Yes, this is wonderful additional information, so thanks for that! It's an amazing line. Hopefully I can film the section from Robertson to Moss Vale soon.

I worked as Safeworking Station Assistant General Relief HS Unanderra in the 80's. I shunted the limestone trains coming off the mountain into the steelworks yard, one of the 4 times I count that the railways nearly killed me was there when I caught the wrong steps on a loco and climbed up onto the snub nose bonnet to avoid a very close signal at the station, did station duties and polished the signal levers. As a part of my roster I worked Dombarton for a few years, and briefly at Summit Tank. Dombarton was interesting as it had 3 roads on the level where trains could be stabled for passing, they had to pass under the main line via a transit road and there were procedures for the passing and the order that movements were made. One day during a shutdown on the main Illawarra line I had a 4 way movement of trains which somehow ended in a derailment when the impatient driver backed out of no 2 siding against the signals derailing at the catch points. The guard jumped out of his brakevan and ran up the cutting cliff. There was hell to pay for myself, the guard, the driver and the fireman, investigations and hearings etc. Brakevans were removed not long afterwards and replaced with the BOG or Battery Operated Guard. My brother , working on the electrification was paused and watched the emergency train with the crane go past , he remarked to his workmates "What the F has my brother done now".

hi paul hope you are having a good lockdown

Hi Paul,very much this video and commentary,it was great Lockdown relief for me.

Hi Terry, Glad this video bought back fond memories, and thanks for sharing these. Yes must have been pretty bleak in winter!

Hi David, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your memories of the old Ocean View station and of cab rides in class 44 diesels! What a fun day you had back then!

Hi Kevin, thanks for sharing this story about the driver back in the early 70s. Seems like the line has improved a lot since then, although the viaduct still seems a little scary!

Thanks! - Wow! - I wasn't aware of that derailment. Thanks for clarifying the purpose of the 4wd vehicle on the track was too.

Thanks John! - Glad you enjoyed the HD version. I should watch it on the big TV myself! Wonderful that you think it's as good as an SBS presentation! That's lovely to hear!

Hi Rich, Glad I inspired to go for a ride on it! - I hope to do it again soon to film Robertson to Moss Vale and perhaps Waterfall to Wollongong as well.

You're very welcome Pam. Glad you enjoyed the video and the commentary too. I have recently filmed the whole trip from Moss Vale to Wollongong, and it was on a cloudy day, so less issues with the sun! Hope to publish this later in the year,

That would have been fun! - I'll keep an eye on the trackwork, as I'd quite like to do that myself!

You're very welcome Leven.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Hi Mark, that's lovely to hear! - Hope this video bought back those childhood memories!

You're very welcome! Yes you probably did see me! I was on the station for 15 minutes or so before heading to the Robertson Hotel for lunch. Lovely to hear that you do voluntary work at the station. I didn't realise you could look out of the back, so my eyes lit up when I realised. I do plan to do the Cockatoo Run again and film some other sections.

@@TransportVlog I hope to see you again some time then, I do recommend the section between Robertson and Moss Vale, nice and quick but the scenery is very different to that of this video

@@callum_bracht I have done Robertson to Moss Vale in the past, but I am keen to do it again and film it! - I'll stick my head out of the back window at Robertson when I do!

@@TransportVlog okay haha! I’ll look out for you

Interesting ideas. If a new line is built to Canberra it will be a high speed line that can complete with air travel.

My Great Grandfather was a part of the survey team that did the survey of the Nowra to Orbost line in the 1880's as a young man. It never went near Canberra as that wasn't even a dream at the time. It was decided to halt the line at Bomaderry because building a bridge over the Shoalhaven River there was way too expensive then as it would be now.

Wow! - it must have been quite different then. Were some of the intermediate stations open then?

@@TransportVlog As I remember there were a few passengers on the train counting us and in those days it wasn't a busy service. I think Robertson was the only station open back then. Memory is a bit fuzzy on details, only went on it once.

