5' 3" & 2' 6" here we come ... Melb Visit Oct 2012

[ozbob]

Heading off to Melbourne tomorrow.  Hope to possibly go for a ride on Puffing Billy on Wednesday.

As a lad I worked on re-establishing Puffing Billy  1960-62. Note DH31 in the background of the vid below, a Queensland connection ...

Myki topped up.  Nice how they send confirmation emails, something missing from go card .. 

Puffing Billy Railway Belgrave to Menzies Creek 50th Anniversary

[ozbob]

myki Confirmation: myki money top up email

Dear Mr Dow,

Thank you for topping up your myki card number 3084xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Please allow at least 24 hours for your top up to be processed. Once processed, your top up will be added to your myki the next time you touch on at a myki reader or use a myki machine.

Your debit/credit card has been charged for the top up amount detailed below:

                           Amount
Top up - myki money   $20.00
------------------------------------------------------------------
Order Total           $20.00

Your reference number for this transaction is: 4xxxxxxxxxx.

Should you require further information, please visit myki.com.au or call 13 6954 (13 myki) between 6am and 12 midnight, 7 days a week.

Regards

The myki Customer Care Team

[Stillwater]

Not the Myki Customer Service Team, but the Myki Customer Care team.  They care.

[ozbob]

Sky bus tickets now $28 adult for return Melbourne Airport - Southern Cross rail station, easy enough to purchase in advance on line.

Various family options as well ... 

[ozbob]

Forgot to mention, might be a bit of the 4' 8.5" as well (trams .. )

[ozbob]

On Saturday 30 June 2012, the Puffing Billy Railway commemorated the 50th anniversary of the last train on the Colac to Beech Forest line by operating Beyer-Garratt locomotive G42 on the Gembrook service.

G42 was decorated with a red buffer beam and headboard similar to how it appeared on that last train 50 years ago.

This video features lineside scenes at various locations along the line for both the down and up journeys.

© 2012 James Brook

[ozbob]

When I was around 4 years of age I rode in the cab of this locomotive on the Beech Forest line, something you don't forget ..

[ozbob]

The last train from Crowes, the lad in the cab is my uncle Malcolm.

Crowes was the end of line. Colac - Beech Forest - Crowes. VR 2'6"





9th December 1954 Photographs P G Dow

[ozbob]

On the move, 5.48am ex Goodna SMU268 wifi pilot unit, wifi going well ...

[ozbob]

BNE











Photographs R Dow 29th October 2012

[ozbob]

Few random photographs ..



Sky Bus at Southern Cross - large crowd waiting to board for the airport















Myki readers are wearing fast ..

Photographs R Dow 29th October 2012

[ozbob]

Free ride on an artic bus at Dandenong yesterday, all the myki gear down.

Free rides on buses due to failed smart card gear is universal!

Dandenong



601 bus Wellington Road Princes Highway intersection



Photographs R Dow 30th October 2012

Forecast 34^oC today in Melbourne ...

[ozbob]

Hot hazy morning in Melbourne, presently onboard 8.31am ex Flinders Street Belgrave service, just arriving at Box Hill.  This is a limited express and makes good time.

Few shots around inner Melbourne ..

Richmond





















Photographs R Dow 31st October 2012

Melbourne is joy to get around, frequent public transport with a decent fare system.  Much to do in Brisbane ..

Myki is working fine.

[ozbob]

Photographs R Dow 31st October 2012

[#Metro]

Melbourne also has freight on the Dandenong and Frankston lines - even in peak hour! Both these lines run high frequency train services on them.

[kazzac]

Hello Ozbob,I'm here in Melbourne too now, have had fun riding on the trams today, paid $7.00 for a daily Met card 

[kazzac]

Not the Myki Customer Service Team, but the Myki Customer Care team.  They care.

since I am only down here for 2 days the man at the PT info office in Collins St suggested that I buy a daily Metcard,;

[ozbob]

Melbourne also has freight on the Dandenong and Frankston lines - even in peak hour! Both these lines run high frequency train services on them.

Twitter

3h Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow

Jusy departing caulfield inbound freighter bl29 on the pointy end .. assume from Hastings .. reminds of the Ippy :-)

[ozbob]

Gembrook - 695 bus  has 30 minute frequency ..





Belgrave



Interesting mural on back of shops along the path from the station to the main street Belgrave



Cars at Upper Ferntree Gully



Laburnum station - basic construction



Photographs R Dow 31st October 2012

[ozbob]

Hello Ozbob,I'm here in Melbourne too now, have had fun riding on the trams today, paid $7.00 for a daily Met card 

Yes, fares are good in Melbourne.  Met card days are numbered, have noticed still a few using them.

The daily cap on the myki is good. 

[ozbob]

Inbound on 12.35pm service ex Dandenong, lead car. Just observed procedures for DOO assistance for a passenger on mobility scooter.

In lead car, driver puts the ramp down, pax joins/leaves train.  No appreciable extra dwell time, all happens very seamlessly.

[ozbob]

Went out to Alamein today.  Interesting line with a history as part of the Outer Circle line.

There has been a replacement of wooden sleepers with concrete, last few being done.  Lot of works going on at various stations.  Noted a lot of opportunity park and ride cars around the stations.

There is tram/rail crossing at Riversdale on this line.  Line is double to Ashburton, single line then to Alamein.  Outbound line crosses the main line by flyover at Camberwell East.  Inbound joins the main line at grade at Camberwell.















