Driver's View Tram 1 Flinders St to South Melbourne Beach

[@xenophonharlamoff5074]

I used this line to go to South Melbourne for swimming in the 70s. It is clear that Melbourne is a city with a character, of sharing and easy for anyone to go around. The electronic birds is an attractive visual display and the video was done nicely. Thank you

[@tressteleg1]

Im glad you enjoyed this 😊

[@dalecollins-smith3551]

OMG, this route brings back memories. In summer 1980 i'd get out of college at VCA and take this route to SM Beach. 43 years ago. Seems like yesterday

[@tressteleg1]

Interesting. I 1988 to 1994 drove that line occasionally, being based at South Melbourne depot. Sometimes it seems like yesterday, sometimes I wonder was it really me?

[@brucekilby9957]

Always been a nice ride from the city. It's seems to be a smoother ride in the newer trams and there seems to be more cars around Sth Melb now,but the homes and other buildings are still fine. Good trip.🇦🇺🌞

[@tressteleg1]

Yes the number 1 to S. Melbourne Beach was always a quiet little run through suburban streets without much traffic. I drove it many times with Ws, and towards the end of my time in Melbourne, with the occasional Z. There seems to be no great rush to tear down the old buildings and replace them with towers, fortunately.

[@rodevans602]

Another great trip! My run home, forty years ago…. Many Thanks…

[@tressteleg1]

I drove it 1988 to 1994.

[@rodevans602]

@@tressteleg1 Then I’m guessing that I rode with you more than once! Cheers…

[@tressteleg1]

Quite possible. I mostly started work around 3:30pm but on odd occasions did it at other times. However South Melbourne Depot did 6 other routes so I only did the 1 occasionally.

[@tommyasquith]

I was both a connie, then a driver on this route in the mid/late 60's (National Service interrupted it). I still have my paper licence to operate signed by Traffic Manager R.C. Drummond. G Great video, very nostalgic

[@tressteleg1]

That is interesting to hear. Not a lot has changed over the years, except of course for the closure of South. The crossover just north of Kingsway is gone, as you may have noticed, while the track in Heather St/Eastern Rd was moved more into the centre of the road around 1990. I see that that track has since been replaced. But overall the route is much the same as in your day.

[@AndrewCastlemaine]

A lovely tram ride thank you

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks Alfred 😊

[@louiseg4100]

I used to travel on this line in the mid 1990's to go to school, so this was nostalgic viewing. Thanks for posting.

[@tressteleg1]

I used to drive it until about March 1994. Maybe I carried you once or twice.

[@luizaugustoramos2520]

E-birds are definitely something I cannot see any other place in the world doing, it has to be Melbourne. Great video as usual, reminds me the several rides on Rt 1 when lived down under (mostly at night, during the day I would walk from Flinders St to my place to save some money).

[@tressteleg1]

You are probably right about not seeing those birds anywhere else. Even in Melbourne, it’s a bit surprising that nobody (apparently) has tried kicking them to pieces, being right on the ground. Nice that my videos brought back good memories 😊

[@noddy8607]

There is a great need to improve the relationship between trams and traffic lights. A nice trip though.

[@tressteleg1]

That has been forever a fault with Melbourne but traffic light programmers insist cars come first.

[@andyrob3259]

I’ve always thought the beach tram should continue down Beaconsfield parade (like I believe a route used to partly before being changed to just park st). It’s wide enough and would be a beautiful and useful journey.

[@tressteleg1]

Well in fact it would only go a couple of stops before it got level with the 12. Certainly a second line 100m away could not be justified. More sense to extend the 96 south from Acland St but they won’t do that with shared traffic.

[@margaretcampbell2681]

I agree about the woman delaying the tram. It’s bad. I used to live in Albert Park Great Video thank you

[@tressteleg1]

That is life, for better or for worse.

[@acde9355]

The electric birds look cute and interesting.

[@tressteleg1]

Agreed 😄

[@crafter170]

Brilliant .

