‘New and Old Electrics Tour’ – Tour Extraordinaire

H55 at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse Station.

It was a day of fun-filled excursion aboard a two car K set and a brand new Outer Suburban Car (Oscar) around Sydney. The one-day-tour organised by the Sydney Electric Train Society (SETS) includes photo stops on various train stations around Sydney, a visit to the Sydney Tramway Museum in Loftus, a ride on historical trams and a gastronomic barbecue.

Aptly entitled, “New and Old Electrics Tour”, the outing is a pre-Christmas treat for train enthusiasts and for historical memorabilia aficionados. The fusion of both past and present gave the tour the edge, not most often experienced by many. It provided an insight to an era when trams roam the bustling streets of Australian metropolis, as well as a look into the 30-year old K set, which was the first air conditioned suburban train of the state of New South Wales. Other than these, it also gave an amazing opportunity to be aboard the latest Oscar H sets, the latest of the suburban trains, giving an outlook of the modern railway system of NSW.

K3 at Loftus station

While on the tour, one gets to have a general view of what Sydney and its surrounding suburbs have to offer.  Various old and modern houses, as well as apartment buildings and enterprise edifices, line the rail tracks of surrounding suburbs.

Four  Sydney waterways were passed. The Cooks River, near Tempe and Wolli Creek, is nearest to the Sydney Airport. Between Oatley and Como suburbs is the Georges River. Interestingly, the old Como Rail Bridge, the longest single track lattice girder bridge in NSW, is seen while passing through the new rail bridge.  In the west, between Riverwood and Padstow, is the Salt Pan Creek; historically significant as a focal point of aboriginal resistance during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Lastly, Sydney Harbour, at the Circular Quay Station, is world-renowned for its iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Old Como rail bridge at Georges River.

A look at Sydney Harbour aboard K3.

The one-day affair is an overview of what can be appreciated aboard trains, both in the inner suburbs and outskirts of metropolitan Sydney. It is an experience worth trying, not just for train enthusiasts, but for those who wanted to see Sydney and beyond, in a day!

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