I live in the USA in Massachusetts and was born in 1981. We have a place called Edaville Railroad and when I was a kid my stepdad who loves trains, took me there several times and elsewhere. Steam trains were everywhere. Now it’s all electric and diesel and disappointing. There is NOTHING like a steam engine whistle. I have never been to Australia but hearing the whistle as she crosses the bridge just makes me smile ear to ear. My eyes are tearing up as I miss this era. These machines were truly a work of art and amazing ingenuity. You can tell the pride these men have showing her off on the bridge. I love the different camera angles. Awesome video. I love how you end the video too. Perfect
Electrics _can_ have some character to them. The early American electrics were so far ahead of their time that some of them _still_ hold world records. But yeah, that was just a monumental glory shot of that old locomotive stopped in the middle of an iconic bridge, with the Opera House in the background.
Hi from Sydney,Australia..if you would like to see some classic C38 action, may I recommend 'A steam train passes' and '3801 a legend in steam' to you. Enjoy..also the C38 chime is a cell phone ring tone
It's great to see comments here from people outside of Australia. It's always nice to see people interested in our country. And yes, these machines are true works of art.
This brings back memories. In the 1950s when I was a kid my grandmother lived in Lower Fort St just below the southern portal of the railway on the Harbour Bridge. On most evenings a steam hauled goods train erupted onto the bridge approaches on its journey north. It was the highlight of my visits to my grandmother. Thanks for the rekindling of a special memory.
Interesting reading about where your grandmother lived. My grandparents also lived in Fort Street, though it was Fort Street Petersham. The tram used to pass their front door back before the line closed in 1954.
3801 holds a special place in my heart. I used to commute on the then steam hauled Southern Highlands Express from Campbelltown. The 38 class were used for this run and 3801 was often leading the train. I met my now wife about 50 years ago riding this train on one of the days 3801 at the front of the train. I was on one of her last trips before the refurbishment and can honestly say I was on the first publicly accessible train she hauled on that memorable day that she returned to the rails. I would have liked to have been aboard on this day but missed out on the ballot.
Sydney Harbour Bridge & 3801. A classic example of how in the past things were done right and on a huge scale. 3801 is a 80 year old high speed train. Today's government struggle to get their head around high speed trains or grand structures like the Harbour Bridge that's nearly 100 years old. Seeing these two marvels of engineering enforces the saying 'the good old days'
I was thinking the same thing, last year I had the pleasure of visiting Sydney last year and I was so impressed with the bridge. To not only include enough lanes each way but train tracks as well disappointingly uncommon foresight. Add to that that they spent a quarter of the cost on the aesthetics of the pillars, it's truly a miracle.
@@dieter2889 Yeah, and? You're comparing apples to watermelons. All of Sydney's commuter trains are relatively light electric multiple units. Compared to them, 3801 is a _goliath._ It's a leviathan of the era of industrial engineering; its rated top speed of 75 miles per hour (mind you, the rated top of the A sets is only 81 MPH) is something it can do _when pulling tonnage._ They don't even bother to give _figures_ for the tractive efforts of EMUs, because they move themselves and that's _it._ Also, it's a steam locomotive from the last era of the great giants, and I'd bet dollars to donuts that if they put a dynamometer car behind it, cleared a nice _long_ section of track, and told the crew to throw the rulebook into the firebox, that thing would break 90 mph _at the least,_ and I wouldn't put the full dollar (100 mph) out of reach. She probably wouldn't break _Mallard's_ record, but I'm pretty sure the only thing keeping her from matching the _Scotsman_ is they're too nervous about permanent damage to the locomotive to tell them to go for it.
@@ShadowDragon8685 resonances are also a problem at higher speeds, the trains that can get to those speeds all have significant upgrades form the class of trains that go 75ish... its not only improvements to reliability but how smooth it can run on a given track as well. That said if we were putting this much effort into modern trains as we did then... the US and other countries like AUS would have maglevs and bullet trains like Japan.
Rarely do videos move me, however this bought a tear to my eyes. An 80-year-old Iron Horse crossing the iconic 90-year-old steel structure. An absolutely stunning video. In a world gone crazy this old girl 3801 brings joy and happiness to so many, God bless the men and women who make this happen.
My late mother used to travel to Newcastle on the 3801 as a girl in the 1950’s to visit her grandparents. I live in southern NSW and saw the 3801 at Albury station in 1988 as part of the bicentenary celebrations. I’m not a huge fan of steam trains , but she is a grand old girl. What a buzz for commuters on the Harbour Bridge to see such an iconic locomotive, A good video.
Of course this whole event was only made possible by the Sydney Electric Train Society Inc. (SETS) providing its heritage NSW 86 class electric locomotive 8649, to propel the train from the rear through the City Underground. This is why the steam engine is only heard very quietly in the underground. 8649 was operated by Pacific National. It is strange the video makes no mention of this and that it is very tightly cut so you have to be eagle eyed to spot Candy liveried 8649 on the rear of the train.
