The Times April 2020 A journal of transport timetable history and analysis

RRP $4.95 Inside: “How Good was THAT?” Incl. GST More on CR PTTs Slow and Fast in NZ Sundays at Central The Times A journal of the Australian Timetable Association Inc. (A0043673H) Print Publication No: 349069/00070, ISSN 0813-6327 April 2020 Vol 37 No. 04 Issue No. 435 The Times welcomes all contributions. Our Authors’ Guide is available on our web-site at https://www.timetable.org.au/ Reproduction Provided a Creative Commons acknowledgement is made, material appearing in The Times may be reproduced anywhere. Disclaimer Opinions expressed in our magazines are not necessarily those of the Association or its members. Editor Geoff Lambert 179 Rd FAIRLIGHT 2094 NSW email: [email protected] The Times is posted in full colour to our website https://www.timetable.org.au/times.html, two months after publication in paper and to the National Library website 6 months after publication. Colour PDF versions of previous issues of our magazines are at https://www.timetable.org.au/

—Contents— Ian MANNING WALK, WAIT, RIDE—SYDNEY PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN 1969 3 David WHITEFORD CR PTTS INSIDE WAGR PTTS 10 James T WELLS SLOW AND FAST IN NEW ZEALAND 12 Geoff MANN SUNDAYS AT CENTRAL 13

WHY GO PAST? Indeed. Why go past Public Transport? Back in 2003, Michael Costa, the then Transport Minister, opined that "You need a degree in timetable-ology to get around the system [at the moment]”. Little did he know that people with such degrees were lurking in the background. In this issue, Ian Manning takes a look at Public Transport in Sydney in 1969 … part of a project that formed his Ph.D. thesis. The photo above shows pedestrians emerging from Town Hall station and scurrying past a Ryde-bound bus. Ian’s thesis ex- amined the interaction of pedestrians, trains and buses in getting people to work in Sydney.

2 The Times April 2020 How good was Sydney public transport fifty years ago? Ian Manning

ACK IN 1970 I FOUND MYSELF to guide future transport investments. fifty years ago were very restricted in pursuing a PhD at the These Studies were subsequently the extent to which they could analyse B Australian National University criticised for the simplistic way in current data and explore future on the equity of provision of public which they used the data which they options. services in the different suburbs of collected to support freeway The Transportation Studies divided Sydney. One of the services in construction, mostly on alignments each city into zones and used the question was public transport. I never already reserved by a previous fledgling computers of the day to bothered to publish my researches, but generation of town planners. Where calculate how many trips were made they may have passing interest as a alignments were suggested which from each zone to each other zone. It record of public transport services as involved demolishing people’s houses, was assumed that trips between any they were half a century ago. political hell broke out and the two zones would increase with the offending freeways were quietly Such a study required measurement of number of potential trip origins in the deleted from the maps. These the quality of service and I therefore first zone (say houses) and with the criticisms are not wholly fair, since a searched the literature for relevant number of potential destinations (say simplified approach was inevitable, measures. The most likely source was workplaces) in the second, but would given the limitations of the computers the “Transportation Studies” which diminish with the distance between the of the day. Whereas today were then being carried out in all the two zones, measured in some conscientious urban planners will major Australian cities, though not yet combination of time and cost. This assess a wide variety of alternative in Sydney. ‘gravity’ model was ‘calibrated’ from locational patterns and transport the collected data and used to project connections even if they eventually The Transportation Studies changes in ‘travel demand’ as the succumb to the preferences of the cities followed their growth trends. The idea behind the Transportation roads lobby, developers and other Studies was to collect data on urban political groups. Their equivalents Though the Transportation Studies travel behaviour and to use these data were primarily road-building exercises, they acknowledged the

