Taking the train(s) from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

1. Closest MRT to Woodlands Train Checkpoint is Marsiling. A local bus takes you straight to the Checkpoint or it's a 1.5 km walk.

2. KTMB (Malaysian Trains) have shuttles running regularly (often every 30 minutes). Journey time to Johor Bahru Central is 5 minutes. You may choose to overnight in JB. Loads of attractions/theme parks for kids plus retail outlets and restaurants for adults.

3. If you want a leisurely day train journey to KL:
Take the 9:15 from JB Central. Arriving in Gemas around 13:25. Then catch the new electrified line (nicer train) from Gemas at 15:10, arriving KL Central around 17:30 (signals permitting).

JB Central

Leaving JB Central

JB Central to Gemas carriage (only one class) Limited power points.

They don't call it the 'jungle line' for nothing. You also have to like palm plantations

Last station before KL Central is the magnificent KL Station.

Modern interior of the Gemas - KL Central train. Warning - rug up - the air conditioning is icy and unrelenting. Seats have power points.

Britrail Passes are a rip-off. Save $100's by booking online direct

My wife and I were going to buy Britrail passes from a third-party (the only way non-UK citizens can buy them). A flexible 8 day pass (Senior, Standard Class) was going to be $539 AUD each.
We had our itinerary worked out, so we decided to try booking individual journeys online.

NationalRail website

Choose your time and fare

• Go to nationalrail.co.uk  
• You can book up to 12 weeks in advance.
• You can get an overview of the cheapest tickets possible. 
• After you select the cheapest, you will be redirected to the local rail company's booking website (e.g. Virgin Trains, CrossCountry Trains)
• Prices can be as low as 5 pounds (e.g. Inverness to Edinburgh). Sometimes First Class is the same price.
• When you choose your journey, you can select seats as well. You are emailed a booking reference number with your itinerary. You simply take this number, as well as the credit card you used to pay for the trip to a ticket machine at the station. 

Tallying up the 9 journeys around England and Scotland, we saved over $400 by booking directly. 

The train guru website: seat61.com has a similar topic.

Plan ahead and save heaps. Avoid Travel Agents.

Another tip. Accommodation on a Saturday night can be ridiculously expensive. Either travel on a night sleeper or check out B&B's for a fraction of the price.

White Night, Melbourne 2018

More consistent than previous years. No 'dead areas'. More performers. Excellent crowd control. 

Tip to avoid the crowds and the queuing: 

Arrive in the early hours of the morning. Trains and trams run all night. 

We arrived at 3:40 a.m. (from Parliament Station - closest to Exhibition Building) then headed south on Swanston Street, finishing at N.G.V. and Alexandra Gardens, leaving on 7:00 a.m. train from Flinders Street.

Town Hall, with opera performance from balcony

National Gallery of Victoria

"The Secret Life of Books" projections inside Reading Room, State Library

Retro projections, Forum Theatre

State Library

Bangkok's Underground - MRT

Booths at Lumphini Station

Cheap, clean and efficient. Why can't Australia have a system like this? Spotless carriages, no graffiti, no smells of someone else's junk food. Food and drink are prohited.
Fares start at 16 Baht (60 cents). You can travel to the other side of the city (e.g. Chatuchak Market) for 42 Baht ($1.57).

Beat the traffic!

A grumpy old man rant: Parenting tips

Hey parents of young children, want your kids to be not so loud in public places? Here's an idea. Speak quietly to your child. It's called modelling.
My wife and I (okay, we only have one child, but we have a combined 70+ years of primary teaching experience) have observed this is phenomena in restaurants, train carriages, waiting rooms, shopping centres, etc. Parents speaking at the top of their voices to their sprogs for no good reason.
My theory is you are announcing to those around you what a caring, inclusive and totally cool parent you are.
Why not talk in conversational tones? They wonder why their kids shout, scream and squeal continuously.

Well that's my grumpy old fart rant. Comments?

A sad, true Melbourne story

Thousands of Melbourne train travellers would get a warm glow from this sight each day - a display of soft toys decorating the Burnley Station signal box window. If jaded commuters got a charge, (I know my wife and I did), then small children would have been rapped, anticipating this delightful tableau, making the train journey to the city seem quicker. The display would change during the year - especially Christmas. How this custom started, I do not know.
Yesterday the signal box window facing the trains was empty. Only a sign: "Eric Sibly, R.I.P."

Apparently Mr Sibly was a much loved Station Master, train buff, traveller and employee of the Victorian Railways (now privatised). He was 73.