@@Slavicplayer251 I was thinking as the train was on approach to Wynyard how dank and muggy it would've been on the platforms if the train was running full steam to get up the grade.
Makes one think that all the work and effort SETS put into making 8649 operational again wasn't worthy of acknowledgment by THNSW. Yet we had the usual virtue signaling acknowledgment rubbish of traditional owners who didn't contribute anything and never do whereas we should have also had acknowledgment of the NSW taxpayers who's money made 3801's restoration possible.
Thankyou so much for this video. I loved the tunnel section. I never realised how long the tunnel is. 3801 went through like a dream almost like she was in neutral, little smoke from the exhaust. It is the best Steam action video I have seen. Thankyou again
An absolute masterpiece of a bridge. It's so massive and beautiful (the city too obviously), and the classic train makes it even better (they are pretty much from the same era). Old locomotives are amazing, they should be preserved forever. I'm glad to see the citizens gathering to appreciate the train. Old world glory!
Not only a beautiful engine, memories of sailing under harbour bridge in 1968 onboard H.M.S Caprice just turned 18 on our journey home of a 12 month tour of duty. John
Hello from New York! You’re all so lucky you were able to do this, truly incredible, something like this could never happen in my city, this looks so amazing, great video!
Excellent stuff! Greets from Adelaide...I first heard the 38 class when my dad would play the Southern Highlands Express vinyl record (which I still have) at home when I was just a boy. The chime whistle was different to South Oz locos & very memorable. I got the chance to do Sydney to Brisbane & Sydney to Melbourne on board 3801 during the Bicentennial tours in 1988 & have since always had a special love of 3801.
Brought tears to my eyes. When I was living at Parramatta and travelling to the city in 1965, I would (very occasionally) be able to get on a steam train coming in from Penrith. Much better with all that steam than the "red rattlers" of the day.
Great to see Australia is preserving its steam legacy. I was just in Melbourne last month where an Aussie friend and I enjoyed Puffing Billy! I’m a huge fan having been born in Schenectady, NY, home of the American Locomotive Company and “Big Boy” 4014! I remember seeing a Big Boy at the factory in the late 50s.
What a fantastic thing to do and made so much better by a beautifully shot and edited video, well done to all involved. You even brought traffic on the Harbour Bridge to standstill.
I remember seeing this loco at Grafton station a few times growing up, and chasing it into town along the back lane outside Junction Hill. Gorgeous engine! Great to see it's being well taken care of :)
Excellent video, only a couple of points to pick, 3801 is the Locomotive a train is a collection of wagons or carriages behind the loco the train went through platform 4 at Wynyard,
Like at one stage where would you catch a train from, from a railway station. But these days you catch a train from a train station and they have train station signs pointing in the direction of the former properly name railway station. But railway station is old fashioned and out of date we have to call it a train station because dumb morons need to be told what a train station is for whereas everyone knew that a railway station was where you got on or off a train.
I was brought up in the industrial North of England and in the 1950s our house was surrounded by three intersecting lines . So the sounds of steam locos in the night and early mornings working up the steep banks were part of my dreams. In later life I lived in Pennant Hills and quite a few times I have heard this very loco go past on its way to the Hornsby and beyond. It's a fine sound and that is a mournful whistle! Brought a few hairs up on the back of my neck and some memories of long ago and far away.
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express how much I admire the work you do. Your videos have not only been a source of valuable information for me but also a source of inspiration. I find myself developing strong feelings for you, and I believe that there’s something special between us. I’d be honored to support you in any way I can, and I’m eager to see where this journey might lead.
One of the best If Not the Best video I Have seen. of 3801 and crossing the Sydney harbour bridge an absolute tribute to the man and women who put this video together thankyou
Now that I've wiped my eyes I can type something. That is the the most wonderful bit of film I've seen for a very long time. Two of the greats together for the first time. Thank you so much for filming this and three cheers to the men and women who made it all possible. I think I might have to watch it again.👍
Imagine if Pacific type S300 class locomotives hadn’t been scrapped & still in its blue & gold livery scheme S300: Matthew Flinders S301: Sir Thomas Mitchell S302: Edward Henty S303: CJ La Trobe Capable of handling the Spirt of Progress at 90mph
Apparently some of the S class tenders still survive in various parts of the state. The unexpected scrapping of the S class ensured that the single H220 was not scrapped.
