On Friday 2 February 2024 V/Line retired the last of their ‘H’ type carriage sets that dated back to the 1980s, so I decided to go for a ride down to Geelong.
Some history
V/Line’s ‘H’ type carriage sets were originally built as ‘Harris’ suburban trains back in the 1950s.
SLV image H31188. Photographer unknown. Undated but circa 1956 to 1968.
In the 1980s the decision was made to refurbish the aging Harris trains, bringing them up to the same standards as the air conditioned Comeng suburban trains then being delivered.
However the additional weight of the upgraded equipment and expense of asbestos removal from the bodyshells saw the economics of the program compared to the purchase of additional Comeng trains, so the refurbishment program was abandoned.
Instead, it was decided to convert the Harris trains into the ‘H’ type locomotive hauled carriages for the use on V/Line services to destinations such as Bacchus Marsh, Kyneton, Sunbury, Seymour and Leongatha.
A role they continued in throughout the 2000s.
The delivery of the new VLocity railcars from 2005 was intended to allow the retirement of the H sets.
But the increase in patronage thank to the Regional Fast Rail project and a 20% cut to V/Line fares saw the aging carriages retained and refurbished from 2007.
And refurbished for a third time from 2020.
But then just a few years later V/Line decided they were were done with the H sets, and in December 2023 H sets were withdrawn from services to Bacchus Marsh.
And the surplus carriage sets were sent to Echuca for storage, where they were quickly vandalised.
The last day
On 2 February 2024 the last two H sets were retired from service, their runs to Geelong being taken over by VLocity railcars.
I started my day at 5 am, catching the first train of the day down to Geelong.
There I found diesel locomotive N456 already coupled up to carriage set SLH33.
Ready to shunt it out of the sidings.
And into platform 2.
To form the 7:23 am service to Melbourne
I opted to catch an earlier service to Lara, so I could photograph it’s arrival.
And then ride it though to Melbourne.
On arrival at Southern Cross, N456 ran around the carriages, as shunter Y163 pushed the carriages back into platform 4.
Where the carriage set was stabled for the day.
The last run?
It was the turn of N468 to lead carriage set SLH33 back to Geelong that evening – I caught the train from Sunshine.
And went through to Geelong.
Geelong’s resident shunter Y129 arrived soon after to collect the carriage set.
Pulling the set out of platform 3.
And in a bizarre touch for something being retired – they sent it through the train wash!
And then stabled it in the sidings.
And the actual last run
Turns out V/Line had some late running that day, and the N set rostered to run a down Waurn Ponds service wasn’t available to run that service, so V/Line pulled carriage set SLH32 out of storage at Southern Cross, having withdrawn it from service the day before – and pressed it back into service.
So I climbed aboard it at Geelong.
For the short trip to Waurn Ponds.
On arrival the locomotive was uncoupled from the carriages.
And ran around them via the main line.
N456 then coupled onto the Melbourne end.
And after an arriving VLocity train cleared the single track from Geelong.
Departed Waurn Ponds for the yard at Geelong.
The end for a train now over 65 years old.
If the vandals used their surplus energy in a physical labour job, they would have made a fortune.
Thanks for the story and pics of the end of the line for H type carriages.
A moment in history, caught by you.
Thanks!
I’m curious . . . . Every day I see the V/Line H Class Pass services Up and Down to Warrnambool heading through Camperdown. I’m assuming that the H Class will remain in service for a while yet. At least between Geelong and Warrnambool.
Those are the N type carriages – spotting features is that they’ve got single swing doorsnat each end of the carriage, not paired sliding doors.
Thanks Marcus. I hadn’t realised they had changed to the N type, even though I’ve been on them several times recently.
Cheers. Gordo
They never changed from H sets to N sets. They did change from West Coast Railway’s Z sets to V/Line’s N sets, which I believe happened in 2004 or 5. I miss the Z sets with 2+2 all forward facing seats.
Both sets are still safely in the sidings at Geelong I think – although I didn’t look closely tonight.
Now that those services are replaced by V/Locities do they get to Geelong quicker?
There hasn’t been a timetable change yet, so either trains run at line speed then wait for five minutes at every station, or run slower at the 115 km/h limit that the locomotive hauled trains travelled at.
I used to commute to Geelong on a train that was timetabled for a loco-hauled set but in practice always ran as a VLocity.
Some drivers would realise at about Little River that we were running early (the train was express to Lara) and we would do the last few kilometres into Lara at about 80 km/h. Boy did it feel SLOW!
Other drivers would just run at full speed to Lara, and then block traffic at the Lara level crossing for a good five or ten minutes. You’d think the signaller would notice what was happening and set the home signal at Lara to red until departure time, but no…
This is sad. When will the new Arden st station open for inspection? Is there a pre opening event? Just thought you may know.
Out of curiosity, how do you find out the backstory to these events? I have always been curious.
(Eg. When is the last day for H class services?”
(Eg.”Turns out V/Line had some late running that day, and the N set rostered to run a down Waurn Ponds service wasn’t available to run that service, so V/Line pulled carriage set SLH32 out of storage at Southern Cross, having withdrawn it from service the day before – and pressed it back into service”)
Facebook groups are the main one – one of the higher traffic sightings groups is ‘Train Tracker Victoria’.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/269166956575095
Ok, Thanks Marcus
what are your other sources out of curiosity?
Also, why does the department of transport keep on refurbishing their fleet just before they retire them?
They refurbished the Comeng’s, the N class locomotives, the N and H class carriages, the Y class shunters at Geelong and Southern cross and I’m sure others.
Surely the money could be better spent on more permanent amenity upgrades (there’s many brutalist stations around the network that definitely need something).
[…] V/Line was still using diesel locomotives and carriages from the 1950s in frontline […]
Thanks Marcus for this little bit of history. Wish I’d been more attuned to what was happening and I’d have followed your lead and made a final ride.
Glad you enjoyed the post.
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