Steam to Mildura Pinnaroo Tailem Bend Easter 1968 

Great memories.

Thank you for your comment.. Thought it would be appropriate to post it 52 years since the event. The computer generated narrator commentary is an experiment.

Thank you too. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for your comment. I'm not sure about that.

It's interesting country between Ouyen and Tailem Bend via Pinnaroo. That's the only time I have been there. It's been 52 years and much has happened since.regarding the railway which is unfortunately no longer a through line. That was in the days when interstate locomotives did not run in other states except to locations such as Pinnaroo where the state rail systems met. The double header was thus not a common occurrence back then but was enacted in in the shared rail yards. You are right about a passenger service to Mildura. You have to travel by train to Swan Hill now and then by bus for the rest of the trip which seems to be an inbuilt inconvenience and a way to turn many travelers away. The motorail service on the Vinelander where you could take your car on the train too was an innovation which is not possible now.

Yeah would have been great to go up to Mildura that way ! Really sad how that has been discontinued. It wouldn’t really happen now since gauge conversion of the line from Dunnoly to Mildura . Trains would have to run via Geelong , Inverleigh and Ararat before reaching Maryborough which is a WAY longer route

Trains to Mildura are a thing of the past. Because Vic Rail has deemed Mildura too long a trip and they lost money on every passenger train run The Mt Gambier to Heywood to Portland line is a victim of gauge conversion. Hamilton to Portland

Yes the train's guard being left behind actually happened and I thought it was worth a mention. The automated voice is ok on most words but has trouble on some place names. Some are pronounced different to the way they are spelled. It can be overcome by changing the spelling. For example rather than spelling Ouyen the way it is spelled, it comes out more accurately if it s typed in as - owe yen and Mildura as mill dura. I missed a few but was experimenting..

I think those locomotives were both oil and coal fired. Could have been running on oil at the time. The powerful blast of steam up the funnel to draw the fire, sure drew it into a frenzy and produced some powerfully ejected smoke as seen in the Pinnaroo yards when double heading. .

@@reidgck The J im certain was just coal at the time and 526 may have been on oil, i do not know though as my knowledge of SAR locomotives is limited

@@woobyvr9654 pretty sure 526 was oil burner before getting scraped I know a lot about SAR steam

Experienced drivers would hardly make any smoke and sometimes rail fans asked drivers to pile on the smoke for the photos.

The video you refer to was just some clips from this one with the intention of editing the whole video eventually. I remember the converted steam to diesel loco shown in the video at the old power station at Ballarat beside the steam loco they were restoring. They were both being accessed for the best parts to use.. That was about 1990. You are right. I got the class wrong. Thanks for noticing.

@@reidgck ,righto. i had a good giggle at that video where i saw that that thing was called "the thing". suitable name.

afaik the "thing" is at Pioneer Park restored to static display after spending decades in the Ballarat East depot being used as parts for Y112.

@@TheDemocrab , thanks for that. i might go and look for pikkies of pioneer park.

The computer generated voice comentary was just an experiment really. It's an improvement on otherwise silence. I hadn't previously tried cutting and pasting sections of a pre recorded sound file along the film in appropriate places.

yes...but a little more modernised and landscaped.

@@mikevale3620 oh I c