Re: Rope's creek line and new housing area (possibility of new life)

[paulwatts@xoptushome.com.au (paul)]

On Wed, 04 Apr 2001 11:45:30 GMT, "Doug Rosser"
<dougrosser@optushome.com.au> wrote:

>I spent my University Vacation there in the early 70's. Used to by a
>concession weekly from Strathfield - each week I had the next consecutive
>number on the ticket.
>I think even then there only three services a day, 2 morning ones (the early
>one for the workers, the later one for 'staff' (which included undergraduate
>engineers) then everybody came home on the evening one at the same time.
>Exit from the station required showing your pass to the Commonweatlh
>Policeman on duty.

When I did the parcel vans (this would have been early 80's), there
were two yoyo runs from St Marys, the first very early, and the second
an hour and a half or so later. You'd sit at Ropes Creek for quite a
while each time.

Then you'd run to Blacktown and out to Riverstone and back. By perhaps
the most ridiculous piece of timetabling in railway history anywhere
in the world, this 2 van and 2 car set was the first service out of
Riverstone (then the limit of electrification) after 9am, and of
course in those days the pensioner excursion ticket (then 60 cents)
was not available for travel prior to 9am. Of course the thing would
be packed, parcel vans and all. It was the oddest thing, the two
parcel vans would be full of elderly ladies going to Blacktown or
Parramatta to do some shopping, sitting on the parcels, or standing,
hanging on for grim death. 

By the rules, I should have refused them entry to the vans, but the
next service wasn't for another hour- how could I refuse to carry
them? I wonder how I or other guards would have got on if someone had
been injured or worse. Would I have been supported by the Authority?
We wil never know.


paul x is the spam filter
>From memory there were a few siding within the complex as well as the
>electrfied lines.
>Light rail on the alignment might be a better option these days.
>Doug
>"paul" <paulwatts@xoptushome.com.au> wrote in message
>3acabfd3.5521038@news">news:3acabfd3.5521038@news...
>> On Mon, 02 Apr 2001 22:04:22 GMT, "Tony Gatt"
>> <baulko@optushome.com.au> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >"Rjaygee" <dartmouthmotel@bigpond.com> wrote in message
>> >m9_x6.7830$45.44268@newsfeeds.bigpond.com">news:m9_x6.7830$45.44268@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
>> >> Yes, sandstone from the Northern sewage tunnel was dumped out Ropes
>Creek
>> >by
>> >> freight train from Rozelle to provide the base for a new container
>freight
>> >> depot.
>> >
>> >It was placed at St Mary's, on the Ropes Creek Line. There are no tracks
>> >thru the old level crossing before Dunheved, and Dunheved is a mess :/
>>
>> The level crossing was actually beyond Dunheved, between Dunheved and
>> Cochrane. Where you might have seen was the relatively recent (1990 or
>> so) extension of Christie Street, where the tracks were lifted in
>> order to build the road, which connects North St Marys with Werrington
>> County and Mt Pleasant/Cranebrook.
>>
>> Kind of symbolic I suppose. The line is still there on either side of
>> this newish road, which does carry much more traffic than the old
>> branch line ever did.
>>
>> I remember some freezing mornings as a guard quite a few years ago, on
>> the parcel van sets (2 vans/2 pass cars) that ran out there close to
>> the very end. Wish I'd taken a camera. It was just about the only way
>> you could get into the ADI area (known as the munitions back then).
>>
>> ;paul x is the spam filter
>> >
>> >I know that last year, I went to St Marys Leagues Club and it was the
>first
>> >time I saw the line. There were still signals standing at that time
>(turned
>> >off of course). When I returned this year, they were gone.
>> >
>> >Tony.
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>