iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

"hey boss" "yeh?" "you know how the contract with the track force protection contractor has a unit rate for >apply and remove stop board<" "yeh" "do you think it might lead to the contractor using too many stop boards?" "of course not, don't be silly"

Lastly it looks like they have been replacing scotch blocks with bidirectional hand derails.

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I'd heard on the grapevine that PBR has ceased using their oldest cars, and sure enough they are languishing in storage at Gembrook. I do hope they don't just leave them here long term to rot.

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At Orchid Rd we found the ex South African Garrett chuffling along with an up Gembrook pass.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

We happened to be travelling past a certain narrow gauge railway this arvo, and a few things caught my eye. The boom barriers at the down end of Menzies Ck have acquired pogo sticks on the end of them, maybe someone else is finding out the difficulties with long composite arms.

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Apparently I have a parcel coming today from a company. No need for me to know which company however...

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Turns out spending too much time in the cab brings risk of cookerism.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Actually Ceadar Ave and Eleventh St I got the wrong side of the road.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Intersection of Orange Ave and Eleventh St Mildura. The most distinctive clue is misleading!

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

We just stumbled upon while surfing YouTube 2 robots in some sort of boxing match in China. Disappointed they haven't caught fire yet.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Interesting incident with a relatively high speed SPAD (ok ok PAE) causing a short warning time and near collision with a road user. Will be very interesting to see if there is any analysis of using 2 position signals and what it means to be checked. www.atsb.gov.au/news/2026/wa...

atsb.gov.au

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Yeah, it's out of use while no trains are running due to bridge and trackwork.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

It's a latergram from last month, but here is a temporarily defrocked signal. Sleeping while awaiting its fate.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Interesting facts from this for me include: - WA has eliminated give way signs at passive LX on mainline railways (not sure if 'running lines' or 'other than low speed branch lines') - The DIRN in WA will reach 100% active protection by end of year - WA is now >50% all public LX actively protected.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Once again I am disturbed by the Aurizon hybrid stop sign/flashing light crossing. I mean, if it was a legitimate Griswold installation with the rotating stop sign it would be impressive, but I'm pretty sure it's not.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

If they're talking about the actions of people, it makes you wonder if this is a failure mode we've had in au quite a few times, failure to reinstate after an isolation for planned work.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A fatal LX crash after a train entered the crossing with booms up / lights off. Yeah that's a bad failure.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

While the label on the box might imply this is great for roleplaying road safety, I'm not sure how many of these signs your average kid here will encounter unless they are a particularly jetsetting family....

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Have you ever wanted to watch 2 hours of non-stop 1980's railway construction action? Well J managed to surface this video, and for an infra nerd like me it's actually got lots of actually interesting stuff. youtu.be/CX-tWChnidQ

youtu.be

Altona to Laverton Rail Extension 1984

YouTube video by Alan Dyall

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Almost looks like the one on the left is just for the points, probably driven from the foo box that drives the points, and the right hand pair are actually just traffic lights, which gives a pretty short green phase for the tram.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Just had a look on google maps at the north end of Khandallah, and gosh that is a network that probably should have invested in a few trainstops at signals. The distance from the departure signal to the catchpoints would have provided a lot of emergency braking distance...

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Are zigzag lines used in Vic much? I kinda don't remember seeing them

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

I've certainly had to pivot fast from offshore rail

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

It's not an RX-2 assembly, it's not an RX-5 assembly, it's that secret third thing an RX2~5 assembly. (And it's not one of those stupid RX-5-Q01's either).

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Everyone needs a hobby, and for someone that might be getting into the steam monorail scene. youtube.com/watch?v=Xzx1wpkmmeo

youtube.com

The Ultimate Narrow Gauge

YouTube video by Town Video

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Tell me you used AI for the title sequence of your TV series without telling me you used AI for the title sequence of your TV series.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

A digital clock in a steam shed just doesn't quite look right.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Yeah this image has been bouncing around the internet for week or something, so it's very real.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

But then again at least I'm not in Tallangatta today.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Yes I feel the VR would make a few steps if doing it with plates, but I feel I've seen or heard of some fairly big steps in forged transitions.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Finally got around to putting some moton lotion in the land barge today, absolutely SLUGGED at the BOWSER.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

I've never personally seen such big transition plates before, these sets jumping from 100 lb rail to 55 lb rail.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Point of sale, position of safety are the main two I would know of

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I've just worked out you can get a list view of the fuel prices in the Service Victoria app. If you scroll down you can see the places that it's advisable to not run low. Especially Lake Bolac.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

This one shows a CCTV camera along with a wireless bridge mounted on an overhead structure in the recently rebuilt roads next to the gardens platform. It's interesting what you can put on overhead structures when you want to. Anyway they're the only interesting photos that I took.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Just spent my 5th day in a row at Newport Workshops, but didn't really take many photos. Anyway here is a couple. This is the positively fantabulous switch controlling the fans in one of the timber cars that SRHC bought down. Sadly I can't remember if this was in the Parlour Car or State Car No. 4.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I was just just half watching a YouTube video when a Deltic turned up, you know I don't think I've ever heard one at full noise before. Sounds like a track machine! Deeply unserious audio qualities tbh. (I was listening to an EMD 567 flat chat earlier today - so my ears are perhaps biased).

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Surely the other one is ... the same place, just a handful of years earlier.

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

So from Warrenheip to Ballarat or North Ballarat we ended up with the via Bacchus Marsh posts on one side, and the via Geelong posts on the other side.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

There is some strangeness with the km posts from Warrenheip to Yelta, at some point they were all relabelled to be via North Geelong, I think to make the computerised drivers relief authorities behave under the former Section Authority Working system of safe working that was used on the corridor.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Managed to grab this happy snap of a single S class hustling through Noorinbee earlier, about to pass under the lattice cantilever at the down end with some classic style R signals.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Journey Beyond (always overlooked Overland department): Carriages from 1952 still rolling 73.5 years later.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Watching some random YouTube video, and encountered an example of the cranky yankee practice of not providing holding sections on their gated crossings. So the gates open half way, then the next train enters the approach, and the gates close again. And yes I just videoed the TV like a slacker.

Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

It's definitely a latergram but I thought I would share some classic Victorian and South Australian signalling made from Lego, that I spied on the weekend.

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Reposted by Fixed Block

G:Link enjoyer @b10mse.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

It’s real. (from Facebook)

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Fixed Block @fixedblock.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

FYI I can't get DM's to work on this platform, so I sent you a DM on the terrible platform.