The history of Melbourne's Hitachi trains

A sight of the network from 1972 until 2014, the Hitachis are now confined to history and memory. Let's take a look at the history of the "Silver trains".
Discord server: / discord
Music by Mona Wonderlick
Free download: bit.ly/new-day-...
Credits to these people for footage and photos:
Weston Langford: westonlangford...
TheBusOfDoomFSX: / @thebusofdoomfsx
Mercgunzel: / mercgunzel

[@mendocinobeano]

I was a Guard on the Melbourne network from 1980 to 1990. I used to dread going out to Jolimont yard on a hot day to dock up one those little ovens for the afternoon peak.

[@emporioalnino4670]

a friend of mine works in the same building as Easey's collingwood and sometimes uses one of the hitachi trains as a meeting room, pretty cool

[@aydoyt]

Three unrefurbished M cars

[@Colt45hatchback]

Does it still have the comfy orange and brown/black seats?

[@Melbournelost66]

In 1973 at Auburn Primary School we went on an excursion riding what was then a brand new Hitachi train. The ride was from Auburn station to East Camberwell from memory. When those trains were new they did not have material upholstery on the seats. Instead they were ultra modern square pads made from a vinyl padding with the colour being Brunswick green. The floor covering was a ridged heavy duty green linoleum.

[@stopbunsen]

Yeah they were uncomfortable in summer, but I loved the way they looked as they came into the station! They kinda had a mean look

[@maddyg3208]

As a child in the 70s, I hated the new "silver trains", which seemed sterile compared to the "red trains" and even the "blue trains". But decades later, after they had acquired character, the Hitachis seemed like old friends from a bygone era.

[@Melbournelost66]

Yes I loved the Red trains as a kid and up to the age of about 18. When my mum would take me into the city as a little boy we would guess what type of train we would catch as it rounded the bend form Camberwell to Auburn station. My last trips on a Red train was when I was 18 or 19 going to work in my first job. I loved those Red trains...I thought the Harris Blue trains were very rigid and squeaked and groaned where the Red trains had the twinkle of the hand stirrups hitting against each other as the motor gave a slow winding up speed type of sound. More Tait's should be restored although there a terrible incident a few years ago where someone set carriages of them on fire at NEWPORT.

[@aydoyt]

@@Melbournelost66 A Swing Door carriage (107M) was basically destroyed after the fire in 2015

[@electro_sykes]

The hitachi looks like it was based off American subway trains. Very basic steel

[@TheAxelay]

Now the Comengs are on the way out soon, the last face of an old melbourne now gone...

[@TheAxelay]

Hitachi's were the true "war horse" set's of the melbourne fleet, the backbone of it all...I still miss them. A real pain in summer time but a winter delight on cold rainy days...They served and have seen decades of consistent service....Today's melbourne's train's while efficient and somewhat comfortable lack a lot personalty off the sets decades gone by. In other words being a train spotter in post 2022 frankly sucks compared to say 35 years ago or longer sigh...

[@morantaylor]

I remember towards the end of the life you would dread seeing one on a 40° day as the passenger compartment was not air conditioned.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

I remember the Hitachi sets brand new when I was a boy, the public hated the bone hard seats in them, I had a soft spot for them though. I seen Hitachi power car 66M sitting in the bush at Bumberry NSW recently, it was still in good condition. Had a lot of cab rides in the Hitachi's when I was a boy as my uncles best drinking buddy was a driver with the suburban trains. Great video and detailed information, well done.

[@electro_sykes]

They look like they were based off subway trains

[@Colt45hatchback]

Did they upgrade the seats or were the harris and older carriage seats just more plush? I hated it when the hitachis went away and i had to sit on "wooden boards" on the refurbished comeng and newer trains

[@y2k293]

Used to called them the kissing trains back before I knew the hitachi was the name

[@offthegridwithbert924]

Rode these old trains many times as a child and in my teens, the last time I rode one was in 2007, sad to see them gone, they had a character about them from the loud air compressors under the floor to the opening windows, and when in the station they were really quiet unlike the Comengs with their loud resistance coil cooling fans humming away underneath constantly.

[@lauriewhite8153]

my fave memory of the Hitachi has to be in the 2000's when I was visiting my dad in Melbourne, I once took a ride out to Cranbourne (he lived in Huntingdale) and the way it was floating between Dandenong and Cranbourne was amazing. Another time I was with my dad and we were going into the city on a Hitachi with the windows open, there were some kids playing downball and the ball went out the window

[@jon3198]

I enjoyed the video but was saddened to read at the end that you never actually rode one. There was always a distinct smell, perhaps it was the brakes generating friction, I'm not sure, but it was something unique to these trains and I miss it. That, and the rush of hot air through the windows on a 40 degree day. The seating configuration at the ends of the M cars left something to be desired with a weird corner that didn't allow for the legs of the person sitting with their back to the cab. I once had a passenger sit on my knees, not realising they weren't part of the seat. I have a lot of memories on Hitachis. Mostly good ones too.

