Very interesting. I remember travelling on one of these Walkers as a Boy Scout in the early 70s. I am pretty sure it was the version with the central power unit. A small group of scouts was going on an overnight hike, and we used the VR to get us to Yarra Glen. No adult supervision and no worries.
Thanks for making this interesting video! In the US we call such vehicles "doodlebugs." They were used here on secondary mains and branchlines to replace loco powered trains when passenger services were reduced but not yet eliminated in the first half of the 20th century. It was great to actually hear one in this video. I imagine that if they were used today the operator would be required to wear hearing protection.
You would assume some sort of ear plugs would be required. The DERM which will feature in a few weeks is even louder and the drivers at Daylesford use ear plugs to reduce the noise. First time I've been on one of these. It was a great experience.
I agree with the comments about the weeds at the station. The volunteers would be busy with all the train stuff so maybe the local council could donate some once a year path weeder to help out. It’s not a good look. Video was really great. Thanks
I remember travelling on these on the South Gippsland line from Leongatha to Melbourne - early 70's. Great fun sitting up front, but oh so slow around Bena/Loch!
Excellent video showcasing the Walker Rail Motor. Usually videos just show them from the outside so it was nice to see the interior and get a real feel for the travel experience. I loved the reverse video segment with all the cars going backwards, quite funny, reminded me of a Jacques Tati film 😊 It must have been fun flying along in a 280hp version at 60mph!
I remember seeing one of these on the Mansfield line near Maindample as a young boy, it stayed there for years, I guess it broke down on its last journey and VR abandond it
For those branchlines, the Derm cars eventually replaced the Walker as they had a better ride quality than the Walker and I'm assuming were more reliable.
The new shed will be the loco shed. Healesville had a 2 road engine shed. It was mostly dismantled in the 1960s. Been a long time dream to put the shed back. One of my first projects at YVR was cleaning out one of the shed's loco pits. It was filled with dirt and plants. Cleaning it out revealed an intact pit made of brick sides and floor. Even the drain grate was still there! This was in 1988.
The current shed at the back is only two roads as well which I'm sure presents it's challenges to the railway. The larger facility should be a big step forward
Certainly built by Walker Brothers and a similar looking vehicle. The obvious difference being the Australian version had a driving end at both ends. Only having one end and needing a turntable seemed a bit strange but obviously worked
@ 0:17. I know it’s a volunteer service; and we should appreciate the hard work they put in, but surely someone could walk along the track bed at the station and spray that forest growing up…. It looks really untidy and can give an impression of lack of maintenance.
@@Schony747 I’d be concerned in summer of it dying off and a hot engine potentially sparking it if it got tall enough (if it could of course) and damaging the surrounds.
Hi Brendan. I'm beginning to feel like a Victorian in exile rather than someone who has returned to his home state. If only the line had remained between Yea and Mansfield. Have done the bike ride through the Cheviot tunnel and also the rail viaduct at Bonnie Doon. The Yarra Valley Ranges are always worth a visit. Incredible that the level crossing signals adjacent to Healesville station are still in place and working. Enjoying all your videos. Keep them coming.
We lost so many branch lines in the 1970s and some of them would have made fantastic tourist railways. Fortunately we still have a few left such as YVR.
I remember riding on one of those from Castlemaine to Maldon VIC in the late 1960's! I also got a "thick ear" from the SM at Maldon for playing on the platform scales when told not to...Great video Brenden, well covered as per usual.
As a kid I used to travel on the Walker rail car in the 60/70's from Dimboola to Nhill (it connected to the Melbourne day train and ran through to Serviceton). It was known locally as "the Peanut". A similar service connected at Horsham for the Goroke line, and apparently it was known as "Tiger". They rode pretty hard, I was scared it might leave the tracks, and in hot weather they were tin ovens for the passengers, but it would have been nothing compared to what the driver at the engine end suffered!
What's the use of the flaps over the grill? Is it to protect the enclosed equipment from the elements? Surprised they didn't use so sort of recessed grill instead. And it was a really hot and humid week. With the driver cab being hot on a normal day, it's no wonder that the service ended early on at least one of the days.
The open section of the railmotor between the 2nd class compartment & No. 1 end drivers cab is the Guards Van commonly referred to as "the van". The shed under construction is the new Loco shed.
The new shed is looking great and the volunteers are looking forward to the completion. I'm assuming the current loco shed will be used for something else.
