cactustwirly
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They haven't been about in Germany for a few years now
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
They're still in use in odd places as Ersatzzuege supplementing for modern stock having issues, mostly chartered, and any ex-IR Bistrowagen still knocking about in ICs have single leaf versions of that door type too.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
DAY 7: the famous Bondi Beach, lovely Canadian couple and a very naughty XPT ride
Look at the colour of that sea!!
Hello, hello, and today I am typing out this report on a Tangara set heading to Cronulla, to check out the many popular beaches there as it’s such a hot day. It just so happens that this time last week I was also headed to the beach, although that one is certainly a lot more well-known to us from the UK!
Yes, last Sunday was an exceptionally hot day with clear blue skies, so I considered it - my second full day in Sydney - a perfect day to check out the famous Bondi Beach. So, after grabbing my wallet, phone, AirPods - and that’s it (I didn’t feel like swimming today, and would have plenty of opportunities to in future!) I trotted down to Newtown station and onto a Waratah B Set that took me to Redfern, where it was downstairs to the low level platforms where Tangara T63 pulled in heading for Bondi Junction.
Tangara’s have a very modern look for a train the equivalent age of a BR Class 455, particularly if you compare the front ends, but they do lack A) a Passenger Information System and B) reversible seats - not that as someone from the UK I can rightfully complain about that, as such is standard there. I find them a little creepy in terms of sounds though - they make a rather aggressive sounding URRRRRRRR when the doors open, the announcement bing bong is a bit creepy and there’s a freaky door wail when the doors close. Still, I do like them, as they’re more interesting than the ultra-modern Waratahs and ultra-boring Millennium sets, yet feel nowhere near as ancient and clapped out as the aged K Sets. All Sydney Trains, even the 80s ones, have good strong air-conditioning (since the final C/S Sets were withdrawn not so long ago) Tangara windows are curved on the top deck unlike other stock, giving more of a panoramic view, the only downside is they’re translucent at best. They really really need a good clean, and that goes for every Tangara I’ve been on, which now, at time of writing, is many.
Anyway I digress - the train stops at Central, Town Hall, and then a couple of less interesting stops before getting to Bondi Junction about ten minutes later. Bondi Junction is a busy suburb at which the station meets lots of shops and a mall, but not the beach itself. This requires a short bus ride or a 20-30 minute walk depending on your walking speed. It was a lovely day, so I picked up a refreshing Strawberry Acai from the adjacent Starbucks and had a nice stroll, headphones in, down to the beach through the pretty residential villages. And there was Bondi Beach in all its glory. Unfortunately, I’ve found photos and videos really don’t do Australian beaches justice, they don’t capture the incredible whiteness of the sand or the turquoise of the sea, so when you look at these photos believe me when I say the beach was 10x nicer in person.
What a baking hot day it was, and yet a gentle sea breeze made it not stuffy or unpleasant in the slightest - it was genuinely idyllic - caribbean temperatures and a very warm sea. I did paddle slightly, but that was my limit as I was without trunks - and had a sit down on a nice rocky ledge overlooking some rockpools that were teeming with large crabs scuttling around.
For such a famous beach, and such a perfect hot day, the beach was not crowded at all. Bournemouth Beach, by comparison, even with its naff coarse sand, cold opaque sea and very mild UK temperatures, is usually RAMMED in the summer. I was able to get a good look at the beach from above the cliff, and then discovered the Icebergs.
Icebergs is an incredible swimming pool with a breathtaking view of Bondi and the ocean, and upon seeing this (and the VERY reasonable prices) I immediately regretted not bringing swimwear. Resolving to come back very soon to jump in this pool for a dip next time it was so hot - which would be every day after that upto and including today! - I turned to walk on until I noticed the Icebergs Bar, a beautiful cafe with an outstanding balcony on which customers could enjoy unrivalled views of the bay down below. Of course, I just had to take a stop there.
It was rather busy, as you’d expect, with groups and families, and I did feel rather self-conscious and embarrassed to take a table on my own, but after telling myself to get a grip, I relaxed and took in the amazing view with a mocha - which was by far the best mocha I’ve had in Australia, beating that in Newtown and that in Melbourne - relaxing for a good half an hour. It was then, that I was asked by an absolutely lovely middle-aged (I’d guess sixties) woman if I’d mind if her and her husband joined me at the table, as by now the terrace tables were all long gone (I’d had to wait forty-five minutes for mine btw, and as soon as someone gets up and leaves you have to be rather unclassy and pounce or someone else will get it - they’re understandably very much wanted tables), and once someone sits down they’ll stay long after their food and drink is done because it’s just so blissful to relax looking at the view.
I was only too happy for them to join me at the table, as having been the only person from my uni (bar one another girl who was in New Zealand at the time) to go to Australia, and with courses not started yet, I hadn’t really had any company, and I’m a very sociable person used to lots of people around me. As soon as they sat down I realised immediately that I’d met the most friendly couple I’ve ever seen, they began chatting to me instantly as if I’d known them for ages, and they were absolutely hilarious! The lady came from Quebec having met her husband in Jamaica a year earlier, and had a good laugh about our treacherous flights. We actually decided to order some food while there, and as I was spoilt for choice I did go a bit mad and bought some Australian oysters as an appetiser, some Australian-caught prawn wraps to go with them, and then a wonderful dish of fresh mussels in marinara with homemade garlic bread. So greedy, but it’d save me from cooking dinner. It was fantastic, really authentic food, and I demolished the lot.
Despite my protests, the lovely couple insisted on buying me an aperitif while we waited, bless them, and I enjoyed an Australian twist on a mojito - I forget the name, something like a Southside - it was basically a mojito but with gin in place of the rum, and though my favourite mojitos can often be hit and miss, Icebergs delivered an absolutely perfect, ice-cold cocktail that was truly luxurious to drink while sat in the hot sun overlooking the stunning beach. Oh god, I’m just looking at how long this report is already, and we haven’t even got to the XPT part yet, better pick up the pace. Anyway, I was probably sat there for hours with this lovely couple that had practically adopted me
and then we got some photos and went separate ways; while on the phone to my mum with (a thankfully cheap call due my Vodafone’s international calls plan, although as of today I have an Australian sim which limits international calls to 150 mins a month yet gives me far cheaper usage of invaluable 5G mobile data) I boarded an H Set “OSCAR” at Bondi Junction, bound for Kiama.
These are actually not Sydney Trains’ sets (yet) but NSW Trainlink Intercity trains complete with toilets and nicer (albeit 3+2) seats usually used for Newcastle and South Coast services, but limited of the latter (and most on weekends) do run beyond Central to Bondi Jct. It was a massive upgrade on the Tangaras for the ten minute journey to Central, where I saw the Melbourne evening XPT waiting to leave. Oh dear, a very impulsive spontaneous urge overcame me and out of sheer overwhelming curiosity I boarded it for an hour’s ride to Campbelltown. Very naughty as it’s both pick up only and booked seat only. I don’t believe any of you work for NSW Trainlink though, so I’ll be having no cross words from yous thank you very much, the onboard staff were fine with it
It’s SO COMFORTABLE, my god. The seats look so awful from pictures but they’re exceptionally squishy and comfortable with great wings for resting your head and a recline so generous they put economy airline seating to shame. Like planes, the recline goes backwards but as the legroom is so very generous it does not impair the space of whoever’s behind you one bit. Pull down table was sturdy, footrest below also appreciated. Very nice place to travel, only concern being I can’t bear airline seating for more than a few hours. I would have loved some facing table seats if I were doing a long journey, which I would have been doing if I’d been making a permitted journey (oops)
Very smooth departure. I don’t care about locomotives, nor am I a HST frother, so I was admittedly sat far from the power cars - it may have been louder nearer to them - but from where I was sitting the ride was very quiet. An announcement was made that the buffet was open, and a lady came down to take hot food orders. There were about five different full hot meal options, so a good variety, fair bit of choice. I got myself a lemonade from the buffet to keep me refreshed for the long journey back on the stopping trains.
While you’re not supposed to travel on the XPT with an Opal card, Campbelltown is within the Opal zone so although tutting, and laughing a bit, the train manager did not charge me for the journey as had I made the same journey on an EMU I’d have been perfectly valid, but I was fully prepared to pay had I been obligated to, of course, including to a station where one is permitted to alight.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed the journey and while flying is so much faster and I will be flying when I return to Melbourne, I will genuinely consider the XPT for when I visit Brisbane.
From Campbelltown it was a very long journey on a Waratah B Set back to Central, and then a Waratah A Set (FINALLY an A, I’ve become so bored of always getting B Sets!) back to Newtown.
An eventful day. Very enjoyable. Do let me know what you think of Bondi or XPT if you’ve experienced either. (Although please don’t comment if all you have to contribute is a telling off for riding the XPT - if you’re not NSW staff then it’s not your responsibility to do that and they were fine with it anyway
) I’m well aware Bondi is not necessarily the nicest of Sydney’s beaches despite it being the most famous, and I intend to visit Manly, Balmoral and many others soon.
What good timing! My train has just arrived into Cronulla, the last stop and my destination for the day.
Best wishes as usual - next report is Day 8: Intercity journey to Newcastle and swimming in the scary Bogey Hole!
Thanks so much for reading and looking forward as usual to your comments.
Look at the colour of that sea!!
Hello, hello, and today I am typing out this report on a Tangara set heading to Cronulla, to check out the many popular beaches there as it’s such a hot day. It just so happens that this time last week I was also headed to the beach, although that one is certainly a lot more well-known to us from the UK!
