Lysaghts Station, the Port Kembla Branch, and an Omnipresent Corporation

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Hey! So let's address a few things from the video. To elaborate on what happened between us and the security guard, we tried to convince him to let us just wait at Lysaghts for the next train, but he wouldn't budge. He escorted us off the Bluescope property and told us we'd have to catch a bus back to Coniston or down to Cringila. Again, he was pretty friendly about it, so no hate on him. We ended up catching the bus to Cringila, and then came back to Spring Hill later in the day and flew my drone over Lysaghts so that I'd at least have some footage to work with. Griffin Rails told me that he too had some trouble when he arrived at the station, but unlike me, he was able to convince the security to let him stay. I guess he got lucky, and we didn't! But hey, it made for a great story lol. As for the girl who mysteriously vanished (listen all the way to the end of the video if you haven't yet)...there is a slim possibility that she is a Bluescope worker, just that she doesn't normally get off at Lysaghts (fitting with the train guard telling us he'd never stopped at Lysaghts before). That would have allowed her to leave the station. That's honestly the only explanation I can think of, but who can really know for sure? Let me know your theories. Btw, for anyone curious about the itinerary we followed in filming that day, it was quite convoluted! Met at Central --> train to Coniston --> train to Lysaghts + kicked out --> bus to Cringila --> train to Port Kembla North --> train back to Cringila where we attempted to fly my drone to Lysaghts but it was too far --> train to Port Kembla --> lunch in Port Kembla --> bus to Spring Hill where we flew my drone over Lysaghts successfully this time --> walked to Cringila --> train to North Wollongong --> train back to Central. For those keeping count at home, that means we went to Cringila THREE TIMES in one day haha. We probably quadrupled its average daily ridership in the process 😛

[@zaarpoool]

How did you get out to catch a bus if there's no public access to the station from outside?

[@pcongre]

19:23 "why did the train guard tell us we were his first customers in six months?" when i worked as a security guard (at a completely different location, one summer ~2 decades ago), we would take turns in different parts of the premises (so maybe you simply were the first customers in that guard's shift[s] at the station? doesn't necessarily explain what happened to the girl, though🤷‍♀)

[@gregessex1851]

If the station is on public land, as I suspect it is, the guard is well out of order and in fact could be prosecuted. I would have stood my ground. If he touched you it would be assault. If he insists that you leave, tell him to call the Police. The Police would laugh at him.

[@shaneeslick]

@@zaarpoool "He escorted us off the Bluescope property" 🤔They were escorted by the Security Guard with his access card through Bluescope to where the road with the Bus Stop was

[@shaneeslick]

🤔Maybe the mystery girls usual transport to work was unavailable for the day so she caught the train, like her car needing a service or something.

[@davidrayner9832]

Retired driver here. Based at Sydney Terminal, I've driven over that line umpteen times from 2000 to 2009 when I left the job. I've picked up people at every one of those stations but that said, I could count them withought having to take my shoes off. You mention the three trains per day from Bondi. One of them is 10-run in the afternoon. We'd board it at Central 25 platform and work it to Port Kembla. It's a Tangara and what's unusual about it is that it's an inter-city run that stops at Jannali. All others stop at Hurstville, Sutherland, Waterfall, and watever after that. I came in to work one day, signed on, and went to the crew room to find two drivers talking about how easy it is to miss a stop that's out of the ordinary. People are creatures of habbit and driving a train is no different. There was also a Springwood train that stopped at Mt Druitt when all others were Blacktown - Penrith. Anyway, I took off from Hurstville and coasted down the hill to the Georges River, opened the throttle for the uphill grade to Sutherland, sat back and folded my arms having nothing more to do until shutting off when Sutherland came into view as I'd done countless times before. As I passed through Jannali I thought "SHIT, I have to stop here". Too late. The station master at Sutherland was waiting for me and asked why I didn't stop at Jannali. I said "I'm an inter-city driver and" he finished my sentence for me - "I never stop at Jannali". It's obvious he's heard that many times so just as the railway does silly things like put stations in strange places, close lines that should stay open, keep lines open that should close, etc., they also have ridiculous stopping patterns on some of their trains that, because people (including train drivers) are creatures of habbit, add to the commute of the poor unfortunates who don't understand such things.

[@smolneso]

Just checked the timetable for the AM Port Kembla to Bondi Junction - Helensburgh then Heathcote and Engadine? Sutherland... Oatley?? then Hurstville? Makes no sense to me 😂

[@davidrayner9832]

@@smolneso I wonder how many times Oatley gets missed.

[@ttopero]

This is why I read the comments!

[@ziggybadans]

I've always wondered why some Port Kembla trains had such weird stopping patterns! I'm not complaining though, it's actually very useful for me living in Loftus, as the service around 5:40 from Bondi Junction runs express to Oatley and then all stops on the rest of the T4, bypasses some of those other T4 stations that can be a bit busy and take time stopping there.

