The Times November 2018 A journal of transport timetable history and analysis

RRP $4.95 Inside: Adelaide – the flight to nowhere Incl. GST Ring Railway The bus route that never was? Running the SHRC Specials The Times A journal of the Australian Timetable Association Inc. (A0043673H) Print Publication No: 349069/00070, ISSN 0813-6327 (print), 2209-7309 (digital) November 2018 Vol 35 No. 11, Issue No. 418 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 repro- duced anywhere. Disclaimer Opinions expressed in our magazines are not necessarily those of the Association or its members. Editor Geoff Lambert 179 Sydney 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 publi-

—Contents— James T Wells ADELAIDE—THE FLIGHT TO NOWHERE 3 James T Wells DEHLI RING RAILWAY 5 Richard Peck & Robert Henderson DID BUS ROUTE 1016 EVER RUN? 8 Max Michell RUNNING THE SHRC SPECIALS 10

Safdarjung Railway Station on the Delhi Ring Railway

2 The Times November 2018 was closed to VFR (Visual Flight Adelaide – and the flight to nowhere Rules) traffic. This seemed strange at the time as the cloud wasn’t that low James T Wells and it wasn’t raining. We circled for a bit until another plane advised the pilot that it was ok to land on a HIS ARTICLE WAS I suspect that the airline pitches for farmer’s field, which we did. STIMULATED by my recent Kangaroo route business as it serves I have two memories of this – there visit to Adelaide where I T several cities in with was a vermin infested barn on the witnessed a departure by a China convenient connections with the property, a sight to behold, and the Southern Airlines flight. I wondered Adelaide flights, at least westbound. train from Port Pirie (connection with just how often Chinese airlines served Port Augusta) went past. My journey Adelaide. My list includes Airlines which operates daily overnight from was completed by taxi with a lady So I downloaded all departures for a Singapore; returning daytime. driver, unusual for the times. Thursday. The list is quite long so it’s A prominent operator in the FIFO been presented in sections: and business – JETGO– went into International, Regional and Domestic. also serve Adelaide. voluntary administration on June 1st Starting with International it’s Turning now to Regional, notice 2018. It had no services in South surprising how short it is: no or at 1300 with a blank . Virgin and no flights to New Zealand in the destination field. This is our Port Lincoln and Whyalla get a good or the Pacific. However, this changes flight to nowhere but Flightaware gave selection of flights with two airlines if one looks at days other than the destination as Tennant Creek in the providing them – QantasLink and Rex. Thursdays. Virgin has a non-stop Northern Territory. This would have flight to Auckland on some other days been a charter flight, probably for Fly Of note are the places that aren’t of the week. In Fly Out (FIFO) mining workers. listed. Coober Pedy gets three flights a The Bootu mine there exports week (Rex) via Port Augusta. Of interest are the flights to the Gulf manganese to China. Renmark and Naracoorte aren’t served area late at night. These are at all. understood to run daily. In Qantas’ Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines is a defence they code share with . major operator in the FIFO business as Domestic – I wonder why The inbound flights arrive late evidenced by the destination list for bothers with an Adelaide to Hobart afternoon / early evening so making Adelaide: Moomba, and Olympic service. The flight is out and back, the international terminal relatively Dam. They operate an all Fokker fleet. returning to Adelaide at 20:15. This busy in the evenings. This would keep the Finance Director would not be attractive to tourists. awake at night as Fokker ceased What about manufacturing in 1997. The fleet The spread of services to major cities you ask? The service operates three would be very old and financing is good but it’s a pity that, for Sydney, days a week; overnight from replacement aircraft may not be easy. the gap between 9:15 and 12:50 is Guangzhou, daytime return and started broken at 11.00 by two flights at this in December 2016. Cobham Airlines is also a national time. Adelaide-based FIFO operator but From the airline’s website (26-May- noteworthy is that it operates ------18): 717 services on behalf of QantasLink. Is aircraft noise a big issue in Since 2011, China Southern Airlines It has two scheduled services in SA. Adelaide? I suspect so, because the has become the largest air carrier in Prominent Hill is a mining site about main runway has an alignment which the China-Australia market. In 2015, 100km south east of Coober Pedy in means that aircraft fly over settled China Southern carried 866,000 the north of the State. Services seem to areas for quite some distance. passengers, accounting for more than be operated by Avro RJ100 jets. These

