I spent the entire month of May 1987 traveling all over Australia by train. I changed trains @ Flinders St & Spencer St stations. I have traveled over 250,000 km on trains since 1955 mostly here in Canada, but also Australia & UK. Cheers from Vancouver.
How enviable! Wish I had been aware just how much I love exploring by trains earlier in my life I would’ve done the same. But alas, I now fulfill my belated passion vicariously. It’s almost as good as the real thing with excellent train travel channels like Adam’s.
Our transport system in Melbourne is underrated by the baby boomers. I'm a boomer and regret not using it in the years past as it now saves me an absolute fortune in car usage and ownership. It provides me free time for what I wan't and need to do with no stress attached,. Compared to peak hour road traffic that lacks all of the previous positives. Really good to watch your presentations Adam, Cheers!
I commute to the CBD every day and it's quite nice not having to put up with traffic, pay for petrol, parking and tolls. It also means I can drink more on Friday nights, don't have to worry about parking time limits, and it's actually pretty reliable. We live in a pretty good city!
Loved this video. As a child in the 1950s my parents took me from Caulfield to Stony Point on a "country train" operated with a steam engine. At Stony Point we caught a ferry the Eagle Star (or its sister ferry the Estelle Star - can't remember which) to Cowes on Phillip Island for our holiday. For me the train ride was the best part!
Stony Point line has a special place in my heart. I grew up in Somerville and would always catch this train between Somerville and Frankston. Thanks for the video!
As someone who lives right by the tracks just before Stoney Point I really enjoyed your video. We quite like our quiet area where tourists seem to forget we exist
thanks for this, it has brought back many memories of me and alot of Scouting people coming from all over Melbourne to catch the Ferrie to French Island where we would spend the weekend helping a scouting property owner with conservation work!.
Thanks . That quite informative. I never realised trams and trains ran on a different voltage ! I guess with trams being bigger and heavier ( especially when full) the need the extra voltage to run their more powerful engines. I never realised because of that, that where trams and trams crossed tracks, the voltage would have to be manually switched. The diesel sprinter to Stony Point, went through some lovely countryside. Amazing how realtively cheap the all- in cost on the MiKi card is.
The train network is 1500 volts while trams are 600 volts. So the trains run off a higher voltage. I’m no expert but my understanding is that the tram voltages match the traction motors without the need for a converter (ie additional weight). The higher voltage on train lines is more efficient but they do require converters (obviously the space / weight is less of an issue on trains). 🤔
A trip down memory lane for me, from my early days in the Royal Australian Navy. In the early 1960s on a Friday afternoon, there used to be a steam train service that ran from the spur line railway station at HMAS CERBERUS, the Navy base adjacent to the town of Crib Point, into Flinders St and Spencer St stations in Melbourne. If I remember correctly, it also stopped at Frankston and Moorabbin on the way into Melbourne. It did the early return trip back to the Navy base on Monday mornings. it was known as the Leave Train. The Navy base was a long distance from the city of Melbourne and few sailors could afford to own a car. So, it was a convenient way of getting into Melbourne. My Dad served in the Australian Navy in WW2, and he remembered catching the Leave Train on Friday afternoons.
I remembered going on a train to Stony Point. I have to say it was a very peaceful ride :) 11:01 7022 happened to be the set I took from Frankston to Stony Point and back :)
Thank you for this video. It was most informative and it seems you go to quite a lot of effort putting all the videos together to make it very enjoyable. The bit about the tram square was great. Cheers
This train ride brought back a lot of memories. When I joined the navy in 1987 and was under training at HMAS Cerberus we used to catch the train from Crib Point to Frankston and then quite often into Melbourne. We also used to walk down the tracks to Stony Point (so we didn’t get lost) and catch the ferry across to Cowes on Phillip Island.
Thanks for uploading. I grew up on the Stony Point line and travelling on it when it was hauled by the A class and 2-3 carriages so it's pretty special to me
Great video! I did exactly this journey in July last year on a spare afternoon visiting Melbourne and really enjoyed it. If you are interested in railways, look out for the branch line to Mornington from Baxter station. It’s disused as far as Moorooduc but used for heritage trains from there. Also look out for the branch line to the steel works just north of Hastings where you may see a freight train waiting for the railcar to clear the section.
There is so much history on the line. Use to connect to red hill, Mornington and hmas Cerberus. Mornington railway is preserved from baxter to the 2nd last stop as Mornington station was demolished and the line built over although trains only run part of the line. Red hill line is all gone unfortunately and hmas cerberus line was close and is now gone. A good place to explore is the steel line and old paper train where the K class that runs on the Mornington heritage line was restored and where the group was original based
Great coverage of a train trip that not many tourists get to hear of. If one researches the timetables, it is possible to do a round trip to Cowes, Phillip Island going one way via Stony Point and the other on V/Line Road Coach services via Dandenong, Koo-Wee-Rup, Anderson and San Remo. I thank you on behalf of my good friend Alex for giving his Bus of Doom FSX RUclips Channel a plug. If you weren't already aware, your clip was auto-suggested immediately after my viewing of DownieLive's Journeys By Train America Episode 10 today Sun.16th October. Cheers.🙂
Thank you! Oh wow - that sounds like a great trip. I had flown in from Adelaide earlier on this day so only had a half day, otherwise I wouldn’t have tried to get the ferry to French Island. Useful to know re DownieLive. It’s a good series. Cheers!
As there’s no bridge we did the ferry to French Island pre-pandemic for a night at a glamping stay. That was quite an experience - so close to Melbourne and yet undeveloped and peaceful. Mostly national park, thousands of koalas, a single general store, a tiny primary school, fire station, a footy oval, some home stays and a few farmers and quirky residents who live entirely off the grid and would like to keep it that way.
