Sydney Electric Train Society

The Sydney Electric Train Society is a railway preservation society in Sydney, Australia. It specialises in NSW electric traction and particularly NSW electric locomotives.

History
The Sydney Electric Train Society (SETS) was established in July 1991 with the aim of preserving Sydney's vintage electric fleet colloquially known as Red Rattler's. In January 1992, it operated its first tour with single deck stock across the CityRail suburban network, the last of which were about to be withdrawn.

By 1993, the executive of SETS had significantly changed to include more “mature” members. This went a long way to regaining some credibility with senior key players in the SRA. Through the hard work of these mature members, the manual doors impasse was settled. Tours then resumed, using trains hired from the SRA, with significant success through 1995 and 1996. A four car heritage set known as "M1" would commonly be used on such tours formed of carriages C3102, T4527, D4052, and C3218. In 1995, this set would be moved to Flemington where it would be known as "F1".

In 1997, a number of SETS members voluntarily resigned with a new board taking on the job of electric preservation. This was due to a disagreement in operations with volunteers split on a private or public ownership. The remaining members of SETS would follow the private operation of owning rolling stock whilst the members that resigned would start a new organisation Historic Electric Traction (HET) with its primary objective of SRA owning the rolling stock whilst HET would be the care takers of it; a partnership of sorts.

On 20 April 1998, SETS purchased 46 class electric locomotive 4615. Later in 1998, it purchased four Tulloch power cars from the State Rail Authority along with some U set stock. It has since expanded its collection with 85 and 86 class locomotives, one Bradfield and two Suburban power cars acquired from RailCorp and the only complete Sydney Monorail set.

SETS rolling stock has at various times been on static display at various public railway museums; Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway, the Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre and Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum. From 2003 to 2009, SETS operational electric locos and interurban cars were housed at Hornsby Maintenance Depot. In 2009, locomotives 8606 and 4615 along with CF5003 and CF5021 would be forcefully removed from Hornsby after a disagreement in storage. They would be moved by rail with a 44 class locomotive to Junee where they would be stored on display at the Junee Roundhouse.

In June 2018, 4615, 8606, CF5003 and CF5021 would be then removed from Junee due to a disagreement in storage there and would be transferred to Lithgow with 8606 returned to service to haul infrastructure trains on the Sydney Trains underground network.

Currently as of 2023, SETS has a number of its assets scattered across NSW with many items in various stages of restoration. A line up of eight red set carriages have been left at Chullora awaiting collection and moved to a secure location for future restoration. 46 class locomotives 4615 and 4627 are at Lithgow alongside U Boat carriages CF5003 and CF5021. 4615 is awaiting an ICE radio to be installed, 4627 is awaiting funding for a static repaint, whilst the U Boat carriages sit in the yard awaiting restoration. 8501 is presently at Werris Creek awaiting reactivation. 8606 is at Port Kembla awaiting traction motors to be refitted. 8649 is currently the only operating asset SETS has presently running rail robel runs in the city underground late at night.

SETS has also been allocated a four car S Set and four car C Set; both of which have not been signed officially over to SETS ownership and are currently sitting out the back of Auburn Maintrain. When the carriages are officially signed over to SETS, they will have 30 days to remove them from Sydney Trains land.

Publication
The society formerly published Under the Wires, a bi-monthly magazine.