XPT Brisbane to Sydney Train Part 1 - Through the Mountains to Casino with Regional NSW TrainLink

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For 41 years, the New South Wales XPT sets (short for Express Passenger Trains) have been providing long distance regional train services within the state and across two state borders into Victoria and Queensland. Introduced in 1982, the Comeng/ABB Transportation built XPT trains are based on the British Rail Intercity 125 HST, with passenger cars based on a design by Budd. The power cars are actually 50 cm (19.7 in) shorter than their UK cousins, but the XPTs were initially powered by the same Paxman Valenta engines, albeit downrated from 2,250 bhp to 2,000 bhp (1,680 to 1,490 kW) and with their gearing lowered for a top operating speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). These engines have since been replaced by Paxman VP185 engines. The XPT suspension was also modified to operate on inferior track, and there were changes to both air filters and cooling systems to cater for hotter and dustier Australian conditions. Just one train a day reaches the Queensland capital of Brisbane, leaving Sydney at 14:41 and travelling overnight to arrive in Brisbane at 04:53 the following morning, although on the day of our journey, it was slightly delayed, arriving at 05:05. After a short layover, during which the compartments in Coach A are converted from two berth sleepers to three seat 'daysitters', the train returns south. The journey to Sydney is booked to take 14 hours and 17 minutes, with 23 intermediate stops, and it provides a vital transport service to regional areas, with multiple bus connections from places such as Tweed Heads and Byron Bay feeding the long distance trains. Given that the flight between Brisbane and Sydney takes a mere 95 minutes, we were probably the only people travelling the entire distance on this train. But what a fantastic experience it was! In this first video, we leave Brisbane in the early dawn light, quickly leaving the sprawl of suburbia behind us and making our way into the majestic rainforests and mountains on the Scenic Rim. I must apologise for the reflections on the glass; the huge windows in the Budd coaches have highly reflective surfaces to deal with extreme heat, and this made filming in bright light incredibly challenging. But the views are still spectacular, as is the accompanying soundtrack from the power car behind us as it powers us up towards the state border at Border Tunnel before beginning the descent towards our first stop at Kyogle, almost two hours after leaving Brisbane. We pass through two further tunnels, associated with Cougal Spiral where the railway loops around a hill to ease the grade. By Casino, the morning mists have melted away and the scenery has changed from rainforest majesty to rural idyll. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this video and on the XPTs in general. And watch out for part 2 where we will continue our journey south here ‪@kartwheelkarl‬