30% market share. With the successful aircraft too would be quite old. launch of the Guangzhou-Adelaide air The other destination is Port Augusta; Return to Contents Page service, China Southern currently these do not stop at Port Pirie. This Comment on this article operates 112 flights a week between was not the case around 1970 when I China and Australia in both flew from Port Augusta to Adelaide Letter to the Editor directions, covering major with Port Augusta Airlines in a single Faceebook metropolitan cities in Australia, engine Piper. We stopped at Port Pirie including Sydney, Melbourne, to pick up one passenger but near Brisbane, Perth and—now—Adelaide. Mallala, the pilot was advised by air traffic control that Adelaide Airport

The Times November 2018 3 ADELAIDE AIRPORT DEPARTURES - 24th May 2018

International Domestic (2) Regional Dest Airline Fno Time Dest Airline Fno Time Dest Airline Fno Time Denpasar Jetstar JQ127 19:05 Melbourne Qantas QF670 6:00 Broken Hill Rex ZL4816 6:45 Doha Qatar QR915 22:15 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA204 6:05 Broken Hill Rex ZL4842 18:55 Dubai Emirates EK441 21:50 Melbourne Jetstar JQ771 6:10 Ceduna Rex ZL4126 7:10 Singapore Singapore SQ278 9:10 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA206 6:35 Ceduna Rex ZL4136 17:35 Melbourne Qantas QF674 6:40 Kingscote Rex ZL4753 9:30 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA214 9:35 Kingscote Rex ZL4771 17:25 Domestic (1) Melbourne Qantas QF678 10:05 Mildura Rex ZL4892 16:20 Dest Airline Fno Time Stop Melbourne Qantas QF682 11:35 Moomba Alliance QQ854 14:00 Al. Springs Qantas QF723 10:35 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA218 11:35 Moomba Alliance QQ854 14:00 Al. Springs Virgin Aus VA1741 14:05 x Melbourne Jetstar JQ773 11:45 Mt Gambier Rex ZL4617 8:45 Brisbane Qantas QF660 6:00 Melbourne Qantas QF686 13:05 Mt Gambier Rex ZL4631 15:40 Brisbane Virgin Aus VA1385 6:10 Melbourne Qantas QF684 14:05 Mt Gambier Rex ZL4643 18:45 Brisbane Qantas QF1592 9:00 Melbourne Jetstar JQ779 14:05 Olympic Dam Alliance QQ3204 6:30 Brisbane Virgin Aus VA1391 9:10 Melbourne TigerAir TT464 15:00 Olympic Dam Alliance QQ3206 7:00 Brisbane Qantas QF1594 12:00 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA228 15:05 Olympic Dam Alliance QQ3214 15:00 Brisbane Virgin Aus VA1397 13:35 Melbourne Qantas QF690 15:05 Olympic Dam Alliance QQ3216 16:00 Brisbane Qantas QF1598 16:00 Melbourne Qantas QF692 16:05 Port Augusta Cobham NC224 6:00 Brisbane Jetstar JQ783 16:15 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA232 16:05 Port Augusta Rex ZL4412 9:10 Brisbane TigerAir TT314 16:50 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA236 17:05 Port Augusta Cobham NC222 13:30 Brisbane Virgin Aus VA1405 18:40 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA238 18:05 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4352 7:00 Brisbane Qantas QF656 19:10 Melbourne Qantas QF694 18:05 Port Lincoln Qantas QF2267 8:10 Cairns Jetstar JQ960 7:45 Melbourne TigerAir TT472 18:45 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4356 8:15 Cairns Jetstar JQ962 10:15 Melbourne Virgin Aus VA242 19:05 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4366 11:35 Canberra Qantas QF706 6:15 Perth Qantas QF593 6:10 Port Lincoln Qantas QF2271 14:00 Canberra Virgin Aus VA580 16:10 Perth Virgin Aus VA713 6:30 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4382 15:05 Canberra Qantas QF708 16:45 Perth Virgin Aus VA719 14:10 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4388 16:10 Darwin Qantas QF754 8:00 Perth Jetstar JQ974 15:20 Port Lincoln Qantas QF2273 16:55 Darwin Virgin Aus VA1741 14:05 x Perth Qantas QF595 19:30 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4396 18:30 Gold Coast Virgin Aus VA1447 8:45 Sydney Virgin Aus VA401 6:00 Port Lincoln Qantas QF2275 19:10 Gold Coast Jetstar JQ454 18:35 Sydney Qantas QF730 6:00 Port Lincoln Rex ZL4398 19:35 Hobart Jetstar JQ681 16:00 Sydney Qantas QF732 6:35 Prominent Hill Cobham NC218 6:15 Sydney Jetstar JQ761 7:55 Whyalla Rex ZL4512 6:50 Sydney Qantas QF740 8:15 Whyalla Qantas QF2071 8:10 Sydney Virgin Aus VA413 9:00 Whyalla Rex ZL4518 9:20 Sydney Qantas QF738 9:15 Whyalla Rex ZL4534 14:00 Sydney Virgin Aus VA417 11:00 Whyalla Rex ZL4536 16:00 Sydney TigerAir TT636 11:00 Whyalla Qantas QF2069 16:20 Sydney Qantas QF736 12:50 Whyalla Rex ZL4538 18:00 Sydney Jetstar JQ767 13:05 ???? Alliance QQ6350 13:00 Sydney Qantas QF1558 13:50 Sydney Qantas QF756 15:05 Sydney Virgin Aus VA427 15:30 Sydney Qantas QF764 16:05 Sydney Qantas QF766 17:25 Sydney TigerAir TT642 17:50 Sydney Virgin Aus VA437 18:25 Sydney Qantas QF774 18:55

