About This Web Site

This is the personal web site of Michael Angelico, a gunzel who writes Web Sites in what fragments of his spare time are not taken up with more usual railfanning activities (riding trains).

"Go By Rail!" has become my favourite slogan - I mutter or shout it when I see semi-trailers on the freeway, especially when they have the name of a railway operator (eg Patricks, Freight Australia, etc) on the side.

This site grew out of a smaller one called Iron Horses Victoria. As it got bigger and began to focus away from steam and more towards current features of the railway scene, I decided to use a more generic title.

How this site was built (in case you want to do one just like it)

I code HTML by hand, with the aid of HTML-Ed v0.96b, a simple text editor with keyboard macros to speed up HTML coding.

The source files were compiled using PPWizard, a FREE tool for Windows, OS/2, DOS and UNIX by Dennis Bareis.

All testing was done using IBM WebExplorer, Netscape v2.02 and v4.61, Mozilla Firebird and Firefox for OS/2 Warp/eComStation.

In order to provide the most useful site I can, I have tried to avoid graphics and have shown most links as text only. Therefore this site is best viewed with a web browser, with the screen switched on, and with your eyes open.

About me (in case you're interested)

When I was a baby with two whole years of experience behind me, my Daddy worked just opposite the Glen Waverley railway station, where Harris, Hitachi and Comeng trains (although I didn't know their names back then) were stabled pending the peak hour. Such was my introduction to the great world of railways. My enthusiasm rapidly infected the whole family, and we rapidly became a "train-mad" family.

After a few years away from the trains in the world of military aviation, we became the proud owners of a video player, so all the old train videos ("Main Line Magic" and "Pure Steam" are our favourites) came out again and were played about once every 24 hours. With a top-up of "steam in the blood", I took off again. I borrowed every railway technical book in the library, found a wonderful array of Web sites and got the models down from the top of the cupboard.

From reading magazines and books, talking with other interested people, and just plain spending time riding trains, I have steadily increased my knowledge to the point where I can now call myself a Gunzel - like a railfan but more so.

Currently I am a councillor of the Australian Railway Historical Society Victorian Division and a member of SRHC. I'm also a moderator, Ghost of George Stephenson and Chief Blabbermouth (I mean #1 top poster) on Railpage. But Railpage's pagerank is much higher than GoByRail's so you probably know that already.

My slang (in case I accidentally use it in this site):

• Blue: Connex refurbished Comeng.
• Broady: Broadmeadows, or occasionally 394M and the Comeng set that ran away from Broady to Spencer Street.
• Gummint: (Not mine originally) The government, or any government body (DoI, Victrack, etc).
• Heebie: Hurstbridge. From the three-letter code HBE, with passing reference to Cousin Hebe in Gilbert and Sillivan's HMS Pinafore
• Jordy: Jordanville. Close to home so it gets shortened.
• Lizzie Street: Elizabeth Street, or (depending on context) the Elizabeth Street entrance to Flinders Street Station.
• Marshy: Bacchus Marsh. A great place for a train trip, especially with small children. Pity it isn't in Zone 3. (Yet?)
• Packo: Pakenham.
• Saint Vinnies: St Vincent's Plaza, the super-stop on Victoria Parade.
• Sandy: Sandringham.
• Seebie: Cranbourne. From the three-letter code CBE, in parallel with Heebie.
• Smiley: M>Train refurbished Comeng (from the front-on view). I still call the EDI-refurb Comengs that even though they don't smile any more. Of course, they can also be called the Doleful Trains (see Impatience)!
• Smiley-mob: M>Train. Familiar, not derogatory. Sometimes I accidentally use it to refer to M>Tram too, but that's not quite right.
• Stony: Stony Point or anything pertaining thereto
• Strap, Strapper, Strapo: Xtrapolis. Not derogatory - I like the things despite the fact that I'm in a minority.
• Tashy: Hitachi. That does not say "trashy"! I like them even better!
• Toke: Tocumwal. A shining example (in my mind) of the benefits of privatisation - the terminal operator drums up the business and the rail operator just runs the train to the port.
• Willie: Williamstown. I bet you can't guess what North Willie means.
• Willie Street: William Street.
• Yellow: Unrefurbished Comeng. I know some people call them green, but I look at the front.

• FCL Transport - my former employer, and only former because I wasn't able to do much of my ARHS work on company time. They were perfect in every other way.
• Yarra Trams
• West Coast Railways (RIP)
• Queensland Rail

• Tram: A-class
• Spark: Hitachi
• Loco: Y-class

• Kingsley Educational Pty Ltd - our family business
• Are you trying to be funny, boy? - general jokes page