So now you know! I guess it gets overlooked being predominately freight only.

Nice one Geoff! It's a fantastic day out. I have done this trip again since and have it all on film now. It was a cloudy day, so no real issues with the sun. It will be a while before I'm able to narrate and upload it, but it will come out at some point! Both Robertson and Moss Vale are great places for lunch!

Yes the train is much more fun, although the road is pretty scenic too, and doesn't have any dodgy looking viaducts!

Yes it would be good to see more trains on the Southern Highlands line. I'm hoping that when the CAF Civity trains come into service, that they will run direct to Central (as they will be diesel and electric). I think they're still a couple of years away.

You're very welcome John, Glad you enjoyed this virtual train trip and supper with a view!

Hi Andrew, this video has been a bit of a slow burner, and has only become more popular recently! Yes it is a shame that there is no longer a regular weekend service, although East Coast Heritage Rail run their train over this line once a month now. In the past, their train used to return from Moss Vale via the Southern Highlands line, which made an interesting circuit! - I did it once when East Coast Heritage Rail used steam trains, I had my head out of the window for most of it!

Nice! - They don't seem to use this line so much for diversions these days. I guess much of it being single track makes it tricky!

Yes, it is very relaxing! - Just like being on a train! Definitely worth doing the trip for real, and they are always looking for volunteers to help out. I have done the trip more recently and filmed the Moss Vale section, so I'll turn that into a video later this year.

Hi Robert, Thanks! It's cool that the weekend service also stopped at Summit Tank and allowed you to get off and go to the lookout.

Hi Mark, Good to hear that this video bought back memories. When the lockdown is over, I hope to do another trip and film Robertson to Moss Vale.

Hi Peter, glad you enjoyed it! Yes it is a shame that there are no longer regular passenger services on this line. I hope the Picton loop lines does open again. That would be fun to do, especially on a steam train!

Hi James, it's quite smooth now. All continuously welded rail, which it might not have been in the 80s.

@@TransportVlog good to see it has been maintained to an acceptable standard. I assumed it was all but abandoned without considering it could still be used as an important link used for goods traffic. It is. Have you done a feature on the cancelled link to Maldon and all the work that went to waste?

@@jamesfrench7299 Not as yet, but it could be one for the future!

Thanks. - glad you enjoyed it. Yes, a couple of other people pointed out that it's Princes Highway. Good to know that the 4WD is a track inspection vehicle. I may redo this video at some point, with a different camera or on a day when the sun is much higher, so if I do, I'll incorporate these points as well. Thanks for your input.

Yes, there's lots to do in Robertson and you don't get long enough for a proper lunch in Moss Vale. I guess it was a little different in the 80s!

Nice! - Hope this video bought back some happy memories. I do plan to do the Robertson to Moss Vale section another time!

Thanks Robert. Glad you enjoyed it

Thanks Matt! - I'll remember that for next time.

Glad you enjoyed it. Yes trains have got quieter since then! I wasn't aware of the old Dombarton siding, so thanks for mentioning that. If I find out anymore, I'll let you know.

@@TransportVlog KZfaq found me this video of the trip in the 1980s, which passes Dombarton signal box at 2.23, and you can see the lower part of the zigzig siding immediately after. The reference to “Refuge loop” rings a bell, the way it was configured meant it couldn’t have been a passing loop. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ptmbh9Z9p9Pak6M.html

@@PineappleSkip Thanks for sharing this video. It looks really interesting!

Awesome, thanks for explaining that Nathan. Good to hear that this safety measure is in place. I can think of at least one rail crash in the UK that would have been avoided with automatic trip gear on their trains.

@@TransportVlog glenbrook would of too

​@@nathanmaynard8428 as I understand it, not quite. the train in rear at glenbrook had the necessary authority to pass the signal, so would not have been stopped by the trip equipment. it then proceeded at too high a speed to stop before the train that was still waiting at the signal ahead.

