Single Deck Interurbans U Sets Sydney

19 Minutes A selection starting with the first day of electric trains to Wollongong, ending with a ride to Broadmeadow.
As with most of my vintage videos, I should have taken more.
The biggest mistake amongst fans is to assume that 'newish' trains, and infrastructure which has been around forever, will both be here for ever. And that new trains are too new to video.

[@barryballsit4944]

Tremendous video, great memories of travelling on these to Newcastle, it was magic cruising past Hawkesbury River and Brisbane Water on a nice day with open windows and open doors. Very comfy seats and the little square heaters above each row, operated by a pull card. How good some one thought to make a video back then, so we can reminisce now

[@tressteleg1]

Well, I am also the cameraman, and I also obviously appreciated them. The HET group is restoring 4 cars in Sydney although some cars have badly worn wheels. Hopefully these can be replaced somehow.

[@richardsmith8654]

We really are indebted to you for this video. The uBoats were my favourite train. I wish they could get one of the preserved sets back in operation. I could not agree more with your comment on the 86 class!

[@tressteleg1]

The HET Group has a U set in Sydney but it had been neglected for and will need a lot of work but the volunteers would like to tackle it when a few other trains have been finished. It has to be also checked to make sure wheels are not worn down too much.

[@SulphideJunction]

HET is well and truly underway with restoring a 'U Boat', meant to be a few years away until it runs, but the day it takes passengers, I'll be there, to relive my 'misspent youth' on the 'Short North' riding around on those things.

[@lundsweden]

I almost froze to death in one of these travelling from Newcastle to Sydney at night during 1988. I didn't have a jacket and I was chilled to the bone! Noisy as heck too. Even then I thought of these railcars as very old fashioned and were obviously on their way out. The seats were very bouncy too, like suburban red rattler seats.

[@tressteleg1]

They were fitted with electric heaters under the seats but I suppose it’s possible that on your trip the driver did not turn them on, or maybe they simply were not working. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling they also fitted gas heaters at each end of the car above the saloon entrance doors. But I can assure you they were great fun to drive!

[@Ali6359.]

@@tressteleg1 The way the under seat heaters were wired up was not great on the U sets, with 13 elements in series in the motor cars and 16 in series in the trailer car, connected across 1500v. It only takes 1 bad heater to take the entire series string out, leaving the car with only half heating. Servicing them was time-consuming, and I suppose during the last decade of their service the railways didn't care that much and only did whatever to keep them running, even if half of the system is working. No gas heaters in these trains, the box above the saloon doors housed the heater relay.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

Have a soft spot for the U-Boats, although a lot of the travelling public disliked them, freezing in winter and like an oven in summer. They used to rattle a long at a great rate of knots too, A part from the Beclawat windows they were little changed since their inception. Love the sound of the traction motor whine, good cab ride too...classic!

[@tressteleg1]

I like them too. I was lucky that a few friends let me drive them on a few occasions and they were good fun. I don’t know why they would be freezing in winter as there were electric heaters under many of the seats. But of course if these were not switched on, or repaired when they failed, that would result in a cold carriage.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

@@tressteleg1 Blue Mountains line people called them "Ice Boxes" heaters were pretty poor when you leave Lithgow at minus 5 degrees on a winters morning!

[@tressteleg1]

I suppose that if the driver turned on the heaters 10 minutes before departure time, the carriages would not have warmed up much. I rode them when fairly new in the 60s, and the heating seemed all right but of course that was starting from the Sydney end and probably after the train had been in service a few hours.

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@Crosshead1]

Always loved riding the 'U boats'. I well remember a few high speed runs where the ride could get a little exciting. Re. your comments about recording modern train operations, it's good to see so many young train enthusiasts (eg. Phil from Sydney Trains Vlogs and others) recording so much activity. Just so long as this doesn't get lost in the ether.

[@tressteleg1]

Re 'Exciting Rides' in their earlier days, they had some truck fault and at high speed such as towards Penrith it felt like the power bogie was bucking back and forth. This jolting was rather noticeable. Maybe they fixed it with shock absorbers or something later, but it certainly needed to be remedied. Yes, I agree that it is good to see some younger people interested in hobbies such as this, instead of electronic internet games. Transport museums could do with some willing young hands too!

