85th Anniversary of Spirit Of Progress

[@tsegulin]

Wonderful combination of great footage with a great score, reflective, slightly sad but with a gravitas that lifted the image. Loved the cuts with the aeroplanes! When I was a small kid, my Aunty Peg pulled into Sydney Central Station from Melbourne on the diesel version of The Spirit of Progress. For a little boy this big dark blue and yellow train was rather daunting to begin with, but I can still remember my well intentioned grandfather lifting me up to one of the circular windows on the side of the loco to see the thunderous engine inside and and I: could think of was that I might be dropped into the scary gap between the loco and the platform. With live steam train races in NSW elsewhere on YT, it seem such a pity that nobody at VR had the foresight to preserve such an iconic train. Young people today have little idea about steam. It's true that diesels were more efficient and the lives of the engine crews on these old steams beast were hard, especially in bad weather, but steam had a unique personally, a combination of sounds, smells and a mesmerizing synchronicity of wheels, links, reversing gear etc. that once experienced can never be forgotten. Well, not for me, anyway. The next time somebody tells you that you can't stop progress, ask yourself what we are also going to lose because of it. Thanks for a very atmospheric video.

[@mattk183]

Oh my goodness. This comment, I was very happy to receive. So good, that, I was kind of moved! I have pinned this comment, thank you so much, you have made my day. I’m a Year 12 school student where I come from the generation of new modern trains. It was great reading how you felt as a child, and your great story of the train! Thanks for watching

[@tsegulin]

@@mattk183 No worries Matt183! I'm still hearing that score in my head - I probably will all day. A great choice. I was in my teens as steam was being phased out. I was a nerdy Sydney kid and liked to hang out at The Museum of Arts and Sciences where they had what seemed like dozens of beautiful scale models of steam engines, which you could operate by pressing a button or twisting a knob. There were locomotives, marine engines and just studying the many linkages and how it all synchronized together was quite fascinating. Imagine the notion that you could run a steam engine in reverse just by slipping the valve phase with the reversing linkage - no reverse gear needed, unlike an internal combustion engine! As steam locomotives were being relegated to shunting duties and some short country runs, I would sometimes go to Central Station, stand by an 1890s vintage Beyer-Peacock and wait for the signal to drop. The engineer would first clear the water out of the cylinders by shooting a deafening blast of steam through them and for twenty seconds or so the whole world would fade into warm, sticky greyness with a sweet smell of oil and steam. I used to love that. I recall one day taking the old Dee Why ferry back from Manly to Circular Quay. There was a void on the main deck level through which the triple expansion steam engine was visible and as I poked my head over to get a better look, my hair shot up and stood on end due to the upward blast of hot rising air. Goodness knows how guys worked down there all day. One day in 2019 on a visit back to Oz I ran into the immaculate Beyer-Garratt 6029 'City of Canberra' at Goulburn station. These engines used to haul coal over the Blue Mountains and down to Sydney along the Northern line and almost never appeared on the North Shore line which would take them over the harbour bridge (for one thing they would have had to go underground, severely smoking up Wynyard and Town Hall stations). Occasionally though one did and would pass through the rail cutting behind my school with huge puffs of steam appearing to shoot out of the ground making a thunderous racket that shook the ground and disrupted a normally tedious third class, much to our teacher's annoyance (an extra bonus in itself). It was so nice to meet one again after all those years. The only inauthentic thing about 6029 was that she was maintained in magnificent showroom condition. The real working steam engines were filthy, covered in soot and oil. True, steam was dirty and hugely inefficient - only a small percentage of all that coal or oil thermal energy made it to the wheels or the screws. Most was wasted as heat, uselessly vented off into the atmosphere and back then the notion of greenhouse gases was in its infancy. But steam had unique character you won't find on any diesel or electric train. When I was young, there was a somewhat exotic sense of stepping aboard a steam train headed somewhere far away, like Melbourne perhaps. The coaches had a certain scent of wood and disinfectant and you knew this was a special place, you were somehow privileged to be there. To me it seemed like the journey was more important than the destination. At night as you lay in bed you could hear the distant almost spooky wails of steam whistles, getting closer then further away, then fainter and fainter. As a kid I thought of those lucky people being transported to somewhere far more exiting than where I lived. I hope VR (or whatever they call themselves these days) has allowed intrepid Victorian volunteers to preserve and operate some live steam for young folks to see. Puffing Billy is nice, but something the scale of The Spirit of Progress must have been something altogether different. Great work mate! Keep up the videos. I'll be watching for them.