Yes quite possibly! Well spotted!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Geoffrey, glad you enjoyed this virtual scenic trip! The subtitles are done automatically by KZfaq. Hopefully they are fairly accurate!

Hi Saumya, Glad you liked this video! I wasn't aware of the South West Illawarra Rail Line concept. It actually makes far more sense to use the Maldon-Dombarton alignment for a high speed rail line. This could then free up paths for freight on the existing lines. Do you know what the status of this project at the moment? - Feel free to share more or post some links in the comments. Thanks Paul

@@TransportVlog The report is here: www.nswbusinesschamber.com.au/NSWBC/media/Illawarra/SWIRL-Report-November-2020.pdf Got some press and you can easily Google it. Its not supported by TfNSW though, so its effectively in hibernation. Quite independently of this, there was a consortium known as Sydney FastRail that bid on the 2017 Federal Government Faster Rail Prospectus. (I was involved in this). This was money intended to be spent on developing three business cases for faster or high speed rail. We bid on a (primarily) high speed rail network from Newcastle to Canberra. That proposal featured direct access to Newcastle, Gosford and Wollongong, unlike the 2013 Phase 2 HSR Study which proposed parkway stations for Newcastle and the Central Coast and no station at all for Wollongong. Access to Newcastle was via the existing rail corridor from Cockle Creek into Newcastle (freight was moved onto its own bypass). Access to Gosford (and Woy Woy) was via a dedicated branch. Access to Wollongong was via a branch that departed the HSR main line at Wilton and used most of the existing Maldon-Dombarton corridor (typically 200 km/hr). However it departed from the older M-D route before the formerly proposed Avon tunnel and used its own tunnel and dedicated track, joining the existing rail line at Unanderra. Thus avoiding the highly curved section from Dombarton to Unanderra. Freight would use a separate track. High speed trains would then be able to depart from North Wollongong station, stop at Wollongong, Wilton and then Campbelltown. As I said, this would have meant a 25 minute trip from Wollongong to Campbelltown - creating a new economic corridor. Also 45 minutes from Wollongong to Parramatta or the Sydney CBD.

@@saumyacow4435 Thanks very much for this. It's a shame that it's in hibernation. However, I believe it will only be a matter of time before Newcastle and Wollongong get high speed rail links. Although I love the scenery of the current lines, they are embarrassingly slow by European standards!

@@TransportVlog I've spent years promoting high speed rail and we have some serious obstacles to overcome if its to become reality. Let me share a couple of insights. Firstly, we're not going to get anywhere until we get over the idea that high speed rail is about competing with intercapital air travel. No other country has ever set out to build a high speed rail network with the primary focus being replacement of air travel, but here in Australia, the obsession with air travel has killed high speed rail. What high speed rail is actually very good at is competing with car travel over relatively short distances and in corridors where, if we don't build high speed rail, we'll end up spending similar sums of money on augmented motorways. Secondly, what we are lacking is an understanding of the breadth and scale of social and economic benefits that would come from high speed rail in high volume corridors such as Newcastle to Sydney. We just haven't done the work. The whole point of the Sydney FastRail consortium that I worked with was to have the resources necessary to do this basic research. To create the data and the narrative that politicians need. High speed rail is truly "the highway of the future" but so far its failing to gain traction because its been touted as a more convenient way to fly. What it should be is the top tier in a high performance mass transit system. There's a real danger that the next change of government will see a return to the 2013 Phase 2 HSR Study, with all its failures - including not actually directly connecting Newcastle or the Central Coast and providing absolutely no service to Wollongong. Frankly, it needs to be scrapped and we need to give more careful thought to what we're actually building high speed rail for. Hint: Its got everything to do with maximising social and economic return on investment and that means volume. Ordinary people doing ordinary, everyday things. As for scenery, well I'm looking forward to that high speed trip across the Hawkesbury and various sections that will be on viaduct. Plus we're now at the point where we can dispense with the overhead wiring, which means an uninterrupted view - none of those wiring stanchions. Btw, there's an industry joke that goes "what would remain if you dropped a 10 Megaton nuke on Sydney? Answer: cockroaches and those rail wiring stanchions! While I'm here. I should point out that as part of this work, we advocated a Scarborough to Waterfall bypass for regular trains. Not part of the high speed rail network but important in terms of improving the connection between Wollongong and Sutherland (25 minutes reduction). Thus making the train trip competitive with driving. As it stands, everyone simply drives to Sutherland and attempts to park there, before taking a train further north. Notionally that would leave the section between Scarborough and Helensburgh with a twice-hourly all stations service. But frankly I can easily see this section of track becoming a future "scenic railway".