They couldn’t crack a bottle of champagne on the bow of the first China Southern Airlines flight to Adelaide, so they did the next-best thing.

4 The Times November 2018 Delhi Ring Railway James T Wells

QUIRKY TIMETABLE IS that for the Delhi (India) Ring A Railway, a circular operation. Exhibit 1 (page 6) is from the Northern Railway Time Table of July, 1991 page 73 and would almost certainly have been current when I travelled on it late in 1991. This double track railway was built in the 1970s as a freight bypass. Passenger services commenced in the 1980s. It shows one train making two round trips anti-clockwise in the morning and another making two clockwise trips also in the morning. The afternoon pattern is not quite so simple. One train does two anti- clockwise trips, but in the other direction there is only one complete trip; the second terminates at New Delhi. ordinary heavy rail. Comparing the 18:50 trip with the So this timetable doesn’t feature My memories of this trip on the 1991 18:00 one, trip time has Down:Up, nor xbound:ybound. It’s suburban train are few. One was the increased from 77 minutes to 95 not all that easy to use, especially as lack of patronage, rare for Indian minutes. One explanation is the one reads down on the left hand side trains; one that does linger is running increase in dwell at minor stations and up on the right. parallel with a metre gauge steam from 30 sec to one minute (nine minutes) and at New Delhi from two The first two trains crossed near Patel hauled passenger train in-bound to minutes to five. Nagar. The anti-clockwise (NZ-2) one Delhi. This would have been on the took just under an hour to reach Hazrat line from Jaipur; now converted to Circular routes are relatively common but the three minute earlier clockwise 1.676m gauge, the Indian standard. on metro railways around the world. one (NZ-1) took much longer. Incidentally the metro uses both the Glasgow’s is well known and London has a line so named but, since 2009, Let’s take another example: suppose normal Indian gauge of 1.676m and trains start and terminate at Edgeware one wanted to travel from Chanakaya the international standard of 1.435m. Road because the Hammersmith line to New Delhi in the morning. Options The second timetable image is a has been incorporated into the service. were 8:48 (NZ-2/4 via Hazrat) to current ‘trip planner’ type schedule for arrive 9:26 or, look on the other side one service; the 1850 anti-clockwise The Moscow Metro has two circular of the timetable, for 8:11 (NZ-1) to one. lines. Many Metros have routes that arrive 9:05. change direction a couple of times and It’s a strange document. I wonder if can look like circular routes at first Perhaps it would have been an idea to it’s more of a working timetable than a glance. have all the morning services on the public one. For example, does the left hand side and the afternoon ones public need to know average speeds Wikipedia has an article on the on the right; i.e. a four section between stops or station altitudes? subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ timetable. Speeds range from 6 km/h (recovery Circle_route A real quirk is the footnote re 1NS. time) to a nonsensical 118 km/h. Melbourne once had an “Outer Circle” This would have been better What does the reference at the top to line but in no sense was it circular. incorporated as an additional column. there being 2 halts. 2 intermediate 1. An interesting reference is here The typesetter would have objected. stations between Hazrat and Shivaji Delhi has never had a suburban Bridge mean? A google map check railway system as such. On the map confirms that there are only two the coloured lines are for the new ‘stations’ in this sector. Metro which is quite distinct from the The Times November 2018 5

EXHIBIT 1

6 The Times November 2018

Return to Contents Page Comment on this article Letter to the Editor Faceebook

The Times November 2018 7 Richard Peck asks, and Robert Henderson an- swers: Did bus route 1016 ever run?