[@bassbegruven4727]

@@smolneso School kids drops and pickups?

[@almango873]

I was once a user of Lysaght Station and it was very busy in those days. One correction to your comments. The overhead bridge wasn't built in 1986, it is much older (don't know how old) and was in place in 1980 when I started working there. It was originally much longer and went right into the Lysaghts plant past the admin buildings that are still there. It was shortened in the late 1980's after it was struck by a large 30 tonne forklift truck to save repairs and also open up some land for storage. The rest of the bridge received some reinforcement. The station serviced Lysaghts (now the Springhill works), the Hot Strip Mill and Plate mills and also the now closed tin mill. I'm pretty sure that public access was available back then, but with the area near the station now being used for coil storage with large mobile equipment in use it has become a no pedestrian area (even for the workers) and access is only through a Bluescope proxy card for approved users.

[@terrapog8533]

Now can you give us any info about the demogorgons in Bluescope?

[@ttopero]

Would you say it was the series of changes to the bridge, closed mills, change of land use, etc that reduced its usefulness & thus passenger load or was that the ridership trend before these changes?

[@almango873]

@@ttopero I think a general trend to people driving along with reduced numbers at the plants it serviced has reduced its patronage. It was really nowhere near residential areas so it was pretty much a workers station. For at least the last 15 years (maybe longer) you've needed a proxy card to even access the station unless you could persuade a security guard over an intercom to let you through.

[@flamingfrancis]

@@almango873 Lysaghts IS an industrial station just like we find on old industrial lines around Sydney and also the industrial areas of Newcastle. When the wartime use of the now Springhill plant was used for production of the Owen gun the security was strong and obvious. As you state electronic security devices were adopted in the 80's and 90's

[@ChrisTopher_Urbanism]

Thanks for having me along on the shoot and giving me a shoutout! I had a great time. Port Kembla definitely has the energy of a town in Scooby Doo where everything is owned by one corporation and the monster turns out to be the CEO in a mask trying to save his dwindling sales. P.S. very sorry for my (definitely real) use of excessive force, I've spent months meditating in the solitude of Lysaghts Station and have now seen the error of my ways and started down a path of peace and pacifism

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Chris, I will never forgive you for what you did to me 😭😭 I still bear the scars of trauma from my months of torture.

[@metricstormtrooper]

Chris, I fear your the reason Shareth was kicked out, I mean you stand out as one of those anti social cyclist types who would be tearing up the rails and turning the port kembla line into a rail trail post haste.

[@ChrisTopher_Urbanism]

@@metricstormtrooper Definitely, the reason the government considered cancelling the Bankstown metro was because I almost convinced them to turn the T3 into a rail trail instead

[@metricstormtrooper]

😂

[@shaneeslick]

"And He Would Have Gotten Away With It Too, If It Weren't For Those Meddling Kids" 🤔So Chris if you look like Shaggy then does that make Shareth... Fred

[@crowie5415]

Hey, I work right near Lysaghts station and have caught the train to/from work recently (although not regularly). A few years back there were always two other employees getting off at Lysaghts station from the train that went through in the morning at around starting time, but one has retired and the other now carpools. The biggest issue I have had is that they forget to stop the train even after you tell the guard (getting on at North Wollongong and telling the guard, but they sometimes change guards at Wollongong and don't pass on the message) and I end up walking back to Lysaghts from Cringila. The security gates were put in about 10 to 15 years ago, prior to that it was completely open access. Many years ago I caught the train from Unanderra to Lysaghts. This was one of the Endeavour diesels that had run up from Nowra and would take the branch directly from Unanderra to Lysaghts. When the line from Dapto to Kiama was electrified they stopped running the diesels in passenger service so far north and had to discontinue this service as that section of track is not electrified. Shortly after they also removed the platform at Lysaghts on this line (there used to be three platforms at Lysaghts not that many years ago). I believe that they still run and stable the Endeavours at Port Kembla as that is where the decanting facilities are. The station is named after Lysaght's works, which is the part of Bluescope between the railway line and Springhill Road and, as you mentioned, founded by John Lysaght. It indicated his ownership of the works, I don't think it was due to him owning the station itself. Lysaghts works is now formally Springhill works and If you are interested, this video is filmed inside part of Springhill works kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHOxpoqkoaunh6c Also, the first half of Jimmy Barnes' video "Working Class Man" was filmed inside Bluescope's Port Kembla works and at about the 8 second mark you can see the workers on the bridge at Cringila station. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6O2e3qopcuhhas and yes, they still do the same things that you see in the music video (although these days the chances of being allowed to sing in front of a BOS furnace while they are blowing are nonexistant). I am kind of used to 1 hourly train services in Wollongong... That's pretty much what we get on weekends to Sydney anyway, I just plan my trips around the rail timetable. I am curious what will happen when the Bankstown line is converted and more paths are opened up on SCO with NIF trains, the frequency to Sydney is supposed to double so I wonder how that will affect the local train services that don't go/come all the way to Sydney. The PK line seems quite well used on weekday mornings, though, as many school kids use it (I wonder if the stats don't count the free travel, or if the kids just don't bother tapping on/off because nobody hassles them because they all get free travel anyway)

