The Harris EMU - History

@tressteleg1 0:30
@tressteleg1 1:32
@tressteleg1 1:50
@reidgck 2:15
@8888TRANSPORTPIX 2:40
@Graham R Edwards 3:45
@Melbournegunzel1 4:00
@weston langford 4:32
@Hugh Llewelyn 5:03
@Alex Thorn 2002 5:15
Music: • Paths of Progress (A)
• Trevor Bastow - feathe...

[@geoffreydye2618]

As a long-time member of the Australian Railway Historical Society, I recall the day when we took a Harris set on the Gippsland line to see how fast it would go and it reached 80.2 mph on the down side of Darnum. At that time the line was electrified to Traralgon.

[@AuMechanic]

Miss the days of riding the Harris with the big doors wide open. Standing on the doorway, wind in the face, puffin on a Winnie.

[@tubester4567]

and yelling to your mate because the noise is deafening.

[@ThePaulv12]

Red or blue?

[@AuMechanic]

@@ThePaulv12 Yellow (Called Winnie Export back then)

[@Thebibs]

Looks like that plastic for the asbestos really worked well

[@tonyday7233]

As an ex suburban guard i rode in a great many of these,

[@mendocinobeano]

Same her, Guard from 1980 to 1990.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

School holidays in Melbourne during the 60's and 70's, plenty of Tait and Harris sets, miss them all. A great shame that a set wasn't put aside for preservation like the Tait's. Great and informative video, well done.

[@robertbrindle9827]

Don't forget that there is "Harry the Greaser" around Jolimont yards which can be restored to is original glory (this set appears to be the second series) which, as you mentioned, an excellent addition...

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

@@robertbrindle9827 Seen Harry The Greaser many years back at Newport, nice to hear they kept it.

[@monogramadikt5971]

bloody beautiful trains, can still recall the smell of the brakes clearly, total nostalgia trip

[@jdillon8360]

what a shame the "grey ghost" program wasn't more successful. I think that colour scheme looked really good. Thanks for making this video.

[@griffinrails]

awesome the grey ghost cars were beautiful especially in vicrail teacup, it’s criminal they were a complete failure

[@hitachi17m98]

If they received comeng traction motors they might’ve been used in service for years longer

[@kebabhouse6359]

@@hitachi17m98 if only 🥺

[@darylcheshire1618]

Apparently a Harris train was towed to Mirboo North on a fan trip after arriving at Morwell on the electrified line.

[@TheAxelay]

I've never actually ever got the chance to go in a Harris because my main lines were always St. Kilda or Sandringham but I did get to ride a refurbished Grey Ghost variant back in 1991, last saw the yellow greaser in 1997 as well. Ironically the Grey Ghost variants were used alot in the St. Kilda/Port Melbourne lines before the light-rail system change...It's unfortunate for me that before then I cached alot of the 15/16 Tram into the city only then after the light rail transformation did I end up using the St. Kilda alot via the 96 or the Port Melbourne 109 tram...Just bad timing and I was a kid back then sigh...

[@burra1874]

The only Harris cars built without asbestos insulation were the final 10 motors and the 75ft trailers.

[@hitachi17m98]

still retained In the floor tiles and switchboards funnily enough…

[@danielsellers8707]

@@hitachi17m98 My volunteer group aren't allowed to touch asbestos!

[@cartographicprojection]

Was amazing to see the film of them all shiny and new! I only ever remember the faded dark/pale blue when they were on their last legs. Thanks!

[@clinteastwood8485]

Awesome video bought back some fond memories even of the Old Tate Rattlers. Thanks

[@hoverhead047]

I believe the remaining sets were built at M&K Westall. I've met a man who worked there building VW beetles with Harris carriages being built on an adjacent production line.

[@PJRayment]

I had never seen them in six-car sets (except for the refurbished ones). But they also operated in eight-car sets on some lines, with extra Motor cars being built for the purpose. And although I forget the details, I'm pretty sure that there was at least one two-car (M-M) set for a while, perhaps operating a shuttle between Dandenong and Pakenham.

[@cswvna]

The six car sets were the ones that had the long trailer cars (twenty-five metres, three doors per side) that were essentially prototypes for the design of the Hitachi trainsets. The long trailer cars were rebuilt to become Vline's LH passenger sets.

