The XPT - HSTs Down Under

[@boomerix]

I once checked for XPT sleeper tickets. The problem with the XPT is that you can only choose between Luxury class (Bed cabin) and peasant class (Seat). The intermediate class (couchette cabin) which is available on all European Night Trains is missing. Also departing at 2pm and arriving at 5am (Sydney to Brisbane) is a really weird schedule. European Night Trains on similarly long routes usually leave at around 7pm or 9pm and arrive around 8am or 10am.

[@Damien_N]

Such a shame that the Thai deal fell through, it would have been interesting to see how their sets would have looked

[@TanVasinTrains]

What do you mean? Im thai and I never knew that.

[@Damien_N]

@@TanVasinTrains keep watching the video - there’s a section discussing potential exports of the XPT system further on in.

[@TanVasinTrains]

@@Damien_N I think it would be a version of the intercity 125 livery with ร.ฟ.ท on its side

[@TanVasinTrains]

@@Damien_N also maybe after the XPT retires or even the Intercity 125 retires maybe they could potentially be exported with 1.000 gauge

[@mumblbeebee6546]

I would also love to know what sort of back corridor deal or -threat led to the withdrawal of support! How many years until declassification in Australia?

[@Tiger351]

Nice to see you cover the XPT, as a former SRA employee I rode on them quite a few times. They truly were a 20th century train on a 19th century network, Victorian era route alignments held back their potential so much (they could easily cruise at 160 Km/h all day if they had enough straight track. I'm honestly sad to see them get retired but I hope that at least several sets go into preservation.

[@camerong5513]

160? geez, steam loco could do that in 1901

[@Martindyna]

@@camerong5513 Possibly (considering the gradients on the routes in NSW) but with an efficiency of 7 % if you're lucky.

[@glauberglousger956]

​@@camerong5513Due to track limitations If there were only straight tracks, there'd be no reason not to retire them and replace them with bullet trains or something

[@bertjilk3456]

Thanks for the video. I grew up in Wagga Wagga, NSW. I remember the excitement of the XPT's introduction as a very young child, and they continued to be part of the sights and sounds of my childhood and teenage years. I travelled on it quite a few times both to Melbourne and Sydney. I must admit, I'm surprised to see it still passing through on the rare occasion that I'm in town. Sad to hear they're finally being retired, but after 40 years, I guess they've done their job.

[@suebailey4263]

I now live in Wagga, but haven't been on the train since moving here last year. First trip next month, but have been on the XPT from Albury to Sydney, and return, and Melbourne to Albury (took the V-Line to Melbourne, as it has daylight services, and not early in the morning ).

[@dat581]

Might want to run this one past a local. Lot of non NSW footage in there! You hit the nail on the head with the poor condition of the NSW rail infrastructure holding the XPT back. The track these days is vastly improved in quality but the alignments have hardly changed since the 1980's and the steam age before that. Unfortunately just like the UK passenger rail in Australia is seen as a necessary evil instead of an asset worthy of investment. Add in a far smaller and vastly less dense population and we have far less money to invest in the first place.

[@xr6lad]

Yup. Good video but half the Australian stock footage was rail systems in other states of Australia. Not related to the story. For example the underground lines with the silver and green trains was the suburban Melbourne network. The blue trains at the start was Queensland Railways.

[@DKS225]

Touche' there were a few scenes from Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. But he did do his research properly nonetheless some of the footage supplied from The NFSA or National Film and Sound Archives of Australia.

[@TheSonic10160]

On the contrary, I think australia is great for rail, you have enormous dense urban centres, some important satellite towns and regional centres, and then nowhere else things need to be except mines and farming towns. Fast trains would be great between the cities, certainly at least faster than the XPT was allowed to run on the legacy network. 8 hours between Sydney and Melbourne with an onboard breakfast consisting of cold toast and prepackaged fruit salad. Oh, and the AC mysteriously quit halfway through the night both times I rode so while getting to sleep was easy enough, I invariably woke in a pool of sweat.

[@markpusko2480]

"The track these days is vastly improved in quality" Where, definitely not on the main north line....

[@dat581]

@@TheSonic10160 So you don't understand the geography of the country very well. There is not enough of a market for long distance passenger rail to get close to breaking even, or to justify track re-alignment. The capital cities are too far apart for even high speed rail to be competitive with aircraft and the topography between the three largest population centres is horrendous. There are no regional towns/cites with a large enough population to justify improved services than what will result from the XPT replacement.

[@mortified776]

I've lived in Sydney 26 years, can confirm the S sets could get _dangerously_ hot in summer. They only left revenue service once and for all in 2019. They should have been heritage rail and razor blades twenty years ago! Just a note, NSW is a state not a territory. I know it seems a pedantic thing, but in the Australian context the word 'territory' explicitly denotes a distinct type of political entity within the federation.

[@jonjohnson2844]

If it was designed in the UK I don't think cooling would have been a high priority lol

[@stevie-ray2020]

It wasnt only the trains that badly needed replacing as the government buses were also old & decrepit!

[@xr6lad]

@@jonjohnson2844 see that's where people make huge assumptions . Not only am I English but I live in Australia. Not only does it get as cold as England in some parts here (where I live in Melbourne or Ballarat for example although not for extended months), Britain can get warm and hot to the extent that buildings and trains do need air con over there and I can never work out why they don't. Sit on a train or enter a building (the latter moreso before the 80's when they actually started putting it in) and it gets very unpleasant and clammy. Many hotels even these days don't have it and it's horrid at night. So they should be fitting it on trains these days at least.

[@jonjohnson2844]

@@xr6lad I know, I lived in Mildura for 18 months

[@mortified776]

@@jonjohnson2844 I was referring to the S sets, the suburban commuter EMUs mentioned toward the start rather than the XPT.

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

For everyone pointing out the video footage that doesn't meet your personal standards: There is a limited amount of video available for use on a video of this sort. The realistic options are to combine a bunch of clips from a variety of stock footage catalogues or have a single image on the screen during the entire video. The video probably took over 100 hours to piece together to give something to look at that is better than nothing. Unfortunately, nothing is going to make everyone happy. If you think you can do better with the budget of a KZbin channel, the world is waiting to see your contribution.