[@mattk183]

Thanks! So interesting that steam trains were a form of entertainment at your school

[@tsegulin]

@@mattk183 We would sometimes hear the rails ringing first. Our third class teacher would then start threatening any boy who got out of their seat, but it was no good. By the time the Garratt was passing our class everyone was staring out the window and some of us were standing on our chairs to get a better look. I don't recall if he ever hit any of over this, but that was pretty common fare, so he may well have. I found school tedious and boring and I will always have a soft spot for a Garratt that on rare occasions might lift our spirits.

[@mattk183]

@@tsegulin the garret lifted everyone’s spirits if everyone went to the window! The teacher didn’t want to see the train, how lame

[@nailezoupani]

Thanks Matt for your comment😊😊Have a great week😊

[@mattk183]

You too! My exams start tomorrow, can’t wait till it’s finished. Have a great week Naile 😊

[@nailezoupani]

@@mattk183 good luck Matt. Wishing you all the best🙏🙏

[@nkelly.9]

Utterly magnificent. Made in Melbourne when we used to make things, and before capital gains tax breaks for speculation existed. We were world leaders. Nowadays, when we wanted to introduce a world leading NBN system we were told "why should we have a Ferrari when all we need is a Holden?" The Spirit of Progress was a Ferrari . They said, "Let's build it". Melbourne introduced a world leading train. Work/production used to be the reward. After howard, speculation/stock markets/flipping houses became the main game because of the tax breaks he handed out.. We used to be involved with investment, innovation and investing in our people. Not any more, the country has been turned into a dog eat dog society.

[@mattk183]

I couldn’t put it in a better way!

[@robertcameron2808]

Thanks for the memories I drove the spirit and the aurora many times

[@mattk183]

That sounds awesome! Best job ever

[@markaylott1780]

Without a doubt, Australia's best looking "name" train that lasted for well over 50yrs. The pride of Victorian Railways? Bloody oath 😎👍

[@mattk183]

Exactly! Bloody oath!

[@Eleina1951]

And there is no reason why she isn't still running today! The standard gauge train that was given her name is not her! They had to build that train because she won't fit on the standard gauge line and preservation rules forbid any changes including to her wheel width! Many will argue that you can't have 2 trains with the same n as me. Why not? There are 2 Flying Scotsman! The world famous steam locomotive and the Azuma express that runs between London and Edinburgh. The standard gauge 'Spirit' takes people on scenic tours between Melbourne and Sydney. This, the original Spirit of Progress should be taking people on scenic tours all over Victoria on the broad gauge line! She wasn't built just to end up spending most of her time locked away in sheds!!!!

[@cobraxspeed]

Beautiful Train that would not looK out of place running from Sydney to Melbourne Today, the romance of rail is returning

[@mattk183]

Wow! Sydney to Melbourne would be a dream to ride that train!

[@Eleina1951]

This train has never been to Sydney! She won't fit on the standard gauge line! And don't suggest that they narrow the width of her wheels, She is under heritage protection her original construction format must be retained! The standard gauge version is a replacement its existence is justified but only this train is the true Spirit of Progress! No other train should have been given her name!!!!

[@cobraxspeed]

@@Eleina1951 I am only in reply out of good manners, I know the train has never been to Sydney and NO i am not trying to suggest it be altered in any way shape or form. Have a BEX and a little lie down for GOODNESS SAKE ! oh have a nice day now be on your way.

