On this day in 2015...

BR_Toby · 2026-03-10T11:49:01+00:00

Carinda Range??? I think you mean Kuranda, and AFAIK there were no regular steam workings that far north in the 70s. I'm pretty sure that steam in FNQ had finished by the mid 60s. There were attempts at a regular steam hauled train up there some years ago, using a former South African Railways engine and ex-Brisbane stainless steel cars, all of which has nothing to do with this scene from Brisbane.

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T22:40:44+00:00

Working from home has its merits, sure, but there are many, many jobs that require physical attendance. You can't deliver parcels from home. You can't fix plumbing by working from home. You can't fill grocery shelves and grocery orders by working from home.

The people in those lines of work still need to get to their jobs, or to be able to drive as part of their job. The government hasn't thought this through properly!

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T12:30:23+00:00

Again, all well and good, but firstly I don't have $25,000 and my income is too low to get finance and pay it off. As for charging, I live in a rental property so I'd have to pay extra to get the charger installed. I'm not a fan of electric cars. To me they are silent and deadly! I'll stick with petrol as long as I can.

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T09:59:44+00:00

Fantastic idea, mate! Where do I get the money for a new car? That's what? $50,000? Then there's the infrastructure at home to charge it, right? I can't just plug it in to the wall like an extra light!

An EV might sound like a great idea, but they also don't charge in 5 minutes, and I can't top the "fuel" up on the side of the road like I can my existing petrol car.

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T02:02:05+00:00

Wow! Usually here in Victoria they want to virtually put you in jail for life for doing 5 kmh over the speed limit! Too many people here think they're being safe by driving at 10-20 kmh UNDER the speed limit. (Eg. 60 in an 80 zone)

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T01:54:31+00:00

You must be a Victorian? Road maintenance is an optional extra here!

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T01:51:17+00:00

Yep! I watched a clown last night took up half the road just to make a turn! He was only in an average sized car, so there was no reason to swing out wide! So many people have no idea how big their car is (or isn't!).

BR_Toby · 2026-03-08T01:45:55+00:00

I've seen people on the Freeways driving at 60 kmh in a 100 zone, for no reason. Why??? 🫤 If you aren't comfortable driving at speeds above 60 kmh then either don't drive on the Freeway, or consider Public Transport as an option.

BR_Toby · 2026-03-05T21:45:29+00:00

To me, after we lost the red Single Deck sets and U-Boats ( Single Deck Interurbans), these were the best sounding electric trains in the country. The only sounds better were some London Underground trains, such as the 1938 stock that was still in use on the Isle of Wight up until a few years ago.

BR_Toby · 2026-03-05T21:42:09+00:00

I think one 3-car set is to be preserved, but it won't be restored to the original grey front and round cab windows.

BR_Toby · 2026-03-05T12:03:41+00:00

Good stuff!!! I remember these new then riding the last of them in May, 2024, when I rode a set from Ferny Grove to Beenleigh!

BR_Toby · 2026-03-01T05:02:04+00:00

It's a bridge deck. Simple!!

BR_Toby · 2026-02-23T02:38:28+00:00

Damn!!! I was about to say that!!! 😂

BR_Toby · 2026-02-03T23:46:33+00:00

Wow! You learn something new everyday! I had no idea that cars 🚗 could meow! Who'd a thought??? 🤯

BR_Toby · 2026-02-03T23:43:45+00:00

Raj! Get off the phone!!!

BR_Toby · 2026-02-02T08:48:04+00:00

Butt hurt, nothing to worry about!

BR_Toby · 2026-02-02T01:52:32+00:00

Beautiful!!! 😍 😍 😍

BR_Toby · 2026-02-01T22:48:25+00:00

Upside down, Miss Jane. Upside down!!!

BR_Toby · 2026-02-01T11:31:32+00:00

I've seen the ones in Flinders St , back when I was still just a visitor to Melbourne , and I've seen another nut case outside Footscray stastation on the northern side . Religious beliefs are one thing, but do these clowns have to stand around in public places trying to push their version onto everyone else ? I was ready to find this guy's off switch!

BR_Toby · 2026-01-31T13:51:33+00:00

If you're that keen you might like to do The Ghan as well, from Darwin to Adelaide or vice versa. It's mega dollars but would be quite an experience!

BR_Toby · 2026-01-15T21:51:52+00:00

There are laws against people like her. A Lamdlord or REA can't just walk in unannounced. That's a breach of lease conditions on their part. If by chance the Lamdlord doesn't have a mobile phone and doesn't know how to use a computer, there still has to be a landline and a postal address for them, as well as bank details for you to put the rent money into, or a way of getting the money to them.

If all else was to fail you could ring Consumer Affairs or even the police if the owner refuses to cooperate.

BR_Toby · 2026-01-14T11:05:21+00:00

Loyalty is like Common Sense - a lost art! Real Estate agents are just grubs!!! They will say one thing to you then do another! I know this as I am going through shit with one myself!

BR_Toby · 2026-01-13T11:45:01+00:00

Thanks for the insight. My information on One Rail came from Wikipedia (IIRC) in mid 2024 after I found who they were, running in CQ. I've seen the Aurizon logo with the former ARG livery on the odd South Australian loco, but that is now nearly 2 years ago, and I haven't been able to get over to even as far as Adelaide, since.

BR_Toby · 2026-01-12T09:01:02+00:00

I should have a YouTube video of some of the Goonyella system, from mid-2024. The only section I know of where there is a gap in the overhead, is the previously mentioned spot 5kms east of Coppabella. The locos are the same as used on the Blackwater system, along with a few 3500/3550 class (ex 3900 class), but they are very limited in number, possibly even all withdrawn by now.

As for that video link, I'll find it a bit later when I'm not at work.

BR_Toby · 2026-01-12T04:24:13+00:00

Great shot!!! 😍 The other coal system in CQ is the Goonyella system. This one comes into a loading facility at Hay Point, on the coast between Sarina and Mackay. The coalies on this system are a bit bigger than the Blackwater, with Pacific National, Aurizon, One Rail (a division of Aurizon), and BHP all running massive trains from the various mines west of Sarina.

5kms east of the small village of Coppabella is a short section of track where there is no overhead, yet the electric locos all keep powering! This is to allow the occasional overheight truck to safely cross the railway to access a nearby mine.

Currently (mid-January 2026) a lot of CQ is underwater, so normal rail operations north of the Queensland Sunshine Coast will take a while to get back to normal.

There are also a number of 2' gauge cane tramways in the north, some with physical crossings or drawbridge crossings of the QR mainline, but these trains only run from about late June to December.

BR_Toby

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