The 'end of an era' for a perfectly good working locomotive and train set? WTF Australia! You need an east and west train from Darwin to connect the continent round-trip with connections to Alice Springs.

These are Tait Sets from Melbourne, not Red Rattlers from Sydney.

Great video mate

The Avon river bridge was the only thing previously stopping this from happening

I remember when there were plans for a very fast train to use this line on the way to Sydney this was going to be a proper high speed train like they have in china , How backward our rail system is.

no gippslander no onboard cafe for snacks just a serviceless v locity train for all that distance how sad

A couple of years ago (cant remember exactly when, old age! ) I came back from Adelaide on the Overlander and caught the late train from S/C to Bairnsdale and lo and behold it was the loco set, most comfortable trip far superior to the velocity. And i might add that since i stopped driving during the covid panic I have been travelling by vic rail to Melbourne and back on a number of occasions as my daughter and her family live in the Dandenong area, and tit is ALWAYS well patronised.

The Druglander 😂

One of my fave trains

¡hasta luego!

Incredible

It’s a pity Australia drivers are so horn shy.

Will they be stilled used for frieght

Why are they getting rid of them its sad

Typical government.... reducing our infrastructure and capacity to do anything....

On long distance routes locomotive hauled carriages are much more comfortable and quieter than DMUs.

What a great video and unfortunately I never got to see see or meet the Train Enthusiast or Driver in Beaconsfield as I used to go there on the first train from Hallam and back then 20 years ago and you never knew if the met train went first or the Freight Train and getting back to the locomotive they were great to see and hear these velocity trains are pathetic nowadays and it was better when you could reserve a seat.

I can’t believe I was on that last service purely by chance. Was cool meeting you and your friends and cheers for the shout out for the footage. Also… Jeez, I hope they add a buffet car to the VLocity services. 4 hours from SC to Bairnsdale is quite long to have no option to buy food.

And after the last Gippsland line N, they didn't even go a week before hitting us with another weekend of bustitution. Some things never change, it seems. 😆

I may not be a local, but having travelled on these trains I will greatly miss them once they fully retire❤

9:01 I wonder who that is 😂

such a remarkable experience after around 40 years of work. Its like how Great Western Railway in Britain retired their Class 43 locomotives from service after 41 years. Its so sad to see these beloved engines go

Not the first time, around 1992 during the Kennet era, I travelled to Bairnsdale in the last few days of trains to Bairnsdale and there were no passengers beyond Sale until Bracksy reinstated the service.

6:16, what was that?

Very well put together video. It looked like a fun last service!

I love seeing your videos pop up in my subscription box. Nice and simple

Such a shame the train no longer runs between Sydney and Melbourne. Little wonder people fly. Nobody can really afford the Ghan or Indian Pacific. The rest of the trains are substandard. It's 2024 now.

I remember watching the Spirit of Progress quite often travelling thru Pascoe Vale on its way to Albury with my older brother when I was just a little kid on the weekends which was obviously when it was still on broad gauge back in the late fifties and early sixties and still can remember the Parlour car all lit up, I was mesmerised by the beautiful blue train and the sound of then near new GM locos, but one occasion I will never forget is when our father took us down to Pascoe vale near the station trackside near the Dennis Hotel to watch the Last run of the Spirit of Progress on Broad on broad gauge which was hauled by a Steam locomotive to commemorate the event and can still clearly remember the driver blowing his whistle and giving us a wave and there were a lot of people lining the track to also wave farewell, a wonderful memory that also gave me a lifelong interest in trains

nice one Max

Why upload 1 day before the 2024 shuttles

shittest video mate

Very well presented, nice video.

Great video. Brings back memories of when I travelled between Ararat and Melbourne on trains hauled by Steam Locomotives. Then the B Class diesel locomotives began replacing them.

Great video mate

Fantastic, a joy to watch.

Very nice quality, good video.

Great video Max

Fantastic video Max, looks like it would have been a great trip to chase. One of the few lines i haven't got much footage of

I remember waving my Dad off at Sydney Central on Spirit of Progress. He travelled on it to Melbourne as part of his annual leave from the Post Office to see his sister, play some golf and go to that horse race on the first Tuesday in November.

Great memories, many thanks. A skilfully prepared and presented video. I travelled on the Spirit of Progress in the 1950s in the days when the Parlour Car was always at the rear of the consist, and carried an illuminated name plate on the curved rear end. For this, the whole train was turned at Wodonga and North Melbourne depot.

N451 looks so unfitting for that train it should have been T357! The N set cars should have never on the train! It should have been all of the original 1937 spirit progress cars!>:(

great video mate

Great video Max, would have been a great chase this one and an easy one on the branchline. Nice work

Great video, was a great day out and was an awesome couple of hours at Seymour as well, along with the day before when S307 got reactivated and R707 was also there of course with H3 & H5 on the tour

Long ĺive A2 986😂

12:07 OMG PIGEON!!!

Your camera really is spectacular! Wish A2 986 still had her white buffers.

Excellent video quality as always, keep up the great work!

We id the Spirit and ICD on Dynos roster

Used to take VLines to rural Victoria. Loved the trips. Miss them very much nowadays.