[@EnergiserX]

Hey Crowie! Funny to see a name I recognize here in the comments. Hope you're doing well. Was going to come here to mention the now retired 'Station Master' of Lysaghts, but you beat me to the punch. My theory on the mystery girl is that she's one of my former colleagues from the basement offices of the Admin Building next to Springhill Road. Not all of us had a need to wear hi-vis. However, I've been out of touch with them for a year now, so not sure if she's getting to work a different way these days. A bit surprised to hear security were so 'proactive'. I can recall having to look up their phone number to get them to come open the gate when the access card reader was broken after a thunderstorm a couple of years ago... The station does still serve a purpose as bus services in the area are lacking, and with the Springhill Works being more than a kilometer from the nearest residential area in any direction, it's the most reliable way of getting to work from Wollongong if you don't own a car or have it in for servicing. These days you'll mostly find me wheeling my bike over the bridges at Cringila twice a day.

[@flamingfrancis]

Used to use this line from the mid 1960's during my cadetship at the then Australian iron and Steel, now Bluescope Steel. Consider a three shift operation with around 25,000 employees at AIS alone. Lysaght's and other local industries added substantially to the numbers. The underground tunnel exit is for workers on the eastern side of the line, principally the Plate Mill, the former Tin Mill and the Hot Strip Mill. Plant associated with those operations e.g. Slab yard were nearby. Lysaght's was the original hot dipped galvanised sheet steel products, like roofing iron which later became ZincAlume and Colorbond products. Very popular in today's constructions. That pedestrian bridge leads over Springhill Road to the western side where there was a large bus bay for workers using buses. Further on is the huge Spares area where massive spare plant was stored. It is obvious that today's generation have a poor appreciation of what this nation was as a great manufacturing one and this local area used to produce over five million tonnes per annum of products used throughout this nation. Nearer to Cringila Station was an Electric Steel plant that regularly made stainless steel, rather sadly it produced its' last stainless in the mid 80's but managed to produce the product for the huge flagpole that sits atop Federal Parliament House before closure. The Lysaght's plant had an alternative use in the WW2 years when the famous Owen Gun was produced / assembled there after being designed by local genius inventor Evelyn Owen.

[@timpollock4075]

From the north, Wollongong doesn’t have a terminating platform. The Port Kembla branch makes sense if you’re going to run all-stations shuttles from Thirroul to Wollongong without blocking more direct services. Though Dapto does have a terminating platform so you could probably close the Port branch and terminate all-stops trains at Dapto.

[@gregessex1851]

Yes, like the Newcastle Branch, it has been said that it’s main use is to stable trains.

[@refsmithy]

Was going to comment this myself. As someone who often uses the South Coast line to get into Sydney from Wollongong, having the Port Kembla line is really useful because it allows them to run more frequent trains from Kiama through to Sydney if needed as the local stoppers aren't in the way by terminating at Wollongong or Dapto.

[@callum_bracht]

During a recent tour train that stopped at Lysaghts for a photo opportunity, many of the enthusiasts including myself tapped off, and back on during the stop at Lysaghts station undoubtedly throwing off the numbers!

[@nswtransportfilms]

PORT TO PORT rickrolled Central tour

[@griffinrails]

@@nswtransportfilms friendly interaction at engadine curve 🥰🥰🥰

[@andieslandies]

These stations are a reminder of a bygone era. Not only an era of high worker-density industries with rigidly defined shift changes that required high-volume transport on a relatively infrequent basis but also an era in which public transport infrastructure was designed to serve the needs of those working in industrial areas. I can't imagine how nice it must have been for a young apprentice to have been able to just catch a train to work in an industrial area.

[@ttopero]

Probably the least served type of land use around the world! I’m working on it as we transition from heavy industry to light industry & mixed use areas with higher density of people who don’t want a car.

[@flamingfrancis]

Absolutely correct and there is a poor appreciation today of what it was like. That large pedestrian overbridge at Cringila used to be like a conveyor belt when employment was at its peak. It is documented on newsreel film.

[@flamingfrancis]

As a postscript. You are very lucky to not run into issues with flying a drone over privately owned plant. I do understand there are certain allowances for this but, in addition to some buildings that are around 6-8 stories high, there are two very large and high (=80m) gas storage tanks that are protected air space. There are also several places where the latent heat could cause a drone to deform and crash causing damage / injury.

