707 Operations - Ettamogah carriage transfer, 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
On Sunday 20 August 2023 N457 and T387 headed from Melbourne to Ettamogah to collect a set of retired V/Line standard gauge carriages from storage at Ettamogah, and return them to Melbourne the next day.
707 Operations - Stony Point members train 2023
Sunday 26 November 2023
On Sunday 26 November 2023 707 Operations ran their members train to Stony Point, with R707 leading V/Line locomotives P12 and P15 with carriage set SLH33.
ALARC carriage transfer from Tailem Bend to Ettamogah, 2023
Saturday 3 June 2023
In June 2023 the Australian Locomotive and Railway Carriage Company (ALARC) sent 'Murraylander' liveried diesel locomotive 701 from Tailem Bend to Albury and return to transfer a number of standard gauge carriages between heritage rail operators. The first leg of the trip saw the Steamrail Victoria ex-SAR carriages from Dimboola taken to Albury to be collected by Sydney Rail Services for use on 'The Picnic Train', with the return working taking retired V/Line carriage set SN8 from Ettamogah to Tailem Bend for future use.
Bendigo line resleepering
Saturday 17 September 2022
In August 2022 V/Line commenced a $15 million project to replace 50,000+ timber sleepers with concrete ones on the 'slow' track between Sunbury and Kyneton. The works will allow VLocity trains to use the line at 130 km/h, up from the 115 km/h limit put in place in August 2019, following the discovery that VLocity trains are now heavier than when first delivered.
Bombardier Ballarat East
Thursday 28 December 2023
In 2011 Bombardier opened a new VLocity train maintenance facility at Ballarat East.
Caulfield - Dandenong driver training
Saturday 28 January 2023
Driver training trains on the Caulfield - Dandenong rail corridor before the official commencement of passenger services over the new rail viaducts
Deer Park - Caroline Springs V/Line shuttle
Monday 22 January 2024
Since December 2020 Kinetic Melbourne has operated a shuttle bus service between Deer Park and Caroline Springs springs station in morning and evening peak due to the V/Line timetable making such a trip impossible by train.
Deer Park level crossing removal replacement buses
Thursday 20 July 2023
Works on the Deer Park level crossing removal project have required V/Line services on the Geelong and Ballarat lines to be replaced by buses.
Dudley Street H set collision, May 2006
Monday 19 June 2006
In May 20006 VSH22 and FSH21 were involved in a shunting accident at the Dudley Street carriage yards. BCH122 was pushed into BCH121. The first pics are from about 10pm (the incident happened some time before then) and then the rest are later on at 1pm after the re-railing was complete. The final photos are after the collision repairs.
Evacuating a failed V/Line train at Albion, November 2015
Thursday 26 November 2015
On November 26, 2015 a down Bendigo train failed outside Albion station, blocking the Sunbury line for hours. Eventually the V/Line train was limped into the platform at Albion, allowing passenger to wait for buses, with the suburban train behind being eventually evacuated as well
Fire damaged Sprinter 7012, December 2016
Saturday 8 April 2017
On December 2, 2016 Sprinter 7012 caught fire at Seymour station, with a fault in the electrical cabinet believed to be the cause. The damaged train was transferred to Melbourne the next day.
First day of VLocity operations - Ballarat line launch
Thursday 22 December 2005
December 22nd 2005 was the entry of V/Line's new VLocity trains into revenue service. I managed to catch the 1406 service to Ballarat, and the 1629 service from Ballarat. In this collection I've got pictures of the VLocity arriving at Southern Cross Station, for the first time with paying passengers on board, as well as the services that I travelled on.
First VLocity Services to Geelong
Friday 3 February 2006
On February 3, 2006 the first revenue VLocity services operated to Geelong
Geelong football specials 2007
Saturday 22 September 2007
Geelong won against Port Adelaide in the 2007 AFL Grand Final at the MCG. V/Line specials for Geelong Cats fans, including many push-pull P class operated trains, and a special headboard for grand final day
Geelong football specials 2008
Saturday 31 May 2008
Geelong lost to Hawthorn in the 2008 AFL Grand Final at the MCG. V/Line specials for Geelong Cats fans included many push-pull P class operated trains, and a special headboard for grand final day.
Geelong football specials 2009
Saturday 26 September 2009
Geelong won against St Kilda in the 2009 AFL Grand Final at the MCG. The V/Line football specials on the Geelong line were a mix of P class hauled single push-pull sets, and N class hauled seven car long N sets
Geelong football specials 2010
Saturday 12 June 2010
During the 2010 AFL season V/Line ran a number of push-pull P class trains from Geelong to carry Cats fans to the bigger games in Melbourne
Geelong football specials 2011
Saturday 1 October 2011
Geelong won against Collingwood in the 2011 AFL Grand Final at the MCG. The V/Line football specials on the Geelong line were mostly VLocity sets, with only a single push-pull train running for the occasion.