Great memories from my childhood of steam trains from Wollongong to the steam platforms at Central. Also memories of catching trams from Wynyard across the Bridge to Chatswood and Cremorne,
O how i remember stream trains and trams running over the Sydney harbor bridge as a child and also hearing the steam trains from my bedroom window early in the morning and at night when the shy was clear in Bondi Junction back in the early 50's thanks for the reminding me what we have lost in time it was a gerat show of that time
Holy crap that thing is amazing. And I love that whistle. I mean, I think American steam whistles are more... _Throaty,_ have more character, but that's still an amazing whistle. (That, or maybe the engineer was soft-handing it for not wanting to detonate the eardrums of every person within a hundred yard radius.) I love steam whistles. They have a _character_ to them that electric and diesel train horns and whistles just don't. You _cannot_ make that sound any other way, not even with compressed air. Not really. It has to be _steam_ going through the chimes to get that complex sound. And that bit at the start when they were heading towards the station and the EMU commuter service was overtaking them? I can only imagine the engineer (or the engine) looking at that thing and thinking "yeah, I could 'ave you if I wanted, mate."
Excellent video. I wasn't aware of this even happening. running the steam train through the underground must have been interesting. Thanks for sharing. Back just before the Harbour Bridge official opening in 1932, I believe they ran test steam trains across the Harbour Bridge on both sides covering the then tram tracks and also the train tracks.
0:31 3801 is not a train. It is a Locomotive. A train is when a number of rolling stock (carriages or wagons) are connected behind or in front of a Locomotive to be pulled or shunted.
As a 14 year old in 1988, I i bought a ticket to ride the 3801 from Hurstville to Sydney terminal. I remember the beautifully restored wooden lined carriages, a lovely experience for only $10.
I commend the efforts in maintaining your railway heritage. It take enormous effort and expense in its upkeep, with the many and various grants an sponsors to make this a reality. To this end, ensuring it is showed regularly to the locals as something to admire, research and understand then respect why it is there, and why you chose to run it, is all worth the effort. As a Victorian, we are blessed to have similar efforts with the many entities we have, striving to ensure the same as you display here. Keep up the fantastic work, keep up the appearances which keep people asking. Well done💪
As a kid in the fifties I’d hear the steam trains huffing and puffing on the railroad tracks at Homebush which was about a mile away and occasionally I’d hear the steam whistle blow. Sometimes when the wind blew in the right direction you could catch a whiff of the smoke which reminded me of Pears Soap. The best was when lying awake in bed in the still of the night when the haunting tone of the whistle would conjure visions of faraway places it might have been to.
this post brings back a lot of steam train memories. during the 50's & 60's i used to hear steamies shunting thru Artarmon (north shore line) station late at night &when taken to my grandmothers via hurstville i had to sit on the left side of the old red rattler so i could see the steamies at the Redfern rail workshops. when i started to drive those memories and the trains passed into history,,,, until wife & i moved to Wollongong in 1991. the Mossvale train line ( a freight & tourist line) ran not 100m from my back door, on the weekend we moved in on a Saturday mid morning the sound of a steam whistle & shunting sound had us race to oue back window onlt to catch a uninterupted view of the 3801 lugging herritage carrages on its way to Robertson. we later found out the Cocatoo run took tourists on this rur most weekends so this became a fairly regular occurance for many years.we moved away for 15 years dnd when we came bacc we found the run was no more. then a trip started Centeral to i think Bombaderry in a steamie not the 3801 as of at the end of covidlast year and now a herritage diesel train is doing thr Cockatoo run as well if u can find an itenary either or both might be a nostalgic day out. as for the 3801i dint know of its whereabouts unknown maybe someone knows ?
It's amazing that the long distance bridge can support such a heavy steam engine. I understand recent bridges are designed to withstand much lighter trains like EMU, right?
yeah the newer bridges aren’t rated for the heavier steam and even diesel trains but the harbour bridge was built in 1933 so i think they had steam trains in mind
This is a incredibly underrated channel. Great videos of the old locomotives .Was it hard to let them put cameras on the train or did they allow you on board. Who do you see for permission ?
I love the drone footage of this event. What an amazing back drop of 3801 on The Coat hanger. So it returned to central station back over the bridge for the return home??
it would be nice to get these kind of videos of other trips, not recessarily real time but with info about the route and those camera shots, i'd love to see her dance through sydney inn a 100km zone or climbing the hills on the cockatoo run (if that still happens)
I wonder how many of today’s trains and infrastructure will be around and celebrated after 70-90 years?I can’t see any surviving that long let alone celebrated. The last great building in Sydney that could be put into that class would be the Sydney Opera House and even that is nearly 50 years old. Today’s Politicians can’t even see past a single term let alone that far into the future.
Today's trains will be celebrated in years to come. When something is brand new nobody takes any notice of it, but once 40-50 years old it takes on a nostalgia of it's own. These steam locos like 3801 have only survived because they've been loving cared for. Take the next 38 in 3802 which entered service in April 1943 and was scrapped in August 1968 and so she only lasted 25 years and then it was gone. Even 3801 was going to be scrapped because the NSW government didn't want the then Rail Transport Museum to have 3801 and wanted them to take another 38 class loco instead. The RTM had to fight to get 3801 preserved.