I remember reading in the 1960’s there had been plans considered to place a proposed nuclear power station on French Island - of course it never went ahead.
@@xr6lad Thank goodness for that. Recently a Chinese concern (as in from the country) wanted to build a bridge from the east and develop the old prison into a resort. That got shot down quick smart.
stony point used to be a full terminus station with runaround loop loco shed and turntable from back in the steam days with the runaround loop used right up until the introduction of the sprinters as the service used to be run with a diesel loco and 2-3 MTH carriages
These videos are so well presented, I have never been into trains but find myself watching every single train video you’ve made and now can’t wait for the next one!! Thanks so much
All my life I have been going in that direction, but by car. You have wet my appetite for a little train trip to see these places in a different way instead of from the drivers seat, and sometimes missing them altogether. I can go on the 901 bus from where I live to Frankston station and that in itself will give me a chance to look at what I would normally not be able to see.
Having come from Brisbane and travelled the Stony line back in the early 2000s - then serviced by the A class streamliner; I was gobsmacked how shoddy the rail service was down there. The whole string of suburbs and general area felt very backwater, neglected and overall a pretty dank and dingy place. Hastings in particular is often referred to as the 'pram pushers' hub.
Great video Adam! That Tram Train crossing looks really cool! Guess ill have to go there and give it a shot sometime soon! Flinders St Station looking amazing as always! Thanks for the video :)
Thanks Aidan! Because this was filmed back in August, not sure if the crossing is even there anymore but there are still two others. Definitely worth checking out. 🤔
I too did the trip from Melbourne to Stony Point. But than because the line was used by a V-Line B-class locomotive and 2 carriges. Run around the stock at both ends At Stony Point I could ride in the cab on my return when the loco ran around. Nice to see the line still open. It was mostly empty when I was there...
Great video. Whilst your video is about the Stoney Point commuter rail service, perhaps you could have made mention of the daily steel train which operates from Long Island just north of Hastings to Melbourne. Further at Crib Point there was a railway spur that went into the Cerberus Naval Base, up until the 1980s special trains would operate on Friday evenings from Cerberus Base to Melbourne carrying sailors to the city. The special trains would return on Sunday evenings. But saying that it is a very informative clip.
Thank you. Yes, I had hoped to mention the steel train but I didn’t get to see it (for footage) and only got a glimpse of the junction so decided not to. But yes, would have been good to include.
Gawd the steel train. I always used to try and race it to a level crossing just outside Caulfield at peak hour. And if you didn’t cross in time, the train sometimes was so long you’d be able to have a nap. Then often you’d get caught by a train coming the other way.
In the early ‘80s it was planned to replace the clocks at Flinders Street with a video system. There was a huge public outcry. “Meet you under the clocks” was a Melbourne tradition going back to the world wars. The transport minister had one dismantled to see if it could be converted to work electrically.
I stumbled across your channel the other day. I am impressed at the detail you go into and also the video quality. I am an Aussie expat living in the UK. I love train travel and have travelled by rail extensively throughout Australia, and now exploring the UK and Europe when I have the time. I made a video of a train journey I did from London to the Scottish Highlands and back and posted it here on RUclips. I think it's had 3 views 😄 🤣. I have subbed and look forward to watching future videos.
Thanks so much - great to hear. I lived in London for five years and loved travelling by train across the UK and also in Europe. Such a great network. Enjoy!
@@FromtheWindowSeat Last time I rode the ferry, the skipper said they are in contact with the train crew who will hold up the train if the ferry was late. (I take that with a grain of sea salt)
Great and informative video. I know the sprinters very well, I traveled everyday to Melbourne and home for about 4 years on one, they were an amazing train.
Did that journey on my first visit to Australia in December 2007. That train from Frankston to Stony Point was not yet in service. There was a much older train in use. There were far fewer trains during the day. Had to wait a few hours at Stony Point before returning. There were some very tame pelicans at Stony Point. Also some of the most southerly mangroves in Australia. (I'd never seen mangroves before.) One of the people on the outward trip seemed to be some sort of official on the train, quite a bolshy chap! Turned up working in the little shop at Stony Point that catered to travellers. Bought a famed Australian meat pie from there.
It looks like you can also take a ferry service from Stony Point to Cowes (Phillip Island), via French Island. That would be a good trip with a proper vacation destination.
@@FromtheWindowSeat I lived in Aspendale, one fine Sunday morning I caught a spark to Flinders St especially to ride the Stony Point Pass all the way. My parents thought I was mad. Now you can't do it. When the pass arrived at Stony Point, it went back to Frankston and sat in the yard until it was time to return to Stony Point and form the up train. Now you know why the platform was so long. It was promoted as an excursion train. Another Sunday excursion train I never travelled on was the Ballarat to Queenscliff which connected with a down Geelong train from Melbourne. There was a metal Queenscliff destination board at Ballarat. If I bought a Sunday Excursion Ticket, there was no Edmondson ticket so the SM wrote out a paper ticket and wrote SEX on top of the ticket. Sunday excursion trains were slightly cheaper. From my home, it was common to hear a B class blaring in the late afternoon. I have a photo of an up pass (T class) passing over the Mordialloc Creek when it was a timber trestle bridge.
@@GreatGazukes The wooden country carriages only had vestibule doors at the end of the cars so there was no gap. However Tait G (for gas) cars did go to Mornington and Stony Point pulled by a steam loco. In those days nobody was fussed about the gap. It was similar to the trains that ran to Lilydale to Healesville and Warburton. The G cars were trailers and were pulled by a pair of doggies acting as a loco until swapped by an E class at Lilydale. Not sure if doggies pulled the G cars to Frankston. I forget when these trains stopped running. G cars rain in Tait consists for many years up to the 1980s. The gas lanterns were gone when I became aware of this and there was a circular piece of wood which covered where they were. the alternate set of seats had the electric lights. The Taits had Stony Point, Mornington and “Healesville/Warburton” in the destination scrolls. I think the scrolls were also in the Harris trains but I don’t think Harris trains were ever used to the non electric destinations. However a Harris did make it to Mirboo North pulled by a diesel on a fan trip - before my time.
