It’s done!
June 18th, 2008
As you probably now know, yesterday I took a longer than usual train trip.
And thankfully, I managed to complete my trip on time, as scheduled, completing the journey at Belgrave at 10.50 last night.
Thanks to everyone who has sent in comments (even the negative ones, they are kind of funny to read; and sadly true at times). I will make sure I respond to everyone over the next few days.
But right now, I need to catch up on some sleep. I have had eight hours sleep since Monday morning.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:45 am
hi it me a gain i think dis da rite spot dis time lol good luck !!!!
June 18th, 2008 at 4:36 am
Just wondering how you got to Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse stations, given that it wasn’t a raceday?
June 18th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Well done on completing the train journey.
Peter and Sue Kimberley and John Fife, did the same trip on 21 June 2005. You might have heard the radio interviews on 3LO and seen the ABC web site. Rod Smith and his team of enthusiasts also did the journey a few years earlier and managed to go through the Melbourne Showgrounds station which is not open at this time of the year.
It’s a fun trip to do, though June is probably not the best time of the year as it’s dark by 6pm and so very little to see out of the carriage window when you are feeling tired and need something to help pass the time.
Best food on the journey – egg and bacon sandwich for breakfast at South Yarra station.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Hey, well done, but…
What about Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse? I thought that line was only open on special events days. Did you go through those stations?
What about the diesel service beyond Franskton out to Stony Point. Did you travel on that bit? Similarly the VLine services to Melton & Sunbury. You did say the “entire network”.
Did you actually *stop* at every station? Or did you ride express services also?
Just checking…
June 18th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hey Heath
Enjoyin readin your webpage, I have a list of goals i’m working on too, 100 of them. Is interesting seeing the ones you have, there are a few we have in common – motorbike lisence, swim with dolphins, half marathon, triathlon event….
Goodluck, hope it all goes well,
Deb
June 18th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Hey! I saw your photo and and an article in the Herald Sun and I think what you are doing is really cool – I’m jealous. If there’s ever a way to keep those goals going, this is one of them. I’m very tempted to do what you’ve done now too! Keep it up, too many people always give up on their goals!
xox
June 18th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Congratulations! It’s good to know I’m not a complete freak (or that I have company…). I tried this back in 2003 with one of my crazier friends, getting another mathematician friend to devise the best route mid 2002. Then they opened Keilor Plains and Watergardens and the tight schedule became too tight!
There were a couple of differences to your trip. We did all the lines (minus one station) both ways starting with the 4:50am Werribee train from Flinders St and ending on the last train in from Glen Waverley at 12:01am. Then I took the train home! There was only the Broadmeadows line in those days of course, and we had to cheat by getting off at Keilor Plains rather than Watergardens as a zero-minute changeover at Watergardens was too risky.
We weren’t going after publicity, though my friend took a call from Red Symons while changing at North Melbourne station. We had some support, including fellow travellers joining up with us, bringing us food, and one attempt to slow a train down to assist a zero-minute changeover at Richmond.
By 9pm on the Sandringham line I would have been happy never to have seen another train again!
The addition of Craigieburn put travelling every line both ways out of reach, unless you went on a Friday and somehow made use of the late-night services. This is tricky though as they don’t carry passengers on the way back in. For me, Flemington Racecourse and the Showgrounds are in the too-hard-basket.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Well I just wanted to pop by and say Congratulations… looks like the media really enjoyed that one then….
What did you think of Glen Waverley station by the way??