Given the fact the driver and fireman were seated on entering the tunnels at Goulburn St, one assumes the loco and train were being pushed from the rear by a diesel?
Surprising that the driver and firemen here are not wearing modern day respiratory equipment for the long haul underground. . In bygone times they used to have an old galvanised bucket in the cab filled with water and containing a soaked wheat / chaff bag they would pull over their heads when in the longer tunnels. I know this was passed down from my wife's great grandfather who was a driver on the south coast line where they would do this for the Bald Hill tunnel. It was related that the men could sometimes pass out from the noxious and toxic gases when under heavy load. The cumulative effect could also have been nasty. Also, is it certain that this was the first time 3801 had been over the SHB?. I recall times as a kid (>60 years ago) when the northern line trains were diverted this route to Hornsby when there were issues with the main northern line via Strathfield. Over the many decades of 3801 hauling sets through to northern / north western routes there would be a fair chance she crossed the SHB in that time.
I must assume that as there was no smoke coming out of the stack when going through the underground that the diesel engine at the rear was doing all the work. That would explain the train having to stop as it came out of the tunnel to switch from diesel to steam
Wow, this was exciting, thank you for sharing. Wish I could have been onboard. Why did the train stop when it came out of the tunnel? Did it run out of steam? You could hear it was struggling with the gradient at the end of the tunnel.
I'm pretty sure that was deliberate... to get the opportunity for passengers aboard to take photos hanging out the doors and windows. However they may also have been a bit short of steam, through distraction created by this iconic moment, and so took lickety-split to the shovel.
When entering the bridge it was doing the normal "Chug Chug" thing like steam trains do. But after taking off from the centre of the bridge no more "Chug Chug". Someone please explain????
I live in the USA in Massachusetts and was born in 1981. We have a place called Edaville Railroad and when I was a kid my stepdad who loves trains, took me there several times and elsewhere. Steam trains were everywhere. Now it’s all electric and diesel and disappointing. There is NOTHING like a steam engine whistle. I have never been to Australia but hearing the whistle as she crosses the bridge just makes me smile ear to ear. My eyes are tearing up as I miss this era. These machines were truly a work of art and amazing ingenuity. You can tell the pride these men have showing her off on the bridge. I love the different camera angles. Awesome video. I love how you end the video too. Perfect
Electrics _can_ have some character to them. The early American electrics were so far ahead of their time that some of them _still_ hold world records.
But yeah, that was just a monumental glory shot of that old locomotive stopped in the middle of an iconic bridge, with the Opera House in the background.
Hi from Sydney,Australia..if you would like to see some classic C38 action, may I recommend 'A steam train passes' and '3801 a legend in steam' to you. Enjoy..also the C38 chime is a cell phone ring tone
It's great to see comments here from people outside of Australia. It's always nice to see people interested in our country. And yes, these machines are true works of art.
This brings back memories. In the 1950s when I was a kid my grandmother lived in Lower Fort St just below the southern portal of the railway on the Harbour Bridge. On most evenings a steam hauled goods train erupted onto the bridge approaches on its journey north. It was the highlight of my visits to my grandmother. Thanks for the rekindling of a special memory.
🤍🤍🤍
I ❤ 🚂🚃🚄🚅🚈🚞🚝
I have a folder on ''transportation''
thank you chou chou chouuuu :))
Interesting reading about where your grandmother lived. My grandparents also lived in Fort Street, though it was Fort Street Petersham. The tram used to pass their front door back before the line closed in 1954.
3801 holds a special place in my heart.
I used to commute on the then steam hauled Southern Highlands Express from Campbelltown. The 38 class were used for this run and 3801 was often leading the train. I met my now wife about 50 years ago riding this train on one of the days 3801 at the front of the train.
I was on one of her last trips before the refurbishment and can honestly say I was on the first publicly accessible train she hauled on that memorable day that she returned to the rails.
I would have liked to have been aboard on this day but missed out on the ballot.
Your wife sounds like a very tough woman particularly after the refurbishment.
@@GenDischarges LOL
Sydney Harbour Bridge & 3801. A classic example of how in the past things were done right and on a huge scale. 3801 is a 80 year old high speed train. Today's government struggle to get their head around high speed trains or grand structures like the Harbour Bridge that's nearly 100 years old. Seeing these two marvels of engineering enforces the saying 'the good old days'
I was thinking the same thing, last year I had the pleasure of visiting Sydney last year and I was so impressed with the bridge. To not only include enough lanes each way but train tracks as well disappointingly uncommon foresight. Add to that that they spent a quarter of the cost on the aesthetics of the pillars, it's truly a miracle.