Yes, last Sunday was an exceptionally hot day with clear blue skies, so I considered it - my second full day in Sydney - a perfect day to check out the famous Bondi Beach. So, after grabbing my wallet, phone, AirPods - and that’s it (I didn’t feel like swimming today, and would have plenty of opportunities to in future!) I trotted down to Newtown station and onto a Waratah B Set that took me to Redfern, where it was downstairs to the low level platforms where Tangara T63 pulled in heading for Bondi Junction.
Tangara’s have a very modern look for a train the equivalent age of a BR Class 455, particularly if you compare the front ends, but they do lack A) a Passenger Information System and B) reversible seats - not that as someone from the UK I can rightfully complain about that, as such is standard there. I find them a little creepy in terms of sounds though - they make a rather aggressive sounding URRRRRRRR when the doors open, the announcement bing bong is a bit creepy and there’s a freaky door wail when the doors close. Still, I do like them, as they’re more interesting than the ultra-modern Waratahs and ultra-boring Millennium sets, yet feel nowhere near as ancient and clapped out as the aged K Sets. All Sydney Trains, even the 80s ones, have good strong air-conditioning (since the final C/S Sets were withdrawn not so long ago) Tangara windows are curved on the top deck unlike other stock, giving more of a panoramic view, the only downside is they’re translucent at best. They really really need a good clean, and that goes for every Tangara I’ve been on, which now, at time of writing, is many.
Anyway I digress - the train stops at Central, Town Hall, and then a couple of less interesting stops before getting to Bondi Junction about ten minutes later. Bondi Junction is a busy suburb at which the station meets lots of shops and a mall, but not the beach itself. This requires a short bus ride or a 20-30 minute walk depending on your walking speed. It was a lovely day, so I picked up a refreshing Strawberry Acai from the adjacent Starbucks and had a nice stroll, headphones in, down to the beach through the pretty residential villages. And there was Bondi Beach in all its glory. Unfortunately, I’ve found photos and videos really don’t do Australian beaches justice, they don’t capture the incredible whiteness of the sand or the turquoise of the sea, so when you look at these photos believe me when I say the beach was 10x nicer in person.
What a baking hot day it was, and yet a gentle sea breeze made it not stuffy or unpleasant in the slightest - it was genuinely idyllic - caribbean temperatures and a very warm sea. I did paddle slightly, but that was my limit as I was without trunks - and had a sit down on a nice rocky ledge overlooking some rockpools that were teeming with large crabs scuttling around.
For such a famous beach, and such a perfect hot day, the beach was not crowded at all. Bournemouth Beach, by comparison, even with its naff coarse sand, cold opaque sea and very mild UK temperatures, is usually RAMMED in the summer. I was able to get a good look at the beach from above the cliff, and then discovered the Icebergs.
Icebergs is an incredible swimming pool with a breathtaking view of Bondi and the ocean, and upon seeing this (and the VERY reasonable prices) I immediately regretted not bringing swimwear. Resolving to come back very soon to jump in this pool for a dip next time it was so hot - which would be every day after that upto and including today! - I turned to walk on until I noticed the Icebergs Bar, a beautiful cafe with an outstanding balcony on which customers could enjoy unrivalled views of the bay down below. Of course, I just had to take a stop there.
It was rather busy, as you’d expect, with groups and families, and I did feel rather self-conscious and embarrassed to take a table on my own, but after telling myself to get a grip, I relaxed and took in the amazing view with a mocha - which was by far the best mocha I’ve had in Australia, beating that in Newtown and that in Melbourne - relaxing for a good half an hour. It was then, that I was asked by an absolutely lovely middle-aged (I’d guess sixties) woman if I’d mind if her and her husband joined me at the table, as by now the terrace tables were all long gone (I’d had to wait forty-five minutes for mine btw, and as soon as someone gets up and leaves you have to be rather unclassy and pounce or someone else will get it - they’re understandably very much wanted tables), and once someone sits down they’ll stay long after their food and drink is done because it’s just so blissful to relax looking at the view.
I was only too happy for them to join me at the table, as having been the only person from my uni (bar one another girl who was in New Zealand at the time) to go to Australia, and with courses not started yet, I hadn’t really had any company, and I’m a very sociable person used to lots of people around me. As soon as they sat down I realised immediately that I’d met the most friendly couple I’ve ever seen, they began chatting to me instantly as if I’d known them for ages, and they were absolutely hilarious! The lady came from Quebec having met her husband in Jamaica a year earlier, and had a good laugh about our treacherous flights. We actually decided to order some food while there, and as I was spoilt for choice I did go a bit mad and bought some Australian oysters as an appetiser, some Australian-caught prawn wraps to go with them, and then a wonderful dish of fresh mussels in marinara with homemade garlic bread. So greedy, but it’d save me from cooking dinner. It was fantastic, really authentic food, and I demolished the lot.
Despite my protests, the lovely couple insisted on buying me an aperitif while we waited, bless them, and I enjoyed an Australian twist on a mojito - I forget the name, something like a Southside - it was basically a mojito but with gin in place of the rum, and though my favourite mojitos can often be hit and miss, Icebergs delivered an absolutely perfect, ice-cold cocktail that was truly luxurious to drink while sat in the hot sun overlooking the stunning beach. Oh god, I’m just looking at how long this report is already, and we haven’t even got to the XPT part yet, better pick up the pace. Anyway, I was probably sat there for hours with this lovely couple that had practically adopted me
These are actually not Sydney Trains’ sets (yet) but NSW Trainlink Intercity trains complete with toilets and nicer (albeit 3+2) seats usually used for Newcastle and South Coast services, but limited of the latter (and most on weekends) do run beyond Central to Bondi Jct. It was a massive upgrade on the Tangaras for the ten minute journey to Central, where I saw the Melbourne evening XPT waiting to leave. Oh dear, a very impulsive spontaneous urge overcame me and out of sheer overwhelming curiosity I boarded it for an hour’s ride to Campbelltown. Very naughty as it’s both pick up only and booked seat only. I don’t believe any of you work for NSW Trainlink though, so I’ll be having no cross words from yous thank you very much, the onboard staff were fine with it
It’s SO COMFORTABLE, my god. The seats look so awful from pictures but they’re exceptionally squishy and comfortable with great wings for resting your head and a recline so generous they put economy airline seating to shame. Like planes, the recline goes backwards but as the legroom is so very generous it does not impair the space of whoever’s behind you one bit. Pull down table was sturdy, footrest below also appreciated. Very nice place to travel, only concern being I can’t bear airline seating for more than a few hours. I would have loved some facing table seats if I were doing a long journey, which I would have been doing if I’d been making a permitted journey (oops)
Very smooth departure. I don’t care about locomotives, nor am I a HST frother, so I was admittedly sat far from the power cars - it may have been louder nearer to them - but from where I was sitting the ride was very quiet. An announcement was made that the buffet was open, and a lady came down to take hot food orders. There were about five different full hot meal options, so a good variety, fair bit of choice. I got myself a lemonade from the buffet to keep me refreshed for the long journey back on the stopping trains.
While you’re not supposed to travel on the XPT with an Opal card, Campbelltown is within the Opal zone so although tutting, and laughing a bit, the train manager did not charge me for the journey as had I made the same journey on an EMU I’d have been perfectly valid, but I was fully prepared to pay had I been obligated to, of course, including to a station where one is permitted to alight.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed the journey and while flying is so much faster and I will be flying when I return to Melbourne, I will genuinely consider the XPT for when I visit Brisbane.
From Campbelltown it was a very long journey on a Waratah B Set back to Central, and then a Waratah A Set (FINALLY an A, I’ve become so bored of always getting B Sets!) back to Newtown.
An eventful day. Very enjoyable. Do let me know what you think of Bondi or XPT if you’ve experienced either. (Although please don’t comment if all you have to contribute is a telling off for riding the XPT - if you’re not NSW staff then it’s not your responsibility to do that and they were fine with it anyway
What good timing! My train has just arrived into Cronulla, the last stop and my destination for the day.
Best wishes as usual - next report is Day 8: Intercity journey to Newcastle and swimming in the scary Bogey Hole!
Thanks so much for reading and looking forward as usual to your comments.
Last edited:
150249
Established Member
Is it terribly hot there? I could not deal with that 
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Just the thought of high temperatures has the sweat glands tempted to open up 
It sounds like an epic day, and I am glad to hear you liked the XPT. They are enjoyable trains, I am still glad to this day that I did one when I went to Australia.
You had better weather than I did for Bondi Beach! The seafood you are certainly welcome to, but the Starbucks I would have been in
As for being nervous etc about sitting at a table on your own, ah you'll get used to it and be comfortable in no time
It sounds like an epic day, and I am glad to hear you liked the XPT. They are enjoyable trains, I am still glad to this day that I did one when I went to Australia.
You had better weather than I did for Bondi Beach! The seafood you are certainly welcome to, but the Starbucks I would have been in
As for being nervous etc about sitting at a table on your own, ah you'll get used to it and be comfortable in no time
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
It’s dramatically hot and I wouldn’t have it any other wayIs it terribly hot there? I could not deal with that
I love the high temperatures! The XPT was indeed good, feels a little dated compared to a VTEC/XC MK3 but an extreme improvement on a GWR or EMT one.Just the thought of high temperatures has the sweat glands tempted to open up
It sounds like an epic day, and I am glad to hear you liked the XPT. They are enjoyable trains, I am still glad to this day that I did one when I went to Australia.