[@notaplic8158]

Perhaps if the greedy gronks weren't trying seize a public asset for their own personal gain, there wouldn't have been any drone flying 🙂

[@flamingfrancis]

@@notaplic8158 Get something right. Much of what you call a public asset is land that was reclaimed by the Hoskins family when the plant started to set up in the 1920's. The area to the north east of the railway line was filled in swamp areas of what becme a harbour. If you see it as a public asset you have to thank the plant for turning nothing into workable land and the asset this nation now has. The suburbs came later when a huge number of people and many hard working new Australians gained well paid employment and afforded housing etc. If it wasn't for the reclamation you'd be aimlessly slushing around in swamp in your wellies and digging your precious drone out of the muck. 👍

[@notaplic8158]

@@flamingfrancis imagine replying to a year old comment just to make zero sense 💀

[@jameslipscomb4916]

I’ve desperately wanted to go to Lysaghts for ages but I can’t bear to sit there for an hour with nothing to do! Thanks for your sacrifice

[@NeathSpadge]

One of my most regular photographic locations. Been to Lysaght's twice, both time security tried to throw us out. Both times we refused to leave and were left alone. From what I understand is that you can be on the station, but venturing out is a no no. That being said, we once parked in the carpark there in order to get photos 🙂 Great video again.

[@flamingfrancis]

Lysaghts station is like any other that comes under the auspices of the State Government. The industrial private property is fenced off and for a very good reason. Employees that enter into areas where heavy vehicles, not normally seen by the public, have to go through induction accreditation. Companies are liable for accidents on their property.

[@StevenHughes0]

I went on the bluescope steelworks tour last weekend (highly recommended) and saw Lysaghts station from inside the complex. They also mentioned that there are only about 60-80 workers between the blast furnace and casting section so there are not many to be getting the train regularly

[@ttopero]

What a difference from the tens of thousands that were using it daily a couple generations ago!

[@flamingfrancis]

To out it into perspective. Prior to the huge change in steelmaking technology from Open Hearth (with some Electric Arc) steelmaking with ingots of steel and slab rolling, the main plant saw around 25,000 (mostly) in work. The change in the early 70's to Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) and continuous slab making has seen the numbers down to around 4,000 but this is skewed by the fact that there are many sub contract operations (of non-core business) on plant.

[@Respectable_Username]

5:00 The symmetry of your name (two tall letters at the start and end and three short ones in the middle) looks surprisingly aesthetic on the Sydney Trains orange and in the Sydney Trains font. Another vote here for Sharath Station!

[@krisfraser7257]

Imagine if port Kembla was zoned high density, best beaches in the world and train access. The line could be extended down the coast to Shellharbour with high density all along the beach making NSW gold coast. Solving housing and giving people a better place to live. Also look into the old line to Sydney, it's faster but got abandoned because steam trains could not cope with the grade.

[@SydneyCityTransportVlogs]

I've been to Lsyaghts a few times, never been approached by security guards, let alone seen another person there, so I'm surprised you were escorted off. As far as I remember, you can only use the footbridge to cross the platforms, and if you go any further than that, then you're on private property.

[@SOBIESKI_freedom]

Naming a station "Sharath" would be a good move. Make sure it's not for a station in a dingy part of Sydney.😊

[@brucehodsdon4310]

it's worth remembering that the original blast furnaces were on the southern side of five islands road, near where the cringila station is. the locations of the stations make more sense with the older layout of the steelworks.

[@NSWTrainLinkVlogs]

You got to explore stations on the Hunter line, such as Lochinvar, Mindaribba, Hilldale, Wallarobba and Wirrigulla. Personally been to these stations 3 times, and they are VERY underused and have stupidly overbuilt structures, such as Wallarobba’s car park and ramp, and Lochinvar’s extreme wheelchair ramp

[@nickd6700]

Literally thought of this whilst watching this video. Sharath would have a great time on the short platforms. Dungog line should definitely be on the list to be filmed in future.

[@DursunX]

11:20 Fun Fact: the pedestrian bridge at Cringila station (next to Lysaight's) is the one seen in Cold Chisel's music video for Working Class Man.

[@bigdude101ohyeah]

IMO the branch should be extended down the eastern side of the lake. It would probably have to terminate at Kiama as well, but if the main line to Bomaderry ever gets extended further south, it would work well for a Jervis Bay branch.

[@flamingfrancis]

Very good point...have often thought that your suggestion should happen with a light rail that includes this line and continues on the southern side of the lake and end at Shellharbour Junction making it a REAL junction.

[@refsmithy]

I've often thought about this myself, but I think that ship may have sailed. Aside from anything else, the line would probably need to be redirected closer to Port Kembla town centre for a more logical route south, and then there is large parts of any route which would need significant numbers of properties to be demolished, or significant tunnelling work done, in order to extend the line.

[@Banana_Split_Cream_Buns]

The Governor-General would love that, as he's from Primbee. But you don't normally see heavy development or heavy rail that close to the ocean, especially on a sand bar. I imagine there might be geotechnical reasons for this. As for a Jervis Bay line, I would've thought that at some point, they'd extend the line inland and connect it to the Cooma line at the ACT, but I suppose they'd finally need to link the Cooma line to the Gippsland line.