@@TransportVlog The demand already exists in the Newcastle to Wollongong corridor. The problem is that we have a lot of senior people in TfNSW clinging to the notion that you can make affordable, incremental improvements to the inter-city train lines. Back in late 2018, the NSW government hired Professor Andrew McNaughton (of HS2 fame) to consult on this issue. Its now 2021 and we've not seen a word of his report - the short version is his report got shelved because it was seen as too ambitious by the very same people in TfNSW (and NSW Treasury). The only way to make a breakthrough on this is to put in front of politicians two simple things. One is the cost of not building HSR - tens of billions spent on future augmentation of motorways. The other is an analysis of the scale of social and economic benefit. I think that rail advocates (and public transport advocates in general) need to get behind high speed rail. Unfortunately some see HSR as a threat. Presumably in the belief that there is a single bucket of money and not realising that HSR will primarily be funded out of money that would have otherwise gone into road pavement. What a lot of public transport advocates don't get is that HSR and regular public transport are synergistic. HSR won't work without being integrated with first class public transport and on the flip side, public transport will get a boost out of having a high speed backbone. You can tell I've been at this for years :)

Thanks for sharing this Daryl, It's quite a hill and it goes on for ages! Yes you don't get much time for lunch if you go all the way to Moss Vale!

Thanks!

This train definitely left from Platform 2 and the platform to the right is Platform 1. It can look a little strange going backwards, but I thought I got that bit right?

Generally, Platforms are numbered from Left to Right, when facing towards Sydney. Unanderra Platform 1 is on the Western side and Platform 2 is on the Eastern side. Due to the layout at Unanderra, usually Down Services depart Platform 1, Up Services depart Platform 2.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for the tips too. I have noticed this issue with sunlight at other times too, so I'll give your suggestions a go. I do have other camera's, but the iPhone is the only one that does 4K video.

@@TransportVlog 👍

Thanks Gary, I might see if I can walk that sometime.

Yes it is pretty scary, especially if you look down! I'd be keen to do it next time there is a diversion!

Hi Oscar, yes from Robertson, it continues to Moss Vale and then joins the Southern Highland Line. Glad you enjoyed this video.

Ok

Yes, the low sun made things difficult. I could have edited those bits out, but I was keen to capture the whole journey on camera.

@@TransportVlog Oh I’m glad you kept it! I’m just wondering if I should wish for clouds when I film this.

@@TransportVlog By the way how did you go with attaching to the rear window? Or did you use a tripod? Did you have to fight for space?

@@TransportVlog PS I knew you were using an iPhone - all your previous vlogs had that particular look & feel to it! I hope you get an iPhone 12 one day and then you can enjoy the amazing difference Dolby Vision makes. As amazing as I found the videos on iPhone 11 - looked really good on every device - the new HDR modes really pop out on certain screens, such as the phone’s own display.

@@TransportVlog Really the only way to stop the glare is with some variation on a toilet roll tube :-)

Ah, this was on my personal to-do list, and in 4K60 too. (I’ve got my GoPro Black 9 now). Maybe I can contribute to this channel in Patreon etc. The only thing I’d do differently is maximise the wide-angle.

Yes it's a wonderful trip to do! Glad you like the 4K 60 footage. This was my first attempt, so I'll try a wider angle next time. I'm thinking of getting a GoPro at some point! I haven't set up Patreon as yet, so feel free to support this channel by watching other videos, liking and commenting.

