Ferntree Gully (Lower) (south of SYD)

Heard wonderful discussion today on Lyn Haultaine (ABC Vic) with
talkback caller who apparently was renovating her FTG home and found
(as people do) a newspaper under the floor from 1925. According to the
caller, there was an ad for property near FTG station, and apparently
the journey time to Flinders St was 40 minutes on the newly opened
electrification.

In my minds eye I went back to a time of Taits and Doggies (some on 40
y.o. frames by 1925 IIRC), clacking across the joints on the single
(probably 60ppy) track with wooden sleepers, wooden masts and fed from
a single substation (Mitcham?), completely unfenced with dirt level
x-ings, and the Tait's big eye lighting up the line ahead. Electric
staff at best, more likely manual staff, messages sent by a wind-up
phone down a trackside wire. No doubt farmer Joe's cows wandering the
line, a kangaroo or 2 hopping about, and the whole area would have had
a leisurely rural pace.

So how did they manage a 40 minute table in 1925, and 47 minutes now?

The caller was of course disgusted, as we should all be. Reminded me
of the "Flyer" problem.

RC, railways of that era weren't as you describe them. Train had to run on
time or else, level crossings and stations were manned, railway lines were
fenced. Railways were important and they were as efficient as the airlines
of today. Electric trains were the latest thing then, and there was a huge
investment by the government to replace the steam suburban network. They ran
like a well oiled sewing machine.

Our trains haven't got faster since 1920's! Yes, at least 3 stations have
been added between Flinders Street and Ferntree Gully at Heathmont,
Heatherdale and Laburnum, probably accounting for much of the difference in
running time. Kangaroos and stray cattle would never have been a problem on
the Ferntree Gully line.Railways have become inefficient, and the extra
power and speeds capable with modern rolling stock have sadly been absorbed
in the inefficiencies.

"RC" <richy_ch_2000m> wrote in message
news:7b1ed449.0307010638.913994d@co m...
> Heard wonderful discussion today on Lyn Haultaine (ABC Vic) with
> talkback caller who apparently was renovating her FTG home and found
> (as people do) a newspaper under the floor from 1925. According to the
> caller, there was an ad for property near FTG station, and apparently
> the journey time to Flinders St was 40 minutes on the newly opened
> electrification.
>
> In my minds eye I went back to a time of Taits and Doggies (some on 40
> y.o. frames by 1925 IIRC), clacking across the joints on the single
> (probably 60ppy) track with wooden sleepers, wooden masts and fed from
> a single substation (Mitcham?), completely unfenced with dirt level
> x-ings, and the Tait's big eye lighting up the line ahead. Electric
> staff at best, more likely manual staff, messages sent by a wind-up
> phone down a trackside wire. No doubt farmer Joe's cows wandering the
> line, a kangaroo or 2 hopping about, and the whole area would have had
> a leisurely rural pace.
>
> So how did they manage a 40 minute table in 1925, and 47 minutes now?
>
> The caller was of course disgusted, as we should all be. Reminded me
> of the "Flyer" problem.

richy_ch_2000m (RC) wrote in message news:<7b1ed449.0307010638.913994d@c om>...
> Heard wonderful discussion today on Lyn Haultaine (ABC Vic) with
> talkback caller who apparently was renovating her FTG home and found
> (as people do) a newspaper under the floor from 1925. According to the
> caller, there was an ad for property near FTG station, and apparently
> the journey time to Flinders St was 40 minutes on the newly opened
> electrification.
>
> So how did they manage a 40 minute table in 1925, and 47 minutes now?

Perhaps, even in 1925, property developers were prone to slight
exaggeration, just as they are now.

