Built to LAST? Australia's 50 Year Old Intercity Trains with some Strange Recycled Carriages... 

It will be sad to see the old V sets go. They've long been my favourite train of the Sydney system. For what they lack in modern conveniences, they make up for in sheer character.

My dad described these trains as ordering a Commadore and receiving a Statesman.

I love the V-sets. They were made at a time when they actually put padding into the seats. And after decades of use, they have become very soft and comfortable. I'm not looking forward to their retirement.

As a side note - The V set can actually do 145km/h in service, however they are restricted to 115km/h in regular service to reduce maintenance costs - they haven't done 145km/h in service in 30 years.

As a proud mountain resident I say that these are the most comfy seats ever put in Sydney public transport ❤

The seats on these are much more comfortable than those on the newer long distance trains.

The seat flipping to adjust for the direction is such a clever design!

I used to get these kinds of trains from Kiama to Sydney frequently. They were the most comfortable. Some of the smoothest operating trains to this day, and the ledges on the window and near the ground made the ultimate foot and arm rests.

9:04-9:07 “luckily they don’t have much time left in service anymore” LUCKILY?? How could you not like the v sets lol, I’m gonna miss em 🥲

My bum will miss the V sets when they are retired! As someone who commutes on the Newcastle line which is the only other line that uses them, seat quality is about all I care about, and the newer trains are very uncomfortable, especially in summer when the carpet seating absorbs people's body sweat and is not only rough and spiky (to the point it often gives me a friction burn if I am wearing shorts or a short skirt that day) but weirdly damp too 🤮 I can understand why tourists would be more concerned about things like luggage storage and USB phone charging ports, but the vast majority of people I see riding them here whether it is during rush hour or during the day (as I often leave at different times) are workers who do little but nap or work on laptops that don't need charging bc they've just come from home/work, or elderly people who are just going for a day out, so I don't feel they're as important to the average person as ride comfort. I wish they considered this when making the new D sets, because they look truly horrible. Maybe I'm wrong, and those thin bus seats might be amazingly plush, but I rather doubt it. At least, perhaps, they will not be so noisy. 😆

As I'm from Sydney, it might be worth clearing a couple things up and adding some info (most was pretty close though) - The asbestos issue mostly effected only the K and C set suburban trains from a similar era, and was quite quickly dealt with. - As for the age of the trains, the first batch from 1970 were a catastrophic failure (I'm talking frame corrosion, electrical failures (many), aircon never working, door faults and more). They have long since been scrapped after many attempts to fix them. Comeng went back to the drawing board, revised their design, and the second batch appeared from 1976. These included a small batch of motor cars and an equal amount of driving trailer cars (what you call the "cab cars" in the video). Despite these being much more successful, only 2 of the motor cars remain in service, as well as the ex- driving trailers. The other motor cars were mostly withdrawn when the H sets were built (2006-2012). The later batches were delivered from 1981, being only 43 years old at most. The last 14 cars were delivered with different shaped fluting on the side and look slightly more modern, you can see this on the last two cars of the passing train at Penrith at 7:46. The youngest of these cars entered service in 1989, making them 35 years old. - Of course, this is just opinion, but the V set seats are considered by everyone I have ever heard (including myself) to be the best in NSW despite their age. They are a blessing compared to the H sets and the incoming D sets don't have reversible seats, so half the passengers are forced to face backwards, which would be infuriating on a long journey.

I love these trains. I used to get up an hour early to catch these to work from Newcastle to Sydney rather than ride in the newer (and far less comfortable) mid distance commuter trains.

Our V sets are a much beloved train and widely regarded as the best electric commuter train we’ve ever had. Yes, they are old and haven’t many upgrades over the years but they are comfortable and reliable. Set V21 contains the oldest electric motor car in the NSW fleet at 47 years old (DCM8032) and is slated for preservation upon retirement. There are also two types of motor cars in the V set fleet, the older Camshaft type and the “newer” chopper type. Thanks for doing a video on them.