MAP 8

The Times April 2020 3 existence of public transport as a lower engineer, C.L.Fouvy, the Study Transportation Study district. Other -cost, slower alternative to motoring. constructed two indices of public variables included the number of Each zone-to-zone travel estimate was transport service, one for the trains and resident workers, residents’ cars, subjected to a modal split calculation, the other for trams and buses. The students and jobs. In many districts the which divided travel demand between indices basically reflected the distance tram/bus index was significantly motoring and public transport from home to public transport and the associated with high tram/bus depending mainly on a cost/speed frequency of public transport service. patronage, and was also negatively comparison. It was expected that Fouvy defended the indices as follows: associated with rail patronage. The rail motoring would become more ‘Convenience of service is assumed index was not particularly successful affordable and that, provided road greater for two routes [or two rail as a predictor of rail patronage, and construction kept pace with travel stations] each with two vehicles an neither index was of much use in the demand, people would be able to save hour, than for one route with four prediction of car travel. The findings precious time by switching from vehicles an hour, since wider areas are were not fully analysed – for example, public transport to driving – hence the served. The use of the square root of it would have been useful to know case for freeway building. The data the service frequency places more whether there was a relationship were used to argue that people were emphasis on the number of routes between the indices and car ownership happy to pay for speed and that new serving the area than on the service rates. A finding that low car freeways would generate travel time frequency of an individual route. The ownership, high public transport savings worth millions of dollars. number of routes passing through a quality and high public transport usage district tends to increase in proportion characterise high-density suburbs The Fouvy indices of public to the size of the district, assuming could have led to a conclusion that transport quality equal service levels; dividing by the investment in increasing urban Despite this underlying agenda, the square root of the area provides densities would be better than Melbourne Transportation Study compensation for unequal district investment in freeways. size.’ attempted to go beyond the It remained for me to apply the Fouvy assumption that public transport is Fouvy’s rail and tram/bus indices were indices to Sydney. By 1970 there were always inferior to motoring and to calculated for the peak period and used no trams in Sydney, so the tram/bus investigate the response of modal split in a regression analysis to explain the index became a pure bus index. On the to the quality of public transport observed numbers of train, tram/bus other hand, Sydney had ferries which services in each zone. Under the and car trips originating and provided express service from guidance of a Tramways Board terminating in each Melbourne harbourside suburbs to Circular Quay.

4 The Times April 2020 These I treated as akin to rail services. Glenfield and Loftus (Map 7, lower distance from dwellings to the nearest Secondly, in lieu of the Melbourne left, page 3). The map shows local station or stop and second, the Transportation Study districts, I government boundaries as they were frequency of service once one reached divided Sydney into 408 rectangular in 1970. that station or stop. I began with the zones defined in terms of the map trains and ferries. Computing power The map of the bus index was a little reference grid employed in the sixth has now increased to the point where it more interesting. The best served areas edition of the UBD Sydney Street is simple to calculate the distance from were south of the Harbour, all the way Directory. Sydney was then smaller each dwelling in Sydney to the nearest from Ashfield to Bondi and Randwick. than it is now and my calculations did wharf or station, but the IBM 360/50 Elsewhere there were pockets of high not extend beyond Loftus, Hoxton which was the height of computing service, largely in Zones where bus Park, St Marys, Kellyville and power in 1970 fell way short of the routes were radiating out from a Berowra. Railway stations and ferry needed capacity so I resorted to railway station (Hurstville, wharves were readily allocated to approximations. I noted the number of Bankstown, Strathfield/Burwood, Zones and the frequency of service at stations and ferry wharves in each map Auburn, Parramatta and Blacktown). each station, both between 7 am and 9 zone, and if there were none, in the Services on the inner North Shore am and throughout the day on zone with the nearest station. With the were not as abundant as to the south of weekdays was readily obtained from aid of various assumptions and the the Harbour, and were quite sparse on the timetables. Route and timetable application of geometrical probability, the Outer North Shore, in Warringah information was also readily available I estimated the most probable average north of Dee Why, in for bus services operated by the distance from dwellings located in and in swathes of the Western suburbs. Department of Government Transport, each zone to the nearest station. On There were also service gaps along the while the equivalent information for Zones with a single railway station the , perhaps private bus routes was publicly most probable average distance was a because this was a relatively late available in the Rosebery office of the little over a kilometre, falling to insertion into the public transport Department of Motor Transport, where around 0.8 kilometres if there were network and bus services had not it was kept in files of Gestetner copies. two stations. At an assumed (and developed to interchange with its perhaps fairly brisk) walking speed of Not surprisingly, the rail/ferry index stations (Map 8, lower right, page 3). 5 kmph this translated into average strongly reflected the location of walking time of 13 minutes for a stations and wharves. According to the A walk/wait index for rail/ferry single-station Zone and less than 10 index, the best services were available services minutes if there were two stations. in the CBD, in the inner North Shore These Fouvy indices are weighted Where the walking distance was over and in the then Municipality of combinations of two measures: the 1.1 kms (in other words, when there Marrickville, plus isolated spots with accessibility of stations, wharves and was no station or wharf in the zone), I unusually frequent train services – bus stops from dwellings in their assumed that the station would be Gordon, Hurstville, Burwood, district and the frequency of service at accessed by bus at a time penalty Strathfield and Parramatta. On the those stations, wharves and stops. ranging upwards from 15 minutes. other hand, infrequent services resulted in low ratings for stations at I decided that the numbers would be By consulting the timetables I then the limits of the suburban area, easier to understand if I separated the determined the average frequency of including Berowra, Quakers Hill, two components; first, the average