I caught this train almost everyday for a solid 5yrs... great train, terrible transport for a growing peninsula.. Those that travelled in the 90's and 00's would remember Whistling Pete.
hi Adam I just wanted to say that I really like your channel because i like how you have been lots of rail journeys and the stony point line is one of my favourite country lines in Victoria and I was just going to ask could you please do a rail journey on the Bendigo train line please and ps this is from crazy LEGO guy 100 👍
I've always found Stony Point station interesting in how little there is that it serves. The 'town' consists of a store, a Telstra depot (from memory), the pier for the ferry services, and a caravan park. And that's about it! It would be primarily the pier that justifies the service.
Id like to check it out sometime as it really looks like a nice ride on the sprinter. The only thing I feel on edge about is having to pass through Frankston as from what I've heard the area has a high crime rate
@FromtheWindowSeat that's good to know. One other thing I was wondering looking at the metro train network map ive never been on a Frankston train before but I've sometimes caught the cranbourne/Pakenham ones to caulfield. Do the 4 stations between south Yarra and caulfield only stop on Frankston services as it's always run express between them on the other lines when I've been through there
Ah yes. Living between Frankston and Leawarra stations, I hear that train go past all day, that and the freight train. It’s just background noise at this point, but definitely interesting to just stop and watch it go past sometimes.
Growing up we would wonder what happens down at Stony Point - The Last Stop On The Line. Finally visited some time ago as part of a day trip down that way and took a photo at 'the end of the line'. It's not as stony as it is made out to be. There are some outstanding Fish and Chip shops on the Mornington Peninsula. 🍟🐟
When I was 3 back in 2009, when we visited Melbourne, we had stayed in a small airbnb like home for four months. It was just down the road(St Kilda Road) from Flinders Street station. Idk if it is still standing today but I believe the building is called Seasons Botanical Gardens.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the former junctions at Baxter for Mornington, Bittern for Red hill, and the triangle at Crib Point going to the naval base.
Fantastic vid; I was always curious about the stony point line! Have you considered mitigations for the window reflections, like a lens hood or a gopro specific polarising filter? I have also seen a mid-sized fabric lens skirt with suction cups that could shroud the entire gopro and mount.
12:31 the building you can see in this shot got burnt down yesterday in the early morning. Quite sad to see Hastings, the most used station on the stony point line, having its building burnt down.
Really wish they could reinstate/create new lines and run these Diesel sprinters to the end of the Metro line like this. Lines I have in mind include 1. Wonthaggi/Inverloch and Leongatha to Cranbourne 2. Healesville to Lilydale. 3. Warburton to Lilydale. 4. Rosebud to Frankston
The fact they lock the toilets says everything wrong with Metro operating it. The trip from Melbourne to Stony point is approx an hour and 40 minutes and United there Is a gap at Frankston to get to use one, that’s a longtime to hold on.
Adam again I'm impressed by your editing, story board et al .and now I've noticed you have added drone footage. Another thing is your social and historical research for interesting facts along the way. What editing software are you using? I suspect it is something similar to PowerDirector 365 because it is now obvious to me you are running multiple time lines. Your manipulation of still images and I guess Google Earth is amazing. It must take a week or more of intense 8 hour days to put your video together. The reason I say this as it took me almost three weeks to edit in a presenter's pre 2003 PowerPoint presentation because his slides had animations and anything ahead in the video timeline would freeze if I made one cut to his slide. Eventually I found that I could convert the presenter's audio to script via Word and cued his slide changes into the script. Then I exported his .ppt to mp4 movie and advanced the slides as he did live. He didn't look at the audience once during his presentation thus it was a blessing in disguise and I just used his intro and question time footage. ruclips.net/video/T5GWD3gpSuw/видео.html
Thank you! Yes, I enjoy finding interesting facts and explanations for things I show, as part of the video production process. I use Final Cut Pro for video editing. I originally used the free iMovie software ... Final Cut Pro uses the same magnetic timeline, so was a logical progression. Yes, I use Google Earth Studio too - just watched videos on RUclips about it and worked out a way to utilise it. Video editing is certainly the most time consuming part of the whole process ... I have a backlog of videos to edit because filming them is relatively quick ... the editing is the bit that uses so much time. I can certainly see why cutting that presentation took so long. Yes, it's a lot of work but generally speaking, it feels quite rewarding at the end. All the best!
I didn't realise how long the trip to Frankston took. And it seems there aren't any express services which continue to Frankston. Some are express South Yarra to Caulfield, but not any continuing to Frankston and in every case the wait to swap trains is longer than the time saved skipping those few stations. Over an hour for 45km is pretty poor really and there isn't room for extra track to create a meaningful semi-express route bypassing stations (just doing run-through would soon get blocked by the previous all-station train ahead).
Limited express can also include Cheltenham-Caulfield. However, the timetable was lengthened some years ago to try to counteract Metro's lack of on-time performance. A Southern Cross - Flinders Street - Richmond - Caulfield - Cheltenham - Mordialloc - Carrum - Frankston would be the greatest a few times a day but it will never happen.
My understanding is that there are normally semi-express trains in peak hour as there is a third track in some sections but during the work to remove the level crossings, these services are not running. It is possible to travel more quickly between Flinders St and Stony Point than I did … I made a quick stop in Frankston to grab some lunch. 😋
@@FromtheWindowSeat True, it is a small joy in the mornings to overtake an all-stations train around McKinnon station. Hope you make it to Carrum again on a nice sunset evening!