Last BS car run July 2006
Sunday 23 July 2006
By 2006 there were only three BS type carriages in revenue service with V/Line, and as the year continued all except BS217 were put into storage. By July BS217 was to be taken out of service, with the last run being on a down Albury train, terminated short at Seymour for trackwork. As it turns out, by September 2007 all five BS cars were brought back into service, as set SN7, which didn't get retired until August 9, 2010!
Last days of S302
Friday 13 January 2006
S302 was bought by West Coast Railway soon after they were formed, and ran with them for a number of years. After their demise it was purchased by V/Line, who continued to use it on the midday Warrnambool train, where it was often replaced by an N class. S302 made her last run on January 13, 2006 after which it was put into storage. It was subsequently sold to El Zorro who operate it today
Locomotive hauled Sprinter, February 2006
Monday 27 February 2006
Sprinter railcars are self propelled, but can be hauled by locomotives through the use of a special transition coupler. Here two broken down Sprinters were in the platform - 7002 and 7008, along with N453 waiting to take them away. The EDI Rail crew had a bit of difficulty getting the transition coupler to fit - necessary because of the different coupler types
New V/Line Mk3 livery
Thursday 18 February 2016
2007 saw V/Line introduce a new livery for their fleet - the third since 1983. Red, grey and white form the core colours, along with a purple stripe.
FSH25 was the first of V/Line's carriage sets to be repainted in their new corporate livery. It went to Geelong on a test run on September 4th. Sprinter 7007 has also been repainted in it's own new livery. Both trains were launched on September 12th, 2007 at Southern Cross Station. VN12 was the first N set to be repainted, and N468 was the first locomotive.
Since then a number of other carriage sets, locomotives and Sprinters have received modified versions of the new livery.
New V/Line Mk4 livery
Friday 9 March 2018
In conjunction with the launch of a more 'reliable' V/Line Albury service, N457 was repainted along with power van PCJ492 and newly refurbished carriage set SN into a new PTV branded livery using the 'shard' network pattern.
PCJ van transfer from Ballarat, January 2010
Saturday 23 January 2010
Freshly refurbished power van PCJ491 was transferred back from Ballarat Workshops to Melbourne, this time V/Line used their own loco (N467) and crew to bring it home
PCJ van transfers to/from Ballarat, September 2009
Tuesday 15 September 2009
El Zorro ran a transfer between Melbourne and Ballarat via North Geelong, T357 took V/Line power van PCJ491 to the Ballarat Workshops for refurbishment, bringing back completed van PCJ493 (formerly PCO2). You don't see Bona (engine and a single guards van) moves that often!
Photoshopped three car VLocity trains
Friday 10 November 2006
V/Line announced the construction of centre cars for the two-car long VLocity units in 2006 - here are photo-manipulations of what these trains could look like.
Poor service from V/Line
Friday 2 February 2024
Clutching failure from the jaws of success - that's the V/Line way.
Regional Rail Link consolidation trains
Sunday 6 July 2014
Between 3 July and 7 July 2014 a loaded ballast train operated over the new Regional Rail Link tracks between Deer Park Junction and Manor Junction at a maximum of 80 km per hour, until 100,000 tonnes of load are put onto them. The more weight they put onto it, the quicker it will be ready for normal services - the alternative is speed restrictions until the new track is bedded in.
Regional Rail Link open days
Saturday 20 June 2015
Prior to the opening of Regional Rail Link open days were held at the new stations: Tarneit station on June 13, and Wyndham Vale on June 20.
Siemens train recovery, 2019
Tuesday 14 May 2019
On May 13, 2019 Siemens train 743M-2522T-744M + 766M-2533T-765M on a down Werribee service encountered damaged overhead wiring outside Laverton, resulting in the train being disabled. The next day N470 and N466 were sent to assist with the recovery of the train to the Newport Workshops, with chains and transition couplers used to join them together. Siemens trains lack a continuous brake pipe through each 3-car set, so a locomotive was needed at each end of the train to allow the consist to move.
Siemens train recovery, 2023
Tuesday 1 August 2023
On Monday 31 July 2023 a Powercor 22kV power line fell across the railway line at Laverton, causing a power surge on the 1500V DC traction power supply, bringing down the overhead, and cooking two Siemens trains. The next day N456 was out sent to assist, recovering the stranded Siemens trains as individual 3-car sets.
Siemens train recovery, 2024
Monday 8 January 2024
On the morning of Monday 8 January 2024 a Siemens train on a down Sandringham service encountered an issue with the overhead at Richmond Junction, destroying all four pantographs on the train. The Sandringham line was shut down from the day due to the train blocking the line. That evening V/Line shunting locomotive Y156 was despatched from Southern Cross Station to assist in the recovery. It entered the section and coupled up to the Siemens train using a transition coupler, first removing set 749M-2525T-750M and taking it to Flinders Street track 9a, then returning to remove set 772M-2536T-771M from the site as well.