[@raymondwelsh6028]

It was a travesty that none of the locomotives were saved from the scrappers torch for preservation. I’ve seen photos of the locomotives without the streamlined cladding and they were a magnificent looking locomotive. I don’t know if they did the trip non stop or had to coal and water along the way? It just shows how far our railways have deteriorated. Great video.🇦🇺

[@mattk183]

I believe at the Seymour Heritage Rail Centre they have kept an original tender from the S class, which is good! Between Melbourne and Albury, they ran non stop! The journey was around 3 and 1/2 hours

[@beagle7622]

Yes they ran non stop. They had 1 fireman who shovelled the whole distance. It was a highly sort job . The streamlining was nothing fancy. Just painted steel wrapped around the S class body. My Dad told me that the Spirit was on posters etc for years. I have done the trip in 3 hrs 25 with a G Class Diesel of 3200 Hp. It’s a bad reflection on Australia that trains are no quicker today.

[@mattk183]

@@beagle7622 Exactly! The Spirit was faster than our Standard Gauge Vlocity

[@johnd8892]

Shovelling coal all the way until converted to oil burners for the last few years of their life.

[@mikevale3620]

@@mattk183 No...that's not correct. The V'Locity stops at 9 extra stations, travels via Sunshine on the standard gauge line and still beats the Spirit timetable by around 20 minutes, but I'm not comparing comfort, just speed.

[@mikevale3620]

Very well put togther...thankyou. I guess in 5 years they'll cobble all the cars together for another run to Ballarat seeing as Albury's probably still out of the question and by then the Albury line may finally be sorted out and the overcrowding, refresh and track issues ironed out...hopefully.

[@mattk183]

It would be great to do another Spirit tour to Ballarat

[@robertmwoodley1502]

Across the border, New South Wales Government Railways introduced the Silver City Comet, the Empire's first all steel, all air-conditioned, diesel express a few months before the Spirit of Progress.

[@mattk183]

One of my favourite trains that went from Orange to Broken Hill

[@Eleina1951]

Firstly there is no empire! Secondly you must be talking about the train introduced in 1967 when the standard gauge line was extended through to Melbourne. They had to build another all seater train for the Melbourne to Sydney trip because the broad gauge Spirit of Progress could only go as far as Albury and that's how it still is today. It would have e been better if the standard gauge train had been given a different name!!!!

[@robertmwoodley1502]

@@Eleina1951 The Silver City Comet and Spirit of Progress were trains introduced in 1936-1937 at the height of the British Empire before World War II. In 1962 when Standard Gauge was extended right through from Albury to Melbourne, the new glamour train was the Southern Aurora, an all-sleeper. The Spirit of Progress ran right through from Sydney to Melbourne but was no longeer the crack train of choice. There was also an Intercapital Daylight which ran right through.

[@Alzaar_The_Gunzel]

I have walked into a former Sprit of Progress car at ARHS Museum a few times.

[@mattk183]

One of the best parts showcased at the museum 😊

[@Alzaar_The_Gunzel]

@@mattk183true

[@nickwalker147]

Really well put together video Matt-yes the choice of music made it feel sad, but otherwise well done. Its such a shame that no S Classes were preserved :(

[@mattk183]

Thanks mate, the music is definitely moving. When my mum was doing yoga, I heard that this song was playing on her speaker, and I thought this song would be perfect

[@nickwalker147]

@@mattk183 Loved seeing the footage of the train racing the Tigermoth at the end too-I've read a lot about it but never seen the footage

[@patrickbryant5224]

Great compilation. Nice music as a backdrop to an otherwise mainly silent movie. Well done.

[@mattk183]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@johnd8892]

Other longer versions of the original film have the narrator Terry Dear describing each part from carriage construction at Newport Workshops to the plane pacing shots. Spirit of Progress - Australia's Wonder Train was the films name.

[@mattk183]

@@johnd8892 Yes! I have the DVD for it

[@rsinclair6560]

Good to know they named the freeway road bridge across the Murray River next to the rail bridge the 'Spirit of Progress '.

[@mattk183]

Yeah, great to leave a great legacy to one of Australia’s iconic machinery

[@mikevale3620]

Yes...that's absolute sacrilege. What does road transport have to do with an iconic passenger train?

[@rsinclair6560]

@@mikevale3620 The inland rail project will be heightening the steel lattice arches on top of the rail bridge to allow double stack containers. Therefore the weight increases significantly per wagon axle load. However when there was broad and standard gauge tracks, only one train at a time was allowed over due to the structural load limit either beam or pile capacity, I don't know which. Records lost in archive. I think it is a standard NSWGR design steel lattice bridge. Will modern stree analysis work or should they construct a new bridge next to old to take higher loads?

