Well went up to Oaklands today and 8026 is still sitting at the same location with about 6 Grain hoppers coupled to it. So look's like it isn't going anywhere soon.
On a side point I saw an ARTC Ute come off the rail while there had been travelling North. Maybe a line inspection??

Scott

Scott do you mean to say the ARTC UTE had been on the SG north of Oaklands?

Regards
Brian

I might even mosey over to Oaklands one day and take a photo just to show yez all what is happening there.

I might even mosey over to Oaklands one day and take a photo just to show yez all what is happening there.

Hey Rodo
I was going to do the same thing, however in Yackandandah it is windy and raining heavily in between.
Hope its better over that way.
This has made me think about rail in Victoria, and particularly the North East.  With the demise of ElZorro the future is really looking bleak, I would think?  With the Libs back in power the hope of any mines opening or anything new in Victoria is not encouraging. Lot of money leaving rail for roads and I think 6 interstate trains travelling up the NE in darkness and maybe one in daylight is our future.
Cant believe that all that freight can be handled on the road cheaper and better than rail. Their has to graft and kick backs in the millions to prevent so many governments from saving fuel, and so many Companies saving money?
Of course the conspiracy theory says that Australia has many capped wells and enough fuel for 200 years. Interestingly The USA is now amongst the top 5 oil producers, as they uncap more wells every day.  
Anyway train watching is becoming a thing of the past, unless you like Electrics I guess
Cheers
Rod

comtrain,

I am just 38 km. from Oaklands,  a bit handier to it here in Berrigan than Yack is. I am happy to meetup personally with Oaklands visiting gunzells.
I too, am wondering about the future of Vic. grain haulage without El Zorro.

Weather is not bad here too, only one heavy shower earlier today.

comtrain,

I am just 38 km. from Oaklands,  a bit handier to it here in Berrigan than Yack is. I am happy to meetup personally with Oaklands visiting gunzells.
I too, am wondering about the future of Vic. grain haulage without El Zorro.

It looks pretty good with PN picking up the slack.

It looks pretty good with PN picking up the slack.

However how far can you trust PN?  At first PN sent everything out of Vic and refused to guarantee wheat or any intra-state freight with a few exceptions. Without ElZorro, it seems to me the Truckies would have had another 200 grain trucks on the road. My guess is that the orders are pouring in today, because next time PN change their underpants they could just as easily say no once again.
Is it possible other divisions of PN are a bit slack this year?
Cheers
Rod

I went to Oaklands for the first time with my partner, managed to see a few trains and went out to some of the town's near by.
http://trainsaustralia.net/index.php/Trip-2013---Oaklands

Cheers
David

My plan

115 to 130 km n hour upgrade for benalla 2 oaklands line
Re open oaklands 2 boree creek upgrade to same
Upgrade borree creek 2 the rock for same
Craigieburn new platform shoulda been built dere first nyway

New vline line wagga wagga via yarrawonga N class n sets on it better than Waggga via henty

Train leaves Melb 3pm stops at

Southern Cross
Craigieburn
Seymour
Avenel
Euroa
Violet Town
Benalla
Tungamah
Yarrawonga
Mulwala
Rennies
Oaklands
Urana
Borree Creek
The Rock
Wagga Wagga

What u think?

How's life in Fantasyland?

I went to Oaklands for the first time with my partner, managed to see a few trains and went out to some of the town's near by.
http://trainsaustralia.net/index.php/Trip-2013---Oaklands

Cheers
David

David cannot see your link, it 104's for me
Anyone else see it?
Rod

The post is nearly 2 years old url http://trainsaustralia.net no longer responds to a name server query so appears to no longer exist.

woodford

The post is nearly 2 years old url http://trainsaustralia.net no longer responds to a name server query so appears to no longer exist.

woodford

Apologies woodford  I somehow got crossed up between posts and ended up in wrong Oaklands 0ne, not seeing how old that post was.
Cheers
Rod Young