You had better weather than I did for Bondi Beach! The seafood you are certainly welcome to, but the Starbucks I would have been in
As for being nervous etc about sitting at a table on your own, ah you'll get used to it and be comfortable in no time
I’ve been very lucky with the weather. Adore seafood
Starbucks I’ve only got a strawberry acai from since being here, as there are many many independent coffee shops that do rather nice coffee
hexagon789
Veteran Member
It is stunning.
150249
Established Member
I boil in anything above 24°C so I couldn't handle it out there at the momentIt’s dramatically hot and I wouldn’t have it any other way
I love the high temperatures! The XPT was indeed good, feels a little dated compared to a VTEC/XC MK3 but an extreme improvement on a GWR or EMT one.
I’ve been very lucky with the weather. Adore seafood
Starbucks I’ve only got a strawberry acai from since being here, as there are many many independent coffee shops that do rather nice coffee
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Day 8: Breathtaking views on classic Intercity V Set to Newcastle & swimming in the dangerous Bogey Hole Rock Pool
Dangar Island, viewed from the train en-route:
This was Monday 6th: I knew I fancied a lengthy trip on the old V Sets, both because they’re arguably the most comfortable NSW EMUs as the only ones with 2+2 seating and armrests, and also because when drivers have finished squabbling over the new D Set “Mariyung,” the 70s V Sets will be off for the chop.
And so I decided a trip on the Newcastle line was in order, and that would tie in well with me visiting the Bogey Hole at Newcastle! The usual B Set Waratah picked me up from Newtown and took me to Central, where crossing over to the InterCity platforms presented me with not an 8 carriage V Set as hoped but instead a 4 carriage Oscar (H Set) bound for Newcastle Interchange. The approximately 3 hours journey to Newcastle is operated with both H and V Sets, sort of like how the Portsmouth Direct is with both 450s and 444s, only the journey to Newcastle is considerably longer than that from London to Portsmouth.
The purpose of this day trip was more to check out New South Wales’ second city and its unforgiving Bogey Hole sea pool, with getting a nice V Set ride being a predicted bonus, but I was not willing to sit on an Oscar for three hours. These are effectively copies of the Commuter trains used on Sydney Trains suburban services, only with higher backed seats and toilets to make them a bit more pleasant. However, they have no armrests, rather short carriages, and shock horror for a long journey - 3+2 seating - so I skipped this train, waited half an hour, and in came an 8 carriage V Set which split, the front 4 forming the next service (Express), and the rear 4 forming the semi-fast service afterwards. I’ve since learned that, in general, V Sets tend to be the XX:15 Express and Oscars the XX:45 semi-fast, but there are a few semis booked for Vs, some fasts booked for Oscars, and EVERYTHING is Oscar on a weekend.
Check out the interior difference between an Oscar (photo taken from another trip) and a V Set:
The V Sets are unique in having a spacious middle deck with forward/backwards seating. All other EMUs have this only on the top and bottom, with the middle sections at the car ends having exclusively sideways seating. They’re also unique in having vestibule doors, mainly due to them being the only double deckers in Australia with end doors.
Anyway, I took a top deck (I tend to like the middle section best but wanted a good view of Hawkesbury River) seat, flipped the one in front of me so it faced me as if it were a table seat, and relaxed with a strawberry lemonade and a rather nice white chocolate and raspberry muffin. The V Set very smoothly glided out of Central, skipped the usual suburban stations, took more on-board at Sydney’s Clapham Junction - Strathfield - and then picked up pace quickly and got well out of the city. The ride was very quiet and smooth, and I’m impressed with how modern the train felt for a 70s built train.
The views upon leaving Sydney are incredible - now I don’t have a very generous allowance for pictures on this forum, and I travelled much of the same line only a couple of days later to visit Wondabyne, so I’ll save most of the shots for that post so I can show you Newcastle, but I was particularly taken with the bridge over Hawkesbury River by Dangar Island:
The scenery continues for at least an hour and a half. Major stops include Gosford and Wyong, to where additional peak-hour crowd busters run on weekdays, and Cardiff, about half an hour from Newcastle. Now as most of you know, I have come to Australia from Cardiff UK, so it was necessary for me to alight to mark the significance of coming from Cardiff South Wales, to Cardiff New South Wales: ten thousand miles apart. The latter is far nicer though. I don’t want to ever go back to the grimy land of the dragon, but I suppose I’ll have to if I want to take third year and graduate… Here’s my V Set at Cardiff:
From Cardiff there was a twenty-five minute wait which I didn’t want, so I jumped onto Oscar H21 and classmate which were working the semi-fast back to Sydney, just for a few stops to sunny Fassifern, where it was a five minute wait for V13 (which had originally been paired with the V Set I took to Cardiff) on the semi-fast back through Cardiff and towards Newcastle. It called at Broadmeadow, a junction for Brisbane XPTs (and the first stop out of Sydney where you’re permitted to alight them) and Hamilton just outside Newcastle, where I alighted as it’s the junction for Scone and Hunter diesel lines.
Fassifern
Hunter DMU at Newcastle
Coming in five minutes would be a Hunter DMU, and in ten would be an Endeavour DMU, just for the three minute chug to Newcastle Interchange, and I chose the Hunter - not because it was the first but because Endeavours can be found in Kiama, Campbelltown and occasionally even in Sydney on limited Bathurst Bullet expresses via Katoomba, whereas Hunters are only found on their namesake Hunter line, over a hundred miles from Sydney.
It was fairly unremarkable. Inside it was basically a single decker Oscar. Same seats and all. Still, I was only on it for five minutes.
The railway line continued a mile or two beyond the current terminus at Newcastle Interchange until only five/ten minutes ago, weaving through the Newcastle suburb of Honeysuckle and past the city centre’s Hunter Street mall until it reached Newcastle Beach, but in order to open up Newcastle and make it feel less cluttered, the railway was cut back to the new Interchange station just outside the city - a very controversial move that I believe did not go down well with commuters - and a short tram service was installed in its place to take you into the city or beach. I took this to the end. Opal cards are valid on the tram (and had been for the train journey), well over a hundred miles from Sydney. Imagine taking a Pendolino to Birmingham and then going to Wednesbury on the Midland Metro all with an Oyster card! Oh, and I should add there was a cap of $16 for the day, and it’s half that on weekends. Bargain.
Newcastle has very blue sea and very big waves, so it’s good for surfers. I took a walk along the beach in the hot weather, up the cliffs and down a rather risky steep slope among all sorts of low bushes - I was rather conscious of snakes - up another hill and there I was standing above the Bogey Hole. This is a famous natural pool formed in the rocks underneath a cliff near Newcastle, and it’s somewhat scary as the tide is very rough where it is, so enormous waves crash over the sides and especially big ones can send you flying from one side of the pool to another. Marine stingers are common in this area, so you should also keep an eye out for those if visiting. It’s nice and deep, I’m a couple of centimetres (so near but so far) off 6 foot and it came up to my neck.
The water was very warm so I changed and had a swim, and got bashed about by the waves for half an hour or so before getting out and having a sunbathe on the rocks. This was followed by a pleasant walk in the sun along the coast back into Newcastle city centre - it’s sparse, empty and rubbish, I don’t recommend it - where some delicious takeaway samosas from one food place and a nice fishburger slider from another were enjoyed, and then it was back onto the waiting V Set for a comfortable three-hour journey back. It was a stopping service but that didn’t bother me at all, the train stayed pretty empty and no one entered my section until Strathfield, fifteen minutes before we got to Central.
I recommend a trip to Newcastle for the fantastic views (genuinely putting Scottish highlands and maybe even the more overrated parts of Switzerland - yes I do dare to say that - to shame) and the unique experience of the bogey hole, but the city itself is a bit of a dump. It certainly doesn’t SEEM like a city, more like an empty town.
I’m writing this report on a ferry passing under Sydney Harbour Bridge as I travel to Cockatoo Island. Lovely weather today. Hope everyone had a good Valentines Day, taken or not. Join me next time for a trip to the very remote yet breathtaking Wondabyne, Australia’s only railway station without road access and infested with dangerous snakes that slither onto the platforms!!! Taktish.
Dangar Island, viewed from the train en-route:
This was Monday 6th: I knew I fancied a lengthy trip on the old V Sets, both because they’re arguably the most comfortable NSW EMUs as the only ones with 2+2 seating and armrests, and also because when drivers have finished squabbling over the new D Set “Mariyung,” the 70s V Sets will be off for the chop.
And so I decided a trip on the Newcastle line was in order, and that would tie in well with me visiting the Bogey Hole at Newcastle! The usual B Set Waratah picked me up from Newtown and took me to Central, where crossing over to the InterCity platforms presented me with not an 8 carriage V Set as hoped but instead a 4 carriage Oscar (H Set) bound for Newcastle Interchange. The approximately 3 hours journey to Newcastle is operated with both H and V Sets, sort of like how the Portsmouth Direct is with both 450s and 444s, only the journey to Newcastle is considerably longer than that from London to Portsmouth.
The purpose of this day trip was more to check out New South Wales’ second city and its unforgiving Bogey Hole sea pool, with getting a nice V Set ride being a predicted bonus, but I was not willing to sit on an Oscar for three hours. These are effectively copies of the Commuter trains used on Sydney Trains suburban services, only with higher backed seats and toilets to make them a bit more pleasant. However, they have no armrests, rather short carriages, and shock horror for a long journey - 3+2 seating - so I skipped this train, waited half an hour, and in came an 8 carriage V Set which split, the front 4 forming the next service (Express), and the rear 4 forming the semi-fast service afterwards. I’ve since learned that, in general, V Sets tend to be the XX:15 Express and Oscars the XX:45 semi-fast, but there are a few semis booked for Vs, some fasts booked for Oscars, and EVERYTHING is Oscar on a weekend.