[@icascone]

I didn't know that at least oen was saved along with one other refurbished one! Glad they did!

[@PaulNoake]

903M and 795M now resides in the North Williamstown museum

[@myfwilliams9032]

Thank you for this excellent video

[@Comeng_]

"H sets would last till 2025" last service 2nd feb 2024

[@joshuawatling1314]

The H-Carriges ran their last Vline service on the 2nd of February 2024.

[@flickrscreen]

Somewhere on the net will be a description of the blocks (MTTM) and units (TTM) into which Melbourne sparks were divided up to the Harris trains, with units being detached and shunted to Jolimont sidings outside the peaks; a fascinating practice, and subject.

[@cswvna]

I'd forgotten which was the "block" and which was the "unit". Also, the "unit" was actually BT-T-M.

[@JP-ib2iz]

Hated driving them, cold & draughty & with the EP brakes in step 7, the stench of the hot brake blocks entering the cab was even worse and on the Pakenham line at full main line speed the train would often bounce up,and down and the panto's would lose contact and hig voltage arcing would burn holes on them, not sad to see them go

[@mendocinobeano]

Haha, I know what you mean. I was a Guard and I remember the Harris sets rocking from side to so much we even glanced the platform as we sped through General Motors.

[@PaulNoake]

And it's Bacchus Marsh

[@darylcheshire1618]

I understand the design of the Harris cars were based on a Scottish EMU. I don’t recall which one. I dimly remember seeing what looked like a Harris train in a UK picture book about trains.

[@calcutt4]

Well they were designed and built by a UK company who made quite a few other multiple units around that time iirc, so it would make sense that they'd have similar designs

[@DoriftoDuckMan]

Nice content

[@jimpikoulis6726]

Too many swingers on that train so they had to get rid of them

[@rsinclair6560]

Didn't they scuttle them in a swamp or old flooded quarry near Cherry Lane, Laverton?

[@saxongreen78]

_Feather Bed_ by Trevor Bastow!

[@kebabhouse6359]

Asbestosis kebab yummy

[@trains4361]

Do you like death

[@allanyoung6231]

Where did they keep the Emus ? The RSPCA should be advised😮

[@mendocinobeano]

I think it was after the great Emu wars.

[@HazptMedia]

Great video, I like the editing and amount of information. However, you could probably improve on your spelling and grammar in the video.

[@cosbadx]

so sad they had asbestos, such good trains otherwise. THAT GODDAMN FLUFFY ROCK RUINED EVERYTHING!!! also 4:20 "h sets predicted to remain in service till 2025" Me in 2024: *Buys a coke can that was once a h set*

[@Low760]

Anymore footage of them going in the tip?

[@martythemusicmonster6772]

Workers building them would not have lasted long with all that asbestos in the air

[@125sloth]

Whoever the stupid non railway person was who signed off on the ugly tangerine livery at the time for the loco hauled H carriages, should have been taken out the back and severely "disciplined". Arguably the worst colour ever used by V.R. They could have gone back to the original blue with yellow striping. Seriously, some of the operational decisions made by the old V.R. when it was run at the top by mainly non railway people in the later years was an embarrassment to the organisation. And so much money was wasted with stupid ideas that did nothing to attract more passengers. As much as I didn't like Kennett as a Premier, (as a person he was not a bad guy actually), he had no choice but to privatise most of the railways, which had been stuffed by previous governments employing "bean counters" with no common sense to manage it. No understanding of passenger rail and service whatsoever.

[@jonathancox2907]

Boy you are way off.most people hated Kennet because he stuffed up melbs trams and trains.who would like the man?I sure as hell don't.

[@125sloth]

@@jonathancox2907 You missed my point. I was no fan of Kennett, however he was acting on advice from the same people who ran the show when Labor was in. Just because Premiers change doesn't mean Department heads change, or managers change. The fact is that Victoria was broke and Kennett, after taking advice from government departments, which included people from all political parties, signed off on the recommendations . it was the only option other than going to Canberra, and telling the Governor General Victoria is broke and we can no longer afford to operate. That is how bad it was. Later governments did not do much to fix trams and trains either. I am not anti union either, but the unions did not do much to keep costs in check either. I am not way off I know the facts like most like minded people. We may not like facts but sadly they are real. And i know first hand because I worked at VR and it was a shambles.