Yer my plans good goin on tv soon

Yer my plans good goin on tv soon

...your plans for a 20 minutes frequency train service from Benalla to Oaklands

Southern Cross  0705    0830    1205    1505    1950


Craigieburn     0740    0859    1235    1535    2020


Seymour         0826    0948    1321    1621    2154


Avenel          0838    *       1333    1633    *


Euroa           0900    *       1355    1655    *


Violet Town     0912    *       1407    1707    *


Benalla         0930    1041    1425    1725    2154


Tungamah        1000    -       -       1755    -


Yarrawonga      1017    -       -       1812    -


Mulwala         1021    -       -       1815    -


Rennies         -       -       -       1831    -


Oaklands        -       -       -       1853    -


Urana           -       -       -       1916    -


Borree Creek    -       -       -       1943    -


Wangaratta      -       1106    1450    -       2220


Springhurst     -       1124    1508    -       *


Chiltern        -       1133    1518    -       *


Wodonga         -       1151    1538    -       *


Albury          -       1155    1550    -       2305


Culcairn        -       1224    -       -       2334


Henty           -       1235    -       -       2345


The Rock        -       1252    -       2020    0002


Wagga Wagga     -       1310    -       2038    0022


TO              -      CEN(I)   -       -       CEN(I)

Comments on the above time table,

The population along the line north of Yarrawonga is now not high enough to support a train service, the total population of Oaklands Urana and Boorree Creek would be less than 1000.

If a VLine Wagga service ever eventuates, a Yarrawonga Service stopping all stations and the Wagga train being express south of Benalla would be be entirely reasonable.

A long distance version of the Vlocity can do stopping all stations Seymour to Wagga 3 hours 10 minutes, the current VLine albury train takes somewhere around over 2 hours 32 minutes. The Wagga times has been mathematicly emulated using the lines correct profile.

woodford

Note on my previous post,

The reason why it would be reasonable for a Yarrawonga service with a VLine Wagga service is that Wagga can provide enough passengers to fill the train south of Wangarrata. NSW passengers taking up Victorian passengers seats would not be to popular so something extra would be requiired. Given the poor current SG entry to Southern Cross it would probably be better though just to add another car to handle the extra Wagga passengers.
Also Yarrawonga can usuall supply a bus load of passengers.

woodford

Well, this appears to be the latest thread after investigating many pages and threads, so, not raising the dead

A news item on 10 October 2014 announced https://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/cash-to-give-new-life-to-yarrawonga-rail-station

The building was originally constructed in 1888 and will be given new life under the Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings Program.

The estimated cost of the works won’t be known until the project goes to tender in early November, but under the same scheme a similar project in Chiltern attracted almost $900,000.

Don't know how much was given, but the plate on the station building tells the story:



So I had a look at Yarrawonga on Sunday last.  (The rest of the line will come later in more clement weather.)



That's the welcome after the Benalla Road crossing



The water tower appears to have been given a lick of paint.
(I dunno if there is any water in it. Probably. )



The turntable, gauge converted, 70' for your convenience.
(Don't know about those posts, although... )



Well, some shovelling might be needed.
(Else some hefty shoving if anything ever gets turned.)



Ah, yes, a familiar board, with a speed.
(I recall one of these at Cobram)



A close look at the platform and "The Deck"
(I reckon Tocumwal is a better job, but... )



A view of the building with the decking.



Looking down "The Deck"



The disabled access to "The Deck"



and the mat for the vision-impaired.
(This is money well spent - albeit, more than likely
requied by Vic Disability access legislation. Still,
a good job both on the ramp and the vision pad. Sturdy. )



A neato corrugated iron job.
(How many can do this sort of roofing these days?)



My errant memory is that these used to be white
with a big red T on them. Is this an old phone
communications box for guards to do ACME - ACRE messages?



Here's what's happening in Yarrawonga!

Now we turn in the other direction.