Check out the interior difference between an Oscar (photo taken from another trip) and a V Set:
The V Sets are unique in having a spacious middle deck with forward/backwards seating. All other EMUs have this only on the top and bottom, with the middle sections at the car ends having exclusively sideways seating. They’re also unique in having vestibule doors, mainly due to them being the only double deckers in Australia with end doors.
Anyway, I took a top deck (I tend to like the middle section best but wanted a good view of Hawkesbury River) seat, flipped the one in front of me so it faced me as if it were a table seat, and relaxed with a strawberry lemonade and a rather nice white chocolate and raspberry muffin. The V Set very smoothly glided out of Central, skipped the usual suburban stations, took more on-board at Sydney’s Clapham Junction - Strathfield - and then picked up pace quickly and got well out of the city. The ride was very quiet and smooth, and I’m impressed with how modern the train felt for a 70s built train.
The views upon leaving Sydney are incredible - now I don’t have a very generous allowance for pictures on this forum, and I travelled much of the same line only a couple of days later to visit Wondabyne, so I’ll save most of the shots for that post so I can show you Newcastle, but I was particularly taken with the bridge over Hawkesbury River by Dangar Island:
The scenery continues for at least an hour and a half. Major stops include Gosford and Wyong, to where additional peak-hour crowd busters run on weekdays, and Cardiff, about half an hour from Newcastle. Now as most of you know, I have come to Australia from Cardiff UK, so it was necessary for me to alight to mark the significance of coming from Cardiff South Wales, to Cardiff New South Wales: ten thousand miles apart.
The latter is far nicer though. I don’t want to ever go back to the grimy land of the dragon, but I suppose I’ll have to if I want to take third year and graduate… Here’s my V Set at Cardiff:From Cardiff there was a twenty-five minute wait which I didn’t want, so I jumped onto Oscar H21 and classmate which were working the semi-fast back to Sydney, just for a few stops to sunny Fassifern, where it was a five minute wait for V13 (which had originally been paired with the V Set I took to Cardiff) on the semi-fast back through Cardiff and towards Newcastle. It called at Broadmeadow, a junction for Brisbane XPTs (and the first stop out of Sydney where you’re permitted to alight them) and Hamilton just outside Newcastle, where I alighted as it’s the junction for Scone and Hunter diesel lines.
Fassifern Hunter DMU at NewcastleComing in five minutes would be a Hunter DMU, and in ten would be an Endeavour DMU, just for the three minute chug to Newcastle Interchange, and I chose the Hunter - not because it was the first but because Endeavours can be found in Kiama, Campbelltown and occasionally even in Sydney on limited Bathurst Bullet expresses via Katoomba, whereas Hunters are only found on their namesake Hunter line, over a hundred miles from Sydney.
It was fairly unremarkable. Inside it was basically a single decker Oscar. Same seats and all. Still, I was only on it for five minutes.
The railway line continued a mile or two beyond the current terminus at Newcastle Interchange until only five/ten minutes ago, weaving through the Newcastle suburb of Honeysuckle and past the city centre’s Hunter Street mall until it reached Newcastle Beach, but in order to open up Newcastle and make it feel less cluttered, the railway was cut back to the new Interchange station just outside the city - a very controversial move that I believe did not go down well with commuters - and a short tram service was installed in its place to take you into the city or beach. I took this to the end. Opal cards are valid on the tram (and had been for the train journey), well over a hundred miles from Sydney. Imagine taking a Pendolino to Birmingham and then going to Wednesbury on the Midland Metro all with an Oyster card! Oh, and I should add there was a cap of $16 for the day, and it’s half that on weekends. Bargain.
Newcastle has very blue sea and very big waves, so it’s good for surfers. I took a walk along the beach in the hot weather, up the cliffs and down a rather risky steep slope among all sorts of low bushes - I was rather conscious of snakes - up another hill and there I was standing above the Bogey Hole. This is a famous natural pool formed in the rocks underneath a cliff near Newcastle, and it’s somewhat scary as the tide is very rough where it is, so enormous waves crash over the sides and especially big ones can send you flying from one side of the pool to another. Marine stingers are common in this area, so you should also keep an eye out for those if visiting. It’s nice and deep, I’m a couple of centimetres (so near but so far) off 6 foot and it came up to my neck.
The water was very warm so I changed and had a swim, and got bashed about by the waves for half an hour or so before getting out and having a sunbathe on the rocks. This was followed by a pleasant walk in the sun along the coast back into Newcastle city centre - it’s sparse, empty and rubbish, I don’t recommend it - where some delicious takeaway samosas from one food place and a nice fishburger slider from another were enjoyed, and then it was back onto the waiting V Set for a comfortable three-hour journey back. It was a stopping service but that didn’t bother me at all, the train stayed pretty empty and no one entered my section until Strathfield, fifteen minutes before we got to Central.
I recommend a trip to Newcastle for the fantastic views (genuinely putting Scottish highlands and maybe even the more overrated parts of Switzerland - yes I do dare to say that - to shame) and the unique experience of the bogey hole, but the city itself is a bit of a dump. It certainly doesn’t SEEM like a city, more like an empty town.
I’m writing this report on a ferry passing under Sydney Harbour Bridge as I travel to Cockatoo Island. Lovely weather today. Hope everyone had a good Valentines Day, taken or not.
Join me next time for a trip to the very remote yet breathtaking Wondabyne, Australia’s only railway station without road access and infested with dangerous snakes that slither onto the platforms!!! Taktish.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
More pictures including the H Set OSCAR and V Sets at Sydney Central, Hunter DMU interior, Hunter and V Set at Newcastle Interchange station and Newcastle tram.
Been 27-29° most of this week. Blissful!I boil in anything above 24°C so I couldn't handle it out there at the moment
Currently 25°, not bad for 6pm.
Aye, that it is. Beautiful colours in the sea and rivers here.
Attachments
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Some fantastic views there! The third photo in that last post, I remember them from a trip to Katoomba and back for a visit to the national park. I don't remember the way back so well, as I'd had a fair bit of beer
Also I'm curious what 'taktish' means, it sounds mighty German
Also I'm curious what 'taktish' means, it sounds mighty German
railfan99
Established Member
In Melbourne, the daily myki cap is A$9.20, compared to Sydney's A$16, although the distances covered differ.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Day 9: Remote, tiny Wondabyne - Australia’s only railway station with no road access - and where dangerous snakes slither onto the platforms!
(Plus METRO, ex-G Sets and ancient K sets.)
I've long since wanted to go to Wondabyne since Phil of Sydney Trains Vlogs on YouTube showed me around virtually in one of his wonderful videos. It's unique not only for its tiny platform and remote location, but most notably because it is the only railway station in the 7.6mil km2 country not to have any road access. Another reason: situated in the heart of "The Bush," with the Sydney-bound platform sat on a pile of rocks, it's one of the few stations in Australia where there's a real risk of venomous snakes slithering onto the platforms. There's even signs to warn you about it.
So it was that on this beautiful, sunny Tuesday February 7th that I took myself off to Central station and boarded four carriage OSCAR (H Set - H39) waiting to form the 12:45 semi-fast service to Newcastle Interchange. This is a three-hour journey end-to-end, and OSCARs have short carriages and 3+2 seating with no armrests, so if travelling all the way to Broadmeadow, Hamilton or Newcastle I seriously recommend waiting for one of the comfortable V Sets that form the 13:15 fast and 13:45 semi-fast instead. However, OSCAR 39 would do just fine for the 90 minute journey into the Bush. The guard stood by the train awaiting departure, so I requested that the train stop at Wondabyne (it is a request stop for what turned out to be obvious reasons) and he graciously told me he'd notify the driver and wished me a nice journey. They're very friendly people, NSW guards. They could teach some of the miseries on LNER a thing or two.
Wondabyne is too short to accommodate even a single 20m carriage of the OSCAR (and certainly a 23m V Set carriage), and therefore only one door in the train is opened. This is displayed on the P.I.S. on OSCARS (V Sets don't have one) as Wondabyne (SP1), SP1 meaning short platform accommodating 1 carriage. But don't be caught out! Many short platforms in New South Wales are served by the REAR coaches not the front, and Wondabyne is no exception. No need to make the whole journey in the rear carriage if the train is less busy further forward (just remember to move later), but worth baring in mind that no NSW train has a passenger gangway and dwell times at stations are short, so don't be sat in the front four coaches. Be especially careful if taking a V Set, as these are compiled somewhat randomly and some four car sets have driving trailers in the middle that you cannot pass through.
I sat in the front carriage of H39 and moved to the back after Hawkesbury River, the stop before, where indeed only the rear set of doors opened and the OSCAR hastily trundled away after dropping me off. If you're interested in what they sound like, the closest thing I can think of is a London Underground S Stock.
Wondabyne's platforms are extremely short as expected, I'd say a little longer than Beauly Scots and perhaps around about the same size as Gilfach Fargoed in the Valleys. The platform I'd arrived on was the side of the bush, and had the expected warning of snakes in full view. Quickly crossing the tracks once the barriers lifted, I noticed an attractive little wooden platform for boats, not that any could be seen in this exceptionally remote place, and an enormous pile of rocks on which the other platform sat and from which (I kid you not) I heard HISSING, and lots of it. I was therefore very thankful that I had been wise enough to choose to travel to Wondabyne at a time where the return service called only twenty minutes after the outbound. Only about a third of the half-hourly Newcastle trains call at Wondabyne, so if you don't want to be stuck in this absolutely stunning yet snake-infested station, be sure to time it wisely.