The V-sets are the most comfortable train for the everyday local commuter. It really absorbs the bumps so well and its a quiet train. The V-sets will be missed.

I started work as an engineer at Comeng, Granville and was honoured to work with the great engineers there - at the tail end of their careers - who designed these trains.

May be the most comfortable and least expensive train journey per km ….. in the world!

I used to manufacture the seats/armrests here in Sydeny. They're not wood but rather moulded plastic and foam. Was more cost-effective to re-engineer and manufacture in Sydney than get them done overseas. Especially now ComEng is defunct. I just remember it was a pain to get the dye quantity right in the chemical mixture to get the colour matching and consistent haha

The V sets were built in 4 car sets, the "recycled carriages" you saw were because it was two 4-car sets combined to create an 8-car for greater capacity.

These V SETS were designed for passenger comfort, these days that is the last consideration, the currently delayed D sets come with from my observation a fixed non reversing seat, which will probably be as comfortable as sitting on rock, maybe ok for those who travel less than 40 minutes on a suburban train, but not for 2 plus hours, I find traveling backwards causes me to feel sick, but these days no one cares. Over the last thirty years we have gone from standard reversible seats to fixed seating then back to reversible seats on various suburban & country trains, & now back once again to fixed seats.

9:11 just a heads up, the D-sets have been highly controversial from railfans just not wanting the V-sets to be gone, to large union disputes about the design intended to phase out guards (a rather important safety feature that's been standard on every train since the single deck days) along with defective equipment such as brakes, AC and doors

Great to see you Down Under. The V sets are widely (at least among rail enthusiasts) regarded as great trains. Cheers!

So great to have you in Australia mate, us Sydneysiders are all fons of the old V Sets, very iconic! The Purple seats 💜 they used to be this pastel green years ago 😂 Great route to take too, I took that same route recently even further to Lithgow, and ironically you can see the currently stranded D Set replacements for these V Sets which aren't in service yet. To those worrying about the toilets, you're right to worry haha that's a good one, I've spent 2+ hours in one of those toilets when unwell 🤢 Thanks again for another Australian video!

I personally find the seats on the V Sets to be extremely comfortable, because they are extremely heavily padded and you can really sink into them. However, the ride overall can be pretty bad, because some of the carriages have pretty bad suspension and you can get a lot of jostling on your way on rougher sections of track.

The Xplorer runs from Central to Armidale, Moree, Broken Hill, Griffith and Canberra, the XPT runs from Central to Melbourne, Dubbo, Grafton, Casino and Brisbane, V sets run on the CCN line to Newcastle Interchange and the BMT line to Lithgow, the Endeavours run on the SCO line between Kiama and Bomaderry, SHL line between Campbelltown and Goulburn, BMT line between Lithgow and Bathurst and also the HUN line between Scone, Dungog, Muswellbrook, Telarah and Newcastle Interchange

You said that there was no overhead storage, but actually, in the area with the luggage rack there, there is some limited overhead storage too.

In the ‘70s there was this huge departure board which was replaced with video screens. This edifice can be seen at the Powerhouse Museum.

G on Comeng's name is pronounce like e.g. Georgia, George, etc, as it's name stands for "Community Engineering" or "Commonwealth Engineering".

Thank you!. Some of these need to be retained with gentle upgrades. They are really lovely trains.

At 3.33 narration you should replace "Sydney & Brisbane" with "Melbourne & Brisbane" as you are already in Sydney! Nice simple video, very enjoyable.

Those new trains have been sitting idle for at least 3years. They didn't fit the tunnels in the mountains

These old beasts were most definitely built to last. They’re ol’ reliable. Very good Australian-made quality that are actually fit for purpose.

Loving the script! "everything from power banks to Powerade"

V-sets have a design in-service top speed of 160km/h. It is only a policy decision that limits the speed to 120km/h.

The only comfortable seat on the new urbans are the driver's seat, stuff the passengers.