The Times April 2020 5 service at each station during the infrequent ferry service. Beyond this, stretched to Mona Vale via Narrabeen, morning peak period (one-way, 7 am in large swathes of the metropolitan Frenchs Forest via Chatswood, North to 9 am) and for each weekday as a area, trains were either irrelevant to Ryde via Lane Cove and to Eastwood whole. On some lines there was very likely travel patterns, or could only be and Ermington via Ryde. little difference between peak and off- reached only by bus or car. Significantly, it did not stretch out peak services while on others (notably along the North Shore line. South of the North Shore) the difference was A walk/wait index for bus the Harbour this pattern of tentacles noticeable. Average waiting time was services was replaced by broad areas. The taken as half the typical service In applying this methodology to bus average walk/wait time to a bus was interval, though it would usually be services two main problems arose. more than 5 but less than 10 minutes less than this thanks to passenger First, bus stops are strung out along from Randwick to Little Bay (but not adjustment to the timetable. The bus routes at rather more frequent all the way to La Perouse) and in purpose of the index was, after all, to intervals than stations occur on Botany, Marrickville, Canterbury (but assess service quality, hence my railway lines. This required adjustment not Wiley Park), Belmore and underlying assumption that passengers of the geometrical probability Concord (but not Rhodes). Further left home ignorant of the timetable. calculations underlying the average areas where walk/wait times were less than 10 minutes ran from Riverwood Map 10 (page 4, bottom right) plots walking time from houses to bus stops. through Hurstville and Kogarah to the results. In suburbs along the rail Second, by comparison with rail Sans Souci and from Parramatta north lines the typical walking time to the stations, the frequency of service to Northmead and south to Villawood. nearest station was around 13 minutes. varies markedly from bus stop to bus Smaller 10-minute zones lay around This meant that, in order to generate stop. Should one assume that the Blacktown, Fairfield, Cabramatta and an average walk/wait time of 13 typical bus passenger heads for the Liverpool stations. Walk/wait times minutes or less, (a) there had to be nearest stop or for the nearest stop were over 20 minutes in various more than one station per Zone and (b) with good service? I started with peripheral locations such as services had to be very frequent. Such average walk/wait times at the nearest Moorebank and also, strikingly, along times were restricted to a very select stop in the morning peak period. the Cronulla railway line. group of locations served by multiple Map 9 (page 4, bottom left) shows train services – North Sydney, the that, on average, under the 1969 An alternative to concentrating on the CBD, Redfern and the environs of timetables, one could leave an average nearest bus stop was to assume that Strathfield and Burwood stations. dwelling in inner Sydney – anywhere passengers walk to an alternative bus However, residents of suburbs along from Leichardt to Randwick – and stop with a more frequent service if the main rail lines could expect to be catch the first bus to come along this reduces their total walk/wait time. on board within 20 minutes. Up to 30 within 5 minutes, door to bus. In most Accordingly, for each zone, I minutes were required in places like of the remaining inner and middle calculated average walk/wait times for Berowra and Carlingford and Cronulla suburbs a bus would be passing by the bus stop with the best service, and where the train service was less within 10 minutes. In the North and when they were less than those for the frequent and also in Manly, with its North-West, this 10-minute area nearest bus stop, used them as the