Thankfully, no snakes materialised by the time H19 appeared round the corner, and it is of course likely that much of the hissing audible was made by crickets and not snakes, but as I stuck my hand out to flag down the eight carriage OSCAR (no horn was sounded so I was unsure whether it would stop or not, particularly while the front carriages sailed through at a rather fast speed) I felt happy that I'd travelled there. It's cool to have been to the only station with no road access, and I was proud of facing a fear and not letting the thought of snakes stop me visiting. Here’s OSCAR H19 arriving with a classmate.
Alighting at Hornsby, I transferred to a waiting T Set/Tangara (see my report of DAY 7/Bondi for more information on the Tangaras) bound for Central via Chatswood, and immediately noticed a difference. Tangaras have fixed, rather hard seats unlike most Sydney Trains, yet this one had reversible seats with high backs and leather headrests. That's when I knew I had got myself a former G Set. When the Tangaras were introduced, T Sets operated the same sort of suburban services they do now, whereas a separate few (also identified externally if you look carefully at the bottom of the front near the couplings - the front doesn't go down as low) were given a longer distance interior and classified as G Sets for IC NSW services. Having since been replaced by OSCARS and sent to join the original T Sets on Sydney suburban routes (and this in turn will happen to the OSCARS when the D Sets replace them and the destined-for-scrap V Sets on IC routes this year), they have retained their different seating, and I find it far comfier than a regular Tangara. It did have the trademark T Set murky windows though. You can identify an ex G Set even quicker by checking the number. Double figures (eg T14) is an original T Set. Triple figures (eg T108) is a former G Set. Interior images below the report.
A quick change at Chatswood to try out the Metro (built partially over former Sydney Trains network - yes, they lost the lovely double decker trains for tiny Metro cars), which I found vastly underwhelming with rather naff trains and naff interiors, and a hugely uninspiring route going nowhere of interest unless you happen to live in Ryde, Tallawong, or attend Macquarie University. It will, however, be extended over the current Sydney Trains Bankstown line between Bankstown and Sydenham (more sad replacements of lovely double deckers with these cheap feeling shizz) and underground via Central to provide a far more useful route by 2024. I won't be here for that, and I honestly can't say I care.
Epping is the only other Heavy Rail Interchange with the Metro at the moment, and unfortunately I had missed a comfortable V Set bound for Central (express calling at Strathfield only), so it was another stopping Tangara to Strathfield where one the Sydney Trains' oldest stock K Set no. 6 approached with a classmate. A ride to Croydon was had, and although they're knackered and appear far older than the 70s NSW Trainlink V Sets (despite being a bit younger) they made an interesting change from the usual A/B/M/T sets. The seats on the top and bottom deck remind me of Pacers. I sat on the sideways seats in the middle. Interior images below the report.
And finally, it was back onto another Tangara (Both T Sets and Waratah A/B Sets work this route, but I'm constantly on the latter so the older Tangaras although comparatively tatty make a nice change) to Milsons Point, a truly remarkable station where I spent half an hour waiting for the sunset, which did not disappoint. Here it was (this justifies a full-size image I think)
A very enjoyable day.
I visited Lithgow this morning (trip was sadly cut short due to rushing back to Sydney for my first seminar - which was then infuriatingly cancelled anyway, but I'll soon be returning to the Blue Mountains anyway) and now I'm off to ice hockey practice, which I attend in Sydney every week following on from my home routine. Though I'll probably be too jittery to walk even to the station, let alone skate, as I was silly enough to consume two Red Bulls and a large coffee consecutively and now I feel very breathless and dizzy! Think I need to try to nip my increasingly severe caffeine addiction in the bud A.S.A.P, not that that bud hasn't already blossomed!
Thanks so much for reading. Looking forward to reading any comments that may come my way.
(Plus METRO, ex-G Sets and ancient K sets.)
I've long since wanted to go to Wondabyne since Phil of Sydney Trains Vlogs on YouTube showed me around virtually in one of his wonderful videos. It's unique not only for its tiny platform and remote location, but most notably because it is the only railway station in the 7.6mil km2 country not to have any road access. Another reason: situated in the heart of "The Bush," with the Sydney-bound platform sat on a pile of rocks, it's one of the few stations in Australia where there's a real risk of venomous snakes slithering onto the platforms. There's even signs to warn you about it.
So it was that on this beautiful, sunny Tuesday February 7th that I took myself off to Central station and boarded four carriage OSCAR (H Set - H39) waiting to form the 12:45 semi-fast service to Newcastle Interchange. This is a three-hour journey end-to-end, and OSCARs have short carriages and 3+2 seating with no armrests, so if travelling all the way to Broadmeadow, Hamilton or Newcastle I seriously recommend waiting for one of the comfortable V Sets that form the 13:15 fast and 13:45 semi-fast instead. However, OSCAR 39 would do just fine for the 90 minute journey into the Bush. The guard stood by the train awaiting departure, so I requested that the train stop at Wondabyne (it is a request stop for what turned out to be obvious reasons) and he graciously told me he'd notify the driver and wished me a nice journey. They're very friendly people, NSW guards. They could teach some of the miseries on LNER a thing or two.
Wondabyne is too short to accommodate even a single 20m carriage of the OSCAR (and certainly a 23m V Set carriage), and therefore only one door in the train is opened. This is displayed on the P.I.S. on OSCARS (V Sets don't have one) as Wondabyne (SP1), SP1 meaning short platform accommodating 1 carriage. But don't be caught out! Many short platforms in New South Wales are served by the REAR coaches not the front, and Wondabyne is no exception. No need to make the whole journey in the rear carriage if the train is less busy further forward (just remember to move later), but worth baring in mind that no NSW train has a passenger gangway and dwell times at stations are short, so don't be sat in the front four coaches. Be especially careful if taking a V Set, as these are compiled somewhat randomly and some four car sets have driving trailers in the middle that you cannot pass through.
I sat in the front carriage of H39 and moved to the back after Hawkesbury River, the stop before, where indeed only the rear set of doors opened and the OSCAR hastily trundled away after dropping me off. If you're interested in what they sound like, the closest thing I can think of is a London Underground S Stock.
Wondabyne's platforms are extremely short as expected, I'd say a little longer than Beauly Scots and perhaps around about the same size as Gilfach Fargoed in the Valleys. The platform I'd arrived on was the side of the bush, and had the expected warning of snakes in full view. Quickly crossing the tracks once the barriers lifted, I noticed an attractive little wooden platform for boats, not that any could be seen in this exceptionally remote place, and an enormous pile of rocks on which the other platform sat and from which (I kid you not) I heard HISSING, and lots of it. I was therefore very thankful that I had been wise enough to choose to travel to Wondabyne at a time where the return service called only twenty minutes after the outbound. Only about a third of the half-hourly Newcastle trains call at Wondabyne, so if you don't want to be stuck in this absolutely stunning yet snake-infested station, be sure to time it wisely.
Thankfully, no snakes materialised by the time H19 appeared round the corner, and it is of course likely that much of the hissing audible was made by crickets and not snakes, but as I stuck my hand out to flag down the eight carriage OSCAR (no horn was sounded so I was unsure whether it would stop or not, particularly while the front carriages sailed through at a rather fast speed) I felt happy that I'd travelled there. It's cool to have been to the only station with no road access, and I was proud of facing a fear and not letting the thought of snakes stop me visiting. Here’s OSCAR H19 arriving with a classmate.
Alighting at Hornsby, I transferred to a waiting T Set/Tangara (see my report of DAY 7/Bondi for more information on the Tangaras) bound for Central via Chatswood, and immediately noticed a difference. Tangaras have fixed, rather hard seats unlike most Sydney Trains, yet this one had reversible seats with high backs and leather headrests. That's when I knew I had got myself a former G Set. When the Tangaras were introduced, T Sets operated the same sort of suburban services they do now, whereas a separate few (also identified externally if you look carefully at the bottom of the front near the couplings - the front doesn't go down as low) were given a longer distance interior and classified as G Sets for IC NSW services. Having since been replaced by OSCARS and sent to join the original T Sets on Sydney suburban routes (and this in turn will happen to the OSCARS when the D Sets replace them and the destined-for-scrap V Sets on IC routes this year), they have retained their different seating, and I find it far comfier than a regular Tangara. It did have the trademark T Set murky windows though. You can identify an ex G Set even quicker by checking the number. Double figures (eg T14) is an original T Set. Triple figures (eg T108) is a former G Set. Interior images below the report.
A quick change at Chatswood to try out the Metro (built partially over former Sydney Trains network - yes, they lost the lovely double decker trains for tiny Metro cars), which I found vastly underwhelming with rather naff trains and naff interiors, and a hugely uninspiring route going nowhere of interest unless you happen to live in Ryde, Tallawong, or attend Macquarie University. It will, however, be extended over the current Sydney Trains Bankstown line between Bankstown and Sydenham (more sad replacements of lovely double deckers with these cheap feeling shizz) and underground via Central to provide a far more useful route by 2024. I won't be here for that, and I honestly can't say I care.
Epping is the only other Heavy Rail Interchange with the Metro at the moment, and unfortunately I had missed a comfortable V Set bound for Central (express calling at Strathfield only), so it was another stopping Tangara to Strathfield where one the Sydney Trains' oldest stock K Set no. 6 approached with a classmate. A ride to Croydon was had, and although they're knackered and appear far older than the 70s NSW Trainlink V Sets (despite being a bit younger) they made an interesting change from the usual A/B/M/T sets. The seats on the top and bottom deck remind me of Pacers. I sat on the sideways seats in the middle. Interior images below the report.
