I know there are other examples of this sort of thing … but this particular video was especially neat to me. I wonder how many of the folks driving by even recognized what was going on before a wandering piece of history disappeared back into the night leaving just a cloud of dissipating steam …
It’s gotta be like living in Sleepy Hollow and hearing frantic hoofbeats and a screaming horse on Hallowe’en …
Matthew (OV)
…and how many people here know that the old-style vintage waterfront street cars in Seattle come from Melbourne?
tac
That really is a magical video.
Many people are really clueless now adays unless they are beaten over the head with something so I bet most of them thought “what is that thing making so much noise?” then they gave it no more thought and went back to their cell phones.
Heck, I don’t doubt many of them complained about the noise! I love the sound!
Then again, I find loud exhausts painful to my ears, so I guess it’s to each their own!
I should add, around these parts the public has complained about trains blowing their horns at crossings so the RR’s have taken to installing “whistle-less X-ings”. I guess if the double gates, clanging bells, and flashing lights don’t get your attention you’re pretty well going to ignore a horn too!
tac Foley said:
…and how many people here know that the old-style vintage waterfront street cars in Seattle come from Melbourne?
tac
You mean the ones that have been in storage for 4-5 years with no horizon for them to run again?
TOC
o.
Didn’t know that.
Last time we were there was 08 and they were running then…
That’s a shame.
tac
“They” decided to put a park in at the end of the line where the carbarn and maintenance were. Several proposals to re-do a carbarn elsewhere…nothing has materialized.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfront_Streetcar
TOC
I knew they must be Australian when I saw them in '02 … they run on the left hand side of the track.
WOW! Fabulous video! One couldn’t create such a magical scene. That wailing whistle and smoke with Melbourne looking so beautiful at night. I found this video simply spectacular!! I live in South Carolina and had to call my son in West Virginia telling him he HAD to watch this video. Thanks for posting!
Absolutely a haunting sound. Makes you think of so many things and so many places, mostly all gone by. Glad to see them on “film.” Thanks for posting.
I cannot place my hand on it at present but there is an American company that refurbishes the Melbourne trams for use on several American city tracks.
Trams are still common on Melbourne streets. Sydney removed them around the early 1960’s. Brisbane still had trams for a few years more. Woe betide any cars that got in the way of a tram. Our streets were not particularly wide so trams and cars were not good friends.
Just looling Bachmann’s NEW streetcars, including what looks like a Tronna version…
Dingdingdingding etc.
tac, ig, ken the GFT & The CN Tower Boys
Great video.
Many years ago I had the privilege of riding behind one of the R Class locos on a trip to Bendigo and return.
Melbourne of course also has the Puffing Billy preserved 30" narrow gauge railway in the hills behind Melbourne. It can easily be reached via a suburban electric train service.
Oodles of historic steam on that line.