6 The Times April 2020 measure of service quality. This Ryde and via Drummoyne to West alternative measure, calculated for Ryde. Most of the eastern and mid- that the Sydney metropolitan area weekdays as a whole, followed a western suburbs were within the 2 km should have more than one CBD, since similar pattern to that on Map 9. area, and there were separate 2-km the Sydney CBD and the Parramatta areas around Hurstville – Kogarah – CBD shared the honour of five-minute Another way to present the data was to Sans Souci, Bankstown and extending walk/wait times. The inner north shore assume that a potential passenger has a from Northmead through Parramatta had good services with arms extending choice between catching the bus and all the way to Cabramatta and Green into Warringah and up to Hornsby walking all the way. The longer the Valley. Smaller 2 km areas surrounded while the east and inner west also walk/wait time, the longer the journeys Liverpool and Blacktown stations. benefited from good public transport. where it would be sensible to walk all Various peripheral areas such as The area of good public transport the way rather than walking to a bus Avalon and Moorebank show up on centred on Parramatta was much more stop and waiting there. Map 12 (page the map as having poor bus services, restricted, but even so, services were 7, bottom left) charts walk/bus break- along with the Lane Cove National quite reasonable through to Liverpool even distances calculated on an all-day Park and, once again, Sutherland and also round Bankstown. Areas with basis (not just the peak period). Shire. poor services, with walk/wait times of Despite the differences of calculation, half an hour or more, lay on the edge the pattern shown on Map 9 remains. In Sutherland and some other places, of the metropolitan area in places like In an area stretching from Lewisham the railway did much of the job of the North Turramurra, Smithfield and to Bondi and Randwick, a potential local bus service – just as in Woronora. Sutherland Shire resembled passenger would typically find that Warringah and several other places Ku Ring Gai, in that the railway hopping on a bus resulted in a faster buses performed the long-distance provided a spine of relatively frequent trip than walking all the way even for express runs that elsewhere were service with rather sparse bus trips as short as a kilometre. This also served by rail. Map 11 (our cover) puts supplementation. applied in a small area in Parramatta. the two together, providing the Walk/bus break-even distances of less average walk/wait times to a bus, train Bus route planners operating within a than 2 km applied on the North Shore or ferry, whichever is shortest on an all given budget face a trade-off between and Warringah right up to Mona Vale, -day basis. Even as early as 1969, this service frequency and route coverage, along the North Shore line to map provided a certain level of which from a passenger point of view Lindfield, through Lane Cove to North comfort to those who were arguing reduces to a choice between waiting

Per Zone

The Times April 2020 7 times and walking times. If passengers Inner North Shore, from Manly to Dee service. At that time the suburban detest walking and are happy to adjust Why, in central Ryde, around trains and the government buses were to the timetable the decision will Blacktown, in most of Holroyd subsidised but the private bus services favour route coverage, while if municipality and in parts of Auburn weren’t. This raised questions of passengers do not wish to be bound to municipality; they were generally equity. One of those questions was timetables and especially if they want lower in Sutherland, Liverpool, whether lack of subsidy resulted in a to change buses during their journey Fairfield, the outer North Shore and lower standard of service in the private the decision will favour service outer Warringah. Within the areas of -bus suburbs. On the whole, the frequency. High-frequency services high route density there were no Zones evidence from walk/wait times was also tend to be fast services because where peak-period walk/wait times indeed that services were better in the they stick to main roads and are not would be reduced by further government-bus areas than in those continually dodging through suburban dispersing the bus routes while with purely private buses, and over the back streets. In the 1920s, when the maintaining bus kilometres constant. past five decades there has been a police were sorting out Sydney’s bus However there were a few places general trend towards equalising routes following the explosion of where, at least in theory, route subsidies across the metropolitan area, enterprise by servicemen returned dispersion would have reduced walk/ abolishing the distinction between from the First World War, there was wait times. The most significant of government and private operators. It an additional reason for favouring these were Concord and Drummoyne, would be interesting to know whether, route coverage—namely avoiding with other candidates in South in this process, service levels have racing by multiple operators on the Coogee, Kensington, Sans Souci, been maintained or improved and one road. In 1969 most of Sydney was Belfield, Rozelle, Rydalmere, whether they have been equalised well-provided with bus routes, with Northbridge and Narrabeen. Some of across the suburbs, but this would more than 6 km of bus route per UBD these suburbs were well served by require updating the walk/wait indices. page all the way from Bankstown to main-road services, where dispersion Vaucluse (Map 13, page 7, bottom would have been at the expense of the Several more specific conclusions right). (My zones measured interests of longer-distance passengers. apply to services as they stood in approximately 1.6 km square, so this 1969. was nearly enough for two routes What does this all mean? The frequency of rail and ferry service north-south plus two east-west, at Fifty years ago public transport was was fairly similar for all lines, so the intervals of less than a kilometre.) moving from a profitable business convenience of rail travel reflected Route densities were also high on the undertaking to a subsidised public route coverage. Though important