[@Crosshead1]

+tressteleg1 The Penrith 'speedway' was exactly where I was talking about. The Sputnik sets had the same bogies and the same 'bucking' problems, at least in the power cars. They seemed to solve the problem with the U sets with extra dampers but these were never fitted to the Sputnik bogies and the problem continued for as long as they were in service. Maybe the thought was that the Sputniks never travelled at high speed. But they could be bloody uncomfortable to ride in when the bucking started.

[@bloodyfingers1on1]

Why do the front of these remind me of cyber men off dr who. Thx for posting - love all these old trains bring back great memories from my youth.

[@tressteleg1]

😊

[@Woodland26]

delete! delete!

[@arokh72]

Wow Dec 1985. I was a fairly newly minted 13, and finishing my first year of high school. I didn't get any opportunities to go on the "U Boats", though I seem to recall a similar diesel carriage, at least. I don't think those were DMUs, but loco sets pulled by an 86 class. I do recall jumping on them coming up from the Southern Highlands, at Liverpool, and riding them into Central. Booked ticket checking wasn't as strict in the early 90s.

[@ABC-rb5uf]

Geez, I wish we could start the 620/720 back in operation today. Would be nice to be able to get a train from Orange to Mudgee again. They state should make a law, that no diesel units or cars can be scrapped if there is any demand whatsoever in rural areas. Lovely video of the U's also. Cheers for spending for day filming this. Hopefully this will go on as a record for future generations, that people could use a train with a door open, without dying, lol.

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, as the years go on the world gets more and more mundane. Luckily I thing no diesel railcars we’re scrapped because nobody wanted them.

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks for that update on 623/723.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Lucky I crammed in memories when they were around.Used to wag sport every Tuesday to ride one to Woy Woy and back to Eastwood in the afternoon.Also caught them nearly everyday after Tafe in Ultimo in 1991.Lived how the original GE fans at the ends of the saloon with metal blades remained until the end and they still worked!They were very fast trains!!

[@tressteleg1]

+James French They were fine trains with plenty of useful life left but I suspect their replacement was hastened simply because they were not double-deckers when everything else was. Let's hope that a preserved 4 car set will be running occasionally in the future.

[@imacgra1]

re the seemingly early retirement of the U-boats, Some of the later red rattlers (sputnik cars for example) also had similarly short service lives, or even shorter ones, what with the need to increase train capacity and all. I understand also that the U-boats didn't get much love in terms of maintenance, so some were in pretty average condition (electrically) when they were retired. Can't remember where I got that, and if someone knows better I'll be happily corrected.

[@G516R700]

Another great video, i wonder if we will see another U set grace the rails again some day, it would be great to see. Loved the cab ride video too. Excellent

[@tressteleg1]

When you see this video, you will see that there is hope but at the moment all efforts are going into getting more cars fit for F1 for the electric centenary in 2026. Especially 3102 which is the oldest electric car and I believe was in the first official electric train across the Harbour Bridge in 1932. Anyway your efforts or donations will help get the U set running sooner. Historic Electric Traction, Workday at Redfern kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5iuc39pprhod7c

[@Ali6359.]

Set U2 (3 motor cars and 2 trailers) is under restoration, but will need extensive electrical, mechanical and air pressure work done as these trains were run down to the ground during the early to mid 1990's, and were never overhauled. Major electrical restoration progress has been achieved on one of the motor cars, but will need to be repeated on the other 2, as each motor car takes about a year and a half of work.

[@GlenSydney]

You have some excellent footage in your collection. Thankyou for sharing!

[@NeathSpadge]

So many wonderful memories in that video. Thank you.

[@tressteleg1]

That’s good to hear!

[@JoelDavies-cl6nr]

Love the Wollongong footage. Norma would have still been running the choo choo bar back then.

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍

[@weofnjieofing]

The leaf sprung variants were the best...lots of bounce and oscillation! Loved them as a child!

[@tressteleg1]

I thought that there was only one spring type used. Anyway the guys at HET are working on restoring a U set so maybe in a few years we can ride one again.

[@Ali6359.]

Only the older suburban cars made up to the 1950's had leaf springs. The Comeng single deck stock which includes the W and U sets uses coil springs.