[@xr6lad]

Good video but.....Personal standards?. It's totallly unrelated. That's hardly a personal standard. Its like doing a video on German high speed lines and interposed with 50% of Shinkansen footage. It is totally relevant as if people watch this and gain an understanding that's totally incorrect. And that's how people come to think something that's not correct. It actually shows a lack of understanding of Australian rail - they are operated by each state as if they were totally unrelated seperate countries. Different rolling stock, gauges, staffing, engines. And frankly your attitude stinks and if 'good enough is close enough' is your attitude in most jobs you'd be kicked out on your a***.

[@markpusko2480]

Or you could instead watch the 3 part video documentary about the XPT from Comeng that was uploaded. Considering they built it......

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@markpusko2480 why should that stop him from making his own video? And he can’t just steal the footage from them, it has to be royalty/copyright free.

[@xr6lad]

@@kaitlyn__L royalty free ok but it still has to be relevant. You wouldn't do a piece on UK HST and show stock footage of the tube or the old Liverpool overhead or the Newcastle metro.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@xr6lad no, but I would show footage of the steam and diesel trains it replaced

[@Dripfed]

Love this style of documentary. A steady dripfed of introductory knowledge. Hence I'm none too picky about the stock footage choices, they're only to serve for illustrative purposes. Nor am I overly concerned by anything missed or skimmed over. What these documentaries do for me is open up something new for me to look into. So thanks for putting this together Ruairidh.

[@farhanatashiga3721]

Yeah all these Aussies whinging about the footage is missing the point

[@sashamellon822]

Public transport should be a service not a profit making business. Sometimes what isn’t profitable is still vital to remote communities.

[@xr6lad]

100%

[@ianwalters11]

Yep in the UK trains are reasonable for short commute journeys usually but England Midlands up to Scotland or down south west to the coast is very expensive. For 3 of us to go to Edinburgh from Birmingham was a good few hundred each. First class for us was close to £1500😮 Insanity on a good day you can get a flight to Cyprus (4.5-5 hours flight) for around £200, same price as a train to Edinburgh?!? And Avanti are the only trains I believe that actually have a kitchen in the front half of the train so you get a properly cooked meal in First Class the other trains in the fleet and Cross Country trains only have microwave meals. A meal snd more legroom are not worth £1500 for 3 people travelling to Edinburgh. If Cross Country still ran their HST sets(and kept the original Intercity buffet cars they also had a proper kitchen facility) but it seems things take a step back. None of the new trains that replace the 40 year old HST are as comfortable it’s a real shame, does not feel like progress for customers comfort. HST’s still fastest diesel trains in the world too. When Britain made quality machines to last. Hence the XPT’s have stood the test of time on poor rails and extreme heat and dusty conditions.

[@ianwalters11]

I should say we never made the journey to Scotland, not at those prices! Out of our price range.

[@andysedgley]

This channel has the longest sentences in the narration of any in the world, including, but not limited to, podcasts, KZbin channels, radio, television (being itself radio with pictures at the same time), cinema, terrestrial or satellite broadcasting networks..... 🤣

[@herseem]

I've already made that point to him in the comment section of several previous videos but he doesn't seem to have taken it on board!

[@TheSoutheastmanic]

I personally prefer his stuff to most others

[@andysedgley]

@@TheSoutheastmanic Me too

[@frazzleface753]

His comma key must be very worn down 😆. It doesn't really bother me though. It's still very intelligible.

[@blackbirdsr71]

nevertheless..

[@Astbaston]

I love these trains and took one from Parkes to Central once (also the 7:09 footage is from the Melbourne Comeng sets and caught my yee) otherwise, amazing work!

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

Worked on these traction units while working for BR's then wholly-owned subsidiary "Transmark" (Tranportation Systems & Market Research Ltd). The guys down under were extremely accommodating.

[@DC4260Productions]

When I was on holiday in Melbourne (near the end of June), I saw the XPT still going strong on the service to and from Sydney.

[@datapoint6859]

8:08 That pack of Winnie Reds on the driver console though. Straya.

[@Booyaka9000]

That's a safety violation! They need to be safely stored under his shirt on top of his shoulder.

[@speedemon81]

That accident in 2020 is very... contentious to say the least. A lot of small dumb factors coming together at once! People stealing copper cable meant the signals in that area were out of service for a period of time, and during a period of work on the track the loop was set to be used for 8 hours that day. Now it would appear that the XPT driver didnt have a copy of the circular showing this information, and the pilot was called in at short notice and may not have noticed it either.

[@raymondwelsh6028]

One issue with these push pull trains like this is that if the lead loco is derailed the rear loco will keep pushing. So what would be a bad derailment with a single loco pulled train, with a push pull train it canturn into a major incidents. Such as this incident at Wallan in 2020.🇦🇺

[@griffinrails]

Reminds me of the 2003 Waterfall disaster, the driver happened to have a heart attack, which couldn't lift up the dead mans footboard, and the guard had a microsleep all at the same time. Then again, conspiracy theorists suggest that it was some sort of spiritual ley line sh*t, so who knows. At least in this instace the official story was actually true.

[@ThePlayerToBeNamedLater]

@@raymondwelsh6028 Are they push/pull. I thought they had a power car on each end.

[@andrewcowling5804]

@@raymondwelsh6028 Actually that doesn't happen. many of these push pull sets have been derailed but maintained a straight line. When the lead loco is derailed the pushing loco is also stopped from pushing as its controlled by the lead loco. which would stop working. Oh by the way. I did work on the railways so I’m not uninformed. And the train in question is a development of the HST which was a British invention you bought from us. I know it well. The principle of push pull is that the rear or both locos are simultaneously controlled from the leading can. If a driver sees a problems or gets involved in an incident he invariably tries to shut of power thereby cutting power to both ends at once

[@MiG21aholic]

@@raymondwelsh6028 A very uninformed comment. Putting the brakes into emergency cuts power from all locos running in multiple. Not that it matters hitting a 15kph set of points at 115kph.

[@kineticdeath]

XPT's run daily behind my place, from my backyard i see all the trains that run up along the coast between sydney and brisbane. Its a shame australia has such a weak track network, no matter what train sets they get its always going to be slower than driving and even slower than taking a plane despite all the airport nonsense

[@suebailey4263]

I'm the same in Wagga - the train line is literally less than 100m from my home. Only been here 11 months, but the noise doesn't bother me so much now. Thank goodness we only have a single track. Imagine what it'd be like if you had 2 freight trains passing each other in the middle of the night.