8 The Times April 2020 parts of the metropolitan area lacked Cove had a tangle of private bus routes Sydney has long been known for the rail services, it was notable that the almost without parallel in its segregation of its population into rich lines served poor and wealthy suburbs complexity and infrequency of service. and poor suburbs, which is much more alike. In the St George suburbs services were marked than in any other Australian mainly feeders to railway stations. metropolitan area. In 1969 the rich Inter-suburban differentiation was They were mostly private, were tended to live in suburbs with poor bus more noticeable on the buses. Walking unnecessarily complicated and tended services, reflecting low patronage due times increased with distance from the to run on weekdays only. The services to high motorisation, but adversely CBD, and waiting times even more so. in Sutherland Shire were similar, save affecting the mobility of teenagers. In the inner eastern, southern and that frequency was generally as bad as The poor were concentrated in inner western suburbs the government on the Upper North Shore. In suburbs with moderately good bus provided a relatively intensive bus Bankstown and west of Strathfield bus services and on the western fringes service, with peak-period frequencies routes converged on a number of with relatively poor public transport about 50 per cent above the all-day major and secondary shopping centres, services. Captive public transport average. The eastern suburbs were among which Parramatta was pre- users in the outer suburbs suffered served by important radial routes, the eminent. Around these centres the bus walk/bus break-even distances of three inner south by a tangle of industrial services reached levels of convenience kilometres or so. In such areas the use workings and the inner west by an similar to the inner suburbs, but of public transport required a lot of unnecessarily complicated muddle of services tended to peter out towards walking, a lot of waiting or a lot of local routes and railway-competing the urban fringe. Peak-period adjustment to timetables, or a mixture radials. Ryde, the North Shore and frequencies were not much greater of all three. The alternative was to Warringah were dominated by the than off-peak, and weekend services shoulder the costs of motoring. Fifty radial routes from the CBD to Ryde, were of reasonable frequency. In years ago housing costs on the Sydney Epping and Palm Beach. Together Auburn, relatively poor service was outer fringe were a lot less than they with the North Shore railway, buses in due to excessive route kilometreage – are now, but even then the outer these suburbs concentrated on travel to one had to know several timetables to suburbs were a difficult choice for low and from the city centre, with a work out where a bus would next income people thanks to motoring subsidiary specialisation in getting appear. Similarly, in Greystanes costs imposed in part by the children to and from school. Mosman service frequency suffered from inadequacies of the bus service. and North Sydney had reasonable off- multiple routes, some heading to peak services as befitted their Parramatta and others to Merrylands. proximity to the city centre while Lane

The Times April 2020 9 Commonwealth Railways’ PTTs David Whiteford

S AN ADDITION TO Victor Railway and 43 is Marble Bar, much of the new Trans-Australian and Isaacs’ record of later in the book. There is now a much Indian-Pacific trains from its 1971-72 A Commonwealth Railways briefer Interstate fares, etc. section on issue while the larger 1976 issue had a public timetables (The Times pages 15 and 16 Sydney to Perth timetable only— which persisted through the remaining December 2019), the Western In almost the same format but with few issues to June 1980. Australian Government Railways some variations in title and table included at least a basic interstate number (including having none) this Although not a public timetable, the timetable in its public timetable books. summary table continued through WAGR working timetables included The earliest WAGR issue after the many WAGR issues and publication the Trans-Australian railway services 1917 opening of the Trans Australian format changes to at least the Winter from the opening of the railway. 1960 issue. By then, there was Railway that is in my collection is that As the existence of these information on Inter-system fares and of 9 June 1919. On pages 26 and 27 of Commonwealth Railways’ public parcel rates instead of interstate. this 232 page book is Interstate time timetables is of a minor nature, I table with Port Augusta and capital There was a major change with the haven’t checked for all changes or the city summary of times from Perth to smaller WAGR timetable books. In exact WAGR issue dates where issues Brisbane. Pages 151 to 181 contain my July 1962 issue the timetable are not in my collection. The various Interstate fares, freight and regulations covered through to Cairns and was WAGR formats with publication dates in great detail. now much more detailed with many are recorded in Victor’s Western In the 3 December 1923 issue on page intermediate stations noted. Fares and Australian feature in The Times of 15 is Table 42 Interstate Time Table other information was still provided. October 2019 and it can be assumed East to West at a glance. As Table 42, This continued to the June 1974 issue. that the information described lasted through the publication history of it is actually the first table in this issue The annual rail and road tourist these formats. rather than in any numerical table timetables and information books only sequence. Table 41 is the Hopetoun included the Perth to Kalgoorlie times