And finally, it was back onto another Tangara (Both T Sets and Waratah A/B Sets work this route, but I'm constantly on the latter so the older Tangaras although comparatively tatty make a nice change) to Milsons Point, a truly remarkable station where I spent half an hour waiting for the sunset, which did not disappoint. Here it was (this justifies a full-size image I think)
A very enjoyable day.
I visited Lithgow this morning (trip was sadly cut short due to rushing back to Sydney for my first seminar - which was then infuriatingly cancelled anyway, but I'll soon be returning to the Blue Mountains anyway) and now I'm off to ice hockey practice, which I attend in Sydney every week following on from my home routine. Though I'll probably be too jittery to walk even to the station, let alone skate, as I was silly enough to consume two Red Bulls and a large coffee consecutively and now I feel very breathless and dizzy! Think I need to try to nip my increasingly severe caffeine addiction in the bud A.S.A.P, not that that bud hasn't already blossomed!
Thanks so much for reading. Looking forward to reading any comments that may come my way.
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Pakenhamtrain
Established Member
And come March 31 it will be 9.20 state wide.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
More images here (interior of K and ex G Sets, plus destination display on H Set Oscar bound for Wandabyne, and Metro interior), and replies to comments from Day 8's report:
I passed through Katoomba today, but I’ll be doing a full day there soon! It’s stereotyped Canadian slang, which realistically no one says, not GermanSome fantastic views there! The third photo in that last post, I remember them from a trip to Katoomba and back for a visit to the national park. I don't remember the way back so well, as I'd had a fair bit of beer
Also I'm curious what 'taktish' means, it sounds mighty German
Honestly surprised it's not zoned, not that I'm complaining. A$16 cap including Newcastle/Lithgow/Bomaderry is crazy good, and half that on weekends, and cheaper still once I receive my student Opal!
Attachments
Techniquest
Veteran Member
I am very much not envious of your trip to Wondabyne because of the snakes, but what a beautiful scene otherwise!
Clearly a grand day out all in, and I reckon the Metro will transform Sydney when it's all finished. I haven't kept up to date with what's occuring down there, but I do remember thinking it would be a fantastic thing to have.
Clearly a grand day out all in, and I reckon the Metro will transform Sydney when it's all finished. I haven't kept up to date with what's occuring down there, but I do remember thinking it would be a fantastic thing to have.
railfan99
Established Member
If you had continued to Maitland or beyond, you would have seen the line with the most number I believe of thermal coal trains in the world, 95 per cent of which are bound for the Port Of Newcastle. Due to hueg demand, some Australian coal (maybe in total three per cent of output is ending up in Europe despite the huge distance and cost of sending a bulk carrier there. But so far AFAIK, none to UK.
If you can afford it, buy a NSW TrainLink Discovery Pass: A$300 for two weeks but only A$550 for six months, first class. You could go on 'Northern Tablelands Express' to Moree or scenic Armidale, and then coach across to Grafton City (very scenic via rainforest) and then for $88 extra secure a sleeping berth on the XPT.
Plus travel to Melbourne by day or night train, and on Mondays the long XPlorer railcar trip to 'the Hill' - Broken Hill that's on South Australian time despite being just in NSW. 1125 rail km from Sydney is the latter. Emus and othervwildlife en route.
If you can afford it, buy a NSW TrainLink Discovery Pass: A$300 for two weeks but only A$550 for six months, first class. You could go on 'Northern Tablelands Express' to Moree or scenic Armidale, and then coach across to Grafton City (very scenic via rainforest) and then for $88 extra secure a sleeping berth on the XPT.
Plus travel to Melbourne by day or night train, and on Mondays the long XPlorer railcar trip to 'the Hill' - Broken Hill that's on South Australian time despite being just in NSW. 1125 rail km from Sydney is the latter. Emus and othervwildlife en route.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Yes, it's lovely, and I do love Cologne as well.
Yes, luckily no snakes were seen, and that river can be enjoyed at many places along the route. The Metro is currently useless to most, but the end result will no doubt be beneficial otherwise they wouldn't be doing it, I guess.
Many thanks for the advice. I only plan to use non-Opal travel for one trip to Canberra and maybe one to Brisbane, so the discovery pass wouldn't really be of enormous use to me
I'd probably get it were it not for the fact starting tomorrow I'll have lectures and tutorials 4/7 days a week 
Intercity110
On Moderation
K sets (the 1&2nd images) look somewhat like double decker PEPs or 317s
hexagon789
Veteran Member
It certainly looks an interesting place to get out at - a sort of Australian Berney Arms-Durinish hybrid with some really nice scenery but a much more frequent train service and a risk of snakes!
A very full day; surprising the variety of rolling stock to be seen. Nice selection of photos.
A lot of that which I have read about the metro on Australian rail forums is shall we say less than complimentary thoughts with some delightfully Australian language on occasion describing those thoughts
I hope a higher frequency will make up for reduced capacity from single vs double deck.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Day 12: Down to the South Coast: Wollongong, beautiful Port Kembla, and Kiama & her blowhole
To make the rainbow easier to see I increased the saturation of this photo which is why the trees look unnaturally green, sorry
10 was a quiet one on which I went shopping and then went out to a decent-enough club with some of my new friends in the evening, and Day 11 was slightly hungover and involved ice hockey practice for most of the day, so it's straight onto Day 12, Friday 10th.
Having heard that Wollongong had plenty to offer as the third-largest city in New South Wales, I decided to make the most of another baking hot summer's day, so joined a well-loaded Millennium M Set for the short leg to Redfern and bought a refreshing Calypso (big glass bottles of still lemonade, I think there's about 15 different varieties) Southern Peach-ade, and a raspberry muffin, before joining the OSCAR bound for Kiama.
Immediately turning off from the Strathfield mainline at Redfern, the South Coast line runs alongside the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Cronulla line for a while, but with a faster stopping pattern. Wolli Creek is a major junction to connect South Coast customers with the Airport, Campbelltown, East Hills and Macarthur, and Sutherland allows interchange with the branch line down to lovely Cronulla (report on Cronulla and beautiful Bundeena - including an idyllic boat ride - coming very soon!) Wollongong is about an hour and a half, and the scenery is really rather beautiful once you've left the city. Obviously the high backed seats of the Oscars make for a more comfortable journey than the suburban stock would. Sadly, none of the elderly V Sets work to the South Coast as of 2012.
What can I say about Wollongong? Well, it's very sunny, and the town is a pretty one, especially with the seamless blue skies overhead, but I must say the beach underwhelmed me somewhat. Exceptionally soft, deep, warm white sands, and clear water, but otherwise a bit boring looking compared to Bondi. I’ve not bothered to include a picture. So a half-hour walk along the coast there sufficed, before I decided to continue to Kiama. A stop at Australia's main supermarket Woolworths was made, where I picked up a bizarre but surprisingly nice Apple Green Tea cold drink, and then it was back to Wollongong station.
Then, in came a Tangara! This was a bizarre sight, not only because the Tangara was single and they work almost exclusively in pairs in Sydney, but mainly because - well, just that: they work in Sydney! It turns out, as well as their usual commuter work on Sydney Trains' Berowra/Gordon - Richmond/Penrith/Hornsby and Bondi - Waterfall/Cronulla, the T Sets also work for NSW Trainlink on the South Coast stopping service between Waterfall (the southernmost terminus of Sydney Trains suburban services on the line) and Port Kembla, a route which is technically part of the Intercity network despite being a stopping service. The route is shared with the expected H Sets. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to board the Tangara (as usual, the windows very hard to see out of) and see what there was at Port Kembla.
The first stop after Wollongong is junction station Coniston, and then the Port Kembla branch splits off from the fast lines down to Kiama and runs through docks - it reminds me of the Belgian Knokke branch, though a bit nicer - until it slides into the single platform at Port Kembla, situated alongside a freight yard. It has this quirky little ancient departure board (unused of course) on display.
Off the Tangara and straight onto a bus with fantastic air-conditioning (much appreciated) and through Port Kembla's village and really very charming residential areas, and down to the coast.
And wow, Port Kembla is absolutely lovely. It has a great beach with incredible waves and good rock pools, and sat upon it is a wonderful, enormous saltwater pool overlooking the sea. It's got three separate smaller pools for children, but the main one is a fantastic 25m turquoise rectangle going from 1m at one end to about 2m at the other, half for lane swimmers and half for those just drifting around/relaxing. And entry is FREE. I was glad I had brought my trunks with me. A great swim was had in the lanes, very warm water, baking hot day, and then I took myself off to the sea for half an hour and enjoyed the ridiculously warm, clear water and the powerful waves.
There's nothing quite like the moment where a wave approaches about to crash over you, and you see that it's about six foot taller than you, and you know you don't have time to get away from it so you just think "Oh sh!t" and let it absolutely shove you thirty metres forward until you wash up on the shore. It's terrifying but the adrenaline rush is really quite something. There's nothing in the world as powerful as the sea, and it's waves like these on Port Kembla that remind you this.
Back on the bus and back on another Tangara to Wollongong, yet another Tangara to Coniston and onto another OSCAR off Sydney bound for Kiama, which takes about an hour to reach and is the limit of the electrification. On the train to Kiama it began thundering and lightning flashed everywhere; I was impressed with how quick the weather could change, but as we passed over Bombo beach it subsided and all looked very pretty under a large rainbow.