[@Djr67]

I always call these trains the silver red rattlers as they looked similar , had similar sounds and smells

[@tressteleg1]

Hi Dean, Electrically they were very similar to the 1955 suburban cars, originally called S sets, later W sets. Did you know that the word rattler was used as an insult by media and others only in the last few years they were in service? People usually called them Single Deck Interurbans, U Sets or U Boats (German submarines). Its great to discover that young guys are interested in electric trains.

[@OldAussieAds]

0:42 - No standing behind the yellow line in those days :-)

[@australiantransportvlogs5191]

Sadly, there is times were people still don’t follow those rules

[@normnotnoe2162]

Great old footage as usual - it all looks so familiar even though it’s 30 years later it’s all so recognisable... probably passed by hundreds of times if not more. Last u boat I saw was 1996 passing Stanmore one night, and last one I rode was probably a few weeks before from Syd terminal to Hornsby

[@tressteleg1]

They were good trains.

[@Woodland26]

>20 years ago, someone that I deal with said he bought one single carriage and put it in his country property. It was converted into a cabin for his family to stay in when they visited.

[@tressteleg1]

That’s very possible. The stainless steel ones would be best. Virtually maintenance-free.

[@DKS225]

Vale to the U-Boats built of sturdy stuff like all trains of their time and before

[@leroyybrown]

Love your work I live at Woy Woy but when I moved up the Uboats had long gone.

[@tressteleg1]

+leroyybrown I had a holiday at the Bayview Hotel early 1950s. Just steam thundering past then!

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

Nice to see, and hear, these in action. They remind me of our old leccies. Great stuff ! Brake controller and "MV" symbol on master controller look just like some old London transport stock did.

[@tressteleg1]

Hi River, i twice tried to reply to your comments about your former employer but they never seemed to get through, now that post has disappeared also. If you wish, send me a message via About > Messages in my KZbin account.

[@tressteleg1]

The Richmond Vale museum railway (Newcastle region) probably still has several U set cars which, at the time of my visit some years ago, were hauling visitors behind a steam loco.

[@ScootersTransportVids]

Excellent stuff....👍

[@leahwicks331]

L have always wanted to see what the u boats cab looks like so thank you tressteleg1

[@astapic]

Me Too,I grew up with U boat train rides and wanted to be a train driver,I never got to see the interior of a u boat drivers cab until this video was posted.

[@steeltrap3800]

Enjoying your vids. From the V-set, U-set and the 'red rattlers', they are trips down memory lane.

[@tressteleg1]

It’s great that you enjoy them. Something you may like will appear in a few week’s time. You may not know that the derogatory term Rattler was only applied to the red trains in the last few years of their lives. Fans now usually call them Red Sets.

[@steeltrap3800]

I started catching them in the late 70s. They used to get massive wheel-slip and vibrate like hell. They might not have deserved the term once, but it was appropriate by the time I got them. Doubly so when you consider I could also get a V-set; hard to imagine a bigger difference on the same line.

[@tressteleg1]

It all depends whether you like trains with character. Today’s trains that just make an electronic buzzing noise might be best for ordinary commuters, but are totally lacking in character. At least the V sets make some gear noise, and thus have some character besides being rather comfortable.

[@steeltrap3800]

@@tressteleg1 Thing I remember most about the V sets is the distinctive 'exhaling whistle' sound as the brakes are released. Play me a recording of that sound I'd guess its origin in an instant.

[@tressteleg1]

I have done one or two videos about the V sets but don’t remember their names at this time. Generally they were recorded from the cab so the sounds of the airbrake release probably would not have been heard there. I Daresay people living in Sydney are posting V set videos. Sydney Trains Vlogs could be a good starting point.

[@hamwank]

Great memories

[@tressteleg1]

Good question Budgie Boy. Except on the Qld coalfields west of Rockhampton and Maxkay, there are none. My guess is that somehow it is tied up as a side effect of privatisation of some of QR while there is probably an operational reluctance to train all long distance drivers for a class they may rarely drive, added to the 'too much bother' to change locos at the end of the wire.

[@JohnSmith-sh1cu]

Interesting fact. CF5025, that's the motor car you see at 1:40 and 18:40 with the weird attachment under the window was used in the filming of the Matrix movies (they modified it to look like a NYC subway car). You see it at the end of the subway fight scene in Matrix and in the subway scenes in Matrix Revolutions. Also the car you filmed the cab ride in (CF5027) has been preserved.