[@smithies_jocks]

Yes I remember that smell too. Like electrical smell, carbon brushes of the motor dust mixed with WD40 lube.

[@BTgla]

I weirdly loved the smell of the Hitachi trains 😍

[@darrenmiles-morland8038]

@@smithies_jocks That smell smelt a lot like urine to me. It often occurred whenever the Hitachis stopped at stations.

[@smithies_jocks]

Fond memories of these trains but they were horrible, stinking hot in summer and stank, and freezing in winter and damp. Easily 50 degrees in summer and 5 degrees in winter, it's amazing what we endured back then.

[@miketurner4462]

I remember these horrible trains back on the early 90s, they were hot, stuffy, and so uncomfortable, the doors were able to be opened whilst the train was in motion, and these trains were quite loud inside. These were honestly, the worst trains I'd ever ridden. I had been spoilt though, coming from Sydney, and riding the Tangara, which was luxury by comparison.

[@itechcircle9410]

you should do Harris trains, they are very interesting and deserve a history video.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I will do in future

[@itechcircle9410]

@@MetroManMelbourne pleased to hear. you make great content.

[@craighardie4]

So many hot summer afternoon spent standing on train station platforms hoping for an air conditioned train to arrive and not one of these sweat boxes!

[@neilmansfield8329]

Love these trains

[@The_Real_DreamM]

Interesting. Thank you! 💪

[@sp00tnik26]

Fun fact: 3 M-lead cars were mounted on top of a restaurant in Collingwood they all still have their black and yellow MET liveries edit: if your wondering the restaurant is called [Easey's]

[@MetroManMelbourne]

yeah! I actually went there earlier this year pretty cool. The liveries have been slightly altered as the met ones were green and yellow but still very authentic - even original seats!

[@thevictoriantrainspotter6636]

I’m going there when lock downs finished I’m lucky I don’t have to pay because I’m not having food I’m just staying in the hitachi (place called easeys)

[@thevictoriantrainspotter6636]

Oh wait u said that in the comment

[@darrenwilson3800]

They were my favourites, always comfortable seats

[@timothywalsh866]

The Hitachi's were my favourite of all the Melbourne trains used to ride

[@ethansrailwayvlogs]

I don’t why it didn’t have the full metro livery.

[@shalami2]

that would look really good actually

[@MetroManMelbourne]

yeah rather odd, I believe it was because connex wanted to hurry up the refurbishment. MPTG actually made an example of what this could've looked like: melbournesptgallery.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/4/19942089/hitachi-full-connex-mock_orig.png

[@Nick-kz6dg]

Probably down to the fact that they were only planned to be around for another few years after the 2008 repairs. Not much point doing anything cosmetic, the 2008 repairs were just to keep them going a little while longer.

[@HazptMedia]

Awesome History!

[@williamhuang8309]

Why do some of the Hitachi motor cars have Faiveley pantographs while others have diamond pantographs Were the pantographs changed during the modifications to the cab

[@mattpowney741]

Haven't heard Red, Blue and Silver train for a long time.

[@AussieWirraway]

nice video!

[@GoldM4official]

Sheesh 10,000th view what

[@neilmansfield8329]

Love these trains Shame they have gone

[@itechcircle9410]

music?

[@Alexander_Dunn]

Wow it would’ve been nice to have air con on the hitachis

[@MetroManMelbourne]

would've and should've had it. The V sets in NSW from 1970 had aircon from the start.

[@paulorocky]

Oh yeah, rode them a few times on 40+ days and it was awful, though at least they worked in those conditions (ahem X'Trapolis).

[@Alexander_Dunn]

@@MetroManMelbourne yeah

[@maddyg3208]

They had openable windows instead

[@Alexander_Dunn]

@@maddyg3208 yeah which is shit tho

[@ewtwetrwerwteet]

Your heart would just sink when that ugly silver thing showed up on a 40 degree day lmao

[@robertaquilina3848]

drove thousands of hitachis six and three cars i use to like stepping up the acceleration with the master controller same as the taits wonderful machines were they the silvers

[@Joshuajonesedits]

The other song was cool song name please I will follow you😃

[@Andy-yl3ke]

There are 2 in Darwin being used to store plants at a nursery

[@monogramadikt5971]

hate how the fate of our beautiful rolling stock is left to the hands of yuppie suit and tie losers who have never taken a single trip on a suburban train

[@aspiewithattitude3213]

Sold to SpaceX for the interplanetary space craft.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

what?

[@dennisneo1608]

All the old trains were more character-full than today's garbage.