[@realjohnboxall]

Now that a few railfans have watched your video, you can bet Lysaghts will be much, much busier out of sheer curiosity over the next few weekends.

[@hb-mek]

Fun fact, Cringila used to be called Steeltown and was full of migrant workers for the steelworks. It was also the only suburb in the entirety of Australia where Macedonian was spoken over English (in 2001 atleast. Come 2016 this has changed)

[@flamingfrancis]

Not facual at all. There used to be a large Government operated migrant hostel located between Cringila and Unanderra to the west. Similar hostel existed in Fairy Meadow. There was also a large worker hostel (Karingal) owned by Australian Iron and Steel (the original Company) and located where Centenary Park now is. Those two operations were easily twice the population of the Cringila township at that time.Once workers earned / saved enough money they would settle in Cringila and surrounding suburbs but the first group of migrants were Italian and Greek, same as elsewhere in Australia.

[@willeveryday]

@hb-mek It sounds about right, I always thought that Cringila was the Capital of Macedonia.

[@bendiviolet]

This is awesome! Your channel has a new fan. I remember stopping at Sulphide Junction, between Cardiff and Cockle Creek, in the early 90s. Sulphide Junction at the railway workshops wasn't listed as a stop on the timetables, but it did have standard station signage of the time. Also at the time, Cockle Creek had elaborate brick buildings, long boarded up even then, which had once been tea rooms, waiting rooms and other facilities for travellers - once ferries plied Lake Macquarie transporting passengers to Cockle Creek to connect with trains. The buildings at Cockle Creek were demolished in the 1990s, replaced with the simple overhanging shelters reflecting that the station is now barely used.

[@flamingfrancis]

Sulphide Creek station was similar to Lysaghts in that it was centre of an industrial operation. The Sulphide Corporation had a junction / link to a Zinc manufacturing operation. Was closed down in early 2000's due to pollutants of land an upper Lake Macquarie. There was a lot of industry / manufacturing in that area including the workshops of NSWGR that manufactured some of the famous 38 class steam locomotives.

[@gold4leaf]

Hey Sharath, Maybe you could get Strathfield Station renamed to Sharathfield Station

[@SydneyCityTransportVlogs]

14:40 Kembla Grange Racecourse Station as listed on transport apps and timetables, however it seems to have been shortened to just Kembla Grange on signage and maps, so it seems to be in limbo at the moment.

[@DursunX]

Kembla Grange Station still gets used on Melbourne Cup Day and similar race days (Kembla Grange race course is still nearby).

[@cityraildude]

Hey Sharath, Did you consider writing to Transport NSW to tell them that you were kicked out of Lysaghts? I believe that's something that they should be aware of. Also, I don't have any problem with trains occasionally stopping at Lysaghts, the station just sits there doing nothing until if and when someone wants to use it. I don't see that as a bad thing, as long we don't spend millions maintaining it. Also, I can't see Port Kembla branch closing down any time soon. It's too useful for freight trains, and it doesn't hurt to have the occasional passenger train there

[@flamingfrancis]

TFNSW will inform you that any fenced / enclosed area beyond the station is privately owned land. The owners are held responsible for all "visitors" in any court of Law.

[@Elitist20]

In Melbourne there used to be a General Motors station. And Geoff Marshall once did a video about a staff-only station in England, Redcar British Steel.

[@empireofpeaches]

I think you had an encounter with the Lysart Lass. She is a lonely spirit who wanders the platform and overpass. Many years ago, she was rushing to the steelworks after her fiancée was badly burned in a steel smelting accident. As she crossed the tracks, she did not notice a freight train through her tears and distress. She only appears to young men, which would explain why the train guard didn't see her. It also explains why workers don't use the station.

[@illiiilli24601]

Interesting story

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

sry wat? like a spirit?

[@empireofpeaches]

@thvtsydneylyf3th077 yes, the ghost of the Lysart Lass. It is a legend from the area.

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

can she push you off the platform? if so i wont ever visit @@empireofpeaches

[@MajesticTrains]

I had a similar issue visiting Redcar British Steel station in the UK before it closed. All the surrounding land is owned by the liquidators of the steelworks (the works themselves closed in 2016). When I was there with a few friends, when it was the least used station in the country, a group of security men came and asked us questions and just waited and watched us until we got on the train. They couldn't kick us out though because they knew the station was Network Rail property. There's also Lympstone Commando station, which I've never personally been to, you can only get off there if you have official business at the Royal Marines base it serves. As far as I can tell this is still officially the case but isn't really enforced anymore because a footpath opened that the station can be accessed with, so the public can get to it now.

