Driver's View Ginifer to Sunbury Melbourne

[@brucemoyle7610]

Pause at 9:10 (or hit "4") for a view of old Sydenham station.

[@melbournetrainspotting9740]

I saw it

[@Memality]

Love the brake noise in the Comeng emu’s

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, I also like the sound of the motors and gears slowing the train. It gives them character. Modern electronic trains make noises, but nothing like that.

[@jimcrawford5039]

The electrification sure has been extended! It’s been a long time since I was that way, I lived in the southern suburbs although I drove deliveries all over the city. Great vid. By the way.

[@tressteleg1]

😊

[@SKumar-kb8ql]

😀

[@RichardFelstead1949]

Great video. I would not have recognised St Albans Station.Last time I was there 2014(?) it was on ground level.

[@tressteleg1]

The Level Crossing Removal project is making massive changes to the look of places. When 'After' videos become available there will be a number of Before, During and After videos of various projects.

[@johnyoung1128]

I used to live close to St Albans station and the old Main Rd level crossing was something the locals were glad to see the back of. There were several fatalities at that crossing and at the Furlong Rd level crossing near Ginifer station where the video started. Both ground level stations at Ginifer and St Albans were totally demolished and put into cuttings under the roads. Apart from the safety aspects those two crossings were major traffic bottlenecks.

[@sonycans]

I remember St Albans station from the mid seventies when the boom gates used a hand crank. Every morning the Walker train from Daylesford to Melbourne would pass through at 07:40.

[@kayhalliwell4404]

A great video! Talk about a "bird's eye view" - I felt like I was right there next to the driver.

[@tressteleg1]

Don’t skimp. Pretend you are the driver. With the Comeng trains you can usually hear whether the train is powering, coasting or braking. Just listen and put your hands on the controls! 😋

[@kayhalliwell4404]

Thanks Tresstelleg1 for that info.

[@stopbunsen]

You were right... Watergardens to Sunbury 115km/h ;) One things I've been wondering... do our trains have any sort of capacitors, so if the power drops out, the train can power itself for a stretch? Also been wondering why we need all the pantographs up at the same time. I think each 3 car train has two, and they are always up. Can the train get by on just one? I know the carbon shoe on them can wear out over time. I've seen some damaged pantograph videos, and when it goes wrong it can be pretty spectacular!

[@tressteleg1]

If I have any doubt about the answer to question such as train speeds, I check with my two drivers. I don’t believe any trains in Australia have batteries or capacitors to move without overhead wire power. The only batteries Comeng trains have are for the taillights. The new trains may have some battery-powered saloon lights, a feature in Sydney forever. To have less pantographs you must have heavy current cables passing through the train to power other motor cars. That is considered undesirable, not to mention a heavy current draw in the pantographs. You can be certain the engineers have though of all the options and have chosen the best.

[@stopbunsen]

@@tressteleg1 Thanks. Re pantographs that makes sense.

[@johnno1246]

@@stopbunsen the X-Trapolis sets are the only ones with a single pantograph for each three car unit, but they are also a far newer design than the comeng

[@lachlantrainvideos]

Johnno Gaming xtrapolis’s if running with a pantograph down in half of a 6 car set, batteries power the PIDS, some of the lights, announcements and doors. No air con either. Can be seen in this video by Wongm kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5ilhaBplNKVgJY

[@FootyOnTheRadio]

fantastic vid. love the sounds of these trains.

[@coconutboo9704]

Hello again love this video

[@tressteleg1]

👍

[@willeton]

Grew up in that region. It has sure changed a lot since the early 70,s - 90s. Now live Wodonga vic.

[@tressteleg1]

From one rural area (then) to another rural area 😄

[@jameshowitt2463]

Fascinating that there are no speed boards. Mind we have route as opposed to speed signalling so the lack of PSR boards may be somewhat problematic...

[@tressteleg1]

I wondered about that too but our driver told me that as part of their training they had to memorise the basic speed limit for every line they drove on (the city centre based drivers must learn all the lines in Melbourne). Speed boards are only placed where there are lower limits.

[@anthonykosztadinov2745]

@@tressteleg1 Why not just have the speed boards in the first place in case the drivers forget the speed limit? It baffles me!

[@tressteleg1]

I agree. I suppose management thinks they are saving money until there is a speed related crash. Anyway I think on most lines it is only 80km/h anyway.

[@cherriseven5054]

Duuuuude it's so weird to think that going by the time on the station clocks, I was probably on this exact train headed to work 😂

[@tressteleg1]

Well if you always caught that train, there’s a good chance that on one day at least, my friend was driving you to work. You would have had a good smooth ride. I sent your comment on to him 😊

[@cherriseven5054]

@@tressteleg1 Yeah, never had a bad ride 😂

[@tressteleg1]

I should hope not, and not from any driver 😄

[@davidlang1125]

Another great vid! Beautiful countryside. Love the long shadows. Is it late or early in the day?