From Kiama, just like at Lithgow on the Blue Mountains line, the wires end but a diesel shuttle is provided beyond. The end of the South Coast line is Bomaderry, but having researched it I was not interested in visiting here as it didn't seem to offer much, so the Endeavour DMU was passed on and I left the station in search of Kiama's blowhole. My data decided to play up here, and therefore Google Maps failed me, and I had to ask some leary men sat at the station pub which way it was to the Kiama blowhole. Lots of laughter and jokes about looking for Kiama blow-something-elses were then made and I just decided to walk down the main road which proved to be the right decision.
The blowhole is enormous shoots masses of water up in the air when the tide is right, caused by something scientific like wave power smacking against the rocks and upwards, looking a bit like a massive geyser. It's worth seeing. I liked watching it. Look how small the people in the corner are compared to it.
Back on the train to Central, where following the two-and-a-half hour journey (on a 3+2 OSCAR, yes...) most food places were closed as it was gone midnight, but my new favourite fast food place Guzman y Gomez (think Taco Bell but far more authentic Mexican, less Americanised) did not let me down and I had a few tacos before getting the replacement bus home. The driver appeared to be on drugs. Everyone was terrified and got off early as he screamed "WHEEEEEE!" and "Look at me fly, b**ches!" while going round roundabouts, he swung his arm in the air and shrieked "Tap on me!" when I asked where the tap on reader was, he did all kinds of things that were generally alarming. The woman opposite said it's because strict checks and regulations prevent misconduct of ordinary bus drivers provided by the bus company, but Sydney Trains apparently just get anyone they can to drive rail replacements. Anyway, it was an erm interesting way to conclude the day.
Thanks for reading
To make the rainbow easier to see I increased the saturation of this photo which is why the trees look unnaturally green, sorry
10 was a quiet one on which I went shopping and then went out to a decent-enough club with some of my new friends in the evening, and Day 11 was slightly hungover and involved ice hockey practice for most of the day, so it's straight onto Day 12, Friday 10th.
Having heard that Wollongong had plenty to offer as the third-largest city in New South Wales, I decided to make the most of another baking hot summer's day, so joined a well-loaded Millennium M Set for the short leg to Redfern and bought a refreshing Calypso (big glass bottles of still lemonade, I think there's about 15 different varieties) Southern Peach-ade, and a raspberry muffin, before joining the OSCAR bound for Kiama.
Immediately turning off from the Strathfield mainline at Redfern, the South Coast line runs alongside the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Cronulla line for a while, but with a faster stopping pattern. Wolli Creek is a major junction to connect South Coast customers with the Airport, Campbelltown, East Hills and Macarthur, and Sutherland allows interchange with the branch line down to lovely Cronulla (report on Cronulla and beautiful Bundeena - including an idyllic boat ride - coming very soon!) Wollongong is about an hour and a half, and the scenery is really rather beautiful once you've left the city. Obviously the high backed seats of the Oscars make for a more comfortable journey than the suburban stock would. Sadly, none of the elderly V Sets work to the South Coast as of 2012.
What can I say about Wollongong? Well, it's very sunny, and the town is a pretty one, especially with the seamless blue skies overhead, but I must say the beach underwhelmed me somewhat. Exceptionally soft, deep, warm white sands, and clear water, but otherwise a bit boring looking compared to Bondi. I’ve not bothered to include a picture. So a half-hour walk along the coast there sufficed, before I decided to continue to Kiama. A stop at Australia's main supermarket Woolworths was made, where I picked up a bizarre but surprisingly nice Apple Green Tea cold drink, and then it was back to Wollongong station.
Then, in came a Tangara! This was a bizarre sight, not only because the Tangara was single and they work almost exclusively in pairs in Sydney, but mainly because - well, just that: they work in Sydney! It turns out, as well as their usual commuter work on Sydney Trains' Berowra/Gordon - Richmond/Penrith/Hornsby and Bondi - Waterfall/Cronulla, the T Sets also work for NSW Trainlink on the South Coast stopping service between Waterfall (the southernmost terminus of Sydney Trains suburban services on the line) and Port Kembla, a route which is technically part of the Intercity network despite being a stopping service. The route is shared with the expected H Sets. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to board the Tangara (as usual, the windows very hard to see out of) and see what there was at Port Kembla.
The first stop after Wollongong is junction station Coniston, and then the Port Kembla branch splits off from the fast lines down to Kiama and runs through docks - it reminds me of the Belgian Knokke branch, though a bit nicer - until it slides into the single platform at Port Kembla, situated alongside a freight yard. It has this quirky little ancient departure board (unused of course) on display.
Off the Tangara and straight onto a bus with fantastic air-conditioning (much appreciated) and through Port Kembla's village and really very charming residential areas, and down to the coast.
And wow, Port Kembla is absolutely lovely. It has a great beach with incredible waves and good rock pools, and sat upon it is a wonderful, enormous saltwater pool overlooking the sea. It's got three separate smaller pools for children, but the main one is a fantastic 25m turquoise rectangle going from 1m at one end to about 2m at the other, half for lane swimmers and half for those just drifting around/relaxing. And entry is FREE. I was glad I had brought my trunks with me. A great swim was had in the lanes, very warm water, baking hot day, and then I took myself off to the sea for half an hour and enjoyed the ridiculously warm, clear water and the powerful waves.
There's nothing quite like the moment where a wave approaches about to crash over you, and you see that it's about six foot taller than you, and you know you don't have time to get away from it so you just think "Oh sh!t" and let it absolutely shove you thirty metres forward until you wash up on the shore. It's terrifying but the adrenaline rush is really quite something. There's nothing in the world as powerful as the sea, and it's waves like these on Port Kembla that remind you this.
Back on the bus and back on another Tangara to Wollongong, yet another Tangara to Coniston and onto another OSCAR off Sydney bound for Kiama, which takes about an hour to reach and is the limit of the electrification. On the train to Kiama it began thundering and lightning flashed everywhere; I was impressed with how quick the weather could change, but as we passed over Bombo beach it subsided and all looked very pretty under a large rainbow.
From Kiama, just like at Lithgow on the Blue Mountains line, the wires end but a diesel shuttle is provided beyond. The end of the South Coast line is Bomaderry, but having researched it I was not interested in visiting here as it didn't seem to offer much, so the Endeavour DMU was passed on and I left the station in search of Kiama's blowhole. My data decided to play up here, and therefore Google Maps failed me, and I had to ask some leary men sat at the station pub which way it was to the Kiama blowhole. Lots of laughter and jokes about looking for Kiama blow-something-elses were then made and I just decided to walk down the main road which proved to be the right decision.
The blowhole is enormous shoots masses of water up in the air when the tide is right, caused by something scientific like wave power smacking against the rocks and upwards, looking a bit like a massive geyser. It's worth seeing. I liked watching it. Look how small the people in the corner are compared to it.
Back on the train to Central, where following the two-and-a-half hour journey (on a 3+2 OSCAR, yes...) most food places were closed as it was gone midnight, but my new favourite fast food place Guzman y Gomez (think Taco Bell but far more authentic Mexican, less Americanised) did not let me down and I had a few tacos before getting the replacement bus home. The driver appeared to be on drugs. Everyone was terrified and got off early as he screamed "WHEEEEEE!" and "Look at me fly, b**ches!" while going round roundabouts, he swung his arm in the air and shrieked "Tap on me!" when I asked where the tap on reader was, he did all kinds of things that were generally alarming. The woman opposite said it's because strict checks and regulations prevent misconduct of ordinary bus drivers provided by the bus company, but Sydney Trains apparently just get anyone they can to drive rail replacements. Anyway, it was an erm interesting way to conclude the day.
Thanks for reading
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
More pictures b’cause together we can defeat the curse of the 9 picture limit
View attachment 128733 Newtown
View attachment 128734 Newtown station
View attachment 128735 Redfern station
View attachment 128736 V Set at Strathfield station
View attachment 128737 VERY unflattering picture of me on Darling Hbr bridge
Replies:
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the upcoming reports of Bondi and Wondabyne too
Yes, apparently more famous for coffee than Italy according to some (!!!) and thank you for your comment; Australia is indeed warm and beautiful. Having a very good time and yes the XPT report (don’t be too excited as it’s a very short journey, longer one is planned) comes tomorrow!
It was indeed 81K on G-XLEC to the States (LAX) how very amusing
Nice one, I've also always wanted to go to Australia too! Btw I've followed your instagram and look forward to seeing more stories from you of your Australia travels (my name is @gabriellovestravelling)
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
It's useless for now, but next year (I believe) it will be extended to the City Centre and the south western suburbs!
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
Day 9: Remote, tiny Wondabyne - Australia’s only railway station with no road access - and where dangerous snakes slither onto the platforms!
(Plus METRO, ex-G Sets and ancient K sets.)
View attachment 129351
I've long since wanted to go to Wondabyne since Phil of Sydney Trains Vlogs on YouTube showed me around virtually in one of his wonderful videos. It's unique not only for its tiny platform and remote location, but most notably because it is the only railway station in the 7.6mil km2 country not to have any road access. Another reason: situated in the heart of "The Bush," with the Sydney-bound platform sat on a pile of rocks, it's one of the few stations in Australia where there's a real risk of venomous snakes slithering onto the platforms. There's even signs to warn you about it.
So it was that on this beautiful, sunny Tuesday February 7th that I took myself off to Central station and boarded four carriage OSCAR (H Set - H39) waiting to form the 12:45 semi-fast service to Newcastle Interchange. This is a three-hour journey end-to-end, and OSCARs have short carriages and 3+2 seating with no armrests, so if travelling all the way to Broadmeadow, Hamilton or Newcastle I seriously recommend waiting for one of the comfortable V Sets that form the 13:15 fast and 13:45 semi-fast instead. However, OSCAR 39 would do just fine for the 90 minute journey into the Bush. The guard stood by the train awaiting departure, so I requested that the train stop at Wondabyne (it is a request stop for what turned out to be obvious reasons) and he graciously told me he'd notify the driver and wished me a nice journey. They're very friendly people, NSW guards. They could teach some of the miseries on LNER a thing or two.