[@sydneyrailvlogs.1019]

Amazing video! I got off at Lysaghts today! Very interesting little station. I had no issue when i was there but it was a Sunday & i was only there for 4 minutes

[@melglobus]

Did a 6 week placement at Port Kembla Hospital in 2004 and made an effort to catch the train to/from Port Kembla North every day. That underpass was spooky even then, and only once did we have people at Lysaghts, a group of 4 getting on in the afternoon.

[@garycorbin2789]

That complex is still vital to Australias national security, in a catastrophe , that station would come alive again, i think it's mothballed .

[@Cassandra03]

I love this channel way more than I should.

[@rickyrickstan563]

These new videos with jokes and information mixed in are really good

[@charlielloyd1080]

Love this video. I don't know why because I am not totally train obsessed. It would be good to kick Bluescope/Lysaght into having a 'green travel plan' that incentivised their workers to use the train to get to work. That would support better access to other stations on the line and a higher frequency service.

[@michaelclulow2848]

Great video! Believe it or not, Lysaghts had 3 platforms up until the late 90s / early 2000s. The current platform 1 was actually platform 2 of an island platform that was serviced by railcars for workers to and from Dapto and Kiama via the Allan's Creek triangle line. Your drone footage clearly shows the space behind the historic waiting shed where the original platform 1 stood. And you are right about the line's future. There have been plans for some time now to remove the passenger service but retain the line for local freight services and to access the facilities at Port Kembla loco. Patronage during the weekday morning and afternoon peaks has significantly dwindled over the years with many workers now carpooling or making use of the local bus routes.

[@pauloconnor2980]

Sharath, the big coils of steel in so many background shots in this video, are sent by rail to a processing plant near to where I live. I often watch the 'Steely' go by and have many drone videos of it entering and leaving Lysaght's works at Hastings!!

[@Fireescape17]

You should come and check out the Unanderra / Moss Vale train line,, which used to run commuter trains but now is freight only, bar the tourist Cockatoo Run. It has, I've been told, the smallest train station on the NSW network, St Anthonys, which was built to serve a local Hotel, which was formally St Anthony's College, a Franciscan friary.

[@flamingfrancis]

Summit Tank station is also interesting, formerly with the large water tank for refilling of the steam locos.

[@griffinrails]

Cheers for the inclusion! Great video as always Sharath! oh yeah my twitter got suspended lol

[@LetsJamFunk]

14:38 I recall some South Coast line materials listing "Kembla Grange" as "Kembla Grange Racecourse." Also does Mount Kuring-gai count with the hyphenation?

[@DasGav]

I was an intercity driver for a few years, I'm back at Sydney Trains now and when I was fresh out of training I slowed down to roll through Lysaghts in case there was anyone waiting. The guard told me not to bother slowing down as he's never seen anyone waiting and he'd been a Wollongong guard for about a decade. It took me a few more runs to be able to coast through without worrying haha.

[@skysthelimit780]

props to you for being respectful, and thanks for including your experiences in the video! super interesting, entertaining and informative as always and great footage

[@RGC198]

Absolutely fascinating video. I now suddenly have an urge to go to Lysaghts Station after watching his. LOL. Actually, I have never been by train to Port Kembla, despite traveling to Wollongomg and even Kiama many times in past years. I have traveled to Port Kembla by bus and by car, but for some unknown reason, never by train. So, many thanks for sharing your adventures on this train line. Incidentally, if you do ever have a railway station named after you, please make sure we poor rail enthusiasts don't get shot by security guards when visiting!!! LOL.

[@tonymontana897]

You brought back an early memory of ours here in Sydney. McDonaldtown Station. Not sure if that's spelt correctly, but when we used to travel to the City, we used laugh as we passed by that station. It was almost always dead just like a ghost town and wondered why it even existed. It was a depressing place. That was in the mid 80s.

[@tasmanianmapping]

Imagine living in Spring Hill but not being able to use your own train station.

[@flamingfrancis]

You mean Spring Hill near Lysaghts station?...if so look up the population of Spring Hill...zero houses...it is an industrial wasteland and former spare parts area.

[@terryirons1966]

The Pt. Kembla Locomotive Depot is contracted to USA Company '' PROGRESS RAIL '' owned by Caterpillar company USA ...... All the locomotive maintenance at PK Depot is for Pacific National on any of their locos ............

[@mickloney9826]

You missed another strange thing about the South coast line - it’s double track electrified to Port Kembla north but only single track further south to Kiama, even though patronage to Kiama is much much higher!

[@robertjoey1063]

What I find so bizarre about Lysaghts is if it is so exclusive and clandestine, why it appears on the same intercity rail map as Dungog and Scone!!!😂

[@mrscuteas]

There is a workers train station on the Newcastle line called Sulphide Junction.