[@tressteleg1]

Almost certainly morning. The brown grass is typical Australian rural countryside until you get to the desert regions.

[@localfishingtv6525]

Yes couldn't wait

[@sonycans]

95km from Ginifer to Keilor Downs... With all due respect I have see a number of trains push 110. St Albans Road late in the evening between Albion and Ginifer, I was trying yo keep up with one of them (yes I know I broke the speed limit and risked license and others) but my vehicle reached 110km/h trying to keep up.

[@tressteleg1]

Any speeds quoted are the permitted maximum. If some driver chooses to go faster on trains which will go faster, that is his/her choice. A Comeng will not go much over 100 on level track. Have you checked your car speedometer? Often they are set to show a few km/h faster than the actual speed as a road safety measure. Mine exaggerates by 4Km/h.

[@sonycans]

Dash Cam footage and GPS@@tressteleg1. Using a little mathematics with calculating the number of frames against a particular measured point from Google Earth verifies the speed. They were correct.

[@tressteleg1]

All good. Sometimes people assume too much accuracy with their own equipment without ever checking.

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

great video tressteleg1 :)

[@tressteleg1]

😊

[@Psychokitten113]

Theres now a bridge on Melton Highway crossing separating highway with trainline, good thing

[@tressteleg1]

Maybe my driver will have footage of that when I go south next summer. 😊

[@alexisprotopopo]

this is my first time to see this great one why you put the cam into country train like mel to benidgo or Geelong

[@tressteleg1]

It is not my camera. I am friends with a driver who takes these for us. To date, I have found no freight or Vline drivers to do the same for us.

[@thelionking219]

The Sunbury Line would be the best once they complete the Metro Tunnel for sure. 🤔

[@avgfree21]

Sunbury station has clearly been designed so they can extend the metro line further in the future. is this the case?

[@tressteleg1]

Anything is possible but there are no more reasonable sized towns for quite a long way after Sunbury so it is hard to imagine that being necessary, especially when you consider the enormous amount of empty land beyond Watergardens.

[@Trappy1]

Two more future stations are proposed beyond Sunbury. Sunbury East, and Sunbury North. vpa.vic.gov.au/project/lancefield-road/

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks for that.

[@ronstux4428]

So who is the 160 km/h limit for? There didn't seem to be anywhere between the sign and Sunbury for the V/Locity trains to get past you. Just one place (Water Gardens?) where it seemed possible, although with some juggling on the outbound side.

[@tressteleg1]

Ron in the US? It is only between Sunshine and Sunbury that Electrics and country trains share the same tracks. With careful timetabling it should not be too hard to keep the trains apart. And until that sign all trains have the same speed limit. I’ll ask my driver if he sees any problems.

[@ronstux4428]

Yes, it's me. Thanks for the info.

[@tressteleg1]

Ron, here is more info from my driver: “Well, when things are running late then V'line's trains will be blocked just like they've always been. When everything's on time off-peak, the suburban frequency is 20" from the city to Watergardens, 40" to Sunbury so it's usually possible to timetable the V'line far enough behind the spark so it doesn't get blocked. During peak hours with sparks leaving Sunbury on average every 12" (in some cases every 6") then it's just not possible to timetable the Vline to run at track speed. It'll be tabled to follow the suburban by 2 or 3 minutes and the onus will be on the V'line driver to regulate the speed of the train accordingly. A "good" driver will slow down and run on yellow aspects all the way from Sunbury to Sunshine or vice verse. A "bad" driver will fly along and brake hard for the red signal then, maybe, spend a few minutes doing the sudoku until the signal is showing green when he/she will drive fast again until the next red light is reached....”

[@ronstux4428]

Thanks for the explanation.

[@Busman500PTEnthusiast]

I'm In year 8 and want to become a Train Driver when I graduate school, what subjects do you have to do to become a Train Driver? All I read is you have to complete year 12.

[@charlieryder6322]

Victorian Public Transport Productions i’m pretty sure you don’t need to do any subjects in order to be considered for a role, i’m in year 10 and am also considering being a driver

[@Physigist]

Year 11 student here, as far as I know, you don't need any qualifications, but it would help to do a Cert III course in Railway Operations, available in a place called Brooklyn, just north of Newport.

[@tressteleg1]

Competition is always rather keen with plenty of applicants. I could not say that such a course would or would not improve chances of success. Unfortunately the present company are not terribly nice to work for, but that can change.

