QR Nth Coast line 1993 Old Diesels, 3900 Cl, ICE Cab Ride

24 Minutes

[@Dachrinnensaeufer]

I took the northbound Sunlander in February 1993, all the way from Brisbane to Cairns. Spectacular scenery, spent a great time in the lounge car and the restaurant. Great trip! Booked a second class roomette and got an upgrade to first class by the super nice conductor. "No way, mate! You're too tall!"

[@tressteleg1]

QR has always been a railway with a heart, fortunately with passenger services still in government ownership 👍

[@JGrandcourt]

Thanks for posting. As you said great GM sounds and a V8 to boot!

[@derekrowanphotograpics]

Thanks for posting. Meany childhood memories. Thank Dad William Rowan - 42yrs QR Service.

[@tressteleg1]

😊👍👍

[@taureanlea3777]

I love seeing a good old QR :-D

[@castlemania08]

Amazing to see an English Electric shunting down Quay St Bundaberg! One of the very few times I’ve seen the branch line used until it was removed for the Quay St rejuvenation project in the 2000’s. The Boral Tanker would have been going to the Boral Depot, just on the other side of Bundy Creek at the site of the old Gasworks off Kennedy Bridge. By the mid 1990’s, the only two branches off the Quay St line was Burnett Sawmill and Boral, and even by then road transport was almost fully dominating…

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks for your ‘inside information.’ Well it was just good luck on my part that the train happened to be there when I happened to be there too. Just another little part of Australian railways that has disappeared forever making what is left that little bit less diverse.

[@castlemania08]

@@tressteleg1 The bridge over Bundy Creek was heritage listed, so it still exists as a pathway over to East Bundaberg from Quay St (it’s currently under restoration works for pedestrian safety)

[@tressteleg1]

@@castlemania08 😊👍

[@tazzer9]

Only saw one of those sunlander M series staff cars going up the toowomba range yesterday. But sadly on the back of a truck.

[@tressteleg1]

+Taran Saunders Hopefully on its way to that Museum group at Warrick. The wheels could be on another truck. It's cheaper to send a train by road theses days than by rail! True!

[@tazzer9]

tressteleg1 by going up the toowoomba range I highly doubt its for the southern downs railway. Not the most direct route by road. Probably going to end up as someones granny flat.

[@realjohnboxall]

Another great video, thank you. Love seeing the local trains with a 3900 and SX cars - such madness (in a good way)

[@tressteleg1]

Unfortunately when Aurizon was created, they had grabbed all the Brisbane/North Coast 3900 Class Electric locos and never gave them back. Disgraceful for diesels to haul trains all the way to Rocky.

[@interceptor7905]

3900 class was completely scrapped unfortunately now we flogging 2800s​@@tressteleg1

[@tressteleg1]

@@interceptor7905 I would like to know why the locomotives designed for passenger train use were never given back when finished with. Unfortunately nobody seems to have convinced the state government that electric locomotives should be running up and down the coast hauling freight and the Spirit of the Outback.

[@paash698]

the 3900 class electic locos were built speciffically for the north coast line electrification, for brisbane to rockhampton service. commissioned in 1986. it was very common to see a diesel provided on through freights, for north of rockhampton. the e.l. was detached at rocky and returned on another southbound fast freighter.

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, and a disgrace that they were stolen for coal trains and never returned. Probably another dud result of privatisation.

[@Jerram89]

The electrics were great locos with excellent hauling ability and instant power to keep the train stretched. A real shame they were lost to coal (and ultimately scrapped only a few years later), but alas time moved on.

[@tressteleg1]

I didnt know they were scrapped. But certainly stolen by Aurizon and never returned.

[@BronsonTheCat]

The 3900's won't be back as the class is now extinct.

[@catecurl3790]

I remember those diesel sounds. How they punctated the stifling hot still summer days. Not a breeze anywhere. The inimitable smell and the go stop go pull on the train as it left dutton park

[@tressteleg1]

cate curl 😊👍

[@phillips88gmail]

Some of those old Qld diesel locos were sold Thailand many years ago, fully clapped out when Thailand received them,

[@tressteleg1]

There seems to have been quite a trade in secondhand diesel locomotive in comparatively recent years, and that included some coming this way from across the Tasman, while others found their way to Tasmania.

[@trevormaxwell7398]

It's silly having only single track, if this line is so busy

[@tressteleg1]

+Trevor Maxwell Lots of silly things would be gone if the nation were flush with money. Straightening curves especially south of Nambour (already done here and there) is possibly more important, especially if duplication comes with straightening which I expect it does.

[@trevormaxwell7398]

Unfortunately we are not flushed, with money as you said

[@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042]

At 14:52, why is the guard at the rear passenger door and not at the guard cab door?

[@tressteleg1]

I just looked at it. I have no idea why the guard was at that door and I know little about those trains but it is clear that there are the switches above the door to enable guard duties to be done there. And presumably at all other doors on the train. Being a long distance service, there could well be reasons for guards to move about the train, for example where station platforms are sometimes short.

[@liljrae9684]

miss that ICE train used to travel on it between brisbane and rockhampton all the time :( tilt train just doesnt have as much character about it. I notice in one of the clips a 3900 class pulling the sunlander, I'm guessing they changed over to a diesel at Rockhampton? Why wouldn't they use one on the whole route?

[@tressteleg1]

The 3900 Electrics handled just about all the north coast locomotive work to Rockhampton until they were stolen by the coal lines and never given back. Privatisation may have been in the middle of that and the 3900s were on the wrong side of the fence at that time. A great pity.

