Locomotives, light engines, and lashups
19 November 2023
As the title suggests: Locomotives, Light Engines, and Lashups of various freight locos. There is a lot of smoking it up for the camera as well... ;-)
Geelong broad gauge freight
18 November 2023
Miscellaneous Pacific National broad gauge freight around Geelong - there is stuff all these days
Melbourne broad gauge freight
18 November 2023
Miscellaneous Pacific National broad gauge freight movements through Melbourne - there isn't much these days...
V/Line - Regional Rail Link
17 November 2023
V/Line trains using the new Regional Rail Link tracks from Southern Cross Station through Footscray and Sunshine to Deer Park that have progressively come into use since December 2013.
V/Line to Bacchus Marsh
17 November 2023
Photos of the V/Line services that run to Bacchus Marsh, taken between there and the end of the wires back at Sunshine. As well as boring old VLocities and Sprinters, loco hauled trains with A, P and N classes are also used in peak times.
V/Line to Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough
17 November 2023
V/Line services west from Bacchus Marsh to Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough: since Regional Fast Rail started in 2006 boring old VLocities are the only trains used beyond Bacchus Marsh.
V/Line around Melbourne
16 November 2023
Pictures of V/line trains 'under the wires' around Melbourne and surrounding suburbs. V/line has a mix of loco-hauled and DMU-run services.
Qube Logistics Ultima freight
13 November 2023
In June 2019 Qube Logistics commenced a new service conveying containerised hay from Ultima to the Port of Melbourne for export.
Melbourne suburban bits and pieces
11 November 2023
Photos of bits and pieces on and around Melbourne's suburban trains
V/Line around Geelong
6 November 2023
Photos of various V/line trains around Geelong, including Lara, Corio, North Shore, North Geelong, South Geelong, Marshall and Waurn Ponds. There are also photo from the South Geelong tunnel, and the Barwon River bridge at Breakwater. V/line operates a mix of rolling stock on the line, including Sprinter and VLocity DMUs, as well as loco hauled trains with a variety of carriage sets.
Pacific National - North East standard gauge freight
3 November 2023
Pacific National standard gauge intermodal freight services on the North East line from Melbourne towards the NSW border at Albury.
Poor service from V/Line
30 October 2023
Clutching failure from the jaws of success - that's the V/Line way.
City Loop
27 October 2023
Stations and trains around the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop (Parliament, Melbourne Central, and Flagstaff stations)
Southern Shorthaul Railroad works trains
16 October 2023
Since August 2019 Southern Shorthaul Railroad has been operating works trains on the Melbourne suburban rail network on behalf of Metro Trains Melbourne.
Qube Logistics Apex quarry train
16 October 2023
The Apex train carries gravel and other quarry products from Kilmore East on the North East line, to Westall in south-eastern Melbourne, Brooklyn in western Melbourne, and North Shore in Geelong. Originally operated by Freight Australia then Pacific National, in 2016 Qube Logistics won the contract.
V/Line trackwork and maintenance
27 September 2023
Trackwork on the V/Line network that stretches across Victoria
Qube Logistics Maryvale paper train
27 September 2023
Since June 2013 Qube Logistics has operated the Maryvale Paper train that runs from Melbourne to the Australian Paper factory at Maryvale, north of Morwell
Pacific National Tocumwal freight
19 September 2023
Pacific National (formerly Patrick PortLink) operate a container service between Appleton Dock in Melbourne and Tocumwal, loading also being attached / removed at Mooroopna (Shepparton).
Pacific National Warrnambool freight
14 July 2023
The Warrnambool freight carries containers between Melbourne and the Westvic depot in Warrnambool, usually running Monday through Friday. Operated by Pacific National, except for a period between April and October 2008 when El Zorro took over the contract. The train length is constrained by short crossing loops and often runs during the day on the down trip due to pathing issues beyond Geelong
V/Line to Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca
24 June 2023
V/Line trains in northern Victoria, headed north from the Melbourne suburb of Sunbury towards Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca.
Pacific National broad gauge grain
20 May 2023
Grain is a major freight traffic in Victoria, but drought has cut the level of traffic in recent years. Broad gauge trains operate to export terminals at Melbourne and Geelong.
Qube Logistics broad gauge cement train
11 November 2022
In September 2019 Qube Logistics started a new containerised cement service running on broad gauge between North Dynon and the Kimberly Clark siding at Dandenong South. The loaded cement containers are brought down from New South Wales by train to Victoria Dock.
V/Line Warrnambool line
22 April 2022
V/Line trains on the Warrnambool line heading south-west from Geelong
Pacific National 'hospital' train to North Geelong
6 March 2022
Pacific National operates an irregular 'hospital' train conveying broad gauge wagons between Melbourne and the maintenance facility at North Geelong Yard.
Newport Workshops: Steamrail and 707 Operations
9 February 2022
Steamrail Victoria and 707 Operations have a large rolling stock fleet based at the West Block of Newport Workshops in Melbourne
V/Line via the Albion-Jacana goods line
24 January 2022
The Albion-Jacana railway line links the Bendigo line near Sunshine to the main North-East line near Broadmeadows via a slow and indirect route. Normally used by freight services, V/Line occasionally diverts Seymour and Shepparton services via the route when the normal route via Essendon is blocked.
