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Timetables 1981 to 1990

This section includes a major contribution from Roderick B. Smith, Editor of "Rail News Victoria" and includes timetables collected over many years by the author.

Timetable and Service Overview

Contributed by Roderick B. Smith

"The Vinelander" and "The Sunraysia"

* With the October 81 new-look services the "The Vinelander" sitting section ran to Bendigo as well. Later the sitting section became a standard 4-car Z set: ACZ-BZ-BRS-BS. To increase capacity elsewhere, the "The Vinelander" sets were reduced to three carriages: ACZ-BRS-BZ.

* From Monday16.2.87 a mixed day and night service was tried again; this time both had Motorail; both ran via North Shore to serve Geelong. "The Sunraysia" ran on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; "The Vinelander" ran on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The last "The Sunraysia" trains ran on Wednesday 30.5.90. The replacement overnight service had only four trains per week each way. A single 3-car set was used from Melbourne on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday; from Mildura on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A 4-car set was released from other working to provide a Friday down and Sunday up.

References:

* DD: Divisional Diary; NL: VR News Letter; RT: Railway Transportation.

* Poole `VR passenger rollingstock' in Feb.54 ARHS Bulletin (many mistakes).

* Smith `VR airconditioned carriages' in Aug.74 Newsrail.

* Insall `Cheers to the Vinelander' in Sept.93 Newsrail.

* Gould Century of rail; History of rail services Birchip and district 1893-1993 (Sunnyland Press, 1993).

* Isaacs et al Railway refreshments in Victoria (Australian Association of Timetable Collectors, 1992).

Timetables

The following timetables have been extracted from Working Time Tables (Internal operating documents) published by the Victorian Railways and its successors. The timetables shown are representative of the train services for the lines covered in this history.

Note1: The reference "Public" indicates Public Timetable source; "WTT" indicates the source is an internal Working Time Table document.

Note 2: From the 1980's mainly altered timetables were published in Working Timetables. By December 1989 the term "Working Timetable" was changed to "Master Train Plan" (MTP).

September 1981 Mildura Goods Down and Up WTT

October 1982 Mildura Goods Down and Up WTT

October 1982 Pinnaroo Goods WTT

October 1982 Meringur Goods WTT

October 1982 Yelta WTT

State Transport Authority

April 1984 Mildura Passenger Down and Up WTT

April 1984 Yelta WTT

Note: In 1985 the Mildura, Pinnaroo and Meringur lines became part of the Northern Region (previously Northern and Midland Region). This was changed again to Western Region.