I'm surprised they know how many passengers actually use the stations as only Frankston has gates and is manned. You can get on and off at all the other stations without swiping on or off. Originally nearly all the stations had passing loops so trains could cross anywhere. But Metro "rationalised" the signalling meaning that only one train can now travel between Frankston and Stony Point at a time (with the exception of the steel train which turns off onto the Long Island branch between Tyabb and Hastings).
It's great that you have covered railway's in all The Australian State's. However its unfortunately that there are no Commercial Passenger Railway's in Tasmania as I'm sure that Tasmania would have made a good video.
Those "tram squares" are not actually squares, they are rectangles, formed by the Broad gauge railway intersecting the Standard Gauge tramlines. I didn't know though that the voltages are manually changed depending whether a tram or a train is using the crossing.
The Sprinters are powered by two Deutz BF8L513C twin turbocharged air-cooled V8 diesel engines (yes, it is a twin-turbocharged engine as each bank has a single turbocharger)
@@peterelvery Yes - V/line and Goninan had quite a few over-heating issues with them in the early days. For instance when going uphill through cuttings on a hot day some engines on the rear sprinters would shut down with the extra heat from the engines in front of them.
I spent the entire month of May 1987 traveling all over Australia by train. I changed trains @ Flinders St & Spencer St stations. I have traveled over 250,000 km on trains since 1955 mostly here in Canada, but also Australia & UK. Cheers from Vancouver.
Oh wow. Sounds wonderful!
How enviable! Wish I had been aware just how much I love exploring by trains earlier in my life I would’ve done the same. But alas, I now fulfill my belated passion vicariously. It’s almost as good as the real thing with excellent train travel channels like Adam’s.
Our transport system in Melbourne is underrated by the baby boomers. I'm a boomer and regret not using it in the years past as it now saves me an absolute fortune in car usage and ownership. It provides me free time for what I wan't and need to do with no stress attached,. Compared to peak hour road traffic that lacks all of the previous positives. Really good to watch your presentations Adam, Cheers!
Yes, Melbourne has a great system and it really pays / saves to travel by train. Thank you for your kind comments! Cheers! 😊
I commute to the CBD every day and it's quite nice not having to put up with traffic, pay for petrol, parking and tolls. It also means I can drink more on Friday nights, don't have to worry about parking time limits, and it's actually pretty reliable. We live in a pretty good city!
Flinders Street Station is an icon sight of Melbourne. Love it
True!
Loved this video. As a child in the 1950s my parents took me from Caulfield to Stony Point on a "country train" operated with a steam engine. At Stony Point we caught a ferry the Eagle Star (or its sister ferry the Estelle Star - can't remember which) to Cowes on Phillip Island for our holiday. For me the train ride was the best part!
Wow. That sounds like a great adventure!
That's nice!
Stony Point line has a special place in my heart. I grew up in Somerville and would always catch this train between Somerville and Frankston. Thanks for the video!
Oh cool. Cheers!
As someone who lives right by the tracks just before Stoney Point I really enjoyed your video.
We quite like our quiet area where tourists seem to forget we exist
That’s great to hear! Thanks you!
Do you remember a 4x4 being hit y a train there?
You picked a good time of year to travel the Stony Point line. It looks as if the wattle trees were in bloom. Thanks for a great video!
They were. Thank you!
thanks for this, it has brought back many memories of me and alot of Scouting people coming from all over Melbourne to catch the Ferrie to French Island where we would spend the weekend helping a scouting property owner with conservation work!.
Great to hear. Keen to check out French Island myself.
Nice to see these additional train services running.
Definitely.
I catch this line weekly and I can say it is very interesting at times...
I see. I can imagine that. 🤔
Thanks . That quite informative. I never realised trams and trains ran on a different voltage ! I guess with trams being bigger and heavier ( especially when full) the need the extra voltage to run their more powerful engines. I never realised because of that, that where trams and trams crossed tracks, the voltage would have to be manually switched.
The diesel sprinter to Stony Point, went through some lovely countryside. Amazing how realtively cheap the all- in cost on the MiKi card is.
The train network is 1500 volts while trams are 600 volts. So the trains run off a higher voltage. I’m no expert but my understanding is that the tram voltages match the traction motors without the need for a converter (ie additional weight). The higher voltage on train lines is more efficient but they do require converters (obviously the space / weight is less of an issue on trains). 🤔
A trip down memory lane for me, from my early days in the Royal Australian Navy. In the early 1960s on a Friday afternoon, there used to be a steam train service that ran from the spur line railway station at HMAS CERBERUS, the Navy base adjacent to the town of Crib Point, into Flinders St and Spencer St stations in Melbourne. If I remember correctly, it also stopped at Frankston and Moorabbin on the way into Melbourne. It did the early return trip back to the Navy base on Monday mornings. it was known as the Leave Train. The Navy base was a long distance from the city of Melbourne and few sailors could afford to own a car. So, it was a convenient way of getting into Melbourne. My Dad served in the Australian Navy in WW2, and he remembered catching the Leave Train on Friday afternoons.
Oh wow. That would have been quite the experience!
Your production is exquisite
Thanks so much!
I remembered going on a train to Stony Point. I have to say it was a very peaceful ride :)
11:01 7022 happened to be the set I took from Frankston to Stony Point and back :)
Oh cool.
Thank you for this video. It was most informative and it seems you go to quite a lot of effort putting all the videos together to make it very enjoyable. The bit about the tram square was great. Cheers
Awesome to hear. Thank you!
This train ride brought back a lot of memories. When I joined the navy in 1987 and was under training at HMAS Cerberus we used to catch the train from Crib Point to Frankston and then quite often into Melbourne. We also used to walk down the tracks to Stony Point (so we didn’t get lost) and catch the ferry across to Cowes on Phillip Island.
Oh nice. Glad it brought back good memories.