[@Martindyna]

Excellent piece on the XPT however the reason the XPT design speed is 160 km/h (99.4 mph) and not 201 km/h (125 mph) is the traction motor gearing had to be lowered to enable the XPT to climb the long steep gradients in Australia, not to do with the slight derating of the engines for reliability in the hotter conditions. The XPT power cars are extensively modified from the BR Class 43 for Australian conditions. To cope with larger gradients the traction motors are lower geared resulting in a design speed of 160 km/h (99.4 mph); the engine cooling capacity doubled; revised engine air filtration; longer travel, more compliant suspension fitted to deal with poor tracks; stronger frontal collision protection and nice business like sounding horns are the main points I recall. Originally fitted with Paxman `Valenta', all power cars were upgraded to Paxman `VP185' around 2000 giving better fuel economy and less Diesel / lubricating oil smoke, also there is a weight saving of approx. 0.7 Tonne per engine. The power cars are mated with carriages based on a Budd design that appear to have a larger loading gauge than for IC125 , including Sleeper accomodation; power cars & carriages manufactured in Australia. Check out `XPT by COMENG' (3 videos) here on KZbin if interested. Also `XPT at Wauchope' and `XPT leaves Penrith for Dubbo’ have great sound & no visible smoke. Edit: If I may be allowed one more recommendation `North Strathfield Train Spotting - Heritage Steam Train, XPT Explorer and Sydney Train' 0.18 has unique sound on KZbin of the rear power car going by under load, reminiscent of an old Spitfire aircraft which of course also had a V12 engine. Edit 2: Video `Trains NSW TrainLink Move Over V Set, XPT Coming Through!' illustrates the good acceleration that can be achieved with a reduced formation ( 5 car) train when the driver `guns it', the low gearing helping to give almost electric train performance 1.11 N.B. Their normal operating configuration is with a power car at each end and up to 7 passenger cars (first, economy, sleeper and/or buffet), although there have been times when the Dubbo train has operated with a single power car and four passenger cars [source Trackside Videos - TRV125 - Comeng XPT (DVD)]. The original spec stated that a single power car should be capable of starting a train of 4 cars up a 1 in 30 gradient, although as far as I know the Dubbo service is always run with two power cars nowadays.

[@jamesgovett2501]

Geez it sounds nothing like a Rolls or Packard gasoline V12 whatsoever, all you can hear is mostly muffled and fan noises, it sounds shithouse and you can’t get better than a 2 stroke EMD or Detroit period

[@Martindyna]

@@jamesgovett2501 We'll probably have to agree to disagree, to my ears you can hear mainly the exhaust note, with Doppler effect. You clearly prefer the sound of American 2 stroke Diesels which is fair enough.

[@harukinzaphod]

@@Martindyna There are a few of us oldies who remember the fabulous 421 Class with their EMD V16 2-stroke diesels and the wonderful, distinctive (and loud) beat.

[@eugeneoreilly9356]

British units received MTU power over paxman units.Whats that saying?

[@Martindyna]

@@eugeneoreilly9356 Germany I believe have always been at the forefront of Diesel technology. VW TDI comes to mind (each injection for the power stroke is ‘stuttered’ into the cylinder instead of all at once) and BMW Diesel cars have for years had clean tailpipes on the inside. Rudolf’s parents were German (from Bavaria) and although born in Paris, Rudolf was educated to a high level in Germany from the age of 12. While the Paxman VP185 was a vast improvement on the smokey Valenta the MTU equivalent offering was considered superior for re-engineering of the Class 43. One only has to hear & see an MTU equipped IC125 power car started to realise what quality they represent. So good that Rolls-Royce bought the company some years ago. Just love how the cameraman seaches in vain for any visible smoke in this video :- kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZjSd5mfadKZi7s

[@ritschardt]

Some shots of Adelaide railway station including my uncles raised cab suburban railcar also the Adelaide/Melbourne Overland overnight sleeper

[@petey6415]

Another very interesting and well researched video. The depth of research that's put into these videos makes this my favourite KZbin channel. Keep up the great work, very informative and enjoyable to watch.

[@crazypickles8235]

I absolutely loved this introspective. Thanks for the enlightening details on high speed rail in Australia

[@Rocket-hb6jh]

At 6:57 the green and yellow train is a commeng single deck Melbourne suburban train operated by Metropolitan Transit, the then suburban train, tram and bus operator (now Metro and Yarra Trams and various buses unified under PTV (Public Transport Victoria (symbol: “PT>”)

[@peterclarke945]

Thank you !!!! Engrish person, been here (Aust) since 1974 ....... and would never have guessed the story behind where we are in 2022. Thanks again, Ruairidh.

[@videowilliams]

Ah, I'd been looking for a well-made summary video of the XPT like this. Very well done! They're a hot rod all right with the deep and burbly sound to match as they slow down and then take off again from stations, and to answer the whingers, there are certain lengths of straight and well-laid track where they can stretch their legs to 160+ km/h. I remember one such run up north of Sydney where for once we zoomed at striking speed for quite a length of time through the Hawkesbury region. That was toward the end of a Brisbane to Sydney trip. I've also ridden to Melbourne and back from Goulburn- a town they pass through every day of the week 3 hours south of Sydney, whose station now looks healthier than it did back in the 70s because the service is so good. Thing is, the XPT was slightly detuned and given shorter gearing than its HST forerunner in order to handle steeper grades because we didn't have the budgets to re-lay tracks. It nevertheless was a celebrity train that did sex up the image of the railways at that time, attracted more people to use the service, and proved a very reliable and comfortable beast. In fact the replacement seems to be running several years late so the XPTs will still be running for some time yet and I hear nobody complaining. I ought to book myself another trip on one while I still can!

[@Electric_Souls]

Damn, I never knew that australia of all countries would have been involved in high speed rail projects of the SRT. It's nice to see our railway getting some recognition :)

[@Dec-h5r]

Xptd are the best tho

[@Dec-h5r]

Xpts are the best tho

[@tamworthtrainnut285]

The XPT power car that ended up on its side in the fatal Wallan 2020 XPT crash was XPT power car XP2018, XP2018 was removed from service for 4 years to undergo major repairs and has now re-entered service as XPT power car XP2019, XP2019 is still in service to this day

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

Sad to hear the XPT is retiring, but what a great video. Thanks, as always, for making and posting.