Hi leo
All the sydney commuter trains have a higher top speed than the 3801.
@@dieter2889 Yeah, and? You're comparing apples to watermelons. All of Sydney's commuter trains are relatively light electric multiple units. Compared to them, 3801 is a _goliath._ It's a leviathan of the era of industrial engineering; its rated top speed of 75 miles per hour (mind you, the rated top of the A sets is only 81 MPH) is something it can do _when pulling tonnage._ They don't even bother to give _figures_ for the tractive efforts of EMUs, because they move themselves and that's _it._
Also, it's a steam locomotive from the last era of the great giants, and I'd bet dollars to donuts that if they put a dynamometer car behind it, cleared a nice _long_ section of track, and told the crew to throw the rulebook into the firebox, that thing would break 90 mph _at the least,_ and I wouldn't put the full dollar (100 mph) out of reach. She probably wouldn't break _Mallard's_ record, but I'm pretty sure the only thing keeping her from matching the _Scotsman_ is they're too nervous about permanent damage to the locomotive to tell them to go for it.
@@ShadowDragon8685 resonances are also a problem at higher speeds, the trains that can get to those speeds all have significant upgrades form the class of trains that go 75ish... its not only improvements to reliability but how smooth it can run on a given track as well. That said if we were putting this much effort into modern trains as we did then... the US and other countries like AUS would have maglevs and bullet trains like Japan.
Rarely do videos move me, however this bought a tear to my eyes. An 80-year-old Iron Horse crossing the iconic 90-year-old steel structure. An absolutely stunning video. In a world gone crazy this old girl 3801 brings joy and happiness to so many, God bless the men and women who make this happen.
90 is not old
A whistle in Town Hall would have been good. The electrics handle the bridge climb so easily you don't realize how steep it is. Fantastic.
My late mother used to travel to Newcastle on the 3801 as a girl in the 1950’s to visit her grandparents. I live in southern NSW and saw the 3801 at Albury station in 1988 as part of the bicentenary celebrations. I’m not a huge fan of steam trains , but she is a grand old girl. What a buzz for commuters on the Harbour Bridge to see such an iconic locomotive, A good video.
Of course this whole event was only made possible by the Sydney Electric Train Society Inc. (SETS) providing its heritage NSW 86 class electric locomotive 8649, to propel the train from the rear through the City Underground. This is why the steam engine is only heard very quietly in the underground. 8649 was operated by Pacific National. It is strange the video makes no mention of this and that it is very tightly cut so you have to be eagle eyed to spot Candy liveried 8649 on the rear of the train.
i knew they would of had to have an electric loco while going through the tunnel
@@Slavicplayer251 I was thinking as the train was on approach to Wynyard how dank and muggy it would've been on the platforms if the train was running full steam to get up the grade.
Makes one think that all the work and effort SETS put into making 8649 operational again wasn't worthy of acknowledgment by THNSW. Yet we had the usual virtue signaling acknowledgment rubbish of traditional owners who didn't contribute anything and never do whereas we should have also had acknowledgment of the NSW taxpayers who's money made 3801's restoration possible.
@@AussiePom Amen to that brother
Beautiful sight watching it cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Greetings from Calgary Canada 🇨🇦
It looks awesome crossing the "coat hanger" 🙂
G'day from Down under
Thankyou so much for this video. I loved the tunnel section. I never realised how long the tunnel is. 3801 went through like a dream almost like she was in neutral, little smoke from the exhaust. It is the best Steam action video I have seen. Thankyou again
It was being pushed by an electric locomotive through the underground sections.
Great job to everyone involved!
It looks like it would have been a blast to drive her!
Great job 3801!
An absolute masterpiece of a bridge. It's so massive and beautiful (the city too obviously), and the classic train makes it even better (they are pretty much from the same era). Old locomotives are amazing, they should be preserved forever. I'm glad to see the citizens gathering to appreciate the train. Old world glory!
That is a beautiful locomotive!
Not only a beautiful engine, memories of sailing under harbour bridge in 1968 onboard H.M.S Caprice just turned 18 on our journey home of a 12 month tour of duty. John
Hello from New York! You’re all so lucky you were able to do this, truly incredible, something like this could never happen in my city, this looks so amazing, great video!
I'm inawe of how pristine the paintwork is on it. Flawless
Growing up in Sydney I thought my dad said there was train on the Sydney Harbour bridge did not believe him this video is educational
Absolutely bloody brilliant!
What a beautiful production, setting- and, of course, star! Well done all!
First saw this train at Hornsby over 35 years ago. Glad it's being looked after, one day I would love to take the family on this great machine !
Enjoyed video very much, well produced and interesting. Amazing how well the 3801 has been preserved, absolutely beautiful. Thanks from Texas.