Last train to HMAS Cerberus:
ruclips.net/video/zQN89rlVnmI/видео.html
Thanks for uploading. I grew up on the Stony Point line and travelling on it when it was hauled by the A class and 2-3 carriages so it's pretty special to me
That would have been really cool. Nice!
From the window seat upload = best thing ever
Thank you!
That was an interesting and fascinating ride on a line that I never knew existed and I lived for two years in Melbourne in the 70s.
Well there you go. Cheers!
Loving your content!
Just got back from a week long Melbourne trip 😊
Thanks so much!!
Great video! I did exactly this journey in July last year on a spare afternoon visiting Melbourne and really enjoyed it. If you are interested in railways, look out for the branch line to Mornington from Baxter station. It’s disused as far as Moorooduc but used for heritage trains from there. Also look out for the branch line to the steel works just north of Hastings where you may see a freight train waiting for the railcar to clear the section.
Thank you. Unfortunately I didn’t get any footage of those two branches or I would have included in the video. 🤔
There is so much history on the line. Use to connect to red hill, Mornington and hmas Cerberus. Mornington railway is preserved from baxter to the 2nd last stop as Mornington station was demolished and the line built over although trains only run part of the line. Red hill line is all gone unfortunately and hmas cerberus line was close and is now gone. A good place to explore is the steel line and old paper train where the K class that runs on the Mornington heritage line was restored and where the group was original based
Ah cool. Very interesting!
Great video. I used to get that train when on weekend leave from HMAS Cerberus.
Oh cool! Thank you.
The stations are the least used due to appalling frequency
Fair call.
Great coverage of a train trip that not many tourists get to hear of. If one researches the timetables, it is possible to do a round trip to Cowes, Phillip Island going one way via Stony Point and the other on V/Line Road Coach services via Dandenong, Koo-Wee-Rup, Anderson and San Remo. I thank you on behalf of my good friend Alex for giving his Bus of Doom FSX RUclips Channel a plug. If you weren't already aware, your clip was auto-suggested immediately after my viewing of DownieLive's Journeys By Train America Episode 10 today Sun.16th October. Cheers.🙂
Thank you! Oh wow - that sounds like a great trip. I had flown in from Adelaide earlier on this day so only had a half day, otherwise I wouldn’t have tried to get the ferry to French Island. Useful to know re DownieLive. It’s a good series. Cheers!
I had no idea that there was a Tram Square in Glenhuntly. Crazy
Ha!
I enjoyed the trip, love the pop up for extra info. thank you. From the White Mt. NH
Thank you Tom!
I lived in Hastings for Many Years During and Before COVID Its nice to get some insight on our train line
Cool. Thanks for watching!
As there’s no bridge we did the ferry to French Island pre-pandemic for a night at a glamping stay. That was quite an experience - so close to Melbourne and yet undeveloped and peaceful. Mostly national park, thousands of koalas, a single general store, a tiny primary school, fire station, a footy oval, some home stays and a few farmers and quirky residents who live entirely off the grid and would like to keep it that way.
Sounds like a real adventure!
I remember reading in the 1960’s there had been plans considered to place a proposed nuclear power station on French Island - of course it never went ahead.
@@xr6lad Thank goodness for that.
Recently a Chinese concern (as in from the country) wanted to build a bridge from the east and develop the old prison into a resort. That got shot down quick smart.
hey i got a video idea you should ride the xpt train from southern cross melbourne to sydney central station
Definitely worth considering. 🤔
stony point used to be a full terminus station with runaround loop loco shed and turntable from back in the steam days with the runaround loop used right up until the introduction of the sprinters as the service used to be run with a diesel loco and 2-3 MTH carriages
I read about that. Would have been great to see!
These videos are so well presented, I have never been into trains but find myself watching every single train video you’ve made and now can’t wait for the next one!! Thanks so much
That’s brilliant to hear. Thank you!
All my life I have been going in that direction, but by car. You have wet my appetite for a little train trip to see these places in a different way instead of from the drivers seat, and sometimes missing them altogether.
I can go on the 901 bus from where I live to Frankston station and that in itself will give me a chance to look at what I would normally not be able to see.
I’m really glad to hear that. Hope you enjoy the trip!
Thanks Adam. I have watched many videos on railways in Victoria but non down to Stony Point. It was different.
Cheers. Glad I could offer something new!
Great video mate sounds like an experience to put on my list for next time i'm in Melbs!
Yeah, worth checking out. Cheers!
Out of curiosity, does anyone think this line should be electrified for metro trains to occupy it? Or should it stay diesel?
Great video, btw.
Thank you!
I used the Frankston line for many years, walked past the Stony point train often, but never took a ride - thanks.
Cheers!
Having come from Brisbane and travelled the Stony line back in the early 2000s - then serviced by the A class streamliner; I was gobsmacked how shoddy the rail service was down there. The whole string of suburbs and general area felt very backwater, neglected and overall a pretty dank and dingy place.
Hastings in particular is often referred to as the 'pram pushers' hub.
Yes, I can appreciate that sentiment.
Great video Adam! That Tram Train crossing looks really cool! Guess ill have to go there and give it a shot sometime soon! Flinders St Station looking amazing as always! Thanks for the video :)
Thanks Aidan! Because this was filmed back in August, not sure if the crossing is even there anymore but there are still two others. Definitely worth checking out. 🤔
I too did the trip from Melbourne to Stony Point. But than because the line was used by a V-Line B-class locomotive and 2 carriges. Run around the stock at both ends At Stony Point I could ride in the cab on my return when the loco ran around. Nice to see the line still open. It was mostly empty when I was there...
Loco hauled… that would have been great. Cheers!