[@merbertancriwalli8622]

If you are going to talk about Australia - please note that there are 6 States (NSW, Vic, Qld, SA, WA, Tas) and 3 Territories (NT, ACT, Jervis bay Territory)). NSW is not a territory. In addition there are 6 external territories.

[@MaxPulse1]

Travelled on the 1st XPT set on a series of journeys from Parramatta to Penrith. It was a joy, and having been on many HST sets on an extended time in the UK in 1979, found it easy to compare, and they compared well. Speed was restricted to 160kmh, but given the average speeds at the time, it was revolutionary. Typically though rail is the poor cousin with regards to transportation in this country, and is only just know coming out of the major doldrums. And yes you can still ride a XPT in NSW. I managed to get a photo published in Modern Railway magazine of the inaugural unit at Sydney Central (I still have the copy) Actually got paid 2 pounds, which came as a cheque, but it would have cost more to put it in the bank than the cheque was worth!

[@JackGourdon-je4ze]

Ruairidh, i am australian from melbourne i sometimes see the XPT at Southern cross.

[@PhlanMichellePurss]

I go from Melbourne to Sydney quite often. I love trains & have for the 52 year's of my life. Taking my last possibly ever Intercapital Train in August 2022. Why instead of paying $93.79 - $131.97 for a seat $234.63 Overnight 11.3 hours. With only two services. When you can in 90 minutes fly the the route and pay as little as $60 one way with Multiple Departures throughout the day. Even with having to be at the Airport two hours before the flight. it still only comes out to be 3.3 hours slashing 8 hours of the journey time. Also interstate Buses take 10 to 12 hours at around $100 today. All prices current as of 3/05/2022.

[@johnd8892]

XPT is a worrying indication of how politicians and large sections of the public superficially think the problems of low performing railways are solved by 'fast' trains. No understanding of the quality of track, signalling, maintenance and management required to run them to their capabilities. Even less willingness to pay for the service preferring the free cash from the government approach.

[@iangerahty3422]

If our politicians were required to use trains and buses instead of aircraft and limousines the tracks and rolling stock would be diamond encrusted and they might have the time and opportunity to look out the window and see the real world.

[@johnd8892]

@@iangerahty3422 so you think diamond encrusted trains and tracks are worthwhile expenditure of public money. Interesting. Or a lack of understanding of what the issues really are

[@iangerahty3422]

@@johnd8892 no I’m just observing that politicians spare no expense on themselves.

[@zanelindsay1267]

A great documentary about the XPT's significant history. I hadn't previously known about the planned variant version for Thailand which was cancelled.

[@malbucks1968]

The green & gold trains (Melbourne) are Comeng built. Slowly being withdrawn from service

[@sylviaelse5086]

The Sydney to Canberra route is demanding even for a tilt train because of very many extremely tight bends. If someone wanted to ensure that the tilt-train wouldn't be successful, they'd be well advised to choose that route for a demonstration. It's questionable whether the new trains are bi-modal for any reason other than green politics, since most of the track they will run on is not electrified, and is unlikely to be in the foreseeable future. The XPTs have the advantage that the passengers are not subject to significant engine noise. On the new trains, since they are multiple units, the passengers will experience some of the engine noise and vibration, as they currently do on the Xplorer sets.

[@ChangesOneTim]

Good point about tilting trains. Actually you can have as many reverse curves as you like (over here in Britain some sections of the West Coast Mainline have few sustained 'straights') and the tilt system in the Class 390 Pendolinos is brilliant at coping with quick changes in track cant. However the laws of physics apply equally to tilt and non-tilt, so the safe overspeed margin is smaller. Therefore a Sydney-Canberra upgrade for tilting enhanced speed wouldn't just mean smartly designed track geometry but also an enhanced maintenance and renewal regime to manage higher wear and tear. On engine noise/ vibration, the Class 800 varieties that replaced London-centric HST services over here in Britain are surprisingly refined. Actually I think the quietness of the 800s in diesel mode is not an accident; even the accountants probably had to agree never again to subject long-distance passengers to the awful noise and vibration of the 20 year old 125mph Class 220 varieties. In a penny-pinching, short-termist country like ours, there was always going to be downsides with the 800s and they are: seats as comfortable as ironing boards, cheap n' plasticky interiors and (on the Western routes) pesky trolleys battling their way through congested coaches instead of a proper restaurant/ buffet car. But they are true bi-modes, and on electric they go like shite off a shovel.

[@danielbliss1988]

This noise situation is one reason US and Canadian operators are so resistant to DMUs. The only ones I can think of are in Austin, TX; Larkspur to Santa Rosa, California north of San Francisco; and the Toronto airport express, and that last one looks like it's headed toward early replacement with EMUs.

[@BritishTrainspotting]

@@ChangesOneTim I've ridden the Class 220s and 221s with Cross Country and I never had an issue with the noise and there was only minimal vibration while at idle or while at power, the only vibrations noticeable were while power was being applied from start, aka from idle to notch 2. Not sure if that is due to improvements XC have made to the trains or your information is not first hand and from an unreliable source, however I find the voyagers, atleast with XC in my personal experience, are relatively quiet and not a huge amount of vibration from the engines, although like all trains there is slight shaking from passing over points or travelling at speed in general.

[@mark123655]

Most not.. but the Sydney basin and surrounds is fully electrified, so it is substantially reducing diesel noise and pollution in built up areas

[@ChangesOneTim]

@@BritishTrainspotting I rode the 220/221s daily, right from their introduction 20+yr ago, so soon got to ride in every set in the fleet. Sound to one person can be noise to another, I know, but wherever you sit in the carriage there's no mistaking the gruff diesel under the floor. By any measure, of all trains built for 'InterCity' journeys they are Britain's noisiest and rattliest ever. XC is too cash-strapped to 'improve' anything. Avanti at least refurbed its fleet incl recarpeted floors or something. My central point is that compared to loco-hauled coaches that went before, the Class 220 family is a disgrace to InterCity comfort and ambience esp bearing in mind that they operate many of Britain's longest journey schedules. Veering off-topic now. Rant over!😉

[@kevatcrewe]

Absolutely epic, thank you for this! Your videos make the start of my weekend even better

[@michlo3393]

The parallels between Australia and North America in terms of the quality and service of their respective rail infrastructures are quite fascinating.