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@kevinshelly6853]

Another great video as usual Thanks When you have done Melb trains in both directions start again They will all have new stations by then

[@tressteleg1]

On some lines which have good lighting, I can do night views of them.

[@Bobrogers99]

There were three intersections where the tram was held an unnecessarily long time. Surely an 8-second phase could be inserted into the sequence to let the tram go through!

[@tressteleg1]

Good heavens no! This is Melbourne, and we can’t interrupt traffic flow just for the occasional tram! In actual fact, the most help that trams get is at some intersections when the end of a phase occurs as per the program, a seven second T light is inserted to let a waiting tram get away before the start of the next phase. At other locations, there is one tram phase per cycle.

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Just before stop 20 ( Kingston ) , a car was initiating a U turn in the path of the stopped tram . Then the car totally disappeared . I think I've just witnessed my very first UFO abduction .

[@tressteleg1]

Every tram driver wishes that that would happen in real life!

[@brianmcdonald6519]

Glad to see another tram video! I guess things have slowed down some what due to the pandemic. Nice to see videos are still being made, though!

[@tressteleg1]

I will try to do a few more recordings if I get down in February, being dependent upon such travel being wise in this Covid environment. Eventually I will have covered all lines in both directions, so I don’t know what I’ll do after that!

[@RobertJohnsonLasers]

Being from the states, I'd lose my mind trying to drive on the left, Let alone sitting on the wrong side of car. Lol.

[@tressteleg1]

I won’t comment on your perceived abilities but I drove from Boston to Seashore and back, as well as in your northwest without crashing. And a motorcycle in Hawaii. The easiest mistake is do a left turn and forget to stay on the rights side of the road, especially on the bike which has no passenger side.

[@heathertruskinger6214]

Another route that winds it's way through the middle of so many tree lined streets ! Wow....those electronic birds at the Arts Centre !... how long have they been there, I must keep an eye out for them when I next visit 😊

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@yvindascanius6061]

When you said electronic bird, I thought you meant the one in the black dress with her nose buried in the smartphone screen and not those further to the right!

[@tressteleg1]

Ha ha, but those are as common as muck 😄

[@nicolaiitchenko7610]

Why "electronic birds"? As I recall, parking in that part of the city imparted a never ending array of polka dotted patterns from bird dropping upon my delivery vehicle after the shortest of visits. I would assume there were more than enough REAL birds (and I must admit - this is a double meaning) to satisfy the most ardent of birdwatchers.😄

[@tressteleg1]

Well, at least the e-birds aren’t going to leave any calling cards on your vehicle 😆 I think they are rather cute.

[@scottyerkes1867]

Nice video!! Love those ebirds. I assume they are a deterent to invading birds

[@Brianrockrailfan]

great video

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@calvinliu6304]

Merry Xmas to u enjoy this video

[@tressteleg1]

And a Merry Christmas to you, and all my viewers!

[@peterausfranken]

Nice to see a tram ride👍 At lot has changed in the last 40 years. From when Was this video? 2021 because of some people wearing a mask

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks. March.

[@brianmcdonald6519]

@@tressteleg1 In the intro, you indicated early 2020. Was that an error? That's why I also was curious about all the masks!

[@tressteleg1]

Yes it must have been. I left Melbourne on 6/3/20 after a trip booked months before, and was I was only home for about a week when the Covid panic kicked off. So yes, it must’ve been my trip down south, made on the spur of the moment, March this year.

[@malcolmone1]

and what are those electronic signs acually doing

[@tressteleg1]

Electronic signs at what time point?

[@malcolmone1]

@@tressteleg1 showing birds near the start

[@io4439]

@9:21 IBJ 350 Wake up mate

[@tressteleg1]

There’s plenty of fools on the road. It doesn’t matter how wide the lane is, they still want to drive within a few inches of the tram rail, not helped by a lack of road markings, not that that fool seemed to see them anyway.

[@petermolloy6142]

@@tressteleg1 Drivers didn’t get so close in the old days, the footboards on the W's were a great deterrent, a gouge in their door, no effect on the tram!

[@tressteleg1]

Unfortunately incompetent car drivers have always been a problem.