Great video. Whilst your video is about the Stoney Point commuter rail service, perhaps you could have made mention of the daily steel train which operates from Long Island just north of Hastings to Melbourne. Further at Crib Point there was a railway spur that went into the Cerberus Naval Base, up until the 1980s special trains would operate on Friday evenings from Cerberus Base to Melbourne carrying sailors to the city. The special trains would return on Sunday evenings. But saying that it is a very informative clip.
Thank you. Yes, I had hoped to mention the steel train but I didn’t get to see it (for footage) and only got a glimpse of the junction so decided not to. But yes, would have been good to include.
Gawd the steel train. I always used to try and race it to a level crossing just outside Caulfield at peak hour. And if you didn’t cross in time, the train sometimes was so long you’d be able to have a nap. Then often you’d get caught by a train coming the other way.
@@xr6lad Ha! 😂
In the early ‘80s it was planned to replace the clocks at Flinders Street with a video system. There was a huge public outcry. “Meet you under the clocks” was a Melbourne tradition going back to the world wars. The transport minister had one dismantled to see if it could be converted to work electrically.
That would have been a travesty.
Quite so, under transport minister Steve Crabb I think.
@@andrewhighriser9531 Yes Steve Crabb
I stumbled across your channel the other day. I am impressed at the detail you go into and also the video quality. I am an Aussie expat living in the UK. I love train travel and have travelled by rail extensively throughout Australia, and now exploring the UK and Europe when I have the time. I made a video of a train journey I did from London to the Scottish Highlands and back and posted it here on RUclips. I think it's had 3 views 😄 🤣. I have subbed and look forward to watching future videos.
Thanks so much - great to hear. I lived in London for five years and loved travelling by train across the UK and also in Europe. Such a great network. Enjoy!
There is also the ferry to Cowes on Phillip Island. Handy for the motor racing and Cowes is a pleasant place to stay a few hours.
A few people have said that now. One to check out next time.
@@FromtheWindowSeat Last time I rode the ferry, the skipper said they are in contact with the train crew who will hold up the train if the ferry was late. (I take that with a grain of sea salt)
Great and informative video. I know the sprinters very well, I traveled everyday to Melbourne and home for about 4 years on one, they were an amazing train.
Oh cool. Thanks for watching!
Did that journey on my first visit to Australia in December 2007. That train from Frankston to Stony Point was not yet in service. There was a much older train in use. There were far fewer trains during the day. Had to wait a few hours at Stony Point before returning.
There were some very tame pelicans at Stony Point. Also some of the most southerly mangroves in Australia. (I'd never seen mangroves before.)
One of the people on the outward trip seemed to be some sort of official on the train, quite a bolshy chap! Turned up working in the little shop at Stony Point that catered to travellers. Bought a famed Australian meat pie from there.
Yes, the service used to be operated by a loco hauled train. Sounds like quite the experience! Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
It looks like you can also take a ferry service from Stony Point to Cowes (Phillip Island), via French Island. That would be a good trip with a proper vacation destination.
Yes, that sounds great!
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing✌️👍
Thanks so much!
Only been on the line once because my son wanted to visit a second hand store in Tyabb called The Vintage Shed
Well that's a good a reason as any. Cheers!
Another great video! Saves me taking the train there now...hahaha
Haha! Cheers!
The VR used to run “The Stony Point Pass” on Sundays from Finders St which consisted of eight wooden cars pulled by a B class or sometimes a T class.
That would be a great trip!
@@FromtheWindowSeat I lived in Aspendale, one fine Sunday morning I caught a spark to Flinders St especially to ride the Stony Point Pass all the way. My parents thought I was mad. Now you can't do it. When the pass arrived at Stony Point, it went back to Frankston and sat in the yard until it was time to return to Stony Point and form the up train.
Now you know why the platform was so long. It was promoted as an excursion train.
Another Sunday excursion train I never travelled on was the Ballarat to Queenscliff which connected with a down Geelong train from Melbourne. There was a metal Queenscliff destination board at Ballarat.
If I bought a Sunday Excursion Ticket, there was no Edmondson ticket so the SM wrote out a paper ticket and wrote SEX on top of the ticket. Sunday excursion trains were slightly cheaper.
From my home, it was common to hear a B class blaring in the late afternoon.
I have a photo of an up pass (T class) passing over the Mordialloc Creek when it was a timber trestle bridge.
Were the wooden cars shorter than the Taits? Stony Point platform would have serious "mind the gap" issues at the middle of the carriages.
@@GreatGazukes The wooden country carriages only had vestibule doors at the end of the cars so there was no gap.
However Tait G (for gas) cars did go to Mornington and Stony Point pulled by a steam loco. In those days nobody was fussed about the gap. It was similar to the trains that ran to Lilydale to Healesville and Warburton. The G cars were trailers and were pulled by a pair of doggies acting as a loco until swapped by an E class at Lilydale. Not sure if doggies pulled the G cars to Frankston. I forget when these trains stopped running. G cars rain in Tait consists for many years up to the 1980s. The gas lanterns were gone when I became aware of this and there was a circular piece of wood which covered where they were. the alternate set of seats had the electric lights.
The Taits had Stony Point, Mornington and “Healesville/Warburton” in the destination scrolls. I think the scrolls were also in the Harris trains but I don’t think Harris trains were ever used to the non electric destinations. However a Harris did make it to Mirboo North pulled by a diesel on a fan trip - before my time.
I caught this train almost everyday for a solid 5yrs... great train, terrible transport for a growing peninsula.. Those that travelled in the 90's and 00's would remember Whistling Pete.
Oh right. I’m sure you have some stories to tell. 🤔
hi Adam I just wanted to say that I really like your channel because i like how you have been lots of rail journeys and the stony point line is one of my favourite country lines in Victoria and I was just going to ask could you please do a rail journey on the Bendigo train line please and ps this is from crazy LEGO guy 100 👍
Thanks so much! I’ll see what I can do. Cheers!
this was really thorough and informative! i hope to do this trip soon.