[@matthasler7773]

I always suspected, but never knew for sure until now, so thanks for that.

[@dapto234]

Talking of Red Rattlers @11:29 :D

[@tressteleg1]

You will see plenty more Red SETS! here... Single Deck Electric Trains Sydney Part 1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/naqukniAh9aimas

[@marklamont7147]

The old slide up windows were so much better.

[@tressteleg1]

Their main problem was that the rubber guides fell out and then the glass rattled. Then along came air con. And that was that.

[@OldAussieAds]

Amazing to see Narara station in what I assume is the 80s at 13:45! Quick question - How did drivers remember how many carriages they had? On any given route, they'd be using 2 - 8 carriages. Wouldn't they get the occasional "Oops - forgot I was 6 carriages" moments and overshoot the platform?

[@tressteleg1]

I suppose that somebody was daydreaming sometimes but there were Stop boards to remind the driver of just where to stop depending on train size. But driving trams a few times I forgot where I was going and took the tram the wrong way at junctions. So I suppose the odd train driver mucked up. But the guard would rapidly give a few bells to wake him up! And reverse back a bit...

[@NSWRailwaysVideos]

I agree with you there, It is criminal that they stopped using the 86s in the age when cleaner modes of transport are a must.

[@tressteleg1]

I heard once, years ago, that the private rail operators found it 'too much bother' (=cost) to change locos at Broadmeadow. Also the overhead wires were now 'owned' by Citytrains who not only charged for electricity (fair enough) but also for access rights to their wires. If any of that is true, its another negative effect of privatisation. And this could be a factor in the Qld 3900 class electric locos, 'borrowed' by the coalfields, not coming back when replaced with new locos. Disgraceful! (There will be a 3900 in an upcoming Brisbane video)

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

It's been downhill all the way since that Thatcher woman and her awful successor Major privatised our network here in England, all sold off to a bunch of privateering pirates. All of them foreign with no real interest other than making a quick buck. Connex was one, Froggy company. Blocked toilets soon became the norm along with ever dirtier EMU stock.

[@tressteleg1]

+River Huntingdon Unfortunately our Conservatives worshipped that woman and her ideals. Melbourne is the most affected by fully or partly owned foreign operators. The theory was that public operation was inefficient. Connex had the trains for a while. National Express had half the tramway but eventually just walked out. Keolis garbage truck operators has the trams now. Drivers generally feel they are rotten people to work for, keen to sack drivers for minor situations. Shabby trams in service sometimes seen. And of course they have no interest in Melbournwe history or tram culture. Just boost the bonus payments and grab the profits. It was still government run when I drove trams there.

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

When I was unfortunate enough to work for Connex, our first Privateering Pirates, I found out that the parent company was a froggie water company of all things. From then on I'd say to everyone "Connex, the frog water company who couldn't run a bath! " Oh and at the meeting we all went to to meet the new "owners" I wanted to know why it was to be called Connex. Could it be that an "Ex" is a has-been and Conn is french for C**t ? I asked. All us old staff laughed our heads off ...Like you we found they had no interest in the railway, or the old rolling stock, and were purely there for ill-gotten gains. It finally went down the pan and they slid off back to froggieland with a mere £58 MILLION of tax-payer's bailouts,leaving an almighty mess as they'd not realised how many amps their new plastic 375s would draw. WAY too much for the old infrastructure. We, on the ground, worked that out and warned them, but nope, we're old fashioned dinosaurs. Taxpayers bailed them out for that cock-up too.

[@tressteleg1]

Hi River, I thought I had replied to you via Messages a few days ago but I can find no trace of it in my Messages or any way to access you via that medium today. If you care to contact me via About > Send Message on my youtube site I will discuss the privatisation story much more candidly that I will write here. Incidentally, you like old electro-mechanical machines. Have you ever encountered teleprinters/Telex machines? See my GC teleprinters video.... T.

[@geoffreymoore1510]

Thanks for the great old Silver ride. Not sure if in this one or previous noticing mixture of old square windows and replacement ones possibly from Tulloch same as first suburban double decker lower level windows. Even thought I might have seen a third window version but not sure. What year did electrification go from Gosford to Newcastle? Ha just noticed in the heading FIRST DAY of Woollongong electrification question now deleted.