Lovely video. Enjoyed a trip on this railmotor at Healesville in 2012 with wife, son and nephew. The volunteers here like on other heritage lines are to be congratulated, few people appreciate the extent of their work and commitment. Reversing the video at the rear of the train was an interesting experiment, but perhaps not your finest idea in retrospect. Here in Ireland we had one broad gauge Walker railmotor. Originally railcar"B" of the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway, which closed 1957, it then became number 2509 of CIE, working odd jobs usually for short periods, languishing in a siding most of its CIE career. It ran a number of railtours, one enthusiast brought his toolbox and on at least one occasion had to make running repairs.
Volunteers are unsung heroes in any organisation. The reversed video was the only way to get the front view as the seats at the front were full on the first part of the trip and was empty for the trailing end return trip.
@@anythingvintage2952 The line on either side of the tunnel is 1:40 gradient which is the steepest section of the line - much easier gradients towards Yarra Glen as most of that section is across the flood plain.
The line will be getting lots of attention once the new section is completed through to Yarra Glen. The plan is then to run from Yarra Glen to The Tunnel while The Healesville end gets an upgrade.
Ah yes, so many Walker and DERM journeys when I was at school: Wonthaggi probably my favourite line (153hp, DERM); Daylesford including on the main line (280hp); Maffra (280hp); Yarrawonga (DERM); Cobram (102hp I think); Donald (280hp) and who could fortget Stony Point (280hp) plus Mornington and Healesville (102/153hp Walkers), plus Bendigo-Echuca_Toolamba (DERMs) and Catslemaine -Maryborough (153hp IIRC, but could have been a 102). And Leongatha (280hp). How times have changed.
All tho it won’t happen I hope they return the train back to lilydale they can use the old station building and run trains onto both platforms and maybe just maybe they could operate a similar service like on the stony point with sprinters running shuttles between lilydale and Healesville tbh it would be cool seeing sprinters on the burnley group and the lilydale line
Everything between Yarra Glen and Lilydale would have to be re built New level crossings but they could build on The rail Trail and just re-locate the rail trail they will have to buy back a few properties tho such as in Coldstream and in yering they can put tracks onto the alignment on the old station building and platforms and construct a shed for the sprinters
12 to 18 months it would seem. There is a team of volunteers ready to go and all of the bridges affected by fire have been rebuilt. Once the rail reaches Yarra Glen, the section between Healesville and The Tunnel will close for upgrade works as well
The advertising for the "Southern Aurora" was amusing as that train stopped running in 1986!.
It's funny to look back at the old stuff. The stored trams with 1990s advertising is interesting to look back at as well
Very interesting. I remember travelling on one of these Walkers as a Boy Scout in the early 70s. I am pretty sure it was the version with the central power unit. A small group of scouts was going on an overnight hike, and we used the VR to get us to Yarra Glen. No adult supervision and no worries.
Of course! Different times back then. I was a cub and scout in the 70s as well.
Rode in a few of these from Ballarat to Clunes and back in the 1960s and early 70s.
Would have been fin back then. It's great these units have been preserved
Thanks for making this interesting video! In the US we call such vehicles "doodlebugs." They were used here on secondary mains and branchlines to replace loco powered trains when passenger services were reduced but not yet eliminated in the first half of the 20th century. It was great to actually hear one in this video. I imagine that if they were used today the operator would be required to wear hearing protection.
You would assume some sort of ear plugs would be required. The DERM which will feature in a few weeks is even louder and the drivers at Daylesford use ear plugs to reduce the noise. First time I've been on one of these. It was a great experience.
My son really likes railcars like that one he finds them very interesting.
The Walker cars are interesting even if it's just for the VR which represents another era.
@@Schony747 Yes indeed it is full of nostalgia and are glad you agree 👍😀😊☺🙌😄
I agree with the comments about the weeds at the station. The volunteers would be busy with all the train stuff so maybe the local council could donate some once a year path weeder to help out. It’s not a good look. Video was really great. Thanks
Not a great look but still a fantastic railway none the less. Thanks for looking.
I remember travelling on these on the South Gippsland line from Leongatha to Melbourne - early 70's. Great fun sitting up front, but oh so slow around Bena/Loch!
The view up front was great! It would have need brilliant on the line to Loch
Love the sound of that gardener
Yeah it's unmistakable when you hear it.
Excellent video showcasing the Walker Rail Motor. Usually videos just show them from the outside so it was nice to see the interior and get a real feel for the travel experience. I loved the reverse video segment with all the cars going backwards, quite funny, reminded me of a Jacques Tati film 😊 It must have been fun flying along in a 280hp version at 60mph!
It was fun doing the slow speed on this line. I'm so glad I took a ride and showcased the rail motor. I really enjoyed the trip.