The clanking of the side rods in the tunnel is just amazing. This is a fantastic video. Our grandfathers built the world with paper and slide rules.
Excellent stuff! Greets from Adelaide...I first heard the 38 class when my dad would play the Southern Highlands Express vinyl record (which I still have) at home when I was just a boy. The chime whistle was different to South Oz locos & very memorable. I got the chance to do Sydney to Brisbane & Sydney to Melbourne on board 3801 during the Bicentennial tours in 1988 & have since always had a special love of 3801.
Well done to the Team involved for Historic Video 3801 Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge Top Marks,
Brought tears to my eyes. When I was living at Parramatta and travelling to the city in 1965, I would (very occasionally) be able to get on a steam train coming in from Penrith. Much better with all that steam than the "red rattlers" of the day.
Great to see Australia is preserving its steam legacy. I was just in Melbourne last month where an Aussie friend and I enjoyed Puffing Billy! I’m a huge fan having been born in Schenectady, NY, home of the American Locomotive Company and “Big Boy” 4014! I remember seeing a Big Boy at the factory in the late 50s.
I work at the Quay but I was inside so my only regret was not being able to even see the steam crossing the bridge coming from the 3801.
Well done by all involved in the planning of the journey and in the production of the video.
Yep, 3801 is a star no matter where she is - this trip took a hell of a lot of planning and production, massive cheers to all involved
@@tonyratcliffe4090 I'll bet it did, and it was worth it for this result
What a fantastic thing to do and made so much better by a beautifully shot and edited video, well done to all involved. You even brought traffic on the Harbour Bridge to standstill.
I remember seeing this loco at Grafton station a few times growing up, and chasing it into town along the back lane outside Junction Hill.
Gorgeous engine! Great to see it's being well taken care of :)
Excellent video, only a couple of points to pick,
3801 is the Locomotive a train is a collection of wagons or carriages behind the loco
the train went through platform 4 at Wynyard,
Like at one stage where would you catch a train from, from a railway station. But these days you catch a train from a train station and they have train station signs pointing in the direction of the former properly name railway station. But railway station is old fashioned and out of date we have to call it a train station because dumb morons need to be told what a train station is for whereas everyone knew that a railway station was where you got on or off a train.
I was brought up in the industrial North of England and in the 1950s our house was surrounded by three intersecting lines . So the sounds of steam locos in the night and early mornings working up the steep banks were part of my dreams. In later life I lived in Pennant Hills and quite a few times I have heard this very loco go past on its way to the Hornsby and beyond. It's a fine sound and that is a mournful whistle! Brought a few hairs up on the back of my neck and some memories of long ago and far away.
Video editor, I see you at 2:31 That was a sick text transition
Tricky little fucker ain't he....
Amazing photography! Gorgeous.
Amazing editing job! Well done to the team at THNSW, State Transport and all those who contributed to the restoration of our state's grandest engine!
This is one of the greatest things I've ever seen, I'm honoured that I should see and enjoy this moment just as much as everyone in Aussie did
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express how much I admire the work you do. Your videos have not only been a source of valuable information for me but also a source of inspiration.
I find myself developing strong feelings for you, and I believe that there’s something special between us. I’d be honored to support you in any way I can, and I’m eager to see where this journey might lead.
One of the best If Not the Best video I Have seen. of 3801 and crossing the Sydney harbour bridge an absolute tribute to the man and women who put this video together thankyou
Absolutely....well said
Simply incredible! Steam locomotives are fantastic machines!
Now that I've wiped my eyes I can type something. That is the the most wonderful bit of film I've seen for a very long time. Two of the greats together for the first time. Thank you so much for filming this and three cheers to the men and women who made it all possible. I think I might have to watch it again.👍
Outstanding. Nostalgia plus.
I’m glad I got a a short chance to photograph 3801 on the Sunday. It was a dream of mine since it returned back in 2021
Imagine if Pacific type S300 class locomotives hadn’t been scrapped & still in its blue & gold livery scheme S300: Matthew Flinders
S301: Sir Thomas Mitchell
S302: Edward Henty
S303: CJ La Trobe
Capable of handling the Spirt of Progress at 90mph
Apparently some of the S class tenders still survive in various parts of the state. The unexpected scrapping of the S class ensured that the single H220 was not scrapped.
Loved that marvelous green color of the engine and the tender
Brilliant - well captured & documented for those watching in 20 years time 👍
Great memories from my childhood of steam trains from Wollongong to the steam platforms at Central. Also memories of catching trams from Wynyard across the Bridge to Chatswood and Cremorne,
A great day and a great video
I get such a proud feeling watching this videoclip.It's a ripsnorter!
That’s gotta be the nicest paint job on any locomotive ever. Wow. 😊
OMG that was so exciting. It was like I was on it. Thank you
This is beautiful. Thank you.