The frame, surrounded by weeds.
This has had a lick of paint, also.



And the comms hut. They don't look like 5P locks to me.
(Close up, these are rusty at the bottom)

Stepping into the yard, be you careful ...




Biggest ant holes I have seen.



Platform version? This is on each end of the platform fascia.

And now for those who like scribbling on rails,



at the end of the platform, the kilometers are given.



The one-in-five is these metal things with clips.
(I never seen these before. Definitely not the pandrol kind.
Other than these metal sleepers, nearly all of the sleepers
in Yarrawonga yard are rather decent and probably 15 or more
years away from slow decomposition ... )



View of the refurbished station building - the interior is a
brilliant job. Very tasteful, microwaves, fridges, tables,
whiteboards, projectors, a real community meeting place.




With excellent security locks, and new window framing.



In my speculation - this is a former good platform?



Long shot of Yarrawonga Station and Yard.



Approach to the station building, framed by a ghost-gum.
Garden beds frame the front of the building.
A nice approach...



Looking towards Oaklands from Yarrawonga

And turning around from that point, looking back to
Yarrawonga yard:



Now we go down the other end (Up direction) of the yard,
to that (unusual) flashing object, Post X. I say (unusual)
for I have not seen flashing signals in Victoria before.
Maybe this is a unique property of gauge conversion and
safeworking ... I am not entirely up with that.



Here is Post X - the top light flashes.



And the legend on Post X
(I have used the BIGIMG tag, so you may click on it if
you cannot read it)



And the yeoman UP sentinel, flashing away, day and night!



The interlocking with Post X and adjacent points.



And the second crossing into Yarrawonga (on the down) gives
a solitary reminder of broad gauge ....

So good work by Victrack on the station building, 'tis a really
good job, and disability-accessible, also.


The grain is on the ground under the familiar blue (elastic) coverings on the way into town behind the Opportunity Shop and some servo's.

The grain is on the ground....

The one-in-five is these metal things with clips.
(I never seen these before. Definitely not the pandrol kind.
Other than these metal sleepers, nearly all of the sleepers
in Yarrawonga yard are rather decent and probably 15 or more
years away from slow decomposition ... )

Those are 'Trak-Lok' fasteners, which are used on basically all steel sleepers made at Whyalla. Victoria never really used steel sleepers in the quantities that NSW & Queensland did, which might explain your unfamiliarity with them. I'm not exactly sure why the VR (and V/Line) didn't use them as much.

Ta very muchly.

I have seen them a few times - Kilmore East is the quick reminder.

But, as you say, they are not common.

In my speculation - this is a former good platform?

Yes. It's where the goods shed was.

574M said " The grain is on the ground...."

The base of the external stacks are built up off the ground surface with clay which is impervious to water, they also usually put down a base sheet.

Back in the deep dark past (bronze age/stone age), grain used to be stored in clayed lined pits. A pit would be dug big enough to hold the harvest, lind with clay, the grain put in, the top layer sprinkled with water and then sealed with another clay layer. The moisture in the top layer would cause the grain to strike, which would use up all the availble oxygen and in turn produce carbon dioxide, this caused all of the grain in the pit to go dormant. When the pit was opened, one had  a ready supply of already struck grain ready for immediate sowing, the rest of the grain being in perfect condition. Pits like this have been known keep grain in perfect conditions for many hundreds of years.

woodford

Victoria never really used steel sleepers in the quantities that NSW & Queensland did, which might explain your unfamiliarity with them. I'm not exactly sure why the VR (and V/Line) didn't use them as much.

Probably because there was a strong hardwood timber milling Industry (In the Riverlands) that happily forefilled Victorian Railways sleeper needs (a tradition that people were not keen on change)

Today the Riverlands hardwood forests are mostly all closed to timber sleeper cutters.

Still waiting for the coal mine to open

Still waiting for the coal mine to open

Don't forget the Power Station at Telford (VIC) that the coal was going to feed.