I remember seeing one of these on the Mansfield line near Maindample as a young boy, it stayed there for years, I guess it broke down on its last journey and VR abandond it
For those branchlines, the Derm cars eventually replaced the Walker as they had a better ride quality than the Walker and I'm assuming were more reliable.
The new shed will be the loco shed. Healesville had a 2 road engine shed. It was mostly dismantled in the 1960s. Been a long time dream to put the shed back. One of my first projects at YVR was cleaning out one of the shed's loco pits. It was filled with dirt and plants. Cleaning it out revealed an intact pit made of brick sides and floor. Even the drain grate was still there! This was in 1988.
The current shed at the back is only two roads as well which I'm sure presents it's challenges to the railway. The larger facility should be a big step forward
Similar to the Co. Donegal Railway, Ireland which last ran in 1959.
Lovely video.
Certainly built by Walker Brothers and a similar looking vehicle. The obvious difference being the Australian version had a driving end at both ends. Only having one end and needing a turntable seemed a bit strange but obviously worked
@ 0:17.
I know it’s a volunteer service; and we should appreciate the hard work they put in, but surely someone could walk along the track bed at the station and spray that forest growing up…. It looks really untidy and can give an impression of lack of maintenance.
That was my first impression as well but a well run railway otherwise
@@Schony747 I’d be concerned in summer of it dying off and a hot engine potentially sparking it if it got tall enough (if it could of course) and damaging the surrounds.
Hi Brendan. I'm beginning to feel like a Victorian in exile rather than someone who has returned to his home state. If only the line had remained between Yea and Mansfield. Have done the bike ride through the Cheviot tunnel and also the rail viaduct at Bonnie Doon. The Yarra Valley Ranges are always worth a visit. Incredible that the level crossing signals adjacent to Healesville station are still in place and working. Enjoying all your videos. Keep them coming.
We lost so many branch lines in the 1970s and some of them would have made fantastic tourist railways. Fortunately we still have a few left such as YVR.
The warby line would have been nice to be still running
I remember riding on one of those from Castlemaine to Maldon VIC in the late 1960's! I also got a "thick ear" from the SM at Maldon for playing on the platform scales when told not to...Great video Brenden, well covered as per usual.
One of these rail motors would fit in really well on the VGR as well. A perfect train for the era it represents.
@@Schony747 I seem to recall Brenden that they have/had one at Maldon? Not sure, could be wrong.
My mum and dad had their honeymoon at Healesville caught the train there. 1948 / 49
And for that reason
Era, that would have been amazing as well!
Oh gosh, memories of a similar unit in Werribee, way back in the 1970s
Until the more "modern" stuff took over 😀😀
I remember them in Werribee mid 1970s Sitting in the front seat going to newport
As a kid I used to travel on the Walker rail car in the 60/70's from Dimboola to Nhill (it connected to the Melbourne day train and ran through to Serviceton). It was known locally as "the Peanut".
A similar service connected at Horsham for the Goroke line, and apparently it was known as "Tiger". They rode pretty hard, I was scared it might leave the tracks, and in hot weather they were tin ovens for the passengers, but it would have been nothing compared to what the driver at the engine end suffered!
Rough riding was one of the reasons for the Walkers demise apparently. After seeing the drivers compartment, it looked pretty basic as well.
What's the use of the flaps over the grill? Is it to protect the enclosed equipment from the elements? Surprised they didn't use so sort of recessed grill instead.
And it was a really hot and humid week. With the driver cab being hot on a normal day, it's no wonder that the service ended early on at least one of the days.
Not sure why the grill is there. I'm assuming to provide ventilation to the motor without damaging the components.
Looks great, I love simple railmotors like this!
*cough* Daylesford *cough*
Simple railmotor for simple times but still a step forward for rail travel back then.
The open section of the railmotor between the 2nd class compartment & No. 1 end drivers cab is the Guards Van commonly referred to as "the van". The shed under construction is the new Loco shed.
The new shed is looking great and the volunteers are looking forward to the completion. I'm assuming the current loco shed will be used for something else.
@@Schony747 the new shed will allow more room for restorations to occur in the old shed
@@barrysheffield1721 Fair enough. It's looking pretty tight in there at the moment!
The poor old body was flexing a bit coming into the station at the end.
Still not in bad shape for a 74 year old 😀😀
Remember it's articulated, the motor end is designed to flex from the passenger compartment.
Lovely video.
Enjoyed a trip on this railmotor at Healesville in 2012 with wife, son and nephew. The volunteers here like on other heritage lines are to be congratulated, few people appreciate the extent of their work and commitment.