OUTE 64 COMMENCED Secondly, I doubt very much that in April 1953 by SM Allison 1016 was ever a route number. as Bundeena-Bonnie Vale- R I have a timetable on a template Maianbar. It has gone through 11 owners before becoming 989 in marked “DMT Print” and date- 2000/2001. Shopping trips to stamped 20 July 1986, showing the Engadine (Wednesdays) and Miranda shopping trips to both Engadine and (Fridays) were commenced 1984 and Miranda running from both Bundeena continue to this date. It is now run by and Maianbar as route 64. Transdev NSW. Before contracts were issued under The “Sydney Public Transport the 1990 Passenger Transport Act, the Directory” was issued in November Maianbar-Bundeena service would 1998. Maps show route 64 from have been a school contract, whereas Bundeena to Engadine and a route the Bundeena service would have run 1016 from Maianbar to Engadine. As under the authority of a general service this appears across two maps it cannot license. The Leahy family was the be an error. But did it ever operate as proprietor of the Maianbar school under the 1990 Passenger Transport 1016 or part of 64? Has anyone ever contract only, before getting the Act, it is almost certain that the seen a timetable? Bundeena licensed services in the late Maianbar school service would have 1980s (transferred from the Willing been added to the contract for route Note that the maps do not show that family), hence bringing the two 64. That would have solved any joint this was a loop route (see present entities under the same ownership. authority situation. timetable below). On school vacations only the shopping trips (commencing Because the shopping services appear There are a few ifs, buts and maybes 9am) and return trips operate. to have always run from Bundeena via in that, but I think it is all plausible. Maianbar, it is quite likely that they Robert Henderson comments: had to be run under the authorities of Return to Contents Page Firstly, note that the numbers 64 and the service licenses/contracts for both Comment on this article the Bundeena and Maianbar 1016 are also shown against the Letter to the Editor shopping service to Miranda, as shown operations. on map 18A of the same directory. When a new-style contract was issued Faceebook

8 The Times November 2018 Note from Robert Henderson

The operator of Route 989 is in fact Ma- ianbar Bundeena Bus Service, despite the fact that the timetable on Transport for NSW’s website shows it as being Transdev. TfNSW presumably does not recognise Ma- ianbar Bundeena Bus Service, because the latter is a sub-contractor to Transdev, which is the principal contractor for Contract Re- gion 10. The timetable for Route 989 on Transdev’s website, however, does recog- nise that Maianbar Bundeena Bus Service is the operator.