[@francisboyle1739]

2:05: Talks above NSW in the 80's. Shows 60s Queensland train. (Followed by a quick tour of Australia.)

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

A lot of South Australian, Victorian and Queensland Rail footage there, different system and operators to NSW. Still, a very good and well explained history of the XPT, thank you.

[@jacobmoses3712]

Thanks for making this video. Prior to this I had seen pictures of an HST looking train in Australia but no information about it

[@robmortimer4150]

I’ve done the Melbourne to Sydney journey on the XPT, although a tiring huge journey - it was quite something to travel across so much of the country

[@tjejojyj]

The one thing I would add to this is I’ve heard the XPTs are the hardest working passenger train sets in the world in terms of kilometres run. The long distances and intense usage adds up. It is a credit to their design and maintenance that their reliability has been so good. (FWIW: having travelled SYD-MEL a few times on the XPT in the passed 10 years it was always glaring that the standard to track work in Victoria was much worse than NSW with a much rougher ride.)

[@Rabbit_101]

Thanks for looking at this train! Its one of my personal favorites, I remember the first time I went on one being surprised at how quiet it was compared to suburban trains.

[@stephenwarhurst6615]

XPT celebrates it's 40 years service last week

[@theextremeanimator4721]

oh!

[@neilforbes416]

*Wrong!* (0:20) The XPTs were introduced on 9th April, 1982 and celebrated their 40th Anniversary on that date this year. But two days later, they were retired from service. I was at Maitland Station when two XPTs, rebranded as *Countrylink* passed through, one bound for the north-west, to towns such as Gunnedah & Moree and to Tamworth and Armidale after splitting at Werris Creek, the front three cars to Tamworth & Armidale, the back two shunted across to another side of the station to go to Gunnedah & Moree. The other Countrylink XPT I saw was Sydney-bound after coming down from the North Coast.

[@top40researcher31]

THE XPT Will retire in December this year and will be replaced with the CAF Trains these will be Electric Motor Units rather than run on fuel they be the first trains to do so Australia

[@pozspeakerau]

WOW, a very interesting and informative video. I resigned from CityRail (SRA) in 1992, after 10 and half years, and I had heard many stories about how services has been removed, and this video has actually proven the rumours to be true...

[@Dobuan75]

Sterling, thorough assessment. I’ve been interested in and lived through much of this, but you filled in so many gaps, I only just realised how little I knew. Last on the XPT late last year. I will miss them when they’re gone having been on them their entire lifetime here.

[@Booyaka9000]

Great video, but as a bonus there's some nice footage of STA passenger trains from Adelaide that, despite having little to do with the XPT, were nice to see nonetheless.

[@jouebien]

took a second to figure out that there is a tone of Queensland related film shots - not part of the NSW network obviously. A few Chums and EMD's from Queensland's old fleet. The dead giveaway was the trains name on the front "Queenslander", the others the colour and the others the narrow 3.6 foot gauge. QR had an old and un-sophisticated fleet for ages because of it's inadequate trackage - no point in buying more powerful and multiple unit engines if all your infrastructure isn't capable of holding larger trains, half the fleet hasn't got air breaks and the track can't handle the weight increase.

[@uberbeeg]

As someone who has travelled on both the XPT and the trains it replaced, I would have preferred the older trains anyday. The comfort levels were far superior. I use to have to travel a lot between Sydney and Albury in the 80's and though journeys were long, they had comfort, even if you weren't in a sleeper cabin. XPTs have never been suitable for Australia.

[@nkt1]

In what way were the older carriages superior? Surely the XPT's secondary air suspension was a big improvement? Better heating/air conditioning, too, I'd have thought.

[@uberbeeg]

@@nkt1 In one word comfort, the XPTs were no faster and no better than bus, still arn't.

[@uberbeeg]

@@nkt1 Give me the old Melbourne O/night or Southern Aurora anyday.

[@uberbeeg]

Queensland has far superior trains to New South Wales XPT's, where they basically don't care about passengers, just bums on seats.

[@gregrudd6983]

@@nkt1 The older RUB cars rode extremely well at speed and had extremely effective air conditioning in 40+ deg C days (Which is common in rural Australia during summer). They were one of the first cars in the world that used industrial electrical supply to run the air conditioning. The daylight express trains from the late 1940's to the coming of the XPT were the some of the best trains in the southern hemisphere in terms of passenger comfort.

[@coasterblocks3420]

Your pronunciation of Murwillumbah gave me a good chuckle. Now let’s hear you say Woolloomooloo.

[@Whatiwantedwastaken]

I was vaguely aware that NSW had some high speed trains but was completely unaware of their pedigree. Another fascinating video and a (nice) shock to see a topic from here in Australia

[@LolLol-xy4rh]

One thing I do wonder and worry about is how many of the XPT sets will be saved?

[@Picolinni]

Could we get them to replace the NR’s on The Overland please?

[@edmundcarew7235]

@@Picolinni Yes they'd be superior, even though I like the ageing 'Overland' cars.

[@Picolinni]

@@edmundcarew7235 I do too, especially the ones the the 90’s and 00’s.

[@railtrolley]

21:10 The level crossing accident at Gerogery. I remember that, I happened to be nearby in Albury at the time, when I heard the news on the radio. I think the 5 (RIP) were driving a similar vehicle to mine: Holden Statesman V8.

[@louiswilliamhicks]

I love the Intercity 125. I had a model train set of the Intercity 125, and Class 90 90026 with working pantograph as a kid. Brilliant.

[@_powerrranger]

I do like throwbacks to the Askin/Wran era, particularly because its a reminder of a dark time in Australia's history when Sydney was once one of the most corrupt places on the face of the planet

[@stevie-ray2020]

Our Federal government we have had now for some time isn't much better, especially with their mates in the big end of town!

[@xr6lad]

@@stevie-ray2020 oh you mean Keating? That started the sell off of public assets to mates like the CBA? And have you seen the business boards Gillard sits on? Or the cosy relationship Dan Andrews has with people like Lindsay Fox to the extent of holidaying at their homes or boxticking developers approvals overriding councils?

[@stuartgmk]

When I hear Neville Wran I shudder and I'm from Tassie !!!!!!!

[@stevie-ray2020]

@@stuartgmk It's the Coalition-crooks who have killed of the manufacturing industries mainly by allowing them to be sold off to multinationals & destroying everything else by allowing mines everywhere to dig it all up & sell it cheap while being highly subsidised!

