K Set

Evening Ks

Spotting weekday evening peak K set services before the April timetable reshuffle

K95 passing over the level crossing near Fairfield

With the planned April timetable changes looming, which would see a large portion of the already dwindling K set services get replaced by the Waratahs, now was a great time to spot these silver trains before they're all gone.

As far as I am aware, there are currently no plans to retain any K sets for heritage purposes. In fact, in their 2019 report, Transport Heritage NSW (THNSW) recommended against preserving any C¹ or K sets.

Our THNSW Collections & Curatorial Committee has recommended no C or K sets be retained

However, a separate organisation, SETS, has preserved a C set train in the past, although it is non-operational and it is unclear when, or if it will ever return for heritage operations. Hopefully something similar could be done with K sets, but only time will tell.

About the K Sets

Built by Goninan & Co., the K sets are now the oldest train type currently in service in the suburban fleet following the recent retirement of the V sets.

Initial orders of Ks were retrofitted with air conditioning in the 90's, whilst later orders were built with AC. This is different from the older S sets, which never got air con installed.

Unlike the more modern trains in the fleet, the K sets also have open gangways, a slight safety hazard but providing a nice breeze when moving. They are the last in the working fleet to have a gangway design like this.

Under the current timetable, K sets now only operate peak hour services in the respective directions. However, with the upcoming April timetable changes, there will be few K set services left. In addition, these changes will also see the Mariyungs rolled out to the South Coast and the repainted orange OSCars performing suburban duties on the T9.

Spotting

Our first station we stopped at was Granville.

Prior to the first K of the evening arriving, we also spotted some B sets and a Tangara:

Yellow-fronted double-deck suburban train under wires at a platform with a footbridge visible in the background — T65 with a nosejob

The K set arrived not too long after, and we hopped on it after grabbing some photos:

Front of a silver double-deck suburban train approaching, beneath overhead wires — K99 pulling into Granville

After boarding the train the arctic aircon was quite the relief, given the high humidity outside paired with warm temperatures.

Our next station was Yennora, where we planned to get some photos from the shared path/cycleway that parallels the rail corridor toward Fairfield.

Rear view of silver suburban train leaving the platform, framed by an overpass and trees — K62 departing Yennora

K Set travelling along tracks in the warm evening glow, with trees and dwellings in the background — K61 between Yennora and Fairfield, as seen from the cycleway

The shared path is slightly elevated compared to the rail line, and the fence is low enough to stick a camera over, although a fully articulating screen is very much required.

Continuing our walk toward Fairfield, we waited at the level crossing to get some shots of a K set passing over, which can be seen as the feature image. Interestingly, this is the only level crossing left on the suburban network outside of the Richmond branch.

Also, we spotted a couple of other trains at the crossing before the K, including this 4-car Millenium set headed toward Leppington:

Modern yellow-fronted double-decker train moving along a tree-lined rail corridor — M34 having passed over the level crossing heads toward Leppington

Just beyond the level crossing, further along the shared path, is a creek which the rail line crosses over with an arched brick bridge. The path isn't at the best angle to the bridge unfortunately, although it seems like a decent spot for a pan shot.

Low-angle side view of a silver and orange suburban train passing over a brick railway bridge — An A set crosses the bridge as seen from below

Also in the creek were about four shopping trolleys, which I am told are native to the area.

Lastly, as the sun dipped below the horizon we caught a train to Warwick Farm, which would be our last location on this trainspotting trip.

Silver K set next to a modern yellow-fronted A set on the right, with ditch lights on — K76 and A70 at Warwick Farm

Due to the quickly fading light the conditions weren't optimal for photography, especially with a crop sensor which means the grain is a fair bit more visible in these shots.

Silver K set stopped beside a well-lit platform at dusk — K70 at Warwick Farm

Closing Thoughts

The K sets are definitely aging, and pending the introduction of OSCars to suburban service, it's difficult to justify their continued presence beyond a few peak hour runs. It would be wrong to say they are completely unfit for purpose, although they do lack modern accessibility and elements of their design are prone to abuse by buffer-riders. In fact, the problem has gotten severe enough for Transport to hire security on some services to sit in the unused² guard's cab in the rearmost carriage to dissuade cab break-ins and other unsavoury behaviour.

It's a bit of a shame that there are no plans for preservation, but then again THNSW is not infinitely resourceful. When they do eventually go, I'll miss their jolty starts, arctic AC, and distinctive brake smell pulling into stops.