O how i remember stream trains and trams running over the Sydney harbor bridge as a child and also hearing the steam trains from my bedroom window early in the morning and at night when the shy was clear in Bondi Junction back in the early 50's thanks for the reminding me what we have lost in time it was a gerat show of that time
I used to live opposite the main line in the 90s, and every weekend I could hear and see the 3801 going past, I miss that steam whistle.
Perfection - A joy to watch!
Holy crap that thing is amazing. And I love that whistle. I mean, I think American steam whistles are more... _Throaty,_ have more character, but that's still an amazing whistle. (That, or maybe the engineer was soft-handing it for not wanting to detonate the eardrums of every person within a hundred yard radius.)
I love steam whistles. They have a _character_ to them that electric and diesel train horns and whistles just don't. You _cannot_ make that sound any other way, not even with compressed air. Not really. It has to be _steam_ going through the chimes to get that complex sound.
And that bit at the start when they were heading towards the station and the EMU commuter service was overtaking them? I can only imagine the engineer (or the engine) looking at that thing and thinking "yeah, I could 'ave you if I wanted, mate."
Excellent video. I wasn't aware of this even happening. running the steam train through the underground must have been interesting. Thanks for sharing. Back just before the Harbour Bridge official opening in 1932, I believe they ran test steam trains across the Harbour Bridge on both sides covering the then tram tracks and also the train tracks.
0:31 3801 is not a train. It is a Locomotive. A train is when a number of rolling stock (carriages or wagons) are connected behind or in front of a Locomotive to be pulled or shunted.
Autistic comment lmao.
Correct
You should do a Sydney harbour flyer with 3265
Goosebumps. So magnificent! Well done everybody. How stunning and beautiful is this lady 👍🔥💯
Hard to believe it's hand-fired rather than via a mechanical stoker, especially for such a 'modern' (1943) engine.
As a 14 year old in 1988, I i bought a ticket to ride the 3801 from Hurstville to Sydney terminal.
I remember the beautifully restored wooden lined carriages, a lovely experience for only $10.
I commend the efforts in maintaining your railway heritage. It take enormous effort and expense in its upkeep, with the many and various grants an sponsors to make this a reality.
To this end, ensuring it is showed regularly to the locals as something to admire, research and understand then respect why it is there, and why you chose to run it, is all worth the effort.
As a Victorian, we are blessed to have similar efforts with the many entities we have, striving to ensure the same as you display here.
Keep up the fantastic work, keep up the appearances which keep people asking.
Well done💪
My goodness, Sydney Harbour Bridge is beautiful Icon, God blessed.
As a kid in the fifties I’d hear the steam trains huffing and puffing on the railroad tracks at Homebush which was about a mile away and occasionally I’d hear the steam whistle blow. Sometimes when the wind blew in the right direction you could catch a whiff of the smoke which reminded me of Pears Soap.
The best was when lying awake in bed in the still of the night when the haunting tone of the whistle would conjure visions of faraway places it might have been to.
Such a majestic form of transport, so classy compared to the cars on the road!
this post brings back a lot of steam train memories. during the 50's & 60's i used to hear steamies shunting thru Artarmon (north shore line) station late at night &when taken to my grandmothers via hurstville i had to sit on the left side of the old red rattler so i could see the steamies at the Redfern rail workshops. when i started to drive those memories and the trains passed into history,,,, until wife & i moved to Wollongong in 1991. the Mossvale train line ( a freight & tourist line) ran not 100m from my back door, on the weekend we moved in on a Saturday mid morning the sound of a steam whistle & shunting sound had us race to oue back window onlt to catch a uninterupted view of the 3801 lugging herritage carrages on its way to Robertson. we later found out the Cocatoo run took tourists on this rur most weekends so this became a fairly regular occurance for many years.we moved away for 15 years dnd when we came bacc we found the run was no more. then a trip started Centeral to i think Bombaderry in a steamie not the 3801 as of at the end of covidlast year and now a herritage diesel train is doing thr Cockatoo run as well if u can find an itenary either or both might be a nostalgic day out. as for the 3801i dint know of its whereabouts unknown maybe someone knows ?
I don't know who or why this was restored but i'd be 100% ok with it being Tax dollars and we need more of this!
Long live 3801!!.
It's amazing that the long distance bridge can support such a heavy steam engine. I understand recent bridges are designed to withstand much lighter trains like EMU, right?
yeah the newer bridges aren’t rated for the heavier steam and even diesel trains but the harbour bridge was built in 1933 so i think they had steam trains in mind
Making me want to wander back down for another visit.
As an Australian I believe it needs to happen once a month it brings communities and people together it's a good 👍
Its a pity nobody got the footage of the Silver City Comet going over the bridge 25 years ago. Only one picture exists that i know of.