Thanks!

Hi Mark, you're the first person that has guessed the correct movement! Well done on watching the whole video! Hope you enjoyed it.

Yes that's right!

Hi Stephen, Good points and when I'm next talking to East Coast Heritage Rail (or on one of their trains), I'll mention it to them. Sorry I didn't include any footage of the station. I had lunch in Robertson and then got the return heritage service back to Sydney. Next time I'll take it to Moss Vale and film that section. I do have a little footage of the train and possibly Robertson station, so I may include this in a future video.

Aaah yes - I think I might have seen that at Central.

Thanks Steve, yes I've been looking at some options from camera shops. I'm also looking at Go Pro type active camera's for these kinds of videos, so hopefully I'll find a solution soon.

Yes that's right :-)

Yes well spotted!

Hi Blake, Yes it's a 1 in 30 gradient from Unanderra to Dombarton.

Definitely worth doing, once the lockdown is over! I was sitting with a couple that had come all the way down from Port Macquarie to do this run!

Yes that's right Clem! A few people have pointed that out!

Hi Robert, No there isn't a branch line from Robertson to Richmond. It can be done via existing lines taking the curve to the north of Moss Vale, and then via Campbelltown, Fairfield, Parramatta and Blacktown. Interesting about the lack of guard rails on NZ railways! Glad you enjoyed this video.

Yes that's right.

Hopefully the Maldon line will happen at some point, as the existing Wollongong line will need more capacity for passenger trains in the future.

Yes very true! Glad you enjoyed this video.

It is running again on Sunday 5 December - details here - www.123tix.com.au/events/19194/the-cockatoo-run-sunday-5th-december-2021

Thanks Malcolm, I've just added this as a pinned comment, as a few people have corrected me on this! I have re-filmed this in the opposite direction (from Moss Vale to Wollongong), so when I do the voiceovers, I'll make sure I say Princes Highway!

Yes it is! The second movement.

I don't have access to a timetable for this line unfortunately. With the exception of the East Coast Heritage rail train, its all goods trains, and these don't tend to run to an exact timetable. At a guess, I would say that there are between 10 and 20 trains per day, and these could run at anytime, including during the night. Maybe worth asking any neighbours or Farmborough Heights locals about this.

Thanks so much for the information.@@TransportVlog

86 classes probably, it was proposed a while ago

Yes possibly, although the plan was to electricity at 25KV AC, so that would have required new locos.

@@TransportVlog thank you. That would explain why the overhead posts are spaced out so far

Thanks for pointing this out!

Hi Fan, there are no trips scheduled at the moment, but if you sign up to their email list, then you'll be notified when future trips are scheduled. Here is the link - eastcoastheritagerail.com.au/contact-us/#subscribe

Yes I believe Endeavours did run on this line for a while, back in the 1990s.

@@TransportVlog when did they stop running on the line and why.

@@lucasmcgowan6306 I believe weekday services finished in 1985, but weekend services continued to 1994, and then 3801 (now East Coast Heritage Rail took over). The reason would be lack of patronage, as the intermediate stops are in very rural areas.

@@TransportVlog I meen thats understandable but if it reopens then they could just have Robertson, burrawang, and a Farmborough heights station on the line, these places that can have new or refurbished stations won't be too rural, and it doesn't matter about the distance between unanderra and Robertson, I meen look at the distance between singlton and muswellbrook.

@@lucasmcgowan6306 I don't think the distance between stations is the issue here, it's more the likely passenger use at each station. I think Singleton and Muswellbrook are larger towns than Robertson or Farnborough Heights.

I explain why at 3:48

I might be able to do something about that. It is possible to reverse clips in Final Cut Pro!

Thanks!

Thanks for that, I will be doing an updated version of this video next year (with footage from a cloudy day that I got a few weeks ago), so I'll remember your points for that video. It will be in the other direction and all the way from Moss Vale this time.