Old photos from April 2013

I’m indebted to blog commenter Harry, who noted that it’s now 10 years since I started this series of posting old photos from 10 years ago.

Which means those first photos are now 20 years old. Gulp.

To mark the anniversary, I went looking for photos from 30 years ago, 1993. I could find barely any. Back then of course, almost nobody had a digital camera, and they were very primitive. Film cameras were very common, but I had very little money at the time, so rarely took photos. And when you did, you’d have no idea if they came out. Many didn’t.

I did find some snaps from a February 1993 trip down the Great Ocean Road, and this photo a young me in my furry anorak at Geelong station on the way back – it’s got shades of Tony Blair’s legendary 2014 menacing Christmas card photo.

Anyway, on with April 2013.

Metro’s Infrastructure Inspection Vehicle, made up of an old Harris carriage with two diesel engines, was on patrol.

As noted in this post, this motorist failed to keep left, and found a tram coming around the corner at them.

Sorry Cliff, you were wrong about Southland station. The cost wasn’t that high, it only added a minute to travel times, and it’s now one of the busiest stations on the line.

Over at Footscray station, the reconstruction was in full swing for Regional Rail Link’s extra platforms. This was platform 1 – it’s now platform 3.

…but the old Olympic Doughnuts was still hanging in there.

Spotted on a wall somewhere in 2013, this image of legendary Father Bob – who sadly passed away last week, on 19th April 2023.

Petrol-powered tram? No, it was an ad for Caltex. In Australia, they’ve rebranded as Ampol. Thankfully most of those old slow Myki readers are gone, though many older trams still have them.

Friday and Saturday night train and tram services had been extended to around 1am in late 2006. Within a few years of this photo, trains would be running 24 hours on those nights, though only hourly, along with 6 tram routes.

The Parkdale Pigeons, before one was anointed as The Parkdale Pigeon, lined up on the platform 1 building that burnt down in April 2023. It’s due to be replaced in 2024-25 by an elevated station.

The bus/taxi interchange at Frankston station, before the latest renovation, completed in 2018.

And finally… this is not the best use of a rail network map.

Just to note, if you follow me on Twitter: Due to that platform’s implosion, I’m increasingly posting on Mastodon instead, here. If it’s confusing (and it is, a little), here’s a guide to joining and finding people.

I’m also on Facebook, though posting less frequently there.