don’t forget that the major tourist attraction called Puffing Billy abuts the end of the train ride. A google search will tell you plenty. If you will also be doing some tram riding, tonight’s new video will feature tram 82, one of the two which does not enter the city.
If you have the slightest interest in 2’ 6” gauge steam running ? 10 km though bush land, you would kick yourself if you missed it. New video published just now. Happy viewing!
It's a pity that the powers that be, couldn't put in a third track when the level crossings were being eliminated between Box Hill and Ringwood. It would have allowed express trains to operate to Ringwood...
@@enochliu8316 Sorry, I missed the sarcasm font. A regular commuter to Belgrave (my car can be seen in the carpark in the footage) would know that PTV regularly terminate Belgave trains at Upper Gully (sometimes daily) during peak hours to get the system back on timetable.
@@tressteleg1 Hallo und danke ,ja gerne ...ich war zwar noch nie in Australien und komme auch leider -gesundheitlich -nicht mehr hin ,aber verfolge dieses Land und die Eisenbahn schon mit und weiß da auch bißchen was ,ich schau jedenfalls gerne mal rein . Ich sehe übrigens ,du sprichst deutsch ? Wie das ,oder nur Googletranslater ?
@alex52741 Europa ist weit von Australien entfernt - das weiß ich, weil ich es in der Vergangenheit schon mehrmals bereist habe. Mit zunehmendem Alter werden wir alle zu “Sesseltouristen”. Es ist für mein Deutsch, ich verstehe es ein wenig, habe aber nie damit angefangen, daher kann ich nur einfache Dinge verstehen und schreiben. Google diese Zeit 😆