I recently moved to Sydney and have been taking the trains pretty often. I noticed they're still running old trains in their fleet so it was great to see this video pop up!

None of the original 1970 built sets still exist. Therefore, none of them currently in service are over 50 years old.

These trains are the best, so quiet and great to ride in.

DTC/DTD cars are my favourite cars to travel in whenever I get the chance to ride a v-set.

I love V sets. It will be sad to see them go. They are dated, but like many others have said, I think they are more comfortable than the newer trains.

Dude this is a complete 4th wall break for me. Seeing a mainstream channel cover the train route that all blue mountains goers travel to Sydney and around each town, a romantic yet seemingly isolated hidden train ride for me atleast is shown to the world. Insane

V sets are my favourite train. And fun fact, I'm writing this post while sitting on one. But I'm biased. I grew up with these trains. But here's some non biased feedback. My brother-in law was recently visiting from Canada. We caught a V set in to Sydney and caught an H set back. When we got on the train for the return journey, he said "Oh, how come we don't get one of those luxurious trains going home?". I found this an odd thing for him to say, because I assumed overseas visitors would consider the V sets to be old and crusty without the rose coloured glasses. Seems I was wrong.

The V sets are the best trains in Sydney. I catch them frequently on trips up to the Blue Mountains. Much more comfortable and a much more pleasant ride then any of the newer intercity trains. While the newer trains are more accessible (which I fully support) they have no where near the comfort or class of the V sets. A lot of the newer intercity trains don't have flipable seats, feel very rigid, and the trains feel very corprate and city like. Half the journey intercity is the view, I'd rather be able to actually watch it in comfort then just watch my phone charge. The Blue Mountains is known for it's older quaint style so older quaint trains fit it better. If I'm taking a two hour trip up to Lithgow I would rather be able to flip my seat around and actually enjoy the view in a pleasant looking train. I hear so many people who frequently catch trains in Sydney like me specifically aim to catch the V sets over any other intercity train, heck, a lot even catch them in between stops in Sydney because they're more comfortable. I'd support the V sets being replaced with more accessible trains if they actually still built comfortable classy ones. But until then, I'd rather catch a V set then any OSCAR or newer one.

I drove them for 10 years before transferring back to Sydney Trains. Long in the tooth but can be a joy to drive. Had an empty one from Newcastle to Sydney, managed the trip in 2 hours 5 minutes, would've been sub 2 hours if it wasn't for signals at epping and strathfield.

Great video… keep up the great work 🫵👍

So much better than the uncomfortable, painfully bright and poorly thought out Oscar’s

I’ve travelled many times on these trains many times over the years, mainly out to Lithgow or up to Newcastle. Despite being old they are very comfortable to ride on, just without modern amenities. There have been many problems with the replacement D sets. I’ve heard stories ranging from union disputes, to the trains being too wide for some stations.

"very basic seats"?!? These are the best train seats we have!! A hundred fimes better than any of the newer trains on the network!

the scenery in the mountains was awesome!

Misleading title. None of the Series 1 of the V sets that were built at the beginning of the 1970s are in service anymore, they were scrapped almost 20 years ago. All the sets still in frequent service are series 3 to series 8 that were built during the 1980s. More like 35-40 years old, so approaching the end of their lives but not older than the 45 years of frequent service which rolling stock are expected to have.

Central Station should bring back Fast food outlets, Hungary Jack's for convenience for passengers. V set trains are great. I love them.. The seats were refurbished a while ago..

Nice to see these again. I remember travelling on one to Katoomba on my first visit to Australia in 1982. Great views from the upper deck, and nice and comfortable. Classic designs don't grow old or lose their inherent functionality. Good also to see an XPT still in service now that the HSTs have almost disappeared from the UK network.