Wonderful to hear. Hope you enjoy it!
An older Frankston Station appeared in the film "On the Beach"(1959)
Oh cool!
I've always found Stony Point station interesting in how little there is that it serves. The 'town' consists of a store, a Telstra depot (from memory), the pier for the ferry services, and a caravan park. And that's about it! It would be primarily the pier that justifies the service.
Yes, it is surprising in that way.
morradoo was also once known as the shortest railway platform in victoria a little more then one carriage long
Interesting!
Last and the only time at stony point was 1990, as a student exploring the furthest met daily ticket could take me. Then it was 3 zone system
Sounds like a fun day. Cheers!
Id like to check it out sometime as it really looks like a nice ride on the sprinter. The only thing I feel on edge about is having to pass through Frankston as from what I've heard the area has a high crime rate
You definitely should. I think Frankston is okay in daylight hours and you can switch trains without leaving the station if they connect.
@FromtheWindowSeat that's good to know. One other thing I was wondering looking at the metro train network map ive never been on a Frankston train before but I've sometimes caught the cranbourne/Pakenham ones to caulfield. Do the 4 stations between south Yarra and caulfield only stop on Frankston services as it's always run express between them on the other lines when I've been through there
@@aarontrevithick6239 I believe that’s right. Frankston services stop while Caulfield/Pakenham run express.
Very good visuals and commentary. I will make the journey myself one day soon.
Thank you!
love a ride on the Stoney Point
Cheers!
At 9:26 is that an old railway carriage in someone's garden? I remember the line when it was loco hauled - and slower.
I think, and I could be wrong, it’s part of an antique shop and perhaps was a cafe at some point. 🤔
Hi Adam thank you for the video great train hope you enjoyed the trip.
Thanks so much Maureen.
"Franston is roften referred to as the gateway to the Mornington Peninsula"...
Funniest thing I've heard someone say about Frankston in ages.
Ha! You can thank Wikipedia for that one. 😜
Ah yes. Living between Frankston and Leawarra stations, I hear that train go past all day, that and the freight train. It’s just background noise at this point, but definitely interesting to just stop and watch it go past sometimes.
Oh cool!
Leawarra is on a slope and sometimes a loco hauled train would overshoot the very short platform.
Oh right. Interesting!
Growing up we would wonder what happens down at Stony Point - The Last Stop On The Line.
Finally visited some time ago as part of a day trip down that way and took a photo at 'the end of the line'.
It's not as stony as it is made out to be. There are some outstanding Fish and Chip shops on the Mornington Peninsula.
🍟🐟
Yes, not so stony. Didn’t get to try the fish and chips. Maybe another time!
Thanks for sharing, Adam.
Cheers!
Great video, thanks for sharing. 👍
Thank you!
When I was 3 back in 2009, when we visited Melbourne, we had stayed in a small airbnb like home for four months. It was just down the road(St Kilda Road) from Flinders Street station. Idk if it is still standing today but I believe the building is called Seasons Botanical Gardens.
Cool.
@@FromtheWindowSeat Thanks. Those drone shots were phenomenal.
@@axan50transportproductions Yay! Glad they worked out. 😊
@@FromtheWindowSeat Hope to see more use of the drone in future videos.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the former junctions at Baxter for Mornington, Bittern for Red hill, and the triangle at Crib Point going to the naval base.
Yeah. I lacked decent footage to explain that.
The abandoned Mornington line is actually a really nice hike, takes around 4 hrs
@@cryptik2205 great to know 👍
Fantastic vid; I was always curious about the stony point line!
Have you considered mitigations for the window reflections, like a lens hood or a gopro specific polarising filter? I have also seen a mid-sized fabric lens skirt with suction cups that could shroud the entire gopro and mount.
Thank you! It’s not something I’ve investigated but yes, those ideas certainly could help!
12:31 the building you can see in this shot got burnt down yesterday in the early morning. Quite sad to see Hastings, the most used station on the stony point line, having its building burnt down.
Oh gee. I’m really sad to hear that! 😔
Really wish they could reinstate/create new lines and run these Diesel sprinters to the end of the Metro line like this. Lines I have in mind include
1. Wonthaggi/Inverloch and Leongatha to Cranbourne
2. Healesville to Lilydale.
3. Warburton to Lilydale.
4. Rosebud to Frankston
Yes, that would be brilliant. 👌
not really the only one. as tarneit/hoppers crossing and deer park/ardeer/rockbank/caroline springs are also diesel.
Fair enough but they’re V/Line services rather than Metro services. 🤔 I’ve tweaked the title to make it clearer.
11:11 there is what looks like a blue laser dot hovering over the train on the left - what's that all about..?
I think it’s a reflection from the blue signal light in the camera lens. 🤔
Any mention of Crib Point/Stony Point serving the naval base HMAS Cerberus?
Oops. That was a detail I missed.
The fact they lock the toilets says everything wrong with Metro operating it. The trip from Melbourne to Stony point is approx an hour and 40 minutes and United there Is a gap at Frankston to get to use one, that’s a longtime to hold on.
And that is considered far
True! I had a break in Frankston for lunch so I survived. Haha
When I was younger I got to toot the horn on this train. Was the best thing ever to my younger self😂
Wow. That’s awesome!
you should see if we could revive the balnarring merricks red hill train here on the mornington peninsula
That would be great - although I’m sure it would require a whole of community effort. 🤔
Take the 0827 from Frankston and you can catch the ferry to French Is and Cowes at Stoney Point.
That would be a great trip! Maybe next time.
There are technically two other suburban diesel services but they are operated by V/Line. These are the Melton and Wyndham Vale services.
True!
I thought the Steelworks at Hastings and related train movements may have been worth mentioning otherwise a nicely put together video.
Thank you! I did consider it but didn’t have any footage unfortunately.