The Times November 2018 9 Running the SRHC Specials Max Michell

nothing for a very considerable time - TP 07.20: (after Avenel): Could I have 1. And The Fat Lady Sang not the best recipe for a demanding an update please? program of running. There were HIS IS THE EPIC STORY of CA 07.47 (after Euroa): T357 off line electrical cables and brakes to be the Cruise Express (CE) (ground relays), 11BS toilets failed but reconnected and a multitude of other charter train run by the otherwise all going well. May need T 'gauge conversion' tasks to complete to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre wee stops on return journey. get them all ready for the big day. As (SRHC) from Albury to Melbourne late as the day before running, and return in late August - the first TP 07.49: Thanks for the update. finishing touches were still being Heritage Operator to run their own made, but time ran out in which to run CA 08.10 (after Violet Town): P now train on SG in Victoria. [There appears giving trouble. Not looking good. any shakedown trips. to have been no Train Advice (TAA) TP 10.16 (at Albury): I'm on top of for this train—Geoff Lambert]. Friday 31st August was the day for the West Gate bridge. What should my Albury to Melbourne leg. I left home This all started some time ago when next move be? (by car - too early for trains and in any CE were looking to set up a grand east case there were no trains on the BG for coast tour on rail - at which time V/ CA 11.54 (after Wangaratta): Latest is a fortnight) at 0430 to arrive at Line couldn't or wouldn't provide brakes on 4AS. Stay on West Gate Seymour still in the dark. The train, space on their trains south from until we see what else might happen. facing north, made up as T357 (ICE Albury and vice versa. The ever- radio), P22, (Head-End Power—HEP), TP gave up on text at that point and enterprising SRHC, which already has 1BS (kiosk and underfloor generator rang CA to get the full picture - and I a good working relationship with CE, set capable of running itself - and am pleased to say that TP came down decided to step in and do the running donating a bit of power to other cars in and still is with us despite the less than in Victoria on standard gauge. P22, extremis), 11BS (modern compliant comforting stream of news from afar. from the Col Rees collection, was retention toilets), and 4AS, was parked But as my Nepalese bus driver once chosen to be the motive power, being in the SG loco area loop next to the observed after a rather harrowing 7 long out of service but in reasonable main line (V/Line refers to this area hour trip, if we are at our destination condition and notably fitted with head the SG passenger yard in a touch of and the bus is in one piece it must be end 'hotel' power. Quite some effort purple prose). an alright day then. We were still on was required to replace the wrecked the move with our 1000hp, although radiator and get P22 ready for Once the up XPT had gone (the last limited in speed for various reasons, so repainting into Victorian Railways for three days due to a shut down in it must still have been an alright day. colours (yes indeed - blue and gold). Southern NSW - so much for Shane, the Train Manager was suicidal At the same time 4AS, 11BS and 1BS Australia's premier inter-capital by this point, the President was were selected to be transferred over to railway), we backed up to Seymour perched precariously on West Gate, SG; the two original Spirit cars never station and headed north as “empty the two CA's (Kevin and Max) having been off the BG before, along cars”, getting away around 6 minutes somewhat fatalistic about the whole with T357 as a back up loco (it having ahead of time. The hearty roar of two thing, but still P22 thundered along. been delivered on SG and running lots of eight cylinders marked our For those who have been keeping there for some years before going onto departure—but not for long. Even count only 1BS (a 1937 original) did BG for the rest of its VR life). At the before we made Seymour Loop not rate a mention during the morning. same time SRHC had to create some (around 3km out), 357 had ground standard gauge siding space, as a relay problems, so we took it off line P22, having gone down with 'grounds' precursor to a more mature storage and and let P22 do all the work (from twice had been running in 6th notch workshop on the skinny gauge. 1,900hp and 150 trailing tonnes we then 7th but not 8th to try had gone to 1000hp and 230 tonnes). (successfully) to avoid a repetition. At As little as two weeks before the trip At the same time we had become Albury 4AS was found to have brake all five vehicles were on BG, being aware that 11BS was quite without problems which caused some delay transferred to SG over three days in power and more particularly it's water there, before we could depart. At the open in mid winter, largely with supply and toilets were not working. A Albury we got our passengers - 155 of volunteers, using SRHC and Regional stunning start to the day. Perhaps at them fitting into a similar number of Rail Connect (RRC) gear and a very this point I should let a text message seats - since we had a V/Line patient Southern Shorthaul Railroad exchange between The President (TP) conductor and five on board staff we (SSR) loco crew. So, we had reliable and I, a Corridor Attendant (CA), tell actually had a deficit of seats, which is locos on bogies of rather unknown the story— how the two CA's created something condition and similarly for cars, apart of a record of standing virtually all the from P22 which has done virtually 10 The Times November 2018 way Albury to Melbourne and back they would find the rest of Robbie in But wait - there's more. What again. there somewhere. These guys had comes down must go up again and so dropped whatever they were doing on Sunday 2nd Sept we ran the At Benalla, we were turned onto the earlier and rushed to be there when we whole thing in reverse. I had no car west line to access the main platform got to Seymour - Frank had to come and there were no BG trains so it had for a wee stop of a few minutes. In fact from 50 km away for instance. I have to be the 07.05 down Albury (SG) the male queue went out onto the to say I was hugely impressed by the back to Seymour. All night trams platform and the female queue response we got in what was a fairly (we have two down our way) now probably went out into the forecourt. dire situation. V/Line would have allow access to SX on a Sunday Overall, we were there for 15 minutes called in a bus before Mangalore, 10 early enough for quite a few punters rather than the intended shorter period; minutes after our first departure, and to be on that train. Unusually (or is it this meant that Junee Train Control yet here we were with an ailing train so now??) we left from Platform 1 at had to throw the stick back to avoid that had already run 430 km, being SX and got into it once out in the the queue of traffic at Nunn St level worked over in difficult conditions yard such that we were standing at crossing getting out of control. We did with not a bus in sight (and not a Broadmeadows just 27 minutes later have a Plan Z but with cooperation passenger disadvantaged). A truly - then having to wait 4 minutes for from our 'cruisers' we didn't have to inspiring event, and is one of the the timetable to catch up. In the end resort to that to any great extent. reasons that I get so much satisfaction we were 6 late at Seymour which, from working at and with SRHC. given the Temporary Speed Despite now being around an hour late Restrictions (TSR's) that plague the no one was at all put off - in fact we The brakes were fixed and a work- SG main line, was a very around for the electricals arranged so seemed to have picked up the commendable effort. I moved my car that, in the event of a subsequent sympathy vote from the travellers who nearer the action, and stabled it on a were eternally grateful for warm cars power failure, we had a Plan B of BG road off the turntable so it would and a well run kiosk (Bruce - resident sorts. At this point, someone realised be more conveniently placed later in caterer for SRHC, and Brandon - our that due to the NSW Southern line the evening. jack of all trades young bloke around shutdown, there was no XPT so we town). docked up early and we were then The train departed Seymour a few easily able to get away on time. minutes late at 11.08, all in working Arrival at Seymour was at 13.58 - 78 Running was a bit sedate uphill (T357 order but with several frailties that minutes late but since we had a long still had radio, headlight and whistle only we were aware of. While I had compulsory stop of some hours before but not much else) but after Heathcote the first class car (4AS) on Friday I V/Line would let us into Southern Jct., and under gravity, there were was 'defrocked' to second class Cross station (wait line clear on down some interesting observations from (11BS) for this run - swapping with Albury pass, up and down XPT and up passengers who had speed calculators Kevin who was 'frocked' to first Overland) we fed the travellers in the in their bat phones and tablets. I had class. We believe in exposing the Seymour Refreshment Rooms (yes come to a similar conclusion from travellers to twice as much charm as they still work when we want them to), trying to read the speedo in P22 from they would get from having just one then took them on a tour of the the AS front vestibule window. With CA over the two trips :-). Heritage Centre, during which time the no XPT and the Overland cars out of Running to Melbourne was more or train was refuged back in the SX early we had no delays coming in, less as planned, although a 16 minute Passenger Yard. There it was such that we stopped in Southern descended on by a gang of volunteers wait at Somerton Loop for the Cross platform 2A no fewer than 18 which we had rounded up while on the midday down Albury resulted in a 20 minutes ahead of time. The President move, in the hope we could rectify the minute late arrival into Southern had by this time descended from West Cross - platform 2A again. major problems besetting us - the key Gate and came in to meet us. I took Passengers trickled in (from R707's ones being 11BS toilets and lights and advantage of the opportunity, once the 4AS brakes (it couldn't run as a rear trip to Newport) and were all passengers had gone to book off, and vehicle back from Melbourne with accounted for to allow an exactly on go home by tram (The car, for the brakes cut out). Frank and Mike got time departure at 14.00. second time, spent the weekend in the into the electrics of 11BS while Col, SRHC compound, waiting for my "Attention V/Line passengers - the Robbie and later James and Quintin Sunday return). It had been an 14.00 Special Train to Albury is now got on the ballast under the bogies of exhausting day but despite everything due to depart" , says the authoritarian 4AS to fix things there. Brandon (of we actually achieved exactly what we voice, rather ignoring the fact that kiosk fame) donned his grotty outfit set out to do - carry 155 people over Cruise Express and SRHC are really and joined in the dirty stuff with the 300 km from Albury to Melbourne running the train and V/Line at best others. An abiding memory is of more or less on time, and to do it in is only a silent partner. A stop of someone coming along looking for such a way that they were all very around 25 minutes at Kilmore East Robbie. I pointed to a bit of leg poking complimentary about the experience. (once again for the V/Line passenger out from under the bogie and train - the only other train active suggested that if they followed that leg between Sydney and Melbourne at

