Recent content by LesS

Pakenhamtrains posts I agree with. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane have intense passenger and freight services comparable with much of UK. In very hot weather rail buckles do occur. The question my train driver friends ask is "why do they not have these problems on the heavy iron ore lines in NW...

I would like to know about the construction of the Mk1 coaches. I assume steel frames and sheet metal sides but what about the rest. On a timber framed coach, CDL would not be safe for passengers in case of a fire.

Here are the details of the split in question. This information comes directly from the tickets issued. 1. York to Lancaster. Advance Single. Valid on specified Northern Trains only. 2. Lancaster to Oxenholme. Of Peak Day Single. Via Trans Penine Express only. Restriction 11. I firmly...

For this visit I made my rail bookings through the Forum's RailSplit arrangements, with some interesting results. From several years reading postings on this thread sbout passengers being advised by station staff or train conductors which advice cannot be proved when confronted by R.P.O.s. I...

AUSTRALIA To clarify the position; the app ANYTRIP gives real time positioning and other information for trains, trams, buses, ferries, as appropriate for the following cities: Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane, Cairns North Queensland, and New Zealand. The amount of detail...

I have spent today in Fort Wiliam. I took a long but easy walk this morning along the Great Glen track as far as Soldiers Bridge and then along a track beside the Mallaig main line. The depot is empty. There are no carriages, no locomotives or any rolling stock to be seen. There is a large...

An interesting report. There is an almost permanent note on the Sydney Trains info site advising to expect delays between Campbelltown and Moss Vale due to poor track conditions. This track is the responsibility of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) The bridge over the Nepean River at...

Re asian airlines: China Airlines is Taiwanese and flies via Taipei, I beliee avoiding china airspace. It has a very high reputatian. The other chinese airlines mentioned also have good reputations. I have friends who have just returned from London by China Southern (via Shanghai. I believe that...

My Train Tracker showed it leaving Melbourne 66 minutes late. Over an hour was lost between Benalla and Wangaratta in NE Victoria. As I write it is approaching Campbelltown 190 minutes late. If he is quick, RailExplorer can change to the Robertson special there. It is due to stop there at 9.24...

I hope you have a sleeping berth on the XPT otherwise it will be an uncomfortable night. At the time of this posting departure time from Melbourne has passed and the train is still in the platform. Sydney Trains are reporting delays at Junee due to blocked track; whatever that means. The morning...

Railfan99 is basically correct. JBR are reluctant to run more than one service per week into Sydney. They prefer to build this service up to 36 cars even although this requires 5 large locomotives to split the train and recouple it in Clyde sidings so that it can be handled in 3 platforms of...

For Opal and Tap$Go the allowable time for a journey is 5 hours. Time for transfers is 60 minutes. A stopover at Wentworth Falls is ok A gap of more than 60 minutes before tapping back on would start a new journey and a new 5 hours. I strongly advise against weekend train travel to Tahmoor or...

I am not up to date with remote area line closures. I am not favourably impressed with JBR and their treatment of passengers. Last tuesday afternoon I travelled up to Broadmeadow (Newcastle) to view the loading of passangers and passage of The Geat Northern. Passsengers had been offloaded after...

For details of public transport services in Sydney and NSW go to https://transportnsw.info/

Pakenhamtrain is correct. In NSW there will only be free travel if the government so decrees in any particular circumstance. Most of Australia is in the tropical or tropical convergence zones. Summer is cyclone season. Very heavy rains can fall at any time and reach down into the warm and cool...