8 July 2010

The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore

Carryl and I are heading to Dunkeld for a quiet weekend away soon. Playing around on Google Earth I noticed there was a rail line passing nearby. I started investigating and soon found that Victoria formerly had an amazing amount of rail lines to all corners of the state. This is the network in 1947:



These lines were used less and less as Victorian agriculture became more centralised; freight was moved more by truck; and people tended to drive rather than catch public transport. With the downturn in profitability, and the rise of a more right wing take on political economics, corporatisation, and then privatisation, has led to this:



It's more profitable, and patronage has increased, but I can't catch a train to Dunkeld any more.

2 comments:

Andrew said...

What's the date of the first map? Does the number in the bottom right hand corner indicate 1947? Thanks.

Unknown said...

Shit i knew that there used to be more train lines in Melbourne (Park st Carlton for example being part of a semi-complete circular line) but i never knew about all those country lines. thats crazy how many there were.

ps i was recently discussing with someone (marty or jon maybe) the seeming sad demise of ya blog but it seems it was still goin strong we just forgot to check