[@TomMarvan]

Great stuff! Do you have any Glen Waverley line videos?

[@tressteleg1]

Yes. Check KZbin for ‘Driver’s View Glen Waverley Line Melbourne’.

[@TomMarvan]

@@tressteleg1 Thank you!

[@ksmashgamer5748]

Lots of trains in both directions

[@tressteleg1]

If you can see any times on station clocks you will probably see a time earlier than 9am so the all taking people to work.

[@jimcrawford5039]

Where is Ginifer? I left Melb. In 1977. Times have changed I know! NSW.

[@tressteleg1]

It was built quite some years ago between Albion and St Albans but as you will see in a later video already posted, it was replaced and moved during the lowering of the tracks below the nearby level crossing. The electrification was extended to Sunbury just a few years ago. I’m not sure where the wires endedbefore that. Maybe Watergardens which is a shopping centre in the Sydenham area.

[@lachlantrainvideos]

Jim Crawford it was built in the 80s

[@tressteleg1]

Soul Sphere Yes. Like several Melbourne lines, the wires have gradually crept further out into the countryside over time.

[@johnyoung1128]

Ginifer is in the western suburb of St Albans just north of where Furlong Rd crosses St Albans Rd.

[@evolvedHE]

This is awesome! I'd love to be a train driver but its so hard to get in

[@tressteleg1]

As I said before, just do your best at school for now. Who knows what requirements will be necessary when you are old enough? I’m glad you like the pair of videos. You can ‘Learn the Road’ from watching them over and over, and you will also need to learn all lines in due course. Werribee is likely to be next but that is several weeks away.

[@evolvedHE]

That's true. Thanks for the great videos, can't wait

[@tressteleg1]

Please see my reply to "Victorian Public Transport Productions" 😀

[@brianmcgill7314]

Dude pleeeeze show Melton hwy any gap rd level crossing free their’ve done a great job? I enjoy your videos, Keep up the great work ❤

[@tressteleg1]

Unfortunately I can only post what my friend records for me. I don’t live in Melbourne so I am not familiar with the crossings you mention.

[@magicbrowntrout]

Level crossing removal at 9.13 with double dual highway going over the railway line. Start RFR. What does it mean? Is that Regional Fast Rail. HMM

[@tressteleg1]

I expect that RFR does ever to Regional Fast Rail but don’t know what that means to drivers.

[@magicbrowntrout]

Probably the maximum speed versus the Comeng

[@tressteleg1]

Electric train drivers get no instructions about the RFR signs. Maybe they have importance for VLine drivers.

[@lachlantrainvideos]

tressteleg1 RFR means that is where the RFR upgrades to track commences, I.e. velocities can travel up to 160kph

[@kcobley]

No fencing, pedestrian level crossings, level crossings everywhere? Track looks modern, a few k/s from Melbourne it's like a bunch of country towns in the outback, it's the boondocks here.

[@tressteleg1]

Lack of fencing seems to cause no problems. It looks good. The old stations seem to do the job. 😊

[@alishabarclay5946]

Can you do videos from Flinders Street Station to Frankston Station please

[@tressteleg1]

Driver’s View Moorabbin to Caulfield has already been posted. I’ll check tomorrow to see if any more is available at this time.

[@matthewmassarotti2596]

watergardens crossing is now gone its a tunnel trains go under the road now

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks. I have more videos to get from my friend next month and those changes may be amongst them.

[@matthewmassarotti2596]

@@tressteleg1 cool cant wait

[@tressteleg1]

😊

[@lachlantrainvideos]

It's not a tunnel the line has stayed where it is. A road bridge was built.

[@tressteleg1]

At The former Sydenham station just beyond Watergardens, it certainly is a bridge over the railway as was

[@alishabarclay5946]

Ok thanks

[@redhead3199]

What is 'RFR' please

[@tressteleg1]

Regional Fast Rail. 20 or so years ago it was decided to upgrade tracks and services principally to Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong and some places beyond. Especially it involved a track segregated track for country/Regional trains from Southern Cross to Sunshine, tracks not used by suburban electric trains.

[@lachlantrainvideos]

tressteleg1 no RFR was only speed upgrades and the crippling of the Bendigo line, The regional rail link was the seperate tracks finished in 2015.

[@thaihdvision142]

Are you a train driver?

[@tressteleg1]

No. I used to be a Melbourne Tram driver. A friend takes the Driver’s View videos from the trains. I take the tram ones from where passengers can stand.

[@kcobley]

Melbourne's stations all look like Macdonaldtown.

[@tressteleg1]

😊

[@derhampaul1117]

They help me sleep

[@tressteleg1]

Reviewing my own videos on the big TV before uploading to KZbin also usually puts me to sleep at any time of day!