[@hypercomms2001]

06:51 ... the train shown ran on the Victorian railways....

[@N330AA]

Took one of these from Syd to Melbourne once, a very pleasant journey.

[@mabamabam]

I did the same. It was 11h and more expensive than a plane. Interesting experience but I would never do for anything more than curiosity. Also I take it pensioners get cheap travel. Because I was about 20 years younger than every other passenger on the train. And all those old blokes with their weak streams were obviously too proud to sit down during the rough sections, which is most of the trip. Because the toilet floor was absolutely swimming with piss.

[@N330AA]

@@mabamabam I only paid 76 dollery-doos which is pretty good. Yeah it took a while and i probably wouldn't do it if i was making the trip regularly but it was nice to see a bit of the country.

[@mabamabam]

@@N330AA To be fair I sprung the 99 dollars for first class. Which is probably why it was full of old people who cant piss straight. And yes it was a nice trip. It was also really nice to pack a lunch and a book and stare out the window for hours. Tiger was offering $95 at the time.

[@N330AA]

@@mabamabam Yeah, next time i'm in Aus i'll try and take the Brisbane-Syd train too

[@mabamabam]

@@N330AA I really want to do that one. It goes all the way to Cairns. Or Mt Isa if you want to go to the worst town in the world.

[@tranmere292]

As a regular user of the Grafton XPT I must say the train is a wonderful way to travel, with comfortable seating and a buffet, although the trip of seven hours from Sydney to my home station compares unfavourably with the one-hour airline service. Not much chance of an improvement though, as the new trains will have to deal with the same circuitous single-line track for most of the journey. I just hope the trip will be as pleasant.

[@edmundcarew7235]

The seats are unfortunately only designed for 150-200km European journeys, there's no sleeping car and because locos were njot ordered, the new trains will be noisier for passengers. Backward steps!

[@Martindyna]

@@edmundcarew7235 Yes the lack of Sleepers means that the new trains will not be able to compete with air travel at all, unlike the outgoing XPTs. Also the new trains design speed is identical to the XPT (160 km/h) although they will probably have superior acceleration.

[@fusetech9184]

An excellent video, however while you are talking about the NSW rail system being nationalised you were showing off the Melbourne Comeng trains @6:52

[@Terry_Fritz]

Loved the cameo appearance of an old Queensland Rail Sunlander train from way back as an example of old rolling stock. Pretty sure I spotted a Brisbane City Council Leyland Tiger bus picking up some Brisbane Grammar School pupils too. I always intended making a return trip to Sydney from Brisbane on the XPT but that's off the bucket list since I moved to Tasmania.

[@geocachingwomble]

That particular XPT sounds like the BR class 91 also known as Lucky that survived both the Hatfield and high heck rail crashes and eventually ran over a signalman

[@shashawo]

Great video 👍. Sadly as a former Sydney ( NSW) boy I feel such pain to see a few shots of Melbourne (Victorian) single deck cars spliced in..

[@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042]

It's because it's footage from Comeng, so it's not quite related but at least it's the same company.

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

I worked as a station assistant at Broadmeadow (Newcastle suburb) when the first XPT services to the north coast and northern tablelands started. I distinctly remember a crew change on one of the early runs. Apparently, they had been a tad optimistic on some of the speeds for the line. The XPT's front bogie had floated for a while going over a bridge, before landing thankfully back on the track. The driver was still green when he got out of the train. I'd heard the expression before, but that was the first time I actually saw it. The second incident was that, particularly in the early days, the drivers would gun them when they took off from the station. I used to joke to the SM they needed GT stripes on their uniforms. As I recall they were constantly doing engine changes on them back then as they just didn't handle the conditions. Anyway, they certainly picked up speed quicker than most diesels we were used to at the time and we didn't have the electrification at that point in Newcastle. The ASM on duty for the day reminded everyone on the PA that only intending passengers should board the train. Of course, num nut ignored this and got on to see his mother off. The train started leaving the station and he leapt from the car in a panic. The forward momentum of the train threw him forward and I'd say he collapsed about 2cm off the wall of the overbridge at the end of the station. I really thought I was going to see my first fatality that day. It was very, very close. The ASM clearly thought the same thing. He ran up to the fella and asked if he was ok. He was in shock and nodded this head. Then the ASM grabbed him by the shirt and told him never to disobey an instruction he gave as he wasn't paid enough to clean him up off the tracks. I don't think he ever did that again. That said it wasn't the fastest train I had seen leaving Broadmeadow for Sydney. That honour goes to two 44 class locos hauling the Newcastle Express during the holidays. The train was absolutely chockers and they had even dug up two or three steam era non air cars on the front connected to the loco's and the standard set behind them. I was standing right near the rear of the two locos when they got the whistle and the driver gunned the engines to make up for the load he had to move on that day. At that precise moment, the screw coupling between the second loco and the carriage took the load and snapped. I saw the passenger cars jolt and then stop and by the time I had turned my head the two 44's had just disappeared in a cloud of diesel fumes and out of my view! It was the nearest thing to a catapult launch for a train you were going to see! One minute the driver had several hundred tons behind him and the next nothing. I turned my head and they were already gone from my view. It was like one second they were there and the next they were gone! They pulled up at Adamstown and had to make their way back to the now broken train. Passengers were a bit late getting to Sydney that day.

[@AlexOnTheBus]

Good work on the video, although there’s a couple of issues: - A lot of the footage was of non-NSW trains; I recognise that it’s from Comeng’s showreel from the 1980s, where they had supplied or were supplying rolling stock all over the country, and - There we’re a few mispronunciations of place names - feel free to reach out if you need a hand (Gerogery, for example, is pronounced with soft Gs to sound like “Je-RO-je-ri”). Also worth noting are the series of diesel railcars/DMUs spun off from the XPT design and built by Comeng and its successors. The initial units were the Australind railcars for Western Australia in the 1980s, followed by the Xplorer and Endeavour railcars for NSW (as covered in the video). Later versions include the Vlocity DMUs built by Bombardier/Alstom for Victoria and the A-City EMUs also built by Bombardier for Adelaide suburban services. The car bodies for the Australind cars were built using XPT passenger coach jigs, with subsequent designs being evolutions of the Australind.