I’ve been on every line except the Flemington and stony point lines
Nice!
Great channel Adam.
Thank you!
The Waurn Ponds Line, is still on diesel
True but that’s a V/Line rather than a Metro service. I’ve tweaked the title to make it clearer.
@@FromtheWindowSeat Alright sweet
Why would you lock the toilet out of use if you were committed to customer service?
You’ll have to ask Metro that. I heard they had some issues with vandalism. 🤔
Great video mate
Thank you!
Adam again I'm impressed by your editing, story board et al .and now I've noticed you have added drone footage. Another thing is your social and historical research for interesting facts along the way. What editing software are you using? I suspect it is something similar to PowerDirector 365 because it is now obvious to me you are running multiple time lines. Your manipulation of still images and I guess Google Earth is amazing. It must take a week or more of intense 8 hour days to put your video together. The reason I say this as it took me almost three weeks to edit in a presenter's pre 2003 PowerPoint presentation because his slides had animations and anything ahead in the video timeline would freeze if I made one cut to his slide. Eventually I found that I could convert the presenter's audio to script via Word and cued his slide changes into the script. Then I exported his .ppt to mp4 movie and advanced the slides as he did live. He didn't look at the audience once during his presentation thus it was a blessing in disguise and I just used his intro and question time footage. ruclips.net/video/T5GWD3gpSuw/видео.html
Thank you! Yes, I enjoy finding interesting facts and explanations for things I show, as part of the video production process. I use Final Cut Pro for video editing. I originally used the free iMovie software ... Final Cut Pro uses the same magnetic timeline, so was a logical progression. Yes, I use Google Earth Studio too - just watched videos on RUclips about it and worked out a way to utilise it. Video editing is certainly the most time consuming part of the whole process ... I have a backlog of videos to edit because filming them is relatively quick ... the editing is the bit that uses so much time. I can certainly see why cutting that presentation took so long. Yes, it's a lot of work but generally speaking, it feels quite rewarding at the end. All the best!
I use PowerDirector 365 and that has the AI-denoise process. I love it live speech at the lectern sounds as if it comes from a studio environment.
I remember when the service was hauled by a single A class and two MTH cars... how much it has changed...
That would have been great to experience.
I didn't realise how long the trip to Frankston took. And it seems there aren't any express services which continue to Frankston. Some are express South Yarra to Caulfield, but not any continuing to Frankston and in every case the wait to swap trains is longer than the time saved skipping those few stations. Over an hour for 45km is pretty poor really and there isn't room for extra track to create a meaningful semi-express route bypassing stations (just doing run-through would soon get blocked by the previous all-station train ahead).
Limited express can also include Cheltenham-Caulfield. However, the timetable was lengthened some years ago to try to counteract Metro's lack of on-time performance.
A Southern Cross - Flinders Street - Richmond - Caulfield - Cheltenham - Mordialloc - Carrum - Frankston would be the greatest a few times a day but it will never happen.
My understanding is that there are normally semi-express trains in peak hour as there is a third track in some sections but during the work to remove the level crossings, these services are not running. It is possible to travel more quickly between Flinders St and Stony Point than I did … I made a quick stop in Frankston to grab some lunch. 😋
@@FromtheWindowSeat True, it is a small joy in the mornings to overtake an all-stations train around McKinnon station.
Hope you make it to Carrum again on a nice sunset evening!
@@minithemeezer Oh cool. Yes, that sounds great! 🌅
@@FromtheWindowSeat I thought there were too, a quick look at a timetable suggested otherwise. But I may have misread.
8:30 I think you forgot to change the number for Someville's population from Baxter's. Somerville definitely has more than 2200 people.
Oops. Thanks!
I'm surprised they know how many passengers actually use the stations as only Frankston has gates and is manned. You can get on and off at all the other stations without swiping on or off. Originally nearly all the stations had passing loops so trains could cross anywhere. But Metro "rationalised" the signalling meaning that only one train can now travel between Frankston and Stony Point at a time (with the exception of the steel train which turns off onto the Long Island branch between Tyabb and Hastings).
I imagine the figures are not entirely accurate/ might be estimates, for the very reasons you give. 🤔
It's great that you have covered railway's in all The Australian State's.
However its unfortunately that there are no Commercial Passenger Railway's in Tasmania as I'm sure that Tasmania would have made a good video.
Yes, Tasmania has spectacular scenery so it’s certainly a pity.
Beyond excellence.
Thank you!
great video!
Thank you!
Idk what it is, but out of the entire VLine fleet, i actually find the Sprinter’s seats the most comfortable. Even more so than N set first class
Ah, that's interesting. I haven't rode them enough to judge.
Idk what it is either. N set first class is way better!
Those "tram squares" are not actually squares, they are rectangles, formed by the Broad gauge railway intersecting the Standard Gauge tramlines. I didn't know though that the voltages are manually changed depending whether a tram or a train is using the crossing.
True! I guess it’s just sounds better than tram rectangle. 😂
The one at Glenhuntly was very much a rectangle, given that it was two tram tracks crossing three railway tracks.
The Sprinters are powered by two Deutz BF8L513C twin turbocharged air-cooled V8 diesel engines (yes, it is a twin-turbocharged engine as each bank has a single turbocharger)
Interesting!
And they are one of the few railcars in the world using air-cooled engines.
@@cliffleigh7450 Air-cooling is more common in less temperate climates, e.g. Sweden's IC3 and Swiss Stadler FLIRT also use this Deutz engine.
@@peterelvery Yes - V/line and Goninan had quite a few over-heating issues with them in the early days. For instance when going uphill through cuttings on a hot day some engines on the rear sprinters would shut down with the extra heat from the engines in front of them.
Is it comfortable
For short journeys, it’s fine. But you wouldn’t want to spend too long on them.