Southwest Victoria
V/Line, heritage and freight services on the line from Geelong to Warrnambool
Sprinter derailment, July 2017
Friday 28 July 2017
On July 28 2017 Sprinter 7010 derailed at the southern end of Southern Cross platform 6 and 7, with one one axle leaving the rails
SSR D van transfer, 2023
Tuesday 30 May 2023
In May 2023 Southern Shorthaul Railroad transferred a rake of six retired V/Line D vans from Newport Workshops to Bendigo via Tottenham Yard.
SSR N class transfer, 2024
Friday 15 March 2024
On Friday 15 March 2024 surplus V/Line N class locomotives N464, N455, N466 and N463 were transferred from South Dynon to Tottenham Yard, where they were handed over to Southern Shorthaul Railroad on hire to run freight services.
Steamrail - Ballarat driver training, July 2021
Saturday 31 July 2021
On 31 July 2021 Steamrail's steam locomotive R761 headed from Melbourne to Ballarat and return on a driver training run, hauling V/Line carriage sets SH34 and SH31.
Stony Point line
Sunday 26 November 2023
The Stony Point line is an orphan on the Melbourne suburban network, being an isolated shuttle service without electrification. A class diesel locomotives hauling MTH carriages were the usual consist for a decade, until replaced by Sprinter railcars in 2008.
Stony Point line transfers
Tuesday 19 January 2021
Trains running the diesel shuttle service on the Stony Point line run empty cars between Frankston and Southern Cross for maintenance on a weekly basis.
V/Line - 'Last' A class services, April 2013
Friday 26 April 2013
With the April 2013 timetable change, V/Line changed their working timetable to remove the need for their A class fleet to haul any passenger trains. The last service was supported to be the up Bacchus Marsh on April 26, 2013 - but both A66 and A70 were brought back into service in 2014, with A66 then allocated a regular weekday return trip to Bacchus Marsh in 2015.
V/Line - 9-car VLocity train testing
Sunday 21 June 2020
On 21 June 2020 V/Line sent VLocity sets VL07, VL63 and VL23 from Southern Cross Station to Wyndham Vale to test the operation of 9-car VLocity trains, as well as platform fit for the longer trains.
V/Line - A66 transfer to Bendigo
Saturday 1 September 2018
On 1 September 2018 A66 was transferred light engine from Melbourne to the SSR Workshops at Bendigo for long term storage
V/Line - Bacchus Marsh yards
Friday 17 November 2023
Bacchus Marsh is a busy V/Line destination, with a large yard at Maddingley used to stabling trains for weekday commuter trains. This replaced the previous yard at Bacchus Marsh station in 2019, which was needed for construction of a second passenger platform.
V/Line - Ballarat Line Upgrade driver training
Saturday 30 January 2021
During the commissioning of the final stage of the Ballarat Line Upgrade project, V/Line sent five N classes light engine to Ballarat each day to assist with driver training on the new stations and crossing loops between Bacchus Marsh and Wendouree.
V/Line - carriage set SN7/SZ7
Monday 9 August 2010
In September 2007 V/Line formed carriage set SN7 with five retired BS compartment carriages and spare carriage ACN21, to make up for a loss of a carriage set in the Kerang level crossing collision. Rostered on a return weekday run to Geelong, the set was recoded SZ7 in March 2009 following the replacement of carriage ACN21 with BCZ257. The set remained in service until August 2010, when the delivery of additional VLocity trains enabled it to be retired.
V/Line - Deer Park driver training, 2023
Sunday 23 April 2023
In April 2023 V/Line ran a fleet of VLocity trains from Sunshine to train drivers on the new elevated tracks through Deer Park.
V/Line - double headed A classes, November 2008
Thursday 27 November 2008
On November 27, 2008 A60 and A62 double headed a down South Geelong service, supposedly for some kind of test run.
V/Line - Failed H set doors, April 2013
Friday 26 April 2013
V/Line's fleet of H set carriages have power operated doors - closed and held shut by a compressed air powered door motor, and manually opened by passengers. In August 2014 special instructions were issued after a spate of trains having the doors open while in transit.
V/Line - Failed Sprinter, June 2014
Thursday 12 June 2014
Around 7am outside North Melbourne V/Line service operated by Sprinter railcars and bound for Bacchus Marsh failed. Two Comeng trains ended up behind the failed consist, but didn't appear to assist in the recovery.
V/Line - Geelong carriage yards
Tuesday 2 April 2024
Geelong is one of the busiest V/Line destinations, being a major servicing and stabling operation for their trains. Facilities include a car wash, fuel point and a dedicated Y class shunter
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