[@userreview2806]

Wow Shareth your channel has blown up recently! Keep up the great vids

[@scottietheshark]

I'm a train geek and I love this. Lysaghts - Why bother? 🤔Reminds one of Redcar British Steel

[@flamingfrancis]

John Lysaght established the Springhill plant, and one at Newcastle following the success of galvanising of roofing iron innhis English plant. Employees used to love working for their operation with several employee benefits.

[@serenadavies6782]

Would love a video on the Southern Highlands line.

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

port kembla north used to be my home station when i lived in Warrawong. Always passed through lysaghts, never got off there though

[@XtremeTrainz]

The Port Kembla shuttles also serve many intermediate stations between Wollongong and Waterfall that are skipped by Sydney trains - the hour long wait is rubbish (i never used the train for intra Wollongong travel for this reason) but thats probably why the line is open - two birds with one stone kinda thing.

[@harrycheng9348]

Yep, all the northern suburbs. But most people there drive anyways

[@quakerz1228]

Spent almost 10 years working on the Intercity trains including down the port kembla branch. Picked up 1 person at Lysaghts in that time, and dropped off none. The truck stop next to Port K station used to sell a decent Camel burger, and you could get "Steel City Soft drinks" in town, a wollongong specialty it seems.

[@swerdna1970]

Back in 70s and early 80s, when the steelwork's workforce was huge, it was a busy station (and line).

[@russellhammond4373]

I'm waiting for the Building Beautifully Comedy Hour. Keep up the great work.

[@zaarpoool]

The Sandown Line was a whole line named after a suburb that doesn't exist.

[@stephenbraithwaite311]

I have gotten off at Lysaghts station several hundred times, in the late 1970s. Five days per week two years of my 4 year electrical apprenticeship at AIS (Australian Iron and Steel) . I worked at AIS, and my father worked at Lysaghts. It was a VERY busy station. It transported workers to and from both AIS and Lysaghts. There were many trains per day, and the 3 or 4 that would arrive at the beginning and end of each Monday to Friday workday day shift would each pick up and take away hundreds of passengers. I think it was owned by by the railway, not by AIS or Lysaghts. I remember the regular queues (100s of people) queued to exit the station whenever the railway ticket inspectors would turn up. The ticket inspectors knew they were allowed on the station, but not in Lysaghts or AIS. I wonder if the ownership of the station has changed.

[@flamingfrancis]

Well ssaid and no the railway lines and the stations are the property of the NSW Government. The private railway freight operators pay to use the lines.

[@ernesthemingway2885]

12:42 this isn’t true. There is a small alleyway that connects five islands road to the eastern end of Merrett avenue. It’s very overgrown through and doesn’t show up on google maps, but it’s still useable. I live in cringilla and have used this shortcut from the station many times. Loved the video!

[@DursunX]

hello fellow Cringilian 🖖🏼 might see you at Crini station someday.

[@flamingfrancis]

Merrett Ave used to be a key entry gate to the works. There was a watchman's cabin always manned. Residents were always allowed to have a right of passage by agreement. You can still see a pathway used by residents to access the station.The reporting re having to go around the plant is total rubbish.

[@shawngowans5657]

Great to see Sharath and Chris Topher working together, works well, hope you guys do more together!

[@ttopero]

In Los Angeles exurb of Redlands, a MetroLink Arrow station was installed & paid for by the ESRI company for their staff to access the downtown Redlands station without a car during lunch. It’s more useful than this line as the stops are in different land use types so the other stations are useful outside work hours.

[@hazptmedia]

Reminds me of General Motors in Melbourne

[@JulianSortland]

Sydney trains page has no information saying that there is no exit, or that access or use of the station is restricted.

[@susannicholson3255]

Perhaps the line will get more use in the future with a possible Navy Submarine Base and Ocean Wind Farm Maintenance/Service Port to be built at Port Kembla .

[@flamingfrancis]

Port Kembla has been used for other projects in the past. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel sections were cast in PK and then floated to Port Jackson. One of the Bass Strait offshore gas platforms was also manufactured there (from good old local steels) and towed to the working site.

[@tazzer9]

There is a kind of a station on the transperth network that is closed to the public. The nowergup depot has platforms on both tracks for drivers and many trains stop there to switch drivers.

[@bigdude101ohyeah]

Many months later, and this video popped up in my mind again. Governments really need to provide proper public transport to industrial estates and business parks. The logistics industry, for example, doesn't pay much, and the car dependence of the industry makes things even harder for many.

[@ulrikezachmann7596]

You said it. Frozen in time a bit like the Bankstown Line where it is claimed has low patronage. One has to ask where they are getting their stats from?

[@rhystekely5622]

Have you checked out the half built rail bridge in Wilton? You can sneak onto it from behing the sky diving place.

[@matthewpham]

I went on a site tour of BlueScope for work. It was desolate and otherworldly. I had no idea there was a station on site. I would love to see what it would have been like during its heyday.

