Re: First public Hitachi (Vic.)
  Daniel Bowen

Good on you for the internal picture especially. So many people seem
to snap pics of the outsides of trains (which don't change very much
apart from a succession of different logos) and ignore the insides
(which have changed, several times in 40 years).


On Mon, Dec 24, 2012 at 1:39 PM, Roderick Smith rodsmith@...> wrote:
> The first set, 1M-901T-902T-2M, had made various test runs, and a

> demonstration run to Pakenham for officials and ARHS guests.

> Its first public run was on the 10.00 down St Kilda on Sun.24.12.72, and I

> was aboard.

> Enclosed: just two photos.

> One shows an interior, featuring hard-pad vandal-resistant seats, and hose

> clean ribbed-rubber flooring. They were surprisingly noisy inside. On the

> positive side: luggage racks, and lots of handgrips.

> For TDU, this counts as a 'then', and one which has had lots of 'now' photos

> posted. It also has George Hotel as a backdrop.

> In the interior, I don't recognise anyone; they must have been general

> public.

> In the platform photo, I recognise two of the three, which offers a hint at

> the third.

> At the time of introduction, the trains were known as 'Silver' trains.

> They didn't become known as Hitachis until later, probably with the advent

> of the 'Super silver' trains, a name which didn't stick (Comeng soon became

> the label).

>

> Roderick B Smith

> Rail News Victoria Editor