Excellent camera work/placement. Must have taken some planning!
Absolutely fantastic
This is a incredibly underrated channel. Great videos of the old locomotives .Was it hard to let them put cameras on the train or did they allow you on board. Who do you see for permission ?
I’m stunned they allowed it through the tunnels!
It was idling essentially the whole way through. There was an electric loco in the rear pushing it through the tunnel
I love the drone footage of this event.
What an amazing back drop of 3801 on The Coat hanger.
So it returned to central station back over the bridge for the return home??
it would be nice to get these kind of videos of other trips, not recessarily real time but with info about the route and those camera shots, i'd love to see her dance through sydney inn a 100km zone or climbing the hills on the cockatoo run (if that still happens)
In 40 years time , the v sets will be what I'll be watching 😊
I wonder how many of today’s trains and infrastructure will be around and celebrated after 70-90 years?I can’t see any surviving that long let alone celebrated.
The last great building in Sydney that could be put into that class would be the Sydney Opera House and even that is nearly 50 years old.
Today’s Politicians can’t even see past a single term let alone that far into the future.
Today's trains will be celebrated in years to come. When something is brand new nobody takes any notice of it, but once 40-50 years old it takes on a nostalgia of it's own. These steam locos like 3801 have only survived because they've been loving cared for. Take the next 38 in 3802 which entered service in April 1943 and was scrapped in August 1968 and so she only lasted 25 years and then it was gone. Even 3801 was going to be scrapped because the NSW government didn't want the then Rail Transport Museum to have 3801 and wanted them to take another 38 class loco instead. The RTM had to fight to get 3801 preserved.
Maybe liberal democracy just doesn’t work
Run heritage services every weekend
Given the fact the driver and fireman were seated on entering the tunnels at Goulburn St, one assumes the loco and train were being pushed from the rear by a diesel?
Would be just gently rolling downgrade at that point, and no more soot than absolutely necessary in the tunnel.
Electric loco 8649 at the rear of the train
Was the power cut off on the overhead lines? I wonder could the steam cause the current to jump into the train?
No it was active, There was an electric loco pushing it through the tunnel.
awesome presentation..
will any effort be made for this to occur again or at least on a more frequent basis?
The sound is something else.....
Nice too see the US isn't the only one playing tribute to the past with Steam power.
just amazing
Surprising that the driver and firemen here are not wearing modern day respiratory equipment for the long haul underground. . In bygone times they used to have an old galvanised bucket in the cab filled with water and containing a soaked wheat / chaff bag they would pull over their heads when in the longer tunnels. I know this was passed down from my wife's great grandfather who was a driver on the south coast line where they would do this for the Bald Hill tunnel. It was related that the men could sometimes pass out from the noxious and toxic gases when under heavy load. The cumulative effect could also have been nasty.
Also, is it certain that this was the first time 3801 had been over the SHB?. I recall times as a kid (>60 years ago) when the northern line trains were diverted this route to Hornsby when there were issues with the main northern line via Strathfield. Over the many decades of 3801 hauling sets through to northern / north western routes there would be a fair chance she crossed the SHB in that time.
I don't think the loco was doing much work under the tunnels.
Guessing had some help from the rear
Looks like electric 8649 was on the rear.
I must assume that as there was no smoke coming out of the stack when going through the underground that the diesel engine at the rear was doing all the work. That would explain the train having to stop as it came out of the tunnel to switch from diesel to steam
Would’ve been nice for them to contact the old hands. I used to work there from 1996 to 2006. No one told me of this event.
Wow, this was exciting, thank you for sharing. Wish I could have been onboard. Why did the train stop when it came out of the tunnel? Did it run out of steam? You could hear it was struggling with the gradient at the end of the tunnel.
I'm pretty sure that was deliberate... to get the opportunity for passengers aboard to take photos hanging out the doors and windows. However they may also have been a bit short of steam, through distraction created by this iconic moment, and so took lickety-split to the shovel.
Whys it going so slow up the bridge for??
more into weight mitigation
😃🌏 I t is great to see the Bridge and Train 😊❤ that my Uncle's and Aunts talk about 😊 🤝Hi the video is fantastic ☕🥞👌
This is too beautiful 😍
Priceless
Would be great to see a "Rattler" make the crossing again.I really miss those old things.
When entering the bridge it was doing the normal "Chug Chug" thing like steam trains do. But after taking off from the centre of the bridge no more "Chug Chug". Someone please explain????
I kept waiting for the ETCS beeps from the DMI in the driver cabin when they pass signals 🙈🤣
Hello sydnney Australia railway 🎉❤
How didn't the tunnel get filled with ash & soot? Especially going up the gradient after Wynyard.
Electric loco 8649 at the rear of the train doing all the work!