HST's Down Under

[HM2701]

The Australian version of the British HST.
Top speed is 160km/h (100mph). Uses a derated Paxman VP185 and was regeared for Australias Grades. Has a cooling Group twice the size of UK HST's to cope with Australias Temperatures.

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd4we8dEG2k

 

[90019]

The Australian version of the British HST.
Top speed is 160km/h (100mph). Uses a derated Paxman VP185 and was regeared for Australias Grades. Has a cooling Group twice the size of UK HST's to cope with Australias Temperatures.

It's only the powercars that are based on the HST and they're also a bit shorter
The coaches are Budd design, IIRC.

 

[paul1609]

I made the mistake of going from Sydney to Melbourne on one once. Not sure where the 160 km/h track is but its certainly not on that route! My service was about 90 mins late on a 13 hour schedule much of the route seemed to be at 60 to 80 km/h.

 

[HM2701]

Actually the Sydney To Melourne route has most of the 160km/h track.
There are sections of 160km/h to the North and South of Goulburn, a small section near Illabo as well as most of the way from Wagga Wagga to Albury.
However alot of track upgrading has taken place in recent years and of late there have been issues with most of the line following timber sleeper replacment. Thats whats been slowing them down.

 

[kilonewton]

Track and political issues keep the speeds down. A number of years ago, a car full of young blokes was in the wrong place when an XPT was at full tilt, so the NSW state govt slowed all the trains down over level crossings.

160km/h (100mph) is as much as you get in Aus, and they call it "fast" rail. 5 years ago the Victorian State govt spent 100s of millions of dollars to raise maximum speeds from 130 (80mph) to 160, and that was a half arsed job. One line upgraded consisted of raising the speed of 1 of the 2 tracks for about half the length, then singling the rest. And they used non gauge-convertible sleepers, so that when the gauge is finally standardised throughout the country (or at least Victoria), the whole lot needs to be ripped up and started again.

 

[The Barlow Boy]

The Inter-City XPT - as they were known when they first entered service - were the first high-speed trains ever to be sold abroad.
Not a lot of people know that.

 

[HM2701]

Track and political issues keep the speeds down. A number of years ago, a car full of young blokes was in the wrong place when an XPT was at full tilt, so the NSW state govt slowed all the trains down over level crossings.

The government slowed all trains down to 120km/h maximum in NSW after that level crossig incident, even in areas where there wernt crossings.
As of late last year this has been ammended and now the 120km/h restriction only applies at passive level crossings. Where there are no level crossings or level crossings with active protection 160km/h is now permitted.

 

[bladesman123]

would it be possible to connect an XPT power car to an HST set ?

 

[Drimnagh Road]

I prefer the original XPT livery. Ah sure 100mph is "fast" over here in Ireland, and I can only think of three short sections where that speed is permitted.

 

[WatcherZero]

Ive ridden it and its pretty damn comfortable.

 

[HM2701]

would it be possible to connect an XPT power car to an HST set ?

Absolutely it is possible.
Of course you would problably have to use a special adapter coupler but with it you can couple almost anything to anything else. The XPT has been coupled to various Locomotives in the past to tow it.
There have also been some strange combinations such as a Tangara and a V set coupled together.

 

[Aussie_Rail]

160km/h (100mph) is as much as you get in Aus, and they call it "fast" rail. 5 years ago the Victorian State govt spent 100s of millions of dollars to raise maximum speeds from 130 (80mph) to 160, and that was a half arsed job. One line upgraded consisted of raising the speed of 1 of the 2 tracks for about half the length, then singling the rest. And they used non gauge-convertible sleepers, so that when the gauge is finally standardised throughout the country (or at least Victoria), the whole lot needs to be ripped up and started again.

Well, at the time, it was either that or close it all down. So they did what they did. Being a Labor Government at the time, and up until last week, natrually it was done on the cheap, over bugeted and delayed significantly. Even now there are so many issues with the 'RFR' (Regional Fast Rail) project. Before the upgrades, most routes were 2 tracks all the way, now there are single stretches with passing loops. LAME!

It really was a farce, the trains are not at all fast, infact rarely can you even notice the difference, they sit at signals for ages waiting for another train to pass (wouldn't happen if there were TWO tracks like there used to be!) and the list continues.

While the people in country Victoria might be happy with V/line, when you look at all the issues you soon realise just how crap it really is.

 

[185]

Been on both the Brisbane Sydney and the Sydney Melbourne. Fab journey, it's always late, but people shouldn't moan when theres a cracking view on the way.

The seats spin 180degrees so no one has to sit facing backwards. There is also a water cooler at each end of coaches. Interior wise, the buffet is very similar to the old BR miniature buffet. The coach door end panels are almost identical but the big surprise is the old BR HST light fittings. External doors are a bit different, with no drop windows. Food on board was good, about £6 for a decent (albeit microwaved) meal.

You do notice some rough riding for the first hour from Brisbane or first two hours from Melbourne. These bits are dual gauge and Brisbanes additional rail (narrower) or Melbournes additional rail (wider) cause a few bangs and bumps. The two main journeys the XPT does are fairly long, but doing the trip in daylight is possible in one direction.

My 14-day trek round Oz was Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide-(flight)-Cairns-Brisbane-Sydney. (I'll never stay at that Melbourne hotel by Southern Cross again - squeaking trains on the curve all night). :roll:

I even ran into a very high up boss of RailCorp (Countrylink's owner) who suggested doing what he did and moving over from the UK. Still got his business card and seriously thinking about it now.

 

[Aussie_Rail]

(I'll never stay at that Melbourne hotel by Southern Cross again - squeaking trains on the curve all night). :roll:

That would be Batman Hill Hotel, seeing as its on the corner of Colins and Spencer Street, where trams run in 4 directions and turn left from Colins into Spencer, they can be very sqeaky when they go round corners at slow speeds.

 

[gareth taylor]

Which is uglier? Our HST's or their XPT's? You decide. I think theirs.

 

[Clip]

My 14-day trek round Oz was Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide-(flight)-Cairns-Brisbane-Sydney. (I'll never stay at that Melbourne hotel by Southern Cross again - squeaking trains on the curve all night). :roll:

.

Its horrible noise isnt it!!

Though i dont remember the seats on the trip from melbourne to Sydney turning round at all. I do remember them confiscating my beeer off me though as you had to buy it on board

 

[Matt Taylor]

I got most of my XPT shots in 2001 and 2003 but only got one since going digital, this is from a very hot February day in 2005.

http://matthew-taylor.fotopic.net/p68499404.html