As someone who has a long term back injury, travelling between Newcastle & Sydney is much more tolerable on this train than the newer ones which make me almost a cripple by journeys end

Making the mundane look marvelous! Good work dude! :)

Thanks for the ride. I’ve lived in Blackheath and know the ride well. Always thrilling when you get down to Penrith and can go faster with fewer stops. Come back again some time and have a look at the heritage listed Mount Victoria station, and ride through the fascinating ten tunnels on the descent to Lithgow!

Tack va trevlig å se

The V-sets are peak electric train in Australia. I rode them on their first day to Newcastle. I rode them on their last day to Newcastle. And hundreds of times in between Sydney, Newcastle, Broadmeadow, the 'gong and a couple of times to Kiama and Katoomba. They will be sorely missed.

Great video! Really enjoyed it.

It looks great!

I used to love the beautiful colour seats and flooring. The seats were fairly comfortable and the windows large and picturesque! Last time I was on one was when I was living in Australia in '94 or so before I moved to the UK then the US.

Loved this video - subscribed!

Cool video and an awesome train Simon, They look similair to American Trains with all that ribbed metal sheet metal, Australia is really an amazing and beautiful Country, Mind also that brandnew Sydney Tram under the canopy at 0:53, What a beast! (Yes I'm also a Tram Geek from The Netherlands) :D

50 years old and still comfy af, caught one to school every day for 6 years in the early 2000's. also you got the purple seated treains, the green seated trains have comfier seats and are more common. or were back then

I used to work on these @ ugl doing refreshes ( referb) also travelled on these Newcastle line ! Will be sadly missed 😢when eventually retired! Great video thank you ! 😊

Can’t wait to go one one when I’m down that way next month. Also on the non electrified sections, NSW also has the Hunter DMUs, used on the hunter valley commuter line between Newcastle and Maitland/Scone/Muswellbrook/Dungog

One point of interest is that there are several stations outside of the suburban network have platforms that can't accommodate an 8 car train (and one station on Central Coast route is so short you can only enter\exit from the last carriage). 8 car trains are actually 2 x 4 car trains joined together so you can't walk the full length of the train. If you're in the front 4 cars of an 8 car train and you want to exit at the next stop, you're not getting off if the platform is short and only takes 4 cars.

Very good video about the Sydney trains

The new metro extension through the central city area of Sydney opens soon. Hopefully one day you will come back to ride on it. The new stations look really amazing, and the driverless technology reminds me a lot of Copenhagen's metro. I'm glad you came to experience our country ☺

These trains have surprised me to no end. The manual doors might be a bit of a confusion for people who haven’t gone on The Blue Mountain Line (aka me) but other than that, these trains are amazing (we’re never talking about the new ones)

Interesting video. Good work. Greetings from Poland. 👍

Gutted cab cars were unpowered (trailers), they were used on 2 and 6 car trains in the past. DCT9042 is from the second batch, built in 1977.

I remember riding the whole way to the mountains in the door area crammed with mountain bikes every weekend

they Sydney to Brisbane service actually terminates at Casino if you catch the day service. You get bussed into Roma Street Station via Lismore, Bryon Bay, Surface, Logan and finally Brisbane. The night service runs directly into Roma Street as QR has slots for it to run over all the bridges during off peak commuter time.

Note that the Sydney Metro isn't a competitor to Sydney Trains. They're both under Transport for NSW, a government agency.

Great video, they are work horse trains the V’s and will be missed. They were great as an express to the city from Hornsby as you always had A/C compared to the red rattlers on the north shore line.

The v-sets have dedicated space for bikes :) and they work with bikes with front mudguards, unlike the new ones.

7:24 very brave touching the seat with your hands lol. Those bathrooms are a nightmare in terms of cleanliness. Nonetheless, great video!

My dad used to call them the blue tongue train due to the decorative blue on grey livery of the fronts the earlier batches carried. They originally had the two way gold mirrored windows like the XPT still has and double glazing which made them super quiet in the saloon. They felt like a luxury car in rails. More sound comes through due to them phasing in the single layer windows. They were fantastic in their day.

