Dining Cars provided
seated meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) on selected sectors on our trunk
Mail Trains from around 1930 to 1970. Railway Refreshment Rooms (RRR) at
various stations would provide light meals in the form of sandwiches, pies,
drinks etc. Some at larger locations provided sit down
meals for sectors not covered by the dining cars.
Passengers requiring a
cup of tea and a pie need to wait for these stations as well. Plus, many of
these RRR had bars attached. In 1969 I worked Homestead (Mt Isa line, 73 Km’s
west of Charter Towers) which had a RRR, the manager lived on site with her quarters
included. It was privately run and I know a cup of tea and a pie was not on the
menu. When I arrived soft drinks were added to the menu. Mixed trains heading
west, about one a day would stop for refreshments. It was more a the local
watering hole, most night around 10 o’clock you would be picking up the locals
that went base over apex over the signal wires. Most were not in a condition to
be able to return to their feet without assistance.
RRR managers a couple of
hours before the due arrival of a train required train information, expected
time of arrival and the train CANA. CANA was in the telegraph code was for
number of passengers on the train. Hot drinks were served in china cups, the
passenger would pay a deposit and be given a ticket which allowed the passenger
to take the cup onto the train. At the next RRR the passenger could return the
cup with the ticket and receive a refund. If a train was running late, the time
at the station was reduced.
As I read notes/books
from various historians the operation of dining cars varies a bit about where
they was added to or taken off trains, may be different periods with different
timetables. Looking at the Western Mail (Train 8S) in the 1939 Main Line
Timetable, the train departing Brisbane Central at 3:15 pm. Toowoomba 7:20/40
pm as the dinner stop in the RRR and refreshment, Dalby 9:25/35, Chinchilla
11:15/30, Miles 12:32/42 am, Roma 4:02/17. Mitchell 6:36/56 attach Dining Car,
Charleville 12:18 pm. Breakfast and an early Lunch were the meals provided. The
train continued to Cunnamulla on Saturday only. On the return train 13 down Western
Mail departed Charleville at 3:02 pm, Mitchell 8:21/41pm, refreshment and
detach dining car. Roma 11:04/14 pm, Toowoomba 7:40/8:00 for breakfast in the
RRR, arriving Brisbane 11:57 am. The 1948 timetable was much the same.
The 1958 timetable showed
the Westlander being worked by a diesel electric locomotive leaving Brisbane a
few hours later at 6:55 pm. Refreshments Toowoomba 11:01/25 pm, Dalby 1:17/25
am. Roma 6:59/7:35 change locomotives and attach dining car. Charleville
3:17/52. The train was due to arrive at Cunnamulla
9:37 pm, this sector was worked with a PB15 engine with WW water wagon
attached, a total of 10 vehicles. The train was at Wyandra 6:37/57 pm giving
passenger plenty of time to duck over to the pub for something to eat and
drink. The dining car providing breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Roma – Cunnamulla sector. In later years the dining car staff left the train in
Charleville and stayed in quarter until the return of the train the next day. On
the return the train left Charleville at 3:50 pm, Roma 11:30/58 pm, detached
dining car and change locomotives. Toowoomba was the breakfast stop 7:40/8:05
pm, arriving in Brisbane at 12:00 midday. Dining car staff also assist in the RRR prior
to the arrival of the train.
On the Sunlander the dining
car was on the train between Bundaberg and Mackay, providing Breakfast, Lunch
and Dinner. At the time northbound Sunlander (241) departed Roma St (Brisbane)
at 9:30 pm, Bundaberg 5:33/6:00, attach Dining Car, refreshments, Rockhampton
12:05/45, refreshments. St Lawrence 4:37/47 refreshments, Mackay 8:06/36 pm,
detach dining car and refreshments. Southbound Sunlander (266), Mackay
5:47/6:18 am attach dining car and refreshments, St Lawrence 9:42/52,
refreshments, Rockhampton 1:30/2:05 refreshments, Bundaberg 8:26/9:00 pm,
detach dining car. Roma Street (Brisbane) 6:00 am. Dining car staff would swap
when the north and south bound train crossed each other. From what I recall,
there was a staff of five required to work the dining car. Meals were provided
in seating, the night before the Conductors would hand out meal sitting
tickets. First class passengers received first pick at available times. During
holiday periods three seating was not uncommon.