Photographs R Dow 1st November 2012

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

2nd November 2012

Some observations from Melbourne

Greetings,

I have spent this week in Melbourne, which has afforded the opportunity to use the public transport.
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9206.0

Melbourne has an excellent integrated public transport network, workhorse rail and tram system, supported by a bus network more focussed on connections, and cross suburban routes than radial routes as such.

Two things really differentiate public transport in Melbourne from Brisbane.

Frequency:  Trams and trains operate at a frequency that facilitates connections and drives patronage increases.

Fares:  The myki (equivalent of the go card) has a fare price structure and options that are economically and socially responsible that encourage people to use public transport.  The go card needs an urgent fare review, a point we have made many times. See --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9193.msg111522#msg111522

Regional rail V/Line is also a stand out success.

The State Government and TransLink need to get cracking, and stop wallowing in the 'world class' rhetoric but rather act sensibly to make public transport first choice.

Melbourne rates very high on liveability indexes, far above Brisbane.  Public transport is a key factor in this difference.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

[ozbob]

Goodbye Melbourne!  Southern Cross Railway station on the way to the airport this morning ..



Photograph R Dow 2nd November 2012

[somebody]

Are those V/Liners push/pull?

[ozbob]

Are those V/Liners push/pull?

Some are, but the one in the photo is an outbound service ..

[ozbob]

V/Line service at Southern Cross station



Photograph R Dow 2nd November 2012

[kazzac]

Sent to all outlets:

2nd November 2012

Some observations from Melbourne

Greetings,

I have spent this week in Melbourne, which has afforded the opportunity to use the public transport.
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9206.0

Melbourne has an excellent integrated public transport network, workhorse rail and tram system, supported by a bus network more focussed on connections, and cross suburban routes than radial routes as such.

Two things really differentiate public transport in Melbourne from Brisbane.

Frequency:  Trams and trains operate at a frequency that facilitates connections and drives patronage increases.

Fares:  The myki (equivalent of the go card) has a fare price structure and options that are economically and socially responsible that encourage people to use public transport.  The go card needs an urgent fare review, a point we have made many times. See --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9193.msg111522#msg111522

Regional rail V/Line is also a stand out success.

The State Government and TransLink need to get cracking, and stop wallowing in the 'world class' rhetoric but rather act sensibly to make public transport first choice.

Melbourne rates very high on liveability indexes, far above Brisbane.  Public transport is a key factor in this difference.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

Why do they only have only 2 zones and Translink has about 16?their zone 1 would be about 10-15 kms fron GPO.I agree PT is much better down there,better value for money

[somebody]

That creates some real inequities.  e.g. a 17km trip is almost double an approx 15km one.  Creates an incentive to drive further to park 'n' ride at a zone 1 station, and short distance trips are very expensive unless more than 2 are made in a day/10 in a week.

[kazzac]

According to the Melbourne tram/train network map I brought home with me Zone 1 goes as far to Coburg to the north,east to about Camberwell,west to about Sunshine,not too sure exactly how far that is from the CBD ,maybe about 10kms?

[somebody]

According to the Melbourne tram/train network map I brought home with me Zone 1 goes as far to Coburg to the north,east to about Camberwell,west to about Sunshine,not too sure exactly how far that is from the CBD ,maybe about 10kms?

But that's not really the point is it?

[Gazza]

Why do they only have only 2 zones and Translink has about 16?

Ummm, actually think about it, the Melbourne PT system isn't having to service neighbouring regions is it?
But ours has to service the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, hence needing more zones.

And if you look at the bigger picture, V/Line to Geelong etc has its own fares.

Its not the number of zones that matters anyway, its the prices programmed into those zones.
Eg if a 10km trip was the same price in Melbourne and SEQ then nobody would complain would they?

In Melbourne, its a $3.50 jump in price from Z1 to Z2.

For Translink, the difference in price between zones is only ~50c or so difference.

Why do people have such a hard time grasping this concept?

[ozbob]

Melbourne could actually be improved with say around 5 zones easily handled  on the myki, I don't have a problem with the present SEQ zones at all.  The main issue is the inconsistent differential between the zones and the high base fare costs in SEQ, fare box leakage, and the lack of broader initiatives such as daily capping, free travel for Seniors, concession fares for all health care card holders, no capped weekend fares and so forth.

Melbourne does have a lot of zone boundary issues, which we don't have.

[ozbob]

Departing Belgrave



Photography R Dow 31st October 2012

[ozbob]

Crossing the Monbulk Creek trestle on Puffing Billy



Photography R Dow 31st October 2012

[ozbob]

Puffing Billy on the way the Lakeside



Climbing towards Gembrook Puffing Billy



Photography R Dow 31st October 2012

[ozbob]

Went out to Alamein today.  Interesting line with a history as part of the Outer Circle line.

There has been a replacement of wooden sleepers with concrete, last few being done.  Lot of works going on at various stations.  Noted a lot of opportunity park and ride cars around the stations.

There is tram/rail crossing at Riversdale on this line.  Line is double to Ashburton, single line then to Alamein.  Outbound line crosses the main line by flyover at Camberwell East.  Inbound joins the main line at grade at Camberwell.















Photographs R Dow 1st November 2012

--> http://outercircleline.com.au/