[@tressteleg1]

Some U set cars as well as some suburban cars got those sliding windows as they replaced the single pane windows which at times could rattle. I believe there were only two variations. I’m sure a Google search for Wikipedia will give you the information you need but the north line was first extended Gosford to Wyong then a few years later on to Newcastle. Wollongong/Port Kembla electrification started in December 1985 and that is covered in one of my videos as you have noticed.

[@paash698]

these units look very similiar to the SX cars used in brisbane that were meant to be brisbanes electric train in the 50's. electrification never actually started until 1979. the SX cars were worked first steam hauled, then diesel hauled, though to the early 90's ( in the last few years as peak extras)

[@tressteleg1]

True. They were both built by Comeng but I am unsure if the SX cars were built in Sydney or Brisbane.

[@paash698]

sx were buit at comeng at rocklea in brisbane

[@26TptCoy]

We used to call these 'the silver train' and the suburbans were just 'the train'. the term red rattlers I never heard until late 80's or even 90's and I had used Sydney trains extensively since the mid 1960's. I think there was one from the mountains called 'fish and chips'.

[@tressteleg1]

Liam Murphy Red rattlers was a derogatory term used by the media in the last few years of the red sets. Fans mostly don’t use that term. Many years ago a steam train up the Blue Mountains was regularly driven by a Mr Heron so riders called it The Fish. A slower service then became The Chips. The Fish name carried over to the silver U sets for some years. I’m not sure about The Chips.

[@26TptCoy]

That's interesting to know. I thought the rattle term was maybe introduced by younger people who are used to travelling in the newer trains. Being that the old windows and shutters would rattle loudly when passing another train travelling in the opposite direction or when entering a tunnel. Even the silver trains acted the same. My oldest memory of train travel in the early 1960's was between Parramatta and Central where we boarded a train pulled by what seemed to a small boy, an enormous smelly electric locomotive, the carriages were very old where you first stepped on to what resembled a small verandah then entered through a door into the seating area. i.m guessing it was a train from the mountains. The stations before they used bitumen on the platforms they were covered with crushed white granite.

[@flipflopslover8452]

I'm a fan of old trains and I see the term 'Red Rattler' as an endearment term, never thought it was used as derogatory.

[@volgrencr221]

quick question will you ever release a full vid of you training at hawthorn in 86

[@tressteleg1]

This is all I have…. Becoming a Tram Driver Melbourne 1988, Berlin 1992. Part 1 Melbourne kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWq4gK2ci5ekodU

[@TheClass37man]

Great video, I've been trying to find out the carriage numbers of the DEB Set that was operating down there and was seen in the video. The leading car, PF908, was destroyed in a fire at Farmborough Heights less than two months after this video was filmed. You wouldn't happen to have the full clip shown at 2:09 with the DEB set would you?

[@tressteleg1]

I just checked the raw tape and that is all I have of that train. Too bad about 908 being involved in a fire. A back copy of Railway Digest may give you your required information.

[@TheClass37man]

@@tressteleg1 Appreciate you looking into that for me. The only mention I can find in the Digest is of PF908 but unfortunately not the rest of the consist.

[@tressteleg1]

I checked my book “Rail motors and XPTs” and it said that PF908, TP352 and TC751 were allocated as spare cars which could be added to other trains to make them longer. So it seems that your 908 had no permanent partners. The book is dated 1984.

[@brucektrain1]

Well There is some Remaings... HETS has them working order. (Prob has Like 10 or more Cars incuding motor and trailers) And Valley Heights Depot Museum Only has one of these trailers.

[@jaydee9472]

Whats HETS?

[@brucektrain1]

I meant HET, "Historic Electric Traction"

[@jaydee9472]

I know i found it online.

[@fernandosantosacordionista4010]

muito bom

[@The_Evil_Monkey_93]

@treesteleg1 Did I just see an XP power car coupled to only one carriage ? And on a more personal note if I may ask. Back in the late 80's when you were recording all of this footage. Did it ever occur to you that one day in the future there would be a place you could share these videos and have them be viewed by thousands of people over ?