Thank you. I never new parts of Austrailia were so green and lush.

I did this exact same trip a couple of months back. I don't think i could find the same joy in it without the V Sets :(

Yore narrator voice is perfect for trains Calm and cool. I wish mine could be like that 😎

Your pronunciation on penrith was absolutely perfect, just like a local. Hope you had some sanitising wipes after using the v set toilets. Only use them in emergencies haha. Great video

The V sets I remember them as far back as the late 1970's when the V Sets use to be very over crowded because more people use to catch the train then drive. Plus there was Smoking and Non Smoking carriages and at the door areas was drinking water dispensers with paper cups. With the V-sets if it's ain't broken it doesn't need replacing but you can only do so many up-grades before it's fully Obsolete. Best train every built by Comeng you would of gone pass the old factory site where they built them next to Clyde Station that was knocked down in the 1990's

Liked the video. That's exactly what I did before. Newcastle to the north, Kiama to the south and Katoomba to the west 😊 BTW, pls do one for an example of Cityfail 😂

Love the XPT

They've already purchased the V set replacements...they are exactly the same sort of train just much more modern. They have had some sort of teething problems which are being sorted out as we speak. To see them one merely needs to go to the yards in Chullora/Enfield and they are there.....very flashy..

The V - Set train you see is Series 3 entered service 1982

Most of the V sets in use today are variants made in the 1980s that use a chopper system similar to those used in Tangaras and the scrapped C sets. For some reason, the OSCARs were never capable of travelling to the Blue Mountains. But now that the D sets are coming in, they'll transfer them to Sydney Trains.

Using a public power outlet to charge your device? Perfect way to compromise it. Great video by the way. You missed Glenbrook Gorge though.

Hopefully I can go on a V set before they are retired, they now mostly run Blue Mountains, so I am expecting to go somewhere and back on the V sets. Just a few weeks ago, I went on a Hunter Railcar, not an explorer or endeavour (as they require booked seats only which I will probably not get. I am expecting that I can just go on a V set one last time before they go and retire. I do not think they are going to preserve it, but most trains gets preserved, used as a emergency or used in a heritage expo.

I went on one from Cardiff to Sydney with my class from gths to go to the sea life aquarium in darling harbour

I travel regularly between Central and Newcastle Interchange (approx 2hr 40min) and will adjust my plans just to get one of these Intercity trains. The only downside is the very small toilet, including the door....virtually impossible to enter while wearing any type of backpack.

I still love riding in them.

Hard to believe that the first V-sets were in service when we were still using steam locomotives to shunt darling harbour.

We should keep them, their replacements are sterile uncomfortable crap. They were able to breathe new life into these Vsets when they were re-upholstered in Purple. These trains are magnificent and comfortable.

Interesting "Old Train" 👍

Welcome! I’m from Sydney but lived in Stockholm for 3 years and worked on Vasagatan just across the road from T-Centralen. Thanks for the kind comparison, but in my opinion, the Stockholm station is much, much superior.

That's the cleanest toilet on those trains I've ever seen

As a commuter of 40 years travelling the Central Coast to Sydney daily the V sets are by far the most comfortable carriages to travel in, the H sets and the replacement D sets both have very hard seats and no arm rests, and the D sets are not flippable, a feature that should be mandatory on longer distance intercity trains, who wants to travel for 2 or more ours backwards. Also having a vestibule on the V sets stops the cold in winter and the hot in summer getting into the carriage unlike the newer sets which don't have this feature. Definitely not looking forward to the V sets being retired

Designed 50 years ago, but the majority of cars are 35-40 years old.

I commuted from the NSW Central Coast to Sydney for 8 years. Give me the seats in the V Sets any day. In fact, with the seats in any of the replacement trains, 2 hours stuck on them is cruel and unusual punishment. The geniuses that signed off on the new designs should be made to use the single seats as office chairs for a while to see what they are inflicting on the people who pay their wages.