1967 I was at Mackay
working as a fireman for the sugar season, from time to time you would be
rostered on the station shunt. Afternoon shift would take the dining car off
the Sunlander and the night shift would attach it to the train with the PB15
shunt engine. I recall one morning the dining car was pulled from the shed
without the shore power being disconnected.
We also worked the main line trains to St Lawrence, regularly I would be
rostered 266 (southbound Sunlander) on duty 5:15 am to St Lawrence, arrive 9:42
am return 241 (north bound Sunlander) on duty 4:17 pm, arrive Mackay 8:06 pm,
it was an awesome job, both of us would wear a white shirt for the day. It would
set you up for a day job the next day, generally a 12 hour branch job. An added
bonus was it was counted as two shift, after completing 10 shifts within the
fortnight it was class as overtime. Other guys in the quarters indicated I was
paying the roster clerk.
Dining cars at their
depot station were hooked to shore power. A special siding with a shed was
provided at one of the station near the RRR. Dining car provided a bit of work
for the station/yard shunters. At some stage the dining cars were turned before
there next trip. After each trip the food left over would be taken back to the
RRR and likewise would need to be loaded up before the next trip. The kitchen
end would be the best end to have on the stop blocks for loading and unloading.
At Roma the dining car siding was on the western end of the station. I’m having
trouble recalling if the kitchen was the leading end of the carriage, I was
always on the train, and I can only assume what happened before the arrival of
the Westlander. The dining car was attached to the train between cars 3 and 5.
Cars 1, 2 and 3 were first class carriages and cars 5, 6, 7 and 8 were second
class carriages. The dining car was car 4.To reduce the number of moves with
the leading portion of the train still containing passenger the shunt engine
would push the dining car out onto the leading part of the train with train
brakes applied.
The following moves would
be required.
Prior to the arrival of
the Westlander, the shunt engine would pick up the dining car from the siding.
One of two things would
be required, turn the dining car on the angle or run around the dining car.
Running around vehicle is going to the other end, in this case the dining is on the
Brisbane eastern end of the shunt engine coming out of the siding and needs to
be on the western end.
Wait the arrival of the
train in a siding with access to the main line.
With the Westlander
stopped on the platform with the guards van on the platform, the incoming DEL
would come off the train to go the shed.
Two C17 locomotives
attached would be shunted to the lead of the train. During these moves,
passengers would be leaving the train heading for the refreshment rooms for a
cuppa and something for breakfast if you were not going to the dining car after
departing.
The train’s power car
attendants would disconnect the power cables supplying A/C power to the train
between cars 3 and 5. The shunter would uncouple the leading section of the
train, the train engine would pull ahead clear of the loop points,
Shunt engine would push
the dining car onto the leading section of the train and return to the siding.
The lead section of the
train would push back on the carriages on the platform, couple up and hook up
A/C power supply. A train safety test would follow before departure. 37 minutes
was allocated for the work.
Much the same occurred
detaching the dining car, the shunt engine would be attached to the dining car after
the train had be parted. After the train departed, the shunt engine would place
the dining car in it’s the siding.
In 1970 all dining cars
were converted to Griddle Cars which provided both meals and refreshments reducing
the time required at stations, these cars were on the train for the entire journey.
Food Bar Cars were converted from first class seating cars for the western
trains allowing the converted dining cars to work the Sunlander services.
