620/720 Retirement: Monday 29 October 2007 (Newcastle, Australia)

R

Red_Rattler

Since 09 May 2003
Tomorrow 621/721 will be doing a final special run Newcastle to Paterson & return (it's by invitation &/or through the newspaper only - the last passenger run was last June)

620/720 Retirement: Monday 29 October 2007
(arrives Newcastle 09:20 - if interested, I'd suggest getting there before 9am)

DOWN
Newcastle leaves 1017, Maitland 1045 - 1048, Paterson arrive 1108

UP
Paterson leave 1210 Maitland 1232 - 1233, Newcastle arrives 1312

All times AEDT
 
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Boy can I be stupid sometimes...

Excuse my obvious ignorance, but why is the engine being retired?

WileeCoyot:D
 
They're not really locomotives, they are/were rail motors with a trailer

Click here: CityRail 620 & it's other half (links may not be around for long)

Why being retired? Old age (although they seem to have been more reliable than their replacments - A few years ago, their doors had to be fitted with some device that didn't let the train move, unless all doors were shut)
 
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The main reason as to why the 620/720 DMU's were retired was a lack of Australian Standard Gas. They have been my favorite railcars for many years now(I am only 20). I use to enjoy seeing them pass through Singleton when I lived close to the line (That was of course before the Endeavours took over the Scone runs.

If you can get a back issue of Railway Digest from August there is an article on the 620/720 sets which will answer why they have been retired.

As far as I know, most of these 620 sets will probably go into preservation. Which groups I'm not entirely sure, and what I do know I'm not allowed to say (I don't work on the railways as a job, but I am with a preservation society, so I have to be very careful as the subject is sensitive to several parties). I will not say anything else unless I get the go ahead.

Cheers from the Demonlord
 
Demonlord_Hightower said:
The main reason as to why the 620/720 DMU's were retired was a lack of Australian Standard Gas. They have been my favorite railcars for many years now(I am only 20). I use to enjoy seeing them pass through Singleton when I lived close to the line (That was of course before the Endeavours took over the Scone runs.

If you can get a back issue of Railway Digest from August there is an article on the 620/720 sets which will answer why they have been retired.

As far as I know, most of these 620 sets will probably go into preservation. Which groups I'm not entirely sure, and what I do know I'm not allowed to say (I don't work on the railways as a job, but I am with a preservation society, so I have to be very careful as the subject is sensitive to several parties). I will not say anything else unless I get the go ahead.

Cheers from the Demonlord
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The gas issue (and it's the lack of gas heating that meets the Aust. Standards, not the 'lack of Aust Std gas') was the issue that finally condemded them, not the main issue that condemnded them. The main issue was their age, and all the issues that go with that; such as availability of parts, reliability, lack of A/C etc. The 620/720s are over 40 years old.
 
Long love the Rattlers, they'll live on in my memory for ever. Rode on them as a kid, and was fortunate enough to take a ride on them in 2005.

Toot!!!
 
Red_Rattler said:
They're not really locomotives, they are/were rail motors with a trailer

Click here: CityRail 620 & it's other half (links may not be around for long)

Why being retired? Old age (although they seem to have been more reliable than their replacments - A few years ago, their doors had to be fitted with some device that didn't let the train move, unless all doors were shut)
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Handsome beasts, though. Are they available in trainz yet?

:cool: Claude
 
Tokkyu40 said:
Handsome beasts, though. Are they available in trainz yet?

:cool: Claude
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620_720.jpg

cr620c.jpg

720st.jpg


Not yet...
 
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colhad said:
Long love the Rattlers
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Their not really rattlers, (but some people use that term, including red rattler for them, but red rattlers were the old single deck electric cars.

Are they available yet?
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Natvander said:
Not yet
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Their is rather a basic, but passible (just passible) CityRail 620/720 available somewhere - I downloaded from somewhere

But Natvander, your versions look much better, & only hope that they will be available for TRS2004.

PS: Natvander, sorry to say this, but did you have to put two large pictures side by side, makes the post hard to read. Any chance of putting the pictures under each other please.
 
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According to NBN news (channel 3), four cars are to be retained for the heritage core collection (meaning 2 sets I assume), while they did not mention what would happen to the others.

@Natvander: That what the article implied (at least thats what I thought), but I like your explanation as well

Cheers from the Demonlord
 
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I have the same article - I'll pull out some quotes...

"These railcars were life expired..."

"However, it was not the vigilance issue, but a lack of "Australian Standard" (AS) gas heating that finally condemned them.

All depends on how you read it.
 
Others have stated that most of the remaining sets were to be preserved & one was at one stage, going to be used as AK test cars.
 
D/Hightower, do you have a copy or link to yesterdays (Wed 31/10/2007) letter in the Maitland Mercury, as going from that reply, it makes out yesterdays letter as if the NSW government are not going to preserve some as the heading states: "Fight to save rattlers. . ."

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Om83cxurTs (24sec)
 
I say again. 2 sets to be allocated to the core collection (according to Watkins), but not known about the others.

the so called 'letter' is just a comment going by that link. If a letter has indeed been submitted then you could try to get the next edition of the Mercury and take a look.

Its up to Sh#@%yFail & the government to decide what happens now.
 
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Demonlord_Hightower said:
I say again. 2 sets to be allocated to the core collection (according to Watkins), but not known about the others.
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I don't expect all of them to be preserved, but others elsewhere have stated that more than two sets were to be preserved, but I thought the NSW government may have gone back on their word - again, especially after Scully wanted to scrap ALL of them.
 
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