[@tressteleg1]

+JMSRENFORCER98 If there is a view of an XP and one trailer on the video, then that is what happened. Obviously some sort of workshop transfer. I got the first video camera in 1984 on an overseas trip. My voice on those videos was so that friends who would be interested in the subject would know what is going on and could view the tapes without me. The Australian scenes were taken for my own interest alone just as you take photos just for yourself sometimes. Some people had computers in the 1980s but these were really useless toys. Even 12 years ago most people had only dial-up Internet when it took ages for a photograph to download so even then KZbin was not even a dream. Young people have it so easy because little of today's technology existed 20 or even 10 years ago. My early video cameras cost about $2000 each which was a lot of money then so that is why I have videos of subjects which other people never took. They could not afford the cameras.

[@PBeringer]

LOVE your videos with Jack Lawson. What a fucking legend!

[@tressteleg1]

+PBeringer I think that all I have left from Jack is a short bit in a V set. I'll post it sometime. Unfortunately Jack left us a few years ago.

[@PBeringer]

BRING BACK THE 86 CLASS! :(

[@tressteleg1]

+PBeringer I wish that were possible. At least one has been preserved and was going to be used on some job on the Eastern Suburbs, railway but that never happened. Electrics are too much bother they seem to think.

[@ClamTram96]

Imagine if they were still around in operation

[@tressteleg1]

If only....

[@tressteleg1]

+tressteleg1 I seem to recall there was a push to phase them out as by that time they were the only single deck electric trains remaining and an image of all double-deckers was what was required. I think I read that some of the reason for replacing the lift up windows was rust in the region, certainly in the Reds. Additionally, the Reds, and possibly these also with lift up windows tended to rattle whereas the new type did not. Also the new ones made it harder to stick your head out. Nevertheless they were great trains.

[@Nathan-yq5fc]

Could someone enlighten me about who Jack Lawson was? I've found nothing on him via google but I can only assume he was a train driver ?

[@tressteleg1]

Jack Lawson was a train driver based near Sydney Central and drove every type of train except suburban electric trains. He started work in the days of steam which remained his preferred traction. Over the years I clocked up many miles riding with him and got to know an awful lot more about Interurban operation when there was nobody else in the cab. When his retirement was nearing, I started taking video of him at work to present to him upon his retirement. Luckily I did as this was the source of all the cab ride videos I made when he was driving. Sadly he left this world about five years ago.

[@Nathan-yq5fc]

@@tressteleg1 Thank you so much for the information, as I didn't find even a mention of him, I tried his name + city rail and many variations thereof.

[@tressteleg1]

I think he retired during the 1980s before the internet really got going so information which today would be normally added on the internet was never later added from earlier days.

[@The_Evil_Monkey_93]

Hmmm.... The 6 car U Boats had a very odd consist. M+T+M+T+T+M.. Any reason for that? Even 6 car V sets back in the early to mid 2000's were MTMMTM (I think. Perhaps the middle 2 cars were driving trailers)

[@tressteleg1]

In Sydney they were and still are called Cars and Trailers (and N = Non-Driving Cars without driving cabs). Anyway, the most common arrangements were 4 and 8 car sets. 6 car sets were a 4 car set with half a 4 car set added, as in your U set description. Same with 6 car V sets. I don’t believe there were ever any V set configurations with more Cars than Trailers. While there were some V set D carriages, I don’t think they saw much service as D cars but can’t comment about their placement in six car or other sets.

[@marcconyard5024]

You needed a six car component when building a set to ten cars, so six car U-sets were not uncommon. I shunted elec cars at Hornsby for nearly ten years with a brief stint at Flemington where the U/V sets were based.

[@tressteleg1]

You must have known Brian Burke. I clocked up quite a few miles thanks to him 😄 And of course 6 + 4 = 10

[@marcconyard5024]

Yes, knew Brian very well, shunted with him on many occasions. I visited Melbourne with him to see a weekend of Fowler steam ploughing at Werribee back in 1985- never forget that trip. I also fired his Clayton-Shuttleworth traction engine at the Menangle Steam Museum a few times. Brian was a legend. Sadly missed.

[@tressteleg1]

Certainly sadly missed. And he only lived a few years longer than his parents. For a couple of years a friend and I operated our electric trams at Menangle. I knew he went to steam rallies in Victoria from time to time. It was thanks to him that the only video of the Ropes Creek line was made by me, already on KZbin.