John Dennis

John Dennis <denjo02@m> wrote in message
news:5c4dd96b.0307011425.4f13692@co m...
> richy_ch_2000m (RC) wrote in message
news:<7b1ed449.0307010638.913994d@c om>...
> > Heard wonderful discussion today on Lyn Haultaine (ABC Vic) with
> > talkback caller who apparently was renovating her FTG home and found
> > (as people do) a newspaper under the floor from 1925. According to the
> > caller, there was an ad for property near FTG station, and apparently
> > the journey time to Flinders St was 40 minutes on the newly opened
> > electrification.
> >
> > So how did they manage a 40 minute table in 1925, and 47 minutes now?
>
> Perhaps, even in 1925, property developers were prone to slight
> exaggeration, just as they are now.
>
Probably the truth. Recently a housing estate in our area was advertised as
being 15 minutes from the city (Melbourne). The location? Laurimar in
Yallambie (off Yallambie Road near the army barracks). 15 minutes by
helicopter maybe...

> According to the Municipal Directory, FTG was a pastoral and agricultural
> district and township with post, telegraph, money order offfice and
savings
> bank, Shire Hall, state school, three churches, library (free and
> circulating), three hotels, assembly hall, branch of bank, courthouse and
> cemetery.

Reading the above description, apart from becoming a dormitory suburb
instead of a farming one, the rest the description is pretty much the same!

"William Pearce" <ben_issacs@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message news:<3f0289bc$0$730$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au >...
> Fellas,
> Looking at a 1937 VR suburban timetable, Upper Gully to Flinders st.
> about 4 minutes over the hour, reverse direction, about 3 min. over the
> hour, stopping all stations, of which there were 23. From Lower Gully,
> deduct 3 min. and one station.
> Regards,
> Bill.
>

Thanks Bill for checking it up- the current 11:47 up Belgrave on a
weekday is quicker to Flinders St than this 1937 train by 6 minutes
(the 11:47 skips E Richmond but stops at 22 stations from FTG, and
runs direct Richmond to Flinders St)

Probably doesn't tell us much about what an express (10 stops) could
do back in 1937, if it ran. I think there was a Boronia stop in the
20s, Dorset Rd has been there at least that long as has Bayswater.

No one has commented on the amazing policy of the day, of providing
electrification to lines that were thin on population in the 20s- even
Ringwood and Frankston would have been more like electrifying to
Nambour or Nowra today than genuine suburbs. The only equivalent I can
think of now is the poor old Rosewood electrification - you have to
live out there to know how incongruous it is seeing the line
electrified for the population on offer.

Being electric has probably saved a few lines, particularly
Eltham-Hurstbridge, from closure where a diesel service would have
definelty been closed. I suspect Lithgow could add itself to this
list.

RC wrote:

<snip>

> No one has commented on the amazing policy of the day, of providing
> electrification to lines that were thin on population in the 20s- even
> Ringwood and Frankston would have been more like electrifying to
> Nambour or Nowra today than genuine suburbs. The only equivalent I can
> think of now is the poor old Rosewood electrification - you have to
> live out there to know how incongruous it is seeing the line
> electrified for the population on offer.
>
> Being electric has probably saved a few lines, particularly
> Eltham-Hurstbridge, from closure where a diesel service would have
> definelty been closed. I suspect Lithgow could add itself to this
> list.

Amazing? Maybe, but electrifying to the terminus might have been preferable to running steam hauled shuttles between
(say) Eltham - Hurstbridge, and between Ringwood - UFTG. Remember that yet another change of train would have been
required at UFTG.

Counter to this admittedly, Lilydale - Healesville was allowed to remain "isolated" (and Lilydale - Warburton, but this
was a much longer run).

Paul Westcott

> >Probably the truth. Recently a housing estate in our area was advertised
as
> >being 15 minutes from the city (Melbourne). The location? Laurimar in
> >Yallambie (off Yallambie Road near the army barracks). 15 minutes by
> >helicopter maybe...
>
> That estate is not Laurimar, that's up past Doreen on Yan Yean Rd.
> You're either thinking of Streeton Views or Cascades. That 15 minute
> time to the city would be possible by car only in the middle of the
> night.

Possibly, unfortunately I don't have the ad in front of me. I know the
location was one of the housing estates being built off Yallambie Road from
the map in the ad. 15 minutes is probably not even feasible by car in the
middle of the night, it takes me just over 20 minutes to get from Watsonia
to Collingwood Town Hall on Sunday mornings when there's a swap meet there,
and there isn't a lot of traffic then either!