Wondabyne is too short to accommodate even a single 20m carriage of the OSCAR (and certainly a 23m V Set carriage), and therefore only one door in the train is opened. This is displayed on the P.I.S. on OSCARS (V Sets don't have one) as Wondabyne (SP1), SP1 meaning short platform accommodating 1 carriage. But don't be caught out! Many short platforms in New South Wales are served by the REAR coaches not the front, and Wondabyne is no exception. No need to make the whole journey in the rear carriage if the train is less busy further forward (just remember to move later), but worth baring in mind that no NSW train has a passenger gangway and dwell times at stations are short, so don't be sat in the front four coaches. Be especially careful if taking a V Set, as these are compiled somewhat randomly and some four car sets have driving trailers in the middle that you cannot pass through.
I sat in the front carriage of H39 and moved to the back after Hawkesbury River, the stop before, where indeed only the rear set of doors opened and the OSCAR hastily trundled away after dropping me off. If you're interested in what they sound like, the closest thing I can think of is a London Underground S Stock.
View attachment 129354
Wondabyne's platforms are extremely short as expected, I'd say a little longer than Beauly Scots and perhaps around about the same size as Gilfach Fargoed in the Valleys. The platform I'd arrived on was the side of the bush, and had the expected warning of snakes in full view. Quickly crossing the tracks once the barriers lifted, I noticed an attractive little wooden platform for boats, not that any could be seen in this exceptionally remote place, and an enormous pile of rocks on which the other platform sat and from which (I kid you not) I heard HISSING, and lots of it. I was therefore very thankful that I had been wise enough to choose to travel to Wondabyne at a time where the return service called only twenty minutes after the outbound. Only about a third of the half-hourly Newcastle trains call at Wondabyne, so if you don't want to be stuck in this absolutely stunning yet snake-infested station, be sure to time it wisely.
View attachment 129355 View attachment 129356
Thankfully, no snakes materialised by the time H19 appeared round the corner, and it is of course likely that much of the hissing audible was made by crickets and not snakes, but as I stuck my hand out to flag down the eight carriage OSCAR (no horn was sounded so I was unsure whether it would stop or not, particularly while the front carriages sailed through at a rather fast speed) I felt happy that I'd travelled there. It's cool to have been to the only station with no road access, and I was proud of facing a fear and not letting the thought of snakes stop me visiting. Here’s OSCAR H19 arriving with a classmate.
View attachment 129360
Alighting at Hornsby, I transferred to a waiting T Set/Tangara (see my report of DAY 7/Bondi for more information on the Tangaras) bound for Central via Chatswood, and immediately noticed a difference. Tangaras have fixed, rather hard seats unlike most Sydney Trains, yet this one had reversible seats with high backs and leather headrests. That's when I knew I had got myself a former G Set. When the Tangaras were introduced, T Sets operated the same sort of suburban services they do now, whereas a separate few (also identified externally if you look carefully at the bottom of the front near the couplings - the front doesn't go down as low) were given a longer distance interior and classified as G Sets for IC NSW services. Having since been replaced by OSCARS and sent to join the original T Sets on Sydney suburban routes (and this in turn will happen to the OSCARS when the D Sets replace them and the destined-for-scrap V Sets on IC routes this year), they have retained their different seating, and I find it far comfier than a regular Tangara. It did have the trademark T Set murky windows though. You can identify an ex G Set even quicker by checking the number. Double figures (eg T14) is an original T Set. Triple figures (eg T108) is a former G Set. Interior images below the report.
A quick change at Chatswood to try out the Metro (built partially over former Sydney Trains network - yes, they lost the lovely double decker trains for tiny Metro cars), which I found vastly underwhelming with rather naff trains and naff interiors, and a hugely uninspiring route going nowhere of interest unless you happen to live in Ryde, Tallawong, or attend Macquarie University. It will, however, be extended over the current Sydney Trains Bankstown line between Bankstown and Sydenham (more sad replacements of lovely double deckers with these cheap feeling shizz) and underground via Central to provide a far more useful route by 2024. I won't be here for that, and I honestly can't say I care.
View attachment 129357
Epping is the only other Heavy Rail Interchange with the Metro at the moment, and unfortunately I had missed a comfortable V Set bound for Central (express calling at Strathfield only), so it was another stopping Tangara to Strathfield where one the Sydney Trains' oldest stock K Set no. 6 approached with a classmate. A ride to Croydon was had, and although they're knackered and appear far older than the 70s NSW Trainlink V Sets (despite being a bit younger) they made an interesting change from the usual A/B/M/T sets. The seats on the top and bottom deck remind me of Pacers. I sat on the sideways seats in the middle. Interior images below the report.
View attachment 129352
And finally, it was back onto another Tangara (Both T Sets and Waratah A/B Sets work this route, but I'm constantly on the latter so the older Tangaras although comparatively tatty make a nice change) to Milsons Point, a truly remarkable station where I spent half an hour waiting for the sunset, which did not disappoint. Here it was (this justifies a full-size image I think)
View attachment 129353
A very enjoyable day.
I visited Lithgow this morning (trip was sadly cut short due to rushing back to Sydney for my first seminar - which was then infuriatingly cancelled anyway, but I'll soon be returning to the Blue Mountains anyway) and now I'm off to ice hockey practice, which I attend in Sydney every week following on from my home routine. Though I'll probably be too jittery to walk even to the station, let alone skate, as I was silly enough to consume two Red Bulls and a large coffee consecutively and now I feel very breathless and dizzy! Think I need to try to nip my increasingly severe caffeine addiction in the bud A.S.A.P, not that that bud hasn't already blossomed!
Thanks so much for reading. Looking forward to reading any comments that may come my way.
Another question, how much time did you spend at Wondabyne? I'd like to go there too whenever I can finally go to Australia!
Techniquest
Veteran Member
That visit to the beaches and the blow-hole certainly looked like a great day out, but that lunatic bus driver certainly raised an eyebrow here! Good gravy he needs sorting out!
gordonthemoron
Established Member
Unfortunately, when I was at the blowhole in December, I was experiencing elevated sugar levels and was consequently very dizzy, so I stayed in the car. It was still impressive. The diesel ride beyond Kiarma stops at Berry, which is very nice
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Glad you’re enjoying, thank you
Ahh I wasn’t aware of Berry. Bombo the other side looked pretty. The blowhole car park is quite close so I’m sure you could still get some good views without being squashed by all of the crowds
Yes, the bus driver was very clearly not up to driving.
I meant to say, as a vegan, I really recommend you try Guzman Y Gomez if you’re ever down here again. It’s one of two chains in Australia (the other being Grill’d) that I’ve fallen in love with, and even as a meat eater I’m regularly ordering a taco, burrito or quesadilla with the grilled mediterranean vegetables and guacamole filling, partly because I adore vegetables. Very nice indeed, especially if you add some pico de gallo salsa. I don’t like cheese (burrata excluded and I’m warming to mozzarella) so I suppose you could say my orders are totally vegan when I opt for that and it is very tasty. Taco Bell (GyG is far more authentically Mexican but it’s very similar concept) doesn’t have a great selection for non-meat eaters beyond mushy beans, but I fully recommend GyG as a really quick option when changing trains, one near to most major stations.
Yet to find an aubergine parmigiana (ironically preferably without the parmigiana) here (or anywhere) that rivals my own though…
If anyone else ever gets to try Grill’d, the Wagyu burgers are fantastic and that’s said as someone who religiously ignores beef burgers in favour of chicken. The “zucchini” fries are also fantastic.
You can tell I’m hungry right now. I’m craving gnocchi which is a rather strange thing to want, but what I wouldn’t do for a bowl of that right now in a thick tomato and pancetta sauce.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Good sir you have made me hungry reading that! I shall have to bear that in mind for any future trip to Australia, I do want to do Melbourne now I know about the coffee drinking culture!
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Sure, Melbourne is a very nice city with trams on just about every street. Sydney is by far my favourite but I’m surely biased.
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Here’s a little bonus post I wanted to share for fans of older stock. I usually go for modern stock but I’ll admit the oldest of NSW’s EMUs is actually by far my favourite of them - V Set - and I was delighted to see six pairs dominating Sydney Central’s terminus platforms today:
Five eight-carriage V Sets parked at Sydney Central - another was hidden behind the right most
Destinations (L-R) Newcastle express, Wyong semi-fast via Strathfield, Mount Victoria, Newcastle express, Katoomba
An unusually miserable day today, and no plans, so I’ve taken the second one on the left for a random ride. I’m all touched in, which is the beauty of this system, I don’t need to have a ticket specifying my destination, I can just get off whenever I feel like it and tap out to get the right fare. As soon as we left we passed two more V Set pairs coming into Central. Very busy day for these shiny silver Seventies trains.
They should all be replaced this year by the much delayed D Sets, which will turf all H (Oscars) and V Sets off of Newcastle and Wyong services, all V Sets off of Blue Mountains services, and all H Sets off of South Coast services, plus the single Tangaras that help out on the Port Kembla shuttle. The H Sets will lose the toilets and be put on Sydney Trains suburban services alongside A, B, M and T Sets (with the old K Sets being scrapped as a result), and the V Sets will be scrapped.
Very sad to me.- Status