[@russellanderson3298]

@@tressteleg1 I have found it strange that the 3900 class were displaced on the NCL by diesels ... a lot of money was spent on the electrifcation north of ?? for a passenger train a day ... btw, I find electric locos as boring as dog s***t .... lol

[@tressteleg1]

I think QR coal needed more electric locos so ‘borrowed’ the 3900 Class but never gave them back when they got more electrics. It is the power output that impresses with electrics. They are long gone by the time diesels get up any real speed. Look at diesel pathetic performance when replacing electric tilt trains during overhauls.

[@russellanderson3298]

@@tressteleg1 Well, QR National became Aurizon and thus presumably haul freight from Brisbane up the NCL with 2800 class diesels.... so, why get rid of the electrics? .. I dont know?...

[@29djmikey]

Yes 30min stopped to change locomotives at rocky took the sunlander to Mackay in 02'

[@ghria]

Thanks for sharing this valuable footage to us on KZbin. Did the ICE sets have a dining car, or was it a gallery car?

[@tressteleg1]

I don’t remember the details but if anything it would have simply been a takeaway snack bar.

[@gregg6473]

ICE trains had a small vestibule galley in each car where snacks (e.g. pies/sausage rolls) could be heated, but no dining car or snack bar as such. Passenger attendants delivered food directly to passengers in their seats (airline style). From memory, meals were originally included in the fare when the Spirit of Capricorn commenced running. At least that's how I remembered it back in September 1989. Citytrain ICE services to Nambour and Gympie didn't offer meals, so galley equipment wasn't used on those runs.

[@tressteleg1]

Greg G I think they would have been just one gallery car on each train set. Nevertheless those interesting cars are being scrapped a present it seems. I have no idea why they did not reuse one on the Rockhampton line when the electric tilt trains were being restored. Anything would have been better than the diesel hauled slug.

[@gregg6473]

Yes you're correct... Galley equipment was located in the EMM cars only, but not EMD or EMT.

[@interceptor7905]

Cooroy still looks exact same except siding is gone

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks for that. The days of dropping a few wagons off a train at intermediate stations seem to have gone.

[@interceptor7905]

@@tressteleg1 Long time ago.Now all trains maximum length and tonnage.I drive this corridor it is interesting to watch your videos

[@tressteleg1]

@interceptor7905 Yes, unfortunately. Railways tend to become less and less interesting in some directions. Glad you like my videos. If you ever want to be a discrete participant…

[@interceptor7905]

@@tressteleg1 Yeah why not

[@tressteleg1]

@@interceptor7905 Please email me using tressteleg(at)icloud.com Use the normal symbol instead of (at)

[@whiskeymikephotography]

Was the drivers name Simon?

[@tressteleg1]

I don’t have the slightest idea. Usually I don’t think any names were exchanged with the crew when I got a cab ride. So unless one crew member called the other by name, I would never have heard their names.

[@whiskeymikephotography]

@@tressteleg1 Oh okay, was wondering because it sounded like a driver I know.

[@tressteleg1]

Perhaps you could send him the video link. He may remember if it was him.

[@whiskeymikephotography]

@@tressteleg1 Oh true.

[@christophersmith9654]

So 3900 class were borrowed, why weren't they returned?

[@tressteleg1]

Very good question! I suspect that the coalfield lines ‘borrowed’ the locomotives when QR was one big happy family and after Bligh sold off the profitable freight section, because the 3900 class happened to be still in the possession of the coal lines, that is where they were considered to belong. Nevertheless it is scandalous that every day diesel locomotives are running hundreds of kilometres under electric wires while surplus electric locomotives are sitting idle or have been scrapped.

[@christophersmith9654]

@@tressteleg1 thanks for the info

[@jasonpeisley6031]

Are you sure this is 1993?? Because the Tilt Train didn't enter service until 1998

[@tressteleg1]

Where was the Tilt Train in this video? Timepoint please.

[@TCFan30]

22:05

[@TCFan30]

It said in the caption - 2003 Electric Tilt Train. He obviously must have filmed it separately or got the dates for the ICE mixed up as QR only started using the red QR logo on the front of the units from the mid 90s. Prior to that it was the large green on yellow logo at the front and rear.

[@nickrowe7451]

Any info on that odd coloured car on the Queenslander at 11:56 ??

[@tressteleg1]

Nothing for certain but I note that it is the 3rd out of 6 passenger cars so maybe it was the dining car but if so I could not guess why it is in different colours. The Queenslander, as far as I know, was an upmarket version of the Sunlander. I think it was First Class passengers only but I never rode it.

[@nickrowe7451]

tressteleg1 know anything about it’s stopping pattern? For such a short train I’m guessing it only stopped at large cities up north

[@gregg6473]

The yellow/maroon coloured car was the "Club Loco" disco car with dance floor/lounge that was introduced on the Spirit of the Tropics train, which also formed the rear (sitting) half of the Queenslander in the mid to late 90's. The Spirit of the Tropics was aimed at a younger market, but it ultimately did not survive against cheaper airfares.

[@tressteleg1]

👍

[@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042]

I thought the ICE couldn't do more than 120, or was it going down a hill, or am I just wrong...

[@tressteleg1]

It probably was just 120. The Tilt Train is (?was) 160. Other Electrics in daily life can do 130 and 140 km/h.

[@Jerram89]

I’ve heard that the ice was good for 160, but limited officially to 120. Of course in real life the limit was only the lower of what the driver wanted to do or the speed at which the ATC/ATP gave you a penalty, as attested to here.

[@549BR]

Where is this?

[@tressteleg1]

If you mean the whole video, on Queensland Rail, and north of Brisbane Australia. Track gauge 3’ 6” or 1067mm.