The Times November 2018 11 that point) had been allowed for, so on the whole train, the rest having a fine art and didn't play any part in Seymour was also on time where we taken up space in the now empty cars the subsequent avoidable delays. had a short stop to change crews. to stretch out for a minute or more. The first shuttle train from Caulfield Despite all the attention T357 was still ———————— had a four minute longer schedule than lame so P22 remained as THE the rest (of the shuttles) and it kept workhorse. Despite this and having to 2. I think I shrank my shuttle time overall, albeit it couldn't get push its mate as well as haul the train anywhere near keeping time on the it ran the 206 km from Seymour to N 13TH OCTOBER Caulfield - Hughesdale section but Albury in 142 minutes at an average (ATA AGM day) SRHC ran made up for that on the longer sections speed of 87 km/h - something I O a charter for the Level toward Dandenong. The first return suspect has not been achieved in all Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) from Dandenong lost around 6 the earlier days of T, H or P class. to celebrate completion of the minutes (four as a consequence of Even running that sort of distance non- Dandenong line project (removal of all timetable difference and two from stop would be bordering on almost nine remaining level crossings and a slow stops) so now we were at unique. Nothing untoward happened, distinct improvement in the ambience Caulfield platform 3, 10 late - what to the kiosk did a good trade, there was a of the line). The idea started with four do? Well evidently Control wasn't too lovely sunset near Chiltern and we shuttles of around 7 cars in push pull decisive on this issue either, so we lost arrived on time all of which made for formation between B74 and X31 a further six minutes awaiting yet another excellent trip for the running between Caulfield and resolution of that. In the end we 'cruisers'. Dandenong. By degrees this shrunk to headed east again, now 16 minutes three shuttles (to avoid the returning late, but this time coordination seemed In the gathering darkness the Caulfield races?) of five cars (to fit passengers quickly dissipated at to falter somewhere in the system, within the departure signals at the stops were overly long and lateness Albury (propelled by the certain turnback platforms), although the knowledge of yet another 05.30 start started to accumulate rapidly, so much Yarra car did remain as one of the so that we were refuged at Westall (the next day) while we did the run round running cars. and loco reversal prior to the empty only such facility between Richmond return run. Of course the best laid A sort of booking system was run on and Dandenong and even then it only plans - now that the passengers had the internet (by LXRA) as a way of works eastbound and not westbound) gone we were only a bit west of managing crowds, while below each of to allow two suburbans and a Wodonga when P22 had ground relays the now aerial stations various Bairnsdale V/Locity to overtake. which resulted in a stop to reset (we festivities were being run to celebrate Once the timetable falters, the were going to have to stop one way or the embryonic parkland that is computers get annoyed and the another since our power had dropped replacing the old ground level railway. humans get confused—a recipe for to no horses at all). As a precaution we The shuttle trains were to stop at all bad news. On the second return from ran in somewhat conservative mode five new stations - Carnegie, Dandenong the stops were even longer from there on, not helped by the Murrumbeena, Hughesdale (all approx than before (although not for excess of TSR's on the east line, such one km apart), Clayton and Noble passengers - they on the whole that we pulled up at Seymour around Park. Run times Caulfield to cooperated very well) which 20 minutes later than expected. Dandenong for the shuttles was the culminated in a longer than scheduled Given the almost manic series of same as an all stations electric train. stop at Carnegie while Control issues that we encountered that was a The normal suburban services run a 10 announced that the third shuttle would truly excellent result, and in fact as far minute frequency (including be cancelled and that on arrival at as our passengers were concerned we weekends), while roughly hourly V/ Caulfield the train would keep going were on time or early all the way, a Line Gippsland line trains get in there (but as empty cars) toward Flinders St. glorious example of how enterprise as well. A lot of the passengers thoroughly and inspiration can overcome Big wooden country cars with only enjoyed themselves in the ornate adversity in situations where others two relatively small doors are never wooden cars (and said so as they left), might simply give up or hire a bus. going to work well for suburban type while Yarra seemed like an endless A truly epic weekend of travel with operations, so the electric train times draw card - herds of people headed in nearly 1300 km of travel over two over the Caulfield- Hughesdale section to it; few seemed to come out. A pre- very long days. Even if everything had were always a real challenge. The departure check at Caulfield did been faultless they would have been reality, as it turned out, was that stops indeed indicate that observations can long days out, but with the challenges of over a minute at each station be very wrong. that we faced it went a level or three effectively became to loss of time at It is a pity that things didn't work out above that. On the empty return from each. Of course each car had to have as well as was hoped, but since the Albury, for much of the time there two Train Officers (more appropriately first trip showed what was possible, it were only two or three bodies awake on this trip, Door Swingers) to manage can only be concluded that the the doors at each station, but after the 'knitting' was allowed to unravel after first few stops this had developed into that. Shane, our Train Manager, runs a

