Sydney’s Graffiti Writers And Rail Nerds Unite To Farewell Their Beloved K-Set Trains

MONTY BENFICA | Amusements | CONTACT

A coalition of Sydney's ADHD riddled grafitti community and autistic trainspotting commuinty have come together to bid farewell to their favourite train the K-set.

The unlikely alliance has formed around a shared appreciation for the ageing trains that first graced the train system in 1981, despite differences in what each group considers a good photograph of one.

For the trainspotters, the farewell represents the loss of a piece of Sydney railway history. 

For the writers, it represents the loss of a piece of Sydney railway history with their mate's name on it.

“There's a lot of mutual respect,” said one organiser.

“They know every carriage number. We also know every carriage number, but for different reasons.”

The joint farewell has required some compromises, with the trainspotters requesting an unobstructed view of the driver's cab and the writers requesting that nobody upload their faces.

Both groups have agreed that the newer trains lack character.

An afternoon of commemorative photography became tense when a rail enthusiast described a painted carriage as vandalised.

The dispute was resolved after both parties agreed the photograph should be taken before anyone cleaned it.

Despite their differences, both groups agree Sydney’s train network will be a little less interesting without them