10 The Times April 2020

The Times April 2020 11 Fast and Slow Sometime in New Zealand James T Wells

rose 95 feet in the five miles between At Mataura there is the first of the HE TABLE ON P6 OF THE Woodlands and Morton Mains but this extended dwells—40 minutes—and January 2020 “The Times” for represents an average gradient of only this accounts for the first break of the NZR’s Invercargill to Dunedin T 1 in 278 which would be of no timetable over columns. At 8.20 the line is a fascinating document. consequence for a passenger train. train sets off for Gore for another Never before in a public passenger Overall the train was allowed 3hr extended dwell (8.40 to 9.30) but has timetable have I seen a train that 50min for the journey to Dunedin - the Limited Express on its tail – due required three columns to show the 139 miles (224 km) to give an average Gore 8.57. One wonders how often times – this was for train No. 498 – speed of 36.3 mph (58.4 km/h) but this No. 498 got held back at Mataura to more on this later. translates to 39.3 mph (63.2 km/h) let the Limited through. The contrast between fast and slow allowing for dwell time at the four There is something quite weird about services was quite marked. We don’t intermediate stops. the timetable for this section on MWF know the date of the timetable but it’s On TTS [Tues Thurs Sats], the and that is train No. 516 shown as clearly from that era (1950?) when Lyttelton train (connection to the leaving Mataura at 8.00, just 20 local services were mixed— i.e. Wellington steamer) ran as an minutes before No. 498 and running combined goods (freight) and “Express” No. 174, with hostess only to Gore. passenger trains. service but starting earlier (7 am) and This looks like a branch line service Bear in mind that the NZR used Cape taking half an hour longer to Dunedin. with the junction at Mataura but there Gauge – 1067mm or 3’6” in Imperial Some of this was due to the three extra never was a branch line from that measure. stops before Gore. station. If it got delayed en route No. 498 would have been delayed, as First of all the fast trains. The No. 144 MWF [Mon, Wed, Fri] passengers would the Limited. Nervous times at MWF Limited Express was allowed benefitted from an afternoon service at train control! Was any shunting ever only 57 minutes start to stop 1.25 pm - No. 430 to Dunedin but done at Charlton, the intermediate Invercargill to Gore. The distance as taking a leisurely 4hr 35min. On station? shown is 40 miles (64 km) so the Fridays and Sundays there were average speed was 42.1 mph (67.8 km/ evening expresses. The third column of the timetable for h). This is good going as the speed Now to the s-l-o-w services. Where this train shows it resuming its journey limit was probably 50 mph (80 km/h). better to start than the aforementioned at Gore after refreshments at 9.30 and Could a NZ reader confirm this No. 498! following the Limited. No. 498 had an please? Certainly, NZR Railcars were extended dwell at Waipahi (11.15 to allowed 60 mph. This left Invercargill at 5.30 a.m. 11.32) but it was not too long to wait MWF and arrived at its destination – for a leisurely lunch at Clinton (12.07 Bear in mind that the train would have Balclutha 87 miles (140 km) away at to 13.06). had to slow to maybe 15 mph or 2.32 p.m. Slow, yes – only about 9.7 slower to exchange safeworking staffs mph (15.6 km/h). A good runner could On TTS No. 500 ran to a similar but at intermediate stations. It looks like keep up quite happily. quicker timetable; it dwelled at there were three of these, so almost Woodlands for the Express to sustained running at or near the limit It was almost certainly a mixed train overtake. would have been required. and probably did what the Victorians used to call roadside work, i.e. Also very slow was the morning train Note that, as was common in the era, shunting all stations as required to from Clinton to Dunedin—73 miles— the timetable shows the altitude of attach or detach goods wagons. 3hr 50min on Wednesdays, but over stations as well as distances. The line half an hour longer on MF.

