Driver's View Southern Cross to Williamstown. Melbourne

23 Minutes. This suburban line is just over 14 km long.

[@waynewhite2323]

This must be one of the oldest lines in Melbourne. shame it still doesn't go too the Pier, great work as always m8. lot of history on this line!

[@tressteleg1]

Wayne White Port Melbourne opened 1854. This is in 1859. Pier closed 1987. I suppose it closed because freight traffic was moved to a new harbour elsewhere in Melbourne.

[@gailgamann7873]

I am thoroughly enjoying seeing your videos!! Keep up the good work and very interesting train rides. Well done.

[@johnd8892]

Glad you captured and shared this bit of history before it changed forever. North Williamstown station at 18:57 now completely changed with the level crossing removal as you noted. Opened early in 2022 with a weird expensive design that one rail user I know despises. Most people sitting on the very high platform seats will not be able to have their feet on the ground, just dangling. Architect ideas.

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks for all this information and that of your previous posting. Hopefully my driver has video of the new arrangements when I get the next lot of video from him.

[@evolveausevolveaus]

williamstown, my home station. started catching the train to school in grade 5 from willy to newport, then grade 6 willy to other side of city. williamstown station is the oldest original station in melbourne.

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@scottyerkes1867]

Nice relaxing ride to eilliamdtown. Philadelphia has a similar 23 minute suburban route. Ours is single track. Runs Monday to Friday only with 6 round trips.

[@thelionking219]

On the Williamstown Line itself as of 2021, the level crossing at Ferguson Street, North Williamstown was removed by lowering the rail line beneath the road into a rail trench with a new North Williamstown Station. On the Werribee Line as of 2019, the level crossing at Aviation Road, Laverton was removed by moving the road onto a new road bridge over the rail line and Aircraft Station got upgraded. And as of 2021 the 3 level crossings at Werribee Street and Cherry Street, in Werribee and Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing were all removed by building road bridges over the rail line and Hoppers Crossing Station got upgraded. On the Altona Loop Line as of 2018, the level crossing at Kororoit Creek Road, Williamstown North, was removed by building an elevated rail bridge over the road which also included partial duplication of the Altona Loop Line. Now they are planning to remove another 5 level crossings on the Werribee and Williamstown by 2030. The level crossings at Champion Road, Newport and Anderson Street, Yarraville will be closed off to divert traffic, as for the level crossings on Maidstone Street Altona and Maddox Road Newport, they will be removed by building rail bridges over the roads. And for the level crossing at Hudsons Road, Spotswood, it will be removed by building an elevated rail bridge with a new elevated Spotswood Station.

[@brucewilliams8714]

We travel at dizzying speed, don't we. I once went through to the Pier by red rattler.

[@BrianMundyWTC]

Thanks for the video.I used to travel on this route back in 1961 and 1962

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@lachlantrainvideos]

Great as per usual, very relaxing.

[@kaiwhara]

The "Blue Carriage" is the Mockup for the HCMT that was displayed in town a year and a half ago

[@tressteleg1]

kaiwhara Thanks for that. Sometimes they hide wrecks under coverings like that.

[@anthony851]

The picket fence and gates south of Yarraville look very historic. Are the gates remnants of when there was a crossing keeper onsite? I enjoyed the information about the signal indications. On the strength of this video I have subscribed. Hi from NZ, Anthony.

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍. I can’t comment for sure about the gates etc, but it’s very likely. May be another viewer can help you.

[@nickhowlett738]

Love it thanks

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@robbieberry9700]

I used to live in Williamstown

[@tressteleg1]

So did a good friend of mine 😊

[@margaretcampbell2681]

Thank you

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@whirter]

Love these videos

[@tressteleg1]

Glad you liked it. I did not know if this would create much interest, but it seems to be going okay for the moment.

[@Ztbmrc1]

I think I saw a drivers' instruction video of this line here on youtube Tnx for sharing.

[@tressteleg1]

Probably by House Train.

[@Ztbmrc1]

@@tressteleg1 Could be, I do not remember. But there are several route instruction video's of the Melbourne area.

[@jimpikoulis6726]

The overhead is still in place where the rails have been ripped up at Williamstown.

[@tressteleg1]

It’s probably more trouble than it is worth to install new anchor points for the end of the wire, unless the land currently used for that purpose needed for something else.

[@topher1976au]

Blue covered carriage in NPT yards likely to be a new HCMT car

[@JordysRailVideos]

17:35 of what the blue tarp is a mock up of

[@brenton6225]

Always love learning the signals but what is Normal speed? 80km/h

[@tressteleg1]

As far as I know in all other states, there are speed boards for every speed variation but in Melbourne, drivers are expected to learn by heart the normal speeds for the faster sections of track with speed boards just a reminder for curves. On some lines some sections may have a normal speed of 60 km/h, somewhere else it may climb to 80 and I know the outer sections like to Sunbury the speed is something over 100 km/h. I have not been able to get hold of a book or other information which lists all the speeds for each line.

[@kennyp6622]

Enjoyed the video. What is the difference Metro & Regional lines?

[@tressteleg1]

Take a guess. Metro for metropolitan or suburban trains. Electric trains. Regional for trains that go further to the outer regions of the state. Those are all diesel trains.

[@mattwakefield4147]

tressteleg1 lets hope that well soon have high speed trains

[@JordysRailVideos]

Blue tarp is a mock up of 17:35

[@alexisprotopopo]

i might go there because i want to explore this rail goes to the pier because it should allowed to go there for a short break

[@tressteleg1]

You might be a bit late. Not only have the tracks been cut back to a short distance past Williamstown station, but there is no trace of the pier on Google Maps.

[@johnd8892]

Williamstown Pier station was never on a pier. It just served the area close to the piers. Non passenger trains used to travel onto the piers until the mid sixties. Notable that all the R , J class and North British built N class steam engines were unloaded from Nelson Pier onto the Nelson Pier tracks. Similar story for almost all imported VR steam locomotives from about 1858 onwards. A search should show photos online as well as the Williamstown Pier station and even the 1860s era version closer to the still existing historic Timeball tower. Some of the wheat exports in earlier times.

[@vincentkohlumcfan22]

Morning rush hour?

[@tressteleg1]

If you read the clocks on the stations, you will see it is a bit after 9 am so the peak is over and going the other way anyway.

[@prune501]

all of melbourne old and slow

[@tressteleg1]

That is largely correct, unfortunately.