November channel update
Added 2025-11-13 05:38:18 +0000 UTCHi everyone, just a quick update on how things are going:
October was probably a record for the channel with 4 videos uploaded. This isn't because I was working harder, more just the nature of those videos: the follow-up video was unscripted and had minimal graphics so only took a couple of days to produce, and the Schynige Platte video script was already mostly finished, and of course already photographed. November is likely to be the complete opposite, I'm not sure if anything will be going up this month. I'm taking the time to work on a few longer term projects, and it's also a very busy month for the non-channel related part of my life (both my kids birthdays are this week).
The Lilydale/Belgrave video is still progressing, I'm trying to get a little bit done on it each day. I keep being foiled by my free days being overcast when I need them to be sunny for filming, but the writing part is going pretty well. So far all the work I've done has been between the city and Lilydale, and I'm strongly considering splitting the Belgrave branch off into a separate video. This would help me get a finished product quite a bit sooner, and I'd likely move straight onto Belgrave after that, so it would still happen in the near future. Ideally I'd like to get at least one video in this series done each year, and it's currently 11 months since the Werribee video, but I don't think I'll be getting this one done by the end of the year. I do have a strong incentive to get these videos done in a moderately timely manner: all the videos in the series so far have performed very well long term, and their releases have also had a big effect on drawing people to sign up to patreon, so they're very important for the sustainability of the channel.
In the last update I mentioned a video on accessibility: I have a basic outline of this video now, and have filmed an interview with Catherine, a supporter of the channel who is a wheelchair user and experienced on all Victorian transport modes. As well as appearing in the video, I am also running the key points of the video by her to make sure I'm on the right page from the perspective of someone with lived experience.
Finally, I am very happy with how the Schynige Platte video turned out. This was obviously an unusual one in that it was entirely built on footage I took over 8 years ago. It hasn't had many views, but that's fully what I expected – most people come to my channel for local content. I was extremely pleased to see 3 or 4 Swiss German speakers pop up in the comments saying my pronunciation of the place names is all correct. I'm not a natural when it comes to learning languages, and it's something I've always struggled with. Like most anglo australians I'm not good at rolling my Rs! When I was actually in Switzerland in 2012 and 2017 I was definitely quite bad at it, but for this video I practised based off a small number of recordings I could find of locals saying the names, and I'm glad it payed off. It'll be much easier for me to buy tickets next time I go there now! :)
I expect I'll be making a video about the metro tunnel opening some time in the next month, but don't have a specific plan for it yet.
As always, thanks for all your support!
~Martin
Comments
I would say Heyington, Essendon, Yarraman, Kananook, and Albion are quite poor for accessibility
Agentanonymous4876
2025-11-14 04:51:29 +0000 UTCLilydale actually is considered the main line, or at least it was traditionally - it's a bit ambiguous due to the way we don't have a clear standard for naming lines where they share trackage in Victoria, but the general practice with the VR was that the first line built was the main line, with any subsequent branch considered a branch from the junction. You can see it in the way a lot of things are classified or divided up (like signal codes), but maybe the best example is the VR curves and grades diagrams: Richmond to Lilydale (and then on to Healesville) is one diagram, then Ringwood-Upper Ferntree Gully is a separate shorter diagram, and the same for the branches to Warburton, Alamein and Glen Waverley. Likewise, the Epping/Mernda/Whittlesea line is shown as a branch off the Hurstbridge line from Clifton Hill, the Cranbourne/South Gippsland line is shown as a branch off the Pakenham/Gippsland line at Dandenong etc. So Ringwood to Upper Gully/Belgrave isn't considered any more the main line than Glen Waverley or Alamein are. This doesn't reeeally matter here as it's more about how they're convenient to divide up for videos, but if I was going to pick any one of the Burnley group branches to be the main one, it's definitely Lilydale. I reckon Ringwood-Belgrave will still actually be a fairly long video, it's a pretty interesting section with a lot to cover, especially the former narrow gauge bit. Thanks for your thoughts though!
Taitset
2025-11-13 23:14:16 +0000 UTCThere will be a little bit about how it relates to the main line at Camberwell, but it'll get it's own separate video. Despite being pretty short, it is quite an interesting line.
Taitset
2025-11-13 22:06:34 +0000 UTCI do think it would be odd to have the Belgrave line separate. I think that could lead to far less people seeing that video, compared to the Lilydale video that includes the entire line. Also, there is nothing about the Lilydale branch that makes it the “primary” branch, if I’m not mistaken. Would seem random that it was chosen to be covered with the rest of the line, but not the Belgrave branch. Even if it makes sense with the background context. How much longer would it take to include the Belgrave section in the video? If it is around 2 months I would say just take that time to make the video truly self-contained and complete. Splitting it off now means that it is forever a separate video. But that is just my take.
Autumn Bosco
2025-11-13 15:29:43 +0000 UTCI'm extremely interested in what you end up including about the Alamein line in your Belgrave/Lilydale video. Off the top of my head it's one of the fewer branches in the metropolitan network that run on shuttle service.
PeTey Vee
2025-11-13 12:42:08 +0000 UTCSo excited for the Lilydale line vid haha, my local station is Mooroolbark can't wait to see what you include about us 🤣
Henry Martin
2025-11-13 11:32:27 +0000 UTCI've seen a few people mention Essendon 2, I'll have to go have a closer look.
Taitset
2025-11-13 10:19:22 +0000 UTCThanks David, that could certainly be useful. I'm not sure how deep I'd go into the numbers but it could be able to refer to it generally.
Taitset
2025-11-13 10:18:14 +0000 UTCI think I'd end up with Belgrave Alamein and Glen Waverley all as separate videos, and obviously Alamein would just be a lot shorter than the others. Might be quite nice actually, having one I get ticked off quickly! :)
Taitset
2025-11-13 10:17:07 +0000 UTCHappy birthday to the Taitlets! I would agree that your German pronunciation was quite good, although as people said in the comments, it’s not like Swiss German sounds good or natural to begin with… If you did Belgrave as a separate video, would it be practical to roll Alamein into the same one? It feels like it’d have similar problems to Williamstown in covering it separately - then again, maybe it’d be nice to get to make a line video that isn’t an hour long…
Max Johansson
2025-11-13 10:00:18 +0000 UTCBig endorsement here for separate Belgrave video. 💯
Mike Stevens
2025-11-13 09:42:56 +0000 UTCI think the worst platform on the suburban system is Essendon PL02, where the vertical gap from platform to train floor is a significant step up in some areas. That platform structure is the only remnant of the original station, since PL01 and PL03 were both moved further out in 1909.
David Stosser
2025-11-13 07:33:39 +0000 UTCRe the disability accessibility video, if you're interested I have a spreadsheet I put together a few years ago showing how each station in Victoria compares to the assorted legal requirements. It's a bit out of date, last checked early 2024 and using the older VRIOG standards which have since been superseded, but at the time I judged 14% of stations to be fully compliant, 18% pending upgrades, and 68% noncompliant or insufficient data. Things I checked were approach ramps (47% ok), access across tracks (50% ok), depth of platforms (68% ok), tactiles (63% ok), driver visibility (71% ok), platform slope e.g. drainage to or from track (27% ok), vertical gap (25% ok), horizontal gap (25% ok) and station gradient (23% ok).
David Stosser
2025-11-13 07:30:38 +0000 UTCThanks Martin, Happy Birthday to the junior Taits!
Matt Austin
2025-11-13 06:45:07 +0000 UTCCan’t wait for all of these!
Emily Is Offline
2025-11-13 05:42:11 +0000 UTC
