Tue 25 Sep  2001 @ 0830h ()

More add-ons for MS Train Simulator - Phill Stokes has completed two more GY wagons: one red, one yellow, these two are open and will complement the covered GY already available.  A VR B van is now also available.  Click on "TrainSim" at left to download these wagons.  

In other news, Gary MacDonald confirmed yesterday at Maryborough that Connex are now 50%  partners in West Coast Railway - the passenger service to Warrnambool only.  R2711 and other steam operations remain entirely within the realm of the original directors of WCR.

I hope to have audio and images of R2711's visit to St Arnaud on the weekend just gone up here within the next 24 hours.  Despite what has been written elsewhere, the Super R had a major struggle to ascend Ingliston Bank, with several spectacular slips on the millipede-coated tracks recorded on DV video.

Wed 19 Sep  2001 @ 0100h ()

From a drought to a flood - four R class hauled trains will be running this weekend: the regular Super R to Warrnambool on Saturday morning, super R vs regular R to Gheringhap Saturday afternoon, R707 to Bank Box Loop and Super R to St Arnaud, both departing Sunday morning.  Times for most are now at the "Steam List" (click on link at left).

The photo of the month is now up, a little late, sorry about the delay - I hope the image was worth the wait!  I've taken delivery of a Nikon LS-2000 film scanner - its greatest feature is a bulk slide scanner, allowing me to scan a whole box of slides without my intervention.  I've now started to scan my whole slide collection (about 30,000 slides in green and yellow boxes)  producing a page of thumbnails per roll of film enabling me to catalogue and retrieve images more easily.  I look forward to sharing some historic images with you over the next few months.  This month's image is one I found while scanning through my Turkey slides (about 2,000 slides in that part of the collection).  South Africa 1980 will be next.

The delay in posting the photo of the month was also in part due to Microsoft's Train Simulator (MSTS) which has managed to make me waste an inordinate amount of time driving trains.  Add-ons for MSTS are coming thick and fast in locomotives, wagons, routes and activities. I've set up a page here (click on TrainSim at left to open a new window) to showcase Australian outline products available for download.  All items are freeware or GPL, so you're welcome to download and distribute anything you wish - STOP PRESS Joseph Spinella's new 3801 will be here in the next 24 hours or so - watch the site.

Sat 08 Sep  2001 @ 2359h ()

WCR's R₂711 is heading back to Ballarat East later this morning; R707 runs to Bank Box Loop this weekend.  Both schedules now available on the SteamList (click on link at left).  Image of the month changed on 1 July (as it should)

Wed 04 July 2001 @ 0040h ()

WCR's R₂711 is heading back to Ballarat East later this morning; R707 runs to Bank Box Loop this weekend.  Both schedules now available on the SteamList (click on link at left).  Image of the month changed on 1 July (as it should).

Thu 28 June 2001 @ 1900h ()

Steamrail will be running a "50th anniversary of the R class" to Benalla on Sat 30 June 2001.  The schedule is now is available on the SteamList (click on link at left).

No other changes or additions to the site.

Mon 18 June 2001 @ 2330h ()
R₂711 will be leading SWRS' steam special to Echuca this weekend.   The updated schedule is available on the SteamList (click on link at left).

In disappointing news, it appears that some miserable, lowlife, parasitic, pirate scum has ripped off many of the images here, removed the copyright notices and is marketing the images as his/her own on a CD-ROM.  I've yet to sight this CD-ROM, but I'm told that sites belonging to other Victorian photographers (James Brook and Peter Sweetten) have been similarly plundered.  A private company's photos  and some PTC archive photos may also have been stolen.

I suppose I could place a copyright notice right across the image like this, but it would surely detract from everyone's enjoyment of this site.

Let's make it clear: 

• ALL images on this site are the property of the copyright owner(s) and are for the personal enjoyment of visitors to this site;
• you are welcome to download, view and print any images for your own personal use; 
• you must seek permission (which is normally granted) for any commercial/public/published use of these images;
• the copyright notices are placed in unobtrusive corners on each image and must not be altered or removed;
• images originating here used on other websites must be attributed to the photographer and a link to this site included.

I'd welcome any information on this pirating lowlife:  click here to email me. 

Fri 08 June 2001 @ 0130h ()

The Queens Birthday weekend sees a variety of steam locos travelling to Echuca: locos include R761, Y112, K183 and D₃639.   Timetables are now up for most of the weekend with a couple more still to follow later today.  Click on Steam List at left.

Mon 03 June 2001 @ 2330h ()

I changed the image of the month over just before midnight on the 1st June - as you will see it's bulldog A79 at Bairnsdale.

I've also changed the appearance of the site a little, moving the menus to the side of the page which I hope will make their use a little easier (also providing a microthumbnail of the "image of the month").

New is a press page, where I try to keep track of press articles and media releases relevant to the current Victorian rail scene.  Copyright restrictions prevent me copying the whole page, but I've provided a link to the complete article.  Click on "PressClips" in the menu list on the left of any page.

Tue 15 May 2001 @ 2330h ()

The picture of the month is now up, delving back into history 25 years.  Also on the same page, all the "SteamFreight 2001" info I've been able to glean thus far.  Times are being kept secret even to the point of crews not knowing their trains' running times.  However, we are promised over 35 trains of all sorts of combinations, so it should be a good show.
 

Tue 14 Mar 2001
Tue 15 Jan 2001
Tue 09 Jan 2001
Wed 27 Dec 2000
Wed 13 Dec 2000
Fri  04 Aug 2000
Sat 03 Jun 2000
Fri 25 Mar 2000