12 The Times November 2018 tight ship and I do not think we (the others). situation that seemed to cause volunteers) were tardy in getting Andrew's comrade a lot of grief (or Note from Geoff Lambert: I sent the people on and off at stops. The perhaps indecision). Maybe we could following message to Max shortly problems lay in a too tight schedule, have run into the section toward after I received the above report: and less than precise despatching after Malvern and been able to come back stops. Maybe trying to run a heritage We (ATA AGM attendees) travelled on via platform 4 but I am uncertain of train on suburban lines, making the first trip. Andrew James, an the options at that end. Overall it several stops along the way, when the attendee at the AGM and Metro Train could have worked but would have normal trains (the boring ones) are Controller, said before the trip, “This needed a Conductor more on the ball running a 10 minute frequency is just a is never going to work”. Afterwards he to get the train away as soon as all was step too far. However, if LXRA want a said, “Well, I never predicted this”. clear. (As I see it, that was not the charter that does do those things, and case) and loco crew who would drive To which, Max replied: I think if I MTM and V/Line agree with them, more like a Brisbane suburban train was scheduling this I would have then I guess we were entirely right in with a 1720 up front. All of this is on accepting the challenge. We played slipped each next trip back one cycle the assumption that the running on our part, and possibly made quite a (10 minutes) even though that would Trip 1 could have been replicated each have created an asymmetric timetable. few new friends along the way. trip - passenger numbers were Also for a two minute EMU timing I reasonably similar apart from a couple Each Train Officer would have opened would have made the extra three of stops when they all were clustered (and closed) their allotted door no minutes (two run, one dwell) and had around one car length. fewer than 24 times in under three each departure from the origin station hours - not quite the normal right up the rear of the preceding EMU Hope you all enjoyed your short experience in an SRHC outing. In fact, train so it could be around 6 minutes outing, and for the out of towners I I think each one should get automatic slower without delaying the following hope you had a look at Yarra. accreditation as a door swinger, since EMU. Return to Contents Page in a few hours they accumulated more door experience than a year’s worth of Caulfield was a problem since the Comment on this article country outings (experience should facing crossover allowing up trains to access platform 4 is stricken from Letter to the Editor count on a heritage railway even operable at present, so platform 3 was though it is no longer found on the Faceebook the only reversing option - this is the