Pacific National Long Island steel train
1 January 2022
Until 2020 Pacific National operated the Long Island steel train to the BlueScope Steel mill at Hastings, south of Frankston. The steel is transferred from broad to standard gauge trains at the Melbourne Freight Terminal at South Dynon. In 2015 this facility replaced the Melbourne Steel Terminal, just west of North Melbourne station.
Yarra Valley Tourist Railway
30 December 2021
The Yarra Valley Tourist Railway operates out of Healesville, and are progressivly restoring the railway line back to Yarra Glen, Coldstream and Lilydale.
Stony Point line transfers
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.
Qube Logistics broad gauge grain
31 January 2020
Rail freight company Qube Logistics operates a handful of broad gauge grain trains in Victoria.
Stony Point line
24 December 2019
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.
V/Line around Gippsland
14 December 2019
V/Line services passing through eastern Victoria bound for Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale.
Victorian Goldfields Railway
1 June 2019
Running between Castlemaine and Maldon, this tourist operates a number of J and K class steam locomotives, as well as diesels
Pacific National broad gauge Mildura freight
7 March 2018
The Mildura freight runs from Merbein (just north of the town) to Melbourne and return for Wakefield Transport. The train is made up of standard and refrigerated containers, as well as a small amount of cement loading. Until recent years oil tankers, louvre vans and LCL containers were also attached to the train. With gauge conversion of the Mildura line, in late 2017 the service was rerouted to serve a temporary freight terminal at Manangatang on the parallel Robinvale line, with a standard gauge service taking over in mid 2018.
Pacific National Kensington grain
16 September 2017
The flour mill Kensington at Kensington is one of the last to be rail served in Victoria, grain hoppers are taken there on a regular basis, requiring a convoluted route through the suburban and freight lines, with a reversal in Melbourne Yard. Until November 2017 this service was operated by Pacific National.
Waurn Ponds cement train
27 August 2017
Since the 2000s the main cement traffic in Victoria is from the Blue Circle Southern works at Waurn Ponds, outside Geelong. The major destination of the traffic was Lyndhurst in the south-east, which last saw a train in 2009, and Mildura and Somerton which saw the cement traffic end in December 2015.
Steamrail - Echuca Explorer, July 2017
8 July 2017
On 8 July 2017 R711 lead a Steamrail train from Southern Cross to Echuca and return, running via Seymour and Toolamba
707 Operations - Seymour, July 2015
19 July 2015
On July 19, 2015 707 Operations ran a special train to Seymour and return, featuring a trio of R class steam locomotives: R707, R711 and R761
Steamrail - Bendigo, May 2015
16 May 2015
On May 16, 2015 R761 and K190 lead a heritage train from Melbourne to Bendigo, with K190 being detached at Castlemaine on the return journey, and exchanged with D3 639 from the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
Sunbury electrification project
9 May 2015
Electrification of the Bendigo line between Sydenham and Sunbury started in 2011 and was completed in 2012. Diggers Rest and Sunbury stations were upgraded, a new stabling yard built at the end of the line, overhead wires were installed above the tracks, and five new traction substations were built.
VLocity transfer to Bendigo, November 2014
4 November 2014
B75 and T386 transferred an accident damaged VLocity set VL12 to Bendigo on November 4, 2014. The set was involved in an incident on August 22 2014, when empty VLocity train (VL05-12-39, 7 cars) ran into the rear of a Metro Trains service between Galvin and Paisley on the Werribee line.
707 Operations - Seymour October 2014
18 October 2014
On October 18, 2014 R711 and R707 double headed a train Southern Cross to Seymour and return, conveying passengers for the 'Tastes of the Goulburn' festival
DERMPAV - Seymour trip, October 2014
18 October 2014
On October 18, 2014 diesel electric railcar RM58 headed from Southern Cross to Seymour and return, conveying passengers for the 'Tastes of the Goulburn' festival
Steamrail - Suburban Rambler, April 2014
6 April 2014
On April 6, 2014 Steamrail took diesel Y164 and steam Y112 for a trip around the Melbourne suburbs
Steamrail - Snow Train, July 2013
21 July 2013
R761 and R707 lead a 14 car long train from Southern Cross to Traralgon and return, having to run from Newport to Southern Cross via Sunshine and Deer Park due to Regional Rail Link works.
DERMPAV - Ballarat charter, May 2013
25 May 2013
On May 25, 2013 a private group chartered RM58 for a trip to Ballarat and return, via Bacchus Marsh
Steamrail - Williamstown shuttles 2013
28 April 2013
On April 28, 2013 Steamrail run shuttles from Williamstown to Southern Cross Station, using K153 push-pull with D3 639
Steamrail - Western Rambler, April 2013
27 April 2013
On April 27, 2013 Steamrail ran a 'Western Rambler' tour, with K153 leading T413. It ran from Newport to Sunbury via Sunshine, on to Southern Cross via Brooklyn and the Bunbury Street tunnel, up to Broadmeadows, back to Southern Cross then to Flemington Racecourse, and finally up to Upfield then back to Newport.
V/Line - 'Last' A class services, April 2013
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.