Reversing the video at the rear of the train was an interesting experiment, but perhaps not your finest idea in retrospect.
Here in Ireland we had one broad gauge Walker railmotor. Originally railcar"B" of the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway, which closed 1957, it then became number 2509 of CIE, working odd jobs usually for short periods, languishing in a siding most of its CIE career. It ran a number of railtours, one enthusiast brought his toolbox and on at least one occasion had to make running repairs.
Volunteers are unsung heroes in any organisation. The reversed video was the only way to get the front view as the seats at the front were full on the first part of the trip and was empty for the trailing end return trip.
I'm a train and I approve this video choo choo! Nicely filmed!
I thought you would. Thanks 😀😀
Walked along some of this track years ago and saw the results of termites having lunch on the wooden sleepers
The Healesville end has new wooden sleepers in parts. The track needs some work but there's lots of progress
an interesting train all the best
Very interesting. I enjoyed taking a ride. Thanks for watching 😀😀
Hey mate, good video as always. Im a volunteer there
Are there any gradients on the line where the RM gets a chance to really work?
@@jashugg not really but when we get the line to Yarra glen there most likely will be
@@anythingvintage2952 That’s the trouble with tunnels, they make it too easy for the loco!
@@jashugg exactly. It needs more challenging gradients
@@anythingvintage2952 The line on either side of the tunnel is 1:40 gradient which is the steepest section of the line - much easier gradients towards Yarra Glen as most of that section is across the flood plain.
Nice old rail motor Brendan , most of that rail line needs attention but great to see . Tell me the driver wasn't on his mobile :-)
The line will be getting lots of attention once the new section is completed through to Yarra Glen. The plan is then to run from Yarra Glen to The Tunnel while The Healesville end gets an upgrade.
Ah yes, so many Walker and DERM journeys when I was at school: Wonthaggi probably my favourite line (153hp, DERM); Daylesford including on the main line (280hp); Maffra (280hp); Yarrawonga (DERM); Cobram (102hp I think); Donald (280hp) and who could fortget Stony Point (280hp) plus Mornington and Healesville (102/153hp Walkers), plus Bendigo-Echuca_Toolamba (DERMs) and Catslemaine -Maryborough (153hp IIRC, but could have been a 102). And Leongatha (280hp). How times have changed.
Rail has been replaced by school buses and many of the lines you mentioned have closed as well.
All tho it won’t happen I hope they return the train back to lilydale they can use the old station building and run trains onto both platforms and maybe just maybe they could operate a similar service like on the stony point with sprinters running shuttles between lilydale and Healesville tbh it would be cool seeing sprinters on the burnley group and the lilydale line
It would be cool. Yarra Glen is a good start
Everything between Yarra Glen and Lilydale would have to be re built New level crossings but they could build on The rail Trail and just re-locate the rail trail they will have to buy back a few properties tho such as in Coldstream and in yering they can put tracks onto the alignment on the old station building and platforms and construct a shed for the sprinters
How long do they think, before trains are running back into Yarra Glen Station
12 to 18 months it would seem. There is a team of volunteers ready to go and all of the bridges affected by fire have been rebuilt. Once the rail reaches Yarra Glen, the section between Healesville and The Tunnel will close for upgrade works as well
I have a white metal kit of a 135hp Walker, I need to dig it out and finish the damn thing.
Get out and ride the real thing. The model can wait 😀😀
Hey Mate, Don't they have a first series "T" Class there as well??
I didn't see it. It must be away getting looked at.
There is one other difference between the first and second class sections, the 2nd class seats are a lot more comfy.......
That wouldn't surprise me. First class is an illusion in many cases anyway 😀😀
On the way back the windscreen you're looking through is so scratched, if it was a car it would fail a roadworthy.
Doesn't affect the drivers vision so I suppose it doesn't matter in the bigger scheme of things
Now all we need is for a kangaroo to hop through the scene - backwards! LOL
@Neil Forbes and how about that engine in the drivers compartment LOL
@@travelingman6511 You deleted the reference to "instant hot coffee"!😄
@@neilforbes416 Well goes to show that RUclips doesn't have a sense of humuour LOL
@Neil Forbes these trains are the Victorian versions of your 620 class
@@travelingman6511 I couldn't insert an emoticon at that comment I made about kangaroos hopping backwards.
👍
Thanks man😀😀
"PLEASE - NO NOT USE THIS TOILET" haha..
Yep a sign of the times 😆😅😂
1st
Thanks 😀 😊