[@OldAussieAds]

Is Jack still around?

[@tressteleg1]

Unfortunately he left us around 10 years ago but he had a good long life. I think he retired around 1987. That is why I took most of the videos involving him.

[@Techno-Universal]

2:15 The regional Diesel unit there looks extremely similar to the U set almost like they were both produced at around the same time using the same general design and a lot of the same parts! :)

[@tressteleg1]

Techno Universal The U sets which date from 1955 have very much the same appearance as the steel suburban electric trains which were first used in 1926. The railcars, which are diesel hydraulic and not diesel electric date from 1949 or thereabouts but nevertheless their style appears based on the earlier electric trains.

[@Techno-Universal]

tressteleg1 Yup it’s quite a fascinating thing as I’ve seen them continuously use the same body designs for extended periods of time for different models like in Ukraine for example as they are still using the same original 1950s soviet body design today with newly built trains but they still have updated equipment,motors and interiors! :)

[@tressteleg1]

Techno Universal. The style was based on something in New York around 1920. It had a fairly tidy look so there was no rush to change the general look. It’s only in more recent years that flashier looking fronts became fashionable.

[@Techno-Universal]

tressteleg1 Yup while it wasn’t until the mid to late 60s when they decided to settle with that design scheme in Melbourne with the Hitachi trains while they were designing them and I even remember that they mentioned that the design was heavily inspired by the NY subway cars at the time! Though the plastic seating in them was definitely quite futuristic at the time as it was something that was previously only seen in ultra futuristic buildings and concept vehicles! :)

[@gnhansen29]

Great video Richard. Do you have any videos of Sydney's Richmond line before it was electrified?

[@tressteleg1]

I don’t have much. A few brief seems of rail motors and steam tours but it is unlikely to add up to more than a couple of minutes. And all is silent movie.

[@fishoheino2599]

Why don't electric locos run much any more?

[@B10Mman]

When the government sold the freight to private industry, they didn't want electric locomotives touching their precious overhead wires. In reality the government couldn't work out a fair price for electricity that would have been used per loco, per train. Ironically when an electric locomotive is running down hill in regen braking, they are creating electric power pushing it back up into the overhead wires, kind of like the dynamic braking of a diesel loco, where the dynamic brake grids dissipate the electricity as heat into the atmosphere.

[@ChinaAl]

This is wild! ha ha, The controls are reversed from the way they are here in the US. Brake is on he right and controller the left. Is in fact you guys are operating backward ha ha. Cool video.I drove that kind of train here for years.

[@tressteleg1]

Street trams have power controllers on the left, brake on the right but electric trains are the opposite. It surely started in steam days, and related to the fact that we run on the correct (left) side.

[@ChinaAl]

ha ha I won't get into right, left, correct ha ha. you mentioned Electro-numatic air brakes. NY subways had that. Plus new self lapping on the 1960's newer trains. I wish we had that in Chicago. Just a plain ole service-lap-release and emergency position. Then now everything is 1 handle up/down Push/pull and many drivers are getting carpal tunnel. Chicago metro is all electric brake, no more air since the late 1960's

[@tressteleg1]

Australia has never had metro trains as such. We operate a suburban service on the alignments of mostly long distance lines, with extra tracks when necessary to make the sharing less complicated. Sydney at present is building some driverless Metro type thing. And I think the main purpose of using a smaller profile was to keep the railway unions out of it.

[@ChinaAl]

The only driverless train we have here is at the airport. Yea Unions and Companies always fighting. ha ha

[@Cadcare]

Just found this on ABC & iview. Enjoy, and please watch The Stranger (1964)! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6CTg3tsj6-Df5o

[@Djr67]

I wonder if any of these have been preserved to run on SETS tours etc?

[@tressteleg1]

A few days ago ?4 cars were moved to the HET workshops at Redfern. A LOT of work is required including partial or even full rewriting. No rides for some time yet.

[@Djr67]

@@tressteleg1 thanks for that info, great news

[@Screechlo]

So people just get off the train any time with no doors

[@tressteleg1]

In those days, people thought and acted for themselves. They were not wrapped up in cotton wool like they are today. You should see the suburban train videos with sometimes people riding next to wide open doors. Anyone falling out was a rather rare events.

