Last Red Rattlers - Ten Eyewitness News

[Sir Pompously]

Something I found travelling through Youtube, John would probably like this.

Last red Rattlers - Ten News Sydney 1992

A Story about the final journey of the Red Rattlers, A sad time for Sydney, however the age of the trains it was but time for them to go. The Unfortunate thing now is that there are plenty of electrics around, Red Rattlers, U Boats and 85/86 Class locomotives in preservation, the Government will just not allow them to run. I never (In my memory at least) got to ride on a Red Rattler, my first visit was in 1993 when the last few ran, however I only remember Tangara's and one of my reletives talking about the red rattler while walking under the Harbour Bridge (I Also remember the paper ticket we were issued, I am now hard pressed in finding it as no one seems to remember the CityRail Citydecker style paper ticket).

[Bus 400]

My Gran remembers them back in the 1940's when she went to Hornsby Girls, she would catch the Red Rattler & on hot days stand in the standing area with the doors open. Apparently some school students use to hang outside the train & a few were killed when they hit the electricity poles. She would of seen the first Red Rattler go across the Harbour Bridge as she was at the opening & walked across the bridge. But she was only 2 at the time & can't quite remember back that far.

I was surprised to hear that Sydney CBD rail lines were electrified in 1926, but the Blue Mountains line didn't get electrified for another 30-40 years.

But she did think that old Railcars were also called Red Rattlers, would this of been true?

[Sir Pompously]

Novocastrians generally referred to the 620/720 (600/700 class) railmotors as Red Rattlers, as they were painted for a long time in what I believe was Indian Red.

The extent of electrification around Sydney was drawn out over a long period of time. I will see if I can find a timeline, however lines such as Newcastle, South Coast and Blue Mountains (Even Richmond) were completed in sections and stages, and the latest was the extension to Kiama in 2002.

[ajw373]

My Gran remembers them back in the 1940's when she went to Hornsby Girls, she would catch the Red Rattler & on hot days stand in the standing area with the doors open. Apparently some school students use to hang outside the train & a few were killed when they hit the electricity poles. She would of seen the first Red Rattler go across the Harbour Bridge as she was at the opening & walked across the bridge. But she was only 2 at the time & can't quite remember back that far.

I was surprised to hear that Sydney CBD rail lines were electrified in 1926, but the Blue Mountains line didn't get electrified for another 30-40 years.

But she did think that old Railcars were also called Red Rattlers, would this of been true?

The term red rattler didn't come into being until the 80's when the Daily Terrorgraph (or maybe the daily Mail) started the campaign to get rid of them and stole it from Melbourne when the name had been in use for quite a while.

[smitho]

I recall that the Tait (electric) sets in Melbourne were often referred to as 'Red rattlers' by the press.

[ajw373]

Thats right. It was a common Melbourne name, but not in Sydney until the papers started their campaign to get rid of the single deckers.

I remember my last trip in a Sydney red single decker (won't call em rattlers as they didn't actually rattle). It was to Warrick Farm for the Sydney bus show cira the late 80's.