[@chrisgurney2467]

We call the Explorer units "Exploders" cos if a Wombat gets on the track it will destroy the front end of the unit

[@Quebecoisegal]

Such a lot of work you put into your videos, thank you.

[@edmundcarew7235]

But unfortunately factually incorrect with quite a few assertions. See my and others' above comments.

[@Quebecoisegal]

@@edmundcarew7235 He does videos on all forms of transport, no-one can get everything right. A couple have pointed out couple of things but then go on to credit his input.

[@xr6lad]

@@Quebecoisegal umm pretty much all the stock footage was wrong. Imagine doing a piece on British HST and showing mostly Irish railways or tube footage. No one is complaining about his commentary but if it was a school project it would be sent back to the student to tidy up.

[@robinforrest7680]

Fascinating. I saw a few XPT’s in 2008/9 when I was working for SNCF/Keolis on the Melbourne tram and train tenders. I investigated using the service from Melbourne to Sydney but am ashamed to say that I took the plane in the end due to time constraints

[@johnd8892]

Just like perhaps 99.5% of travellers when making the choice of plane vs XPT.

[@robinforrest7680]

@@johnd8892 I guess so. But if Australia ever gets around to building the oft mooted TGV link between Melbourne and Sydney with a branch off to Canberra and 300km/h services in 3h30 from city centre to city centre the airlines would be dead in the water on those routes very quickly.

[@shawnd-v1660]

Nice to see a video on our XPT's

[@JoeHupp]

The new CAF trains, as you said in the video, are being delivered through Momentum Trains, a consortium of CAF, UGL Rail Services, Pacific Partnerships, CAF Investment Projects and DIF Infrastructure V Coöperatief. Momentum Trains are based in my home town of Dubbo, NSW and will also design, build, finance and maintain these new trains at a purpose-built rail maintenance facility, the Mindyarra Regional Rail Maintenance Facility, also in Dubbo.

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

In the summertime of 1982, I rode the Intercity 125 from far north Scotland until London. The weather was very warm and the air conditioning was broken down in many of the 2nd class cars. The windows were sealed because they were supposed to be air conditioned. I am sure glad that they said that Australia would need more robust air conditioning. I sure hope that was true, because those would’ve been horrible sweat boxes!

[@samuelfellows6923]

🤨 - ours had the traditional slam doors, and they had an openable window in them. Assuming they were defeated by the hot weather 🥵

[@alecclews]

I took the Mel-Syd service in 2019 instead of flying and I would do it again (I was able to work on the train). But it can confirm the track is not very straight, and it's all a bit rattly, so it's very slow. The plane is less than 4 hours door to door, but the train takes over 11 hours!

[@johnd8892]

When the XPT was introduced a large section of the travelling public were happier with the existing relatively new , twenty year old, Southern Aurora service. All first class sleeping with a choice of sleeping compartments from single accommodation and dual bed also with built in showers. So fondly remembered that a 60th anniversary re enactment run sold out quickly and had quite a bit of coverage on TV and KZbin : kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooLJnYKLfbhlrJo This train had far more impact on Melbourne Sydney travel than the minimal speeding up the XPT was pushed too and providing less sleeping accommodation for a still long overnight trip. Searching for the Southern Aurora train will provide many vids on KZbin.

[@peterfitness1929]

An interesting enough video but, as others have pointed out, there is footage of other states railways when NSW was supposed to be the focus of the doco. His attempts at pronouncing some place names were hilarious, I’m still trying to work out which towns he was referring to in some cases.

[@cynderfan2233]

I remember the old S sets. The only way to keep them kinda cool on really hot days was to open the carriage to carriage doors and leave them open. I think the last ones went out of service in the early 20 teens.

[@newobanproductions]

June 2019 was when the last S set was withdrawn.

[@nswtransportfilms]

28th/29th June 2019 was the final revenue service for the S Sets. S135 on the T8 Olympic Park

[@GLxGL]

Can still remember an XPT set being on display in Melbourne (Spencer Street station I think) and it looked pretty sparse in terms of comfort compared to the older first class carriages. A whole day in an XPT between Melbourne and Sydney for the same price didn't make sense, but now with Tullamarine being expensive and time consuming to use as an airport, rail travel makes more sense

[@Mick_4591]

Those were days where we made things here . Years later were getting trains made os and then finding out they dont fit through tunnels

[@tomcarlos7929]

I love your work but there is a lot of Queensland rail and Australian National Railways in your footage when you’re talking about NSW railways. And NSW is a state.

[@xr6lad]

And Melbourne suburban. Even my partner who isn't interested in trains but was watching said 'thats Melbourne, not NSW'

[@skronzo]

The power car de-rating discussed at 5:20 was that in response to climate conditions (higher ambient temperatures) ? Or was there another reason to dial them back a little? Increased service interval?

[@nkt1]

Temperature was the main reason. The XPT's cooler group is much more powerful than that of the HST. The XPT has a lower maximum speed than the HST, and propels fewer carriages, but also has to contend with much more severe gradients.

[@johnd8892]

I think early on NSW railways knew that could not justify track upgrades for HST speeds. So de rate the engines for the speeds needed and get maintenance advantages. A common approach to de rate high maintenance diesels, so some multiple incentives to de rate.

[@markrobert6028]

Hornby churned one of these out, although it was just a re-liveried HST from memory? Nice to get some background to it, although a few decades later!

[@johnd8892]

The Hornby repaint made for just a short time , selling poorly, now sought after by Hornby collectors. There was also a more popular Lima HST repaint XPT version in Australia selling for many years A few rare Graham Farsish ones too. All now superceded by the HO scale state of the art Auscision versions.. Catering for just about every livery variation over the years. Very expensive but sold out in a year or two. Not as expensive as the collector prices for the Triang models of the Sydney suburban trains seen at 1:20.

[@grahamsawyer831]

YES RUARIDH!! very good context - you really are doing your homework, the effort is much appreciated. top notch content, thank you sir. you missed the chance for a quick clip of the Burlington Zephyr though...

[@xr6lad]

😂

[@metricstormtrooper]

The newest car I saw in your Sydney footage was a 1964 EH Holden. Also it's pronounced Glen In nss. The change of name to country link gave the company I was working for quite a lot of work, work a lot of money to make the signage for the re bra bring, the signs were complicated to produce, made out of quite thick aluminium and engraved with the station names and country link logo, it's funny how those in charge of train services love spending lots of money, just not on train services.