[@DMack6464]

oh boy the lawsuits would come if they still did that today

[@tressteleg1]

Life was much simpler in those days when people who did foolish things and got hurt just accepted their foolishness. No nonsense trying to blame and sue others because they turned their brain off before acting. We are following America, but still have some way to go before catching up, fortunately.

[@DMack6464]

indeed, i prolly would have liked growing up in the '90's tbh

[@tressteleg1]

I was born the day before the first atom bomb was dropped on Japan in WW2 - you can look that up. I found it interesting as trams were still running in Sydney when I was growing up, and I became mobile when 5 routes were left. I was old enough to see Ballarat, Bendigo and Brisbane near their peaks, while steam still hauled a lot of trains. A lot of interesting stuff has disappeared since those days...

[@Shitphototaker69]

Do you know of any videos of the 1968 tulloch double Decker motor cars?

[@tressteleg1]

No. I saw them in action but that is all. They had fairly short lives as motors. Some were reduced to trailers. Even so anything would be on movie film, as video did not get started until the early 1980s. If you can’t find anything on KZbin, I could do no better.

[@Shitphototaker69]

@@tressteleg1 What did they sound like? I have a weird fascination with them at the moment so any info you have is greatly appreciated

[@tressteleg1]

3801-3 had Japanese bogies and sounded much like existing S sets but 3804 had British bogies with gears/motors you could hear, a bit like V sets. All 4 cars had different equipment, the idea being to test, compare, and choose the best for the S (and R) sets. Not much more I can add.

[@Shitphototaker69]

@@tressteleg1 awesome thank you for that I remember seeing T4799 and the other one at central when I was younger T4799 looked pretty much like all the other trailers it just had 7 Windows instead of the usual 8 as for the other one wich I can't remember the number but it was pretty much c3801 repainted with the cab removed

[@tressteleg1]

You reminded me of a book I have and if you have any real interest in Sydney’s Electric Trains I suggest you buy a copy from ARHS etc. Sydney’s Electric Trains by Geoff Moss. Several pages are devoted to just these 4 cars. Briefly, 3801 was Mitsubishi. 3802 was Toshiba. 3803 Hitachi. 3804 from English Electric. From 1975 because of troubles, 3801 became T4797, 3802 scrapped. 3803 to T4799, 3804 on display Elcar.

[@glenstransportvideos]

How do you colour the iMovie text

[@tressteleg1]

Hi. This is easy :-) When you have the window open for typing text, you will see on the top right side of iMovie a which square with a thin border around it. Click onto the square, the border will disappear and a disk with all the colours will appear. Now click onto the colour you want and the text will go that colour. A slider lets you darken the colour. This process must be repeated every time you want to add colour. Let me know how you go, Good Luck!

[@glenstransportvideos]

tressteleg1 I can’t find the winch or is this for PC only

[@tressteleg1]

Sorry I did not see my typo. It should say WHITE square. It is between B I O and Reset. Immediately above the top right hand corner of the movie image. Not PC. iMovie.

[@glenstransportvideos]

tressteleg1 can you do a tutorial

[@tressteleg1]

I am quite busy with doing my own videos for KZbin but am prepared to help you at least to some degree. Please email me on tressteleg(at)icloud.com Use the normal symbol instead of (at)

[@Bigman11x3]

How old is Jack nowadays?

[@tressteleg1]

Unfortunately we lost him maybe 10 years ago now. I think it was around 1985 that he retired aged 65.

[@Bigman11x3]

@@tressteleg1 Sorry to hear. He had quite the sense of humour.

[@tressteleg1]

True, but if still alive would have to be nearly 100, not reached by many. As far as I know he was healthy in most if not all his retirement as I saw him occasionally.

[@Bigman11x3]

@@tressteleg1 do you know when he first started working in the railway industry?

[@tressteleg1]

He probably told me but I don’t really remember now. But working backwards, I think it was his only career path and it was not too unusual for men to get to almost 50 years of service upon their retirement so I imagine he would’ve started aged 14 or 15 sometime during the Second World War. In fact the videos I took of him driving were mainly to present to him upon his retirement. Otherwise I probably would not have thought to take these videos and it explains why some scenes focused upon him.

[@MsetFox]

I regret having this on full volume

[@tressteleg1]

Surely you weren’t expecting silent trains, ha ha..