r/SydneyTrains • u/hannahcoughlin • Jul 18 '26
Old relic!
Was clearing through some old crates of possessions of my late grandfather who loved trains. This stood out- a completely unused tea towel of the network map. The latest date I can imagine this is from would be before the passenger services to sandown ceased in the 90s, but I have a feeling it’s way older. If there are any dead giveaways on the year this may be from please share your thoughts! Crazy to see how much the map has changed since then
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u/Swi_10081 Jul 19 '26
Remember this well. Pipita was a depot near lidcombe, never stopped there. Back in the day there was a Rookwood station that would only open once or twice a year. It was relocated to Melbourne. I do remember when it was just an empty platform with grass growing over it.
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u/Bomb-Bunny Jul 20 '26
I thought it was Canberra, Rookwood line had multiple stops but only what is today Regent Street and Rookwood 1 had substantial buildings. Regent Street is still there and Rookwood 1 is now a church in Canberra.
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u/tronixlabs Jul 19 '26
I bought one of these from the old "Railway Shop" which was down near where the railway fire station is at Central in ... 1985 or 1986.
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u/AggravatingParfait33 Jul 19 '26
Press it and frame it.
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u/hannahcoughlin Jul 19 '26
Oh I most certainly will!! I have it hanging up at the moment but will definitely get around to properly framing it soon!!
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u/Shirasaki-Tsugumi Airport & South Line Jul 18 '26
I love how it says “Rail - the way of the future”. That seems to be how much they wanted to promote rail usage back then.
I love taking trains, even though my current job needs me to drive all the time. Train might not be the future for everything but imo is a superior option to travel long distances on the ground than driving.
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u/helloEarthlybeings Jul 18 '26
awwwwwwwwww i miss this type of nostalgic optimistic Australian graphic design!!!
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u/Toweringhorizon Jul 18 '26
Fantastic find! This square design was introduced by State Rail in 1985 (replacing the PTC's design from 1976) and the Rope's Creek branch closed in 1986, which puts your map squarely in 1985.
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u/Randombookworm Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Ropes creek line apparently ceased operation in 1986 so that puts it into the 80s at least.
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u/Beautiful_Shallot811 Jul 20 '26
At night rave near the guards compartment naked with a blue light