Centenary of Melbourne's first Suburban electric train operation.

[ben_issacs]

Folks, 

May 28th. sees the centenary of the operation of the first electric train on the Melbourne suburban railway network, and the first such in Australia.

The train ran from Sandringham, through Flinders St. station to Essendon, also out on the short branch to Flemington Racecourse.

One of the stations that it would of passed through is Kensington, my local station.

The Victorian Railways started planning for the suburban electrification in the 1910's, but the start of the First World War slowed up things considerably.

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.

 

 

[TRod]

I started life in Colac Victoria and very vaguely remember a train, possibly steam, being turned on the turntable.

I remember the rail car that ran to/through Kyabram from Shepparton, the red and blue rattlers in Melbourne, V-line F class?, and l have a great 3 DVD set of Victoria's early steam trains. Must dig them out and watch and a if anyone wants to see them just ask and we can send them around by mail. 

I lived in Glen Iris once where there's a bike path on the former train line. 

So man little pieces of train history everywhere like every city.