12 The Times April 2020 AM Departures PM Arrivals PM Departures Sundays at Central 07:19 Gosford 5:15 Wollongong 5:05 Newcastle Express Geoff Mann 07:34 Wyong 5:26 Wyong 5:28 Canberra 08:00 Gosford 5:33 Nowra 5:45 Mt Victoria 08:03 Wollongong 5:56 Gosford 5:50 Cessnock Express T IS 1955 IN SYDNEY AND A few families in our street have bought an 08:15 Gosford 6:00 Mt Victoria 6:00 Newcastle I Austin A40 or Holden FX since the 08:20 Mt Victoria 6:12 Gosford 6:08 Pt Kembla lifting of wartime restrictions. An 08:22 Moss Vale via Loop 6:15 Wollongong 6:20 Newcastle upmarket (if that term was around in 08:35 Mt Victoria 6:28 Wyong 6:25 Lithgow 1955) nearby purchase is a Holden bodied 08:36 Wollongong 6:31 Mt Victoria 6:30 Pt Kembla Chevrolet – General Motors seems to use 08:42 Newcastle 6:43 Wollongong 6:45 Lithgow local body builders for their US chassis. 08:45 Thirroul 6:48 Gosford Most people, however still use the trains 08:47 Gosford 6:56 Wyong for their Sunday outings. Unless they 08:58 Mt Victoria 7:13 Newcastle choose to venture east on the Manly ferry, 09:10 Nowra 7:20 Mt Victoria the only directions available are North, 09:15 Wollongong 7:25 Maitland 7:25 Coonamble Mail South or West. But what an array of trains 09:15 Newcastle 7:27 Wollongong 7:30 Melbourne Express to select from! 09:20 Wyong 7:44 Wollongong 7:40 Brisbane Limited 09:25 Wollongong 7:50 Woy Woy 8:03 Brisbane Express So let’s look first at the list of morning 09:25 Bundanoon 8:10 Melbourne Limited departures (left column): 09:35 Gosford 8:14 Gosford 8:12 Nowra Stiff cheese if we want to go to Lithgow 8:18 Wyong 8:15 North Coast Mail in the morning—the first train is not until 8:20 Mt Victoria 8:20 Temora Mail 6:25pm. But it is an express and closely 8:30 Forbes Mail followed by a 6:45pm stopper. 8:46 Gosford 8:35 Newcastle Following the rush of morning departures, 8:49 Kiama 8:58 Cooma Mail almost nothing happens until evening, 8:53 Moss Vale via Loop 9:03 Kempsey Mail although there are a few afternoon 8:54 Newcastle 9:18 Canberra Mail departures on the North (not shown), 8:59 Lithgow 9:20 Glen Innes Mail mainly to long distance destinations 9:09 Bundanoon 9:25 Through Mail (Wallan-garra, Singleton and Moree). 9:18 Mt Victoria 9:27 Wyong Looking back from today, the evening 9:22 Woy Woy 9:30 Cowra Mail peak is even more interesting (middle and 9:28 Wollongong 10:00 Mt Victoria right columns). Those 30 class tanks must 9:35 Newcastle 10:05 South West Mail have been frenetic, disposing of incoming 9:44 Gosford 10:30 Mudgee Mail car sets and making up the consists for the 9:47 Nowra evening Mails [picture at right]. 9:52 Cessnock It would be a late night home arrival for 10:09 Goulburn those that departed Muswellbrook at 10:14 Newcastle 4:00pm; probably peckish too, given that 10:25 Canberra there was only a 19 minute stop at 10:44 Bathurst Newcastle for dinner plus the usual 8 10:47 Wyong minutes at Gosford. 10:53 Muswellbrook Note the various gaps (pink-shaded). 7:50 to 8:14 and 8:20 to 8:46 in arrivals. A pronounced pause in departures was from 6:45 to 7:25. Was this to allow the 30 class shunters to take water? Or a tea break for those manning the departure indicator? Including the North West Mail that departed at 3:30pm, there are 13 titled Mail Trains in total. Is this the most that were ever operated at one time? Interestingly, there were no day trains

The Times April 2020 13 beyond Bundanoon on the main south – line temporarily closed) in some sort known service between Narranderra line. of passenger accommodation. Most and Roto, providing a connection from timetables showed connections (of the Riverina to and from Broken Hill. The Short North to Gosford/Wyong varying lengths!) to and from Sydney. was the clear favourite destination for My thanks to the kind donor of the An exception was Uranquinty to day-trippers. No doubt that The February 1955 Department of Kywong. Not hard to see why, Entrance Red Bus Service and others Railways Timetable knowing Kywong, but a bit would have carried droves to the coast. and to Len Regan for the DL. A unfortunate if you were told to go to wonderful source of interest and In those days, one could still travel on Bulgary. fascination for times past. every line (except The Rock to Westby Another odd one out was the well-

14 The Times April 2020 The Times April 2020 15 “Fallen Timetable” mural by David Jack & Joe Attard