[@davidnguyen8332]

I used you to catch train to port kembla as young kid to go fishing ^^

[@nmuzza1]

A good opportunity to convert it into light rail and change the corridor to run from Cringila up Five Islands Rd down King Street into Warrawong, then loop back up to Port Kembla (either down Military Rd or Wentworth Street) finally rejoining at Port Kembla Station for the journey back. Then take the light rail onto Spring Hill Rd back into Wollongong to terminate at City Beach.

[@stephenbrickwood1602]

Love your work. 😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@IIGrayfoxII]

I live in Unanderra and I did not know there was a train station on spring hill road.

[@lowend5566]

In all the time I worked at the steelworks in Wollongong cant remember anyone ever calling the station or the company anything other tgan Lysaghts. I had friends working there and they all said Lysaghts, not Lysaght. In the 70s, I got the train to work at AIS at the Cringila stop a few times, the trains were really only available at shift change and if you missed the train you were stuck, esp on arvo and night shift.

[@benjamingygi3327]

As a worker on the rail down wollongong way the port kembla line is mostly freight with 2 tracks operated by sydney trains to 1 have alot of revenue from freight use and 2 it was build to transport workers into bluescope back when it was big in the 90s I went to lysaghts on many occasions to do a patrol but other than that there is nothing there

[@flamingfrancis]

By the 1990's the workforce in the then BHP Steel had more than halved from the massive numbers in the 50's-60's (approx 25,000). From the mid 70's there were many retirements / voluntary redundancies. Workforce lowered to around 5-6,000. John Lysaght Australia (PK and Newcastle) became absorbed in the BHP structure much the same as Australian Iron and Steel did earlier.

[@dash8brj]

Sharath Station has a nice ring to it. Another vote for it :)

[@TheRookie-m3u]

Ok wow the videos are getting better evetime and funnier it just shows your getting comfortable with the Camara

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

That subsrcibe skit was GOOD. Didn't see it coming

[@keeshun4729]

Petition to rename denistone station to sharath station

[@NorCaliRailroading2023]

I was the exact 1000 like! Nice video keep it up!!!

[@Pasta_Pirate]

I lived in what was one of the closest houses to Kembla grange and literally never went there once, its literally in the middle of nowhere except for the stadium I concur it is a ghost station practically speaking.

[@bisiilki]

Trains didn't stop there unless you asked or on race days. I think in my 4 years of uni i saw one person get off once...

[@geoffgunn9673]

@@bisiilki About the biggest thing at Kembla Grange was a derailing after crash

[@lozzieelizadesigns05]

The southern highland line trains are once a hour too most the time

[@nickgrech9634]

Great video as always!

[@poker_cat]

We finaly found the redcar british steel of australia

[@alimfuzzy]

Congrats on making the news. Well deserved.

[@thisislilraskal]

General Motors station on the Pakenham line in Victoria is also a similar one too

[@christopherlauw1570]

The iconic pink beanie man 👀

[@Jomowobro]

Have you guys visited Bombo station on the South Coast /Kiama T4 line? It is the closest train station to a beach in the world apparently

[@holiday197]

I think the main purpose to keep this branch open would be so that trains could service the Wollongong suburbs without having to disrupt too much of the Sydney to Wollongong (Express) services. I do not think too many trains run from Sydney to the Wollongong suburbs other than Thirroul, North Wollongong, Wollongong, Coniston, Unanderra and Dapto. I mean if you want to catch a train from Corrimal to Wollongong, the Port Kembla branch allows for more frequent services. The other secondary purpose would be to allow for the few who catch the train to and from Port Kembla to continue to have a service.

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

At some point, they wanted to name the upcoming metro station in Pitt Street, as Saunders (it’s now going to be called Gadigal), but I could imagine it being called Sharath

[@gnhansen29]

Wasn't Clyburn station in Sydney also industrial only?

[@jackchapo2011]

Hello My grandpa says you laugh a lot when you are talking but you do not need to so he is frustrated. Thank you.

[@waza987]

I am planning on doing a random trip near the extremities of the opal network one day next week. I was tossing up between Newcastle/Stockton or Kiama/Bomaderry. Now I am thinking I want to go to Lysaghts.

[@1theKevin_]

Love these videos. I might go there.

[@damienberry7679]

At least there was a drink vending machine at Port Kembla station!

[@Macedonian_91]

You'd love a station called "general motors" station in Melbourne, quite similar to Lysaghts where it was designed for workers only, but only difference is this station closed almost 20 years ago. If your ever in Melbourne I'd love to see you make a video there, nobody makes videos at general motors anymore

[@zoomosis]

I visited General Motors station back in 2008, with one of my photos being used for its Wikipedia page. It was a 10 minute walk along a railway maintenance track, starting from the Progress Street level crossing. I don't know if I'd recommend anyone visit these days, but it's probably still technically possible.

[@gnhansen29]

At one stage there were shuttle trains between Port Kembla and Kiama.

[@indranibd85]

Can you do a vid about going to every train station in sydney