The Special at Dandenong before things started to unravel Photo: Geoff Lambert

The Times November 2018 13 14 The Times November 2018

The Times November 2018 15 From P K Hannah: Geoff- I think you can make a good article out of the above! I am rather surprised by the late date. I thought the Japanese had invaded before then, so is that why is this is a temporary timetable? I am sure the English disap- peared when the Japanese occupied the area. Reply: I think I might have read about this somewhere, perhaps in one of Tuft- e’s books – Tufte certainly had an illustration of a “Javanese Spy Train Timeta- ble” [The Times, December 1999]. This website has some other publications of the PLR .

From: P K Hannah: Geoff, Have you seen this 1935 form (above left)? It was done by the Victorian Railways Print shop. It sounds like there was interline ticketing (or interstate ticketing) in Australia. However, I really wonder if that applied to The Tasmanian system. Could one buy a Ticket in Sydney on NZ railways at Central? Reply Neither I nor Victor Isaacs have ever seen one of these—have you? In the lead-up to Federation, there was the possibility that NZ might join and there was a great spirit of cooperation between the Australian States and NZ; the various Railways became an enthusiastic part of that. The CEOs (“Commissioners”) formed an entity called the “Commissioners’ Conferences” to discuss cooperation and matters of mutual interest. In the early 1900s this extended to the decision to have a common rule book and Appendix. They never got past a draft of these before bickering broke out, but most of them did adopt almost-identical rule books—including NZ and some private railways. Interline ticketing was one of the things they made work. A few decades ago, the Conference became “Railways of Australia” As recently as the late 20th Century, a couple of sys- tems had “Interstate Lines” sections in their PTTs and some produced “through timetables” from Cairns to Perth. RoA is still going and is quite active but remarkably ineffectual in influencing Government policy on rail. The days when it was are nearly 70 years in the past, following a land- mark decision in the High Court on Interstate Commerce which opened the interstate transport markets to trucks which had previously been inhib- ited. The timetable was probably a consequence of both the Art Deco rage at the time in VR and its Commissioner Harold Clapp who, although born in Australia had a 20-year career in USA RRs, becoming VP of SP in 1908. I would think there was probably also the influence of Richard Hughes, a skilled journalist employed by Clapp to do publicity and edit the house journal, Victorian Railways News. This TT has Hughes written all over it. Hughes went on to become an MI6 spy in Hong Kong and, as “Old Craw”, was a character in a spy novel by John Le Carre.