Insanity 17

Another day, another delay causing missed connections.

I set out to return home from Prahran just after 7:30pm. As I got to the tram stop on Commercial Rd and checked TramTracker, the next 72 was supposedly 17 minutes away. Given I was only a few minutes walk from St Kilda Rd I decided I wasn't going to wait.

The walk itself only took five minutes as I predicted, and the next tram was five minutes away when I got to the stop. By the time it arrived I realised I would need it to get to Flinders Street in exactly 15 minutes in order to catch the train I needed to connect with the 425 at St Albans.

Of course, the tram took 17 minutes to travel a dozen stops. By the time I got into the station it was 7:59pm but the 7:57pm Sydenham was still displayed on the departure board. So I started to dash across the concourse, only to see the train departing as I got to the bottom of the escalator. Missed connection one.

So, I has a half-hour wait for the next train, which departed one minute late. By the time it got to North Melbourne it was four minutes down, although by Sunshine it had gained two minutes. Good, I thought, I might make the last 425 from Watergardens. The last 425 from Watergardens is scheduled to depart at 9:05pm, however since the train arrives at 9:04pm most drivers wait a few minutes.

The train pulled into Watergardens at 9:06pm, and the bus was sitting at its stop as expected. I figured the driver wouldn't want to wait for too long, so I made my way up the stairs and over to the bus interchange, to find the 425 had already departed and was speeding through the crossing in front of the station. Missed connection two. Fuck.

Since I didn't particularly feel like walking all the way home from Watergardens, I figured I'd get the 462 which runs through Burnside Heights and stops a little over a km from home. A km is slightly further than my walk home from the 425, but considering the alternatives were to walk the 7km from Watergardens, or wait 15 minutes for the train back to Keilor Plains to walk 4km, I didn't feel the need to complain.

The 462 departed bang on time at 9:10pm. It lost a a couple of minutes along the Melton Hwy due to fairly heavy traffic but flew along Calder Park Dr. I wasn't too sure which stop in Burnside Heights was precisely closest to home, so I got off at the Tenterfield Park stop at 9:20pm, one minute after the timetable at the stop showed it was due. (Note that the 462 takes just 8 minutes to get to Taylors Rd, where the 425 takes 18.)

From there I figured it would probably be around a 15 minute walk home. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my timing was spot on, meaning I arrived home at 9:35pm - three minutes earlier than I would've arrived if I'd taken the 425. Go me. :)

Insanity 16

A few more pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure. I really need to start thinking of something intelligent. :)


Westrans Sunshine #26 (Volvo B10M mk II/Volgren) at Gillespie Rd/Cheleon Way, Kings Park, 05/12/2011


Westrans Sunshine #61 (Volvo B12BLE/Volgren CR221L) at Gillespie Rd/Cheleon Way, Kings Park, 12/12/2011


Westrans Sunshine #85 (Scania K230UB/Volgren CR228L) at Gillespie Rd/Cheleon Way, Kings Park, 12/12/2011

Insanity 15

Since I can't really think of anything intelligent to write at the moment, here are some photos from the last couple of months.


VL48 at St Albans, 12/10/2011


National #517 (MAN 15.220/Custom Coaches CB30) at Lonsdale/William Sts, Melbourne, 28/11/2011


Melbourne Bus Link #396 (Scania L94UB/Volgren CR228L) at Queen/Little Lonsdale Sts, Melbourne, 29/11/2011


Western Coach Services #30 (Mercedes-Benz O404-3/Austral Denning Majestic) at East Esp/Main Rd East, St Albans, 30/11/2011



Skybus #66 (Scania L94UA/Volgren CR227L) at Melbourne Airport, 02/12/2011