[@SciFiAddict189]

Small note. Referring to NSW as a Territory is like referring to Scotland as a County. Edit: Otherwise very good.

[@hallamhal]

Shouldn't it be called the ⊥SH?

[@kevanhubbard9673]

I've been on one of those overnight between Sydney and Melbourne and back.Imagine if BR had fitted the HST out with sleeping cars?

[@nkt1]

There would be no point. The HST can do Edinburgh to London in around 4 hours. The Anglo-Scottish and Cornwall sleepers have all night to make their journey, and usually operate at 80mph. They don't need to travel at 125mph, and it probably wouldn't make for a good night's sleep if they did.

[@TheHylianBatman]

Wow, that's very cool. I didn't know the HST went anywhere else.

[@Swissair171]

May I suggest that that you do a video on the Swiss Federal Railways Re 460?

[@highpath4776]

I wondered why I had seen Hornby XPT livered train sets. I spent ages wondering which line in the UK they had been used on.

[@johnd8892]

There was also a more popular Lima version in Australia. A few rare Graham Farsish ones too. All now superceded by the HO scale state of the art Auscision versions now available. Catering for just about every livery variation over the years

[@ianwalker2250]

You seem to omit the role of Transmark - a UK based rail consultancy wholly owned by British Rail - which worked on international rail projects including XPT and Hong Kong Metro.

[@nkt1]

I think I read that Transmark supplied the HST’s technical documentation, but told the SRA that it wouldn’t provide any advice or support.

[@dodgydruid]

My late father was offered a job in Sydney, 3 times what he was earning with BR as some sort of high end signalling manager, company car and company fuel card, house, all moving costs paid from blighty to Sydney and my old mum called in her contacts and was offered a senior editor job at one of the Sydney newspapers... my father refused to go, firstly because he was abjectly terrified of flying so the new firm offered to turn this around and said they would pay for sea travel utilising cruise ships something like 3 months of luxury for nowt and still he said no because of Sydney's indiginous insect population as he had a real phobia about spiders and someone told him about the redback and that was it he was NOT going :(

[@railtrolley]

Was your father also warned about Drop Bears? The most dangerous wildlife in Asutralia.

[@insert_username_here]

Australian here, can confirm I'm currently getting bitten by Redbacks and being swallowed whole by snakes while typing this comment.

[@Martindyna]

@@railtrolley I had to look it up 😁 The drop bear (sometimes dropbear) is a hoax in contemporary Australian folklore featuring a predatory, carnivorous version of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). This imaginary animal is commonly spoken about in tall tales designed to scare tourists.

[@oldfatbastad6053]

Converted all the railway stories to audio, nearly 9 hours worth. great to listen to while doing stuff 😃

[@andrewrussack8647]

Nice video. (Rogue vision of some none NSW train services appear throughout. 😜)

[@csjames69]

Neville Wran’s signature policy and legacy was the introduction of Mercedes Benz buses to the Sydney bus network.

[@micknotfromleitrim]

Love your stuff, thanks for all the effort, it's brilliant

[@DaveSCameron]

Your uploads are truly wonderful and you're very professional them many thanks.

[@JohnSmith-qv3ll]

Great video a always still have my hornby xpt set worth some money now.

[@jtveg]

Thanks so much for sharing. 😉👌🏻

[@BamesNond4882]

Meanwhile, South Australia had completely axed rural passenger trains outside Adelaide, with the exception of the Overland.

[@Booyaka9000]

Most of SA's regional services were either cut beginning in the early 90s before the state government privatised off all the services assets, or by the businesses that bought them in the mid-90s. The Ghan still runs to Darwin and the Indian Pacific still runs to Perth, along with the Overland. It'd be nice to have something like a high speed service to Melbourne that only takes 8 hours instead of the current 13, or 12 hours to Perth instead of the current 70 or so.

[@K-o-R]

"Dating back at least 20 years" _glances around at, oooohhhhh, half the trains in the UK _*_today..._* 6:45 "Oh my god, the PTC has disbanded!" _screams, jumps through plate glass window_

[@peterg957]

I used to drive the 43's out of Kings X up the ECML... With 4500 hp under the bonnet ( 2250 hp ) one up front and one up the botty there was plenty of power on tap... Pulling out of the station on notch five with the Paxman Valenta turbo's screaming their little heads off and clouds of exhaust smoke ( sorry Greta Thunberg ) was something to behold with more excitement to enjoy... 125 mph here we come although they would top 148 mph... Now there is food for thought but as I did not fancy tea and biscuits with the Boss well need I say more...

[@jamesbrett6518]

Weren't the turbochargers by Napier?

[@peterg957]

@@jamesbrett6518 Yes...

[@britishfilmguy]

Think it'll be a sad day when Australia says fairwell to there xpt's broadly the same life span as our hst's even shared the same power plants through their lives as our hst's not a bad record to have.

[@xr6lad]

NSW. Most of the rest of Australia have never seen a HST. It will only affect one state - we have 6 states and they all operate their own rail systems like 6 different countries and they are rarely cross borders or are integrated with adjacent states. It's like trying to compare Spain with Framce with Italy with Austria. Different gauges, rolling stock, investment programmes, political influences, different staffing and operations. There's few commonality except where they operate across borders (like freight trains which are run privately to add another mix).

[@britishfilmguy]

Quite a good insight there, and a good mix of passenger and freight operations across various states. Must make things quite interesting for the eagle eyed train spotters.

[@xr6lad]

@@britishfilmguy yes it can seem a carcrash mess to outsiders. Which is why some are making comments on unrelated footage. Its like the Uk franchise model with seperate operators but worse as there is no overarching authority - NsW doesn't listen to Victoria and visa versa, Qld does its own thing and Western Australia hates anything that comes from the east. And South Australia and Tasmania just do as little as possible for their rail systems. But yes plenty of different and old engines - I think Victoria still has 1950's S class bull nose streamliner diesels pulling freight.

[@britishfilmguy]

@@xr6lad really wow think the oldest locomotive we've got is the class 37's most still in operation doing mixed traffic these days given they were built in the 1960's still quite a long life span.

[@edmundcarew7235]

@@xr6lad Wrong. Twice a day, XPTs travel to Melbourne, and notwithstanding recent works and a derailment at Casino NSW, normally once a day to Brisbane.