[@mikevale3620]

@@rsinclair6560 I was referring to the Hume Freeway bridge over the Murray being called the Spirit of Progress bridge and the sacrilege of naming a road bridge after the iconic train.

[@nailezoupani]

How cool. The spirit of progress. Great archival video. Love these trains. Such a sense of nostalgia. Thank you for sharing this video 😀

[@mattk183]

Thanks for watching Naile! Hope you have a great week! 😊

[@raymondwelsh6028]

Just watched this again, wouldn’t I be great if an enterprising organization got a R class and fitted it with S class type streamline cladding. I know the wheel arraignment wouldn’t be correct and no one would put up the money but it would a great knock off to see traversing our rails.🇦🇺

[@letsseeif]

Echos of my childhood riding on The Spirit of Progress often fondly called 'The Spita'.. ps. This was before the Victorian rail gauge (5 feet 3 inches) was changed, so it was a case of 'all change' at Abury where N.S.W. standard (4feet eight) applied.

[@mattk183]

Yes, that’s correct! Type into KZbin search, “Journey of a Nation” by the NFSA, recorded in the 40s and talks about the gauge problem for Vic and NSW

[@letsseeif]

@@mattk183 thanks very much. I'll follow your recommendation MattK183. 🙂

[@Eleina1951]

Yes and then the narrower track was extended into Victoria and they built a new train that would fit on it! They put the name Spirit of Progress on its side but it is NOT and will never be this train! Don't get me wrong, I've been on it. It's a terrific train but it should have been given a different name!!!!

[@gregbowen617]

Great video ! I rode this train numerous times as a youngster with my parents, I loved it… it’s a shame that the locomotives were scrapped and not preserved like some of the the cars were…

[@mattk183]

Yeah, definitely a shame, but Seymour Rail Heritage has kept all carriages and the parlour car. I believe they have one of the tenders from the S class, getting it restored

[@Eleina1951]

This is NOT the train that ran on the standard gauge line to Sydney! This train won't fit on that track! And she doesn't belong locked away in some heritage rail museum or anywhere else! She should be taking people on scenic rail tours all over Victoria like Flying Scotsman does in Britian! I initially said that theEdwa4d Henty and the C J Latrobe locomotives should be reconstructed to pull her but if that's too costly use something else! Scotsman is about the locomotive, This is about what is supposed to be the pride and joy of Victorian trains! Get her back on the tracks!!!!

[@ethanspaziani1070]

The steam age didn't go down without a fight

[@mattk183]

Totally!

[@withinjapan2024]

very cool video

[@mattk183]

Thanks Mark

[@Steven_Rowe]

Lovely coaching stock and colours. The streamlined S class simply doesn't do it for me, it covered up a really good looking loco and would have looked lovely in blue. Very sad none survived, as they would sound the best, nothing sounds better than a 3 cylinder engine at speed as they sound as if they are galloping. The finest 3 cylinder sounds were the Gresley locos with the conjugated valve gear. I think the s class had the same system

[@mattk183]

Unstreamlined like you say would definitely be quite interesting, but yes, it is sad that none survived. Seymour Heritage Rail Centre luckily kept one of the tenders, which they are restoring

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@mattk183 to be honest the only streamlined steam loco that really looks amazing was the Gresley A4. I don't even like the NSW C38s they look like the old barrel vacuum cleaners. The un streamlined ones look great I really like the Victorian R class, I have seen them in blue and I don't think it was a livery they carried but they do look good in it

[@maxxfx4767]

Sp incredibly sad that a stream lined S was never preserved

[@mattk183]

Yeah, such a shame, but from what I’ve heard is that the Seymour Herritage Rail Centre is preserving one of the tenders! Which I think is very cool, there are photos of it on their facebook page

[@JacobGrimaR761]

and the NYC Hudsons, luckily the Flying scotsman just missed the same fate

[@MarkHenstridge]

Excellence in railway travel, well done VR

[@mattk183]

Thanks 🙏