The plan book does not
show many Dining Cars, prior to the arrival of the Sunshine Cars, most appear
to be conversions from other carriages. All up three Sunshine Express Dining
Car were built, two (1255/1256) were built with first batch of cars and a third
(1376) with the second series. Carriage 1376 was similar to other two carriages
except windows in the kitchen end of the carriage. Car 1255 is in the current
heritage fleet, Car 1256 became part of a Cooroy Restaurant in the butter
factory siding and car 1376 was converted to a CW 74 camp wagon in April 1965.
In 1970, cars 1255 and 1256 were
converted to Griddle Car. The kitchen area was extended to make a servery, gas
bottles were added reducing seating from 30 to 22. These wooden cars were used
on special trains that ran and second division of mail trains running during
holiday periods.
My model is a carriage
from the first batch and is a 3 foot 6 model kit. During construction the only
photos I had was of 1255 as a Griddle Car. Some features of the carriage were
questionable as a dining car. As per Norn, when finished you find the answers
you were looking for, I located a John Armstrong photo of the carriage 1256 in
1964. My educated guess turned out to be correct.
The carriage body was
painted with PGC “QR Passenger RED” lacquer paint. The dining area was scratch
build for styrene, very simple construction as only the top of the tables are
visible. Seating was much the same, just blocks with backs made of styrene. The
figures were given to me by Ken, an eBay purchase for a few dollars. I think
the scale could be 1:100. The pack contained about 100 figures, with many
repeats and not much detail. That would be OK given they were inside a
carriage. The figures were hand painted with Model Colors. I find a drop of
paint goes a long way and dries within a few minutes. The two cooks in the
kitchen and the two waitress were Preiser figures.
From time to time some
carriages had white wall types on the wheels, I don’t think it lasted all that
long, one of the Griddle Car photos shows the carriage with them. To give the
carriage a smart look I added them with the view if I don’t like it I can
repaint them black.
From above you can see
that you can have some operations with your mail trains by having a dining car
on your layout. I’m using the dock platform as the dining car siding during the
running of my second 13 down, in other words “second division of the
Westlander”.
My second division of 13
down is marshalled similar to the Westlander.
Loco, AL first class
seating car, 2 DAS first class sleeping cars, dining car, 2 FBS second class
sleeping cars, 3 BL second class seating cars, baggage car and mail van.
In the 1960’s second division of the mail trains run at
Christmas, Easter and start and finish of school holidays. Roads around the
state were not that good, many were just corrugated dirt roads that wrecked
your car. Train was the way to travel, on holidays, kids to boarding school
etc.
AHRS Sunshine Express shows the following second division
passenger trains in the mid 1970’s. I think this may have been close to the end
of such services. By this time, most western roads had bitumen surfaces,
altered trains service and with diesel electric locomotives, extra carriages
could be added into time tabled trains. The standard Westlander was 11
vehicles, during holiday time’s 14 vehicles was common. After 1970 with the
introduction of the “Capricorian” service, the Sunshine Express cars were not
required for any regular time table long distance passenger trains. QLX wagons (Red
diamond vehicles at the time allowed on passenger trains) were used as baggage
cars and had to be marshalled behind the loco. Wooden carriages conveying
passengers were not to be marshalled between steel vehicles.
2ND WESTLANDER 15th January 1975. DEL
1525, FBS 1245, AAS 1318, JCS 1175, FBS 1320, BL 1336/1246, MV 1059.
12.08.77. To Charleville x Roma Street. DEL1507, QLX, JCS 1007, FBS1288, 1240, 1242,
AAS 1233, BL 1338, AL 1317, BLV 1123.
Sun
14.08.77. Extra northbound & southbound Sunlander ran DEL 1561, QLX, AAS
1231, FBS 1243, 1237, AAS 1243, 1229, 1280, 1278, FBS 1285, Dining Car 1255,
JCS 1005, AL 1246, BL 1321, 1359, 1331, CLV 483
The 1967 Working Time Table shows the
following which gives an overview of the workings of the two trains. 16 Up is the second division and 8S the
Westlander. On the return 13 down is the Westlander and 2nd 13 down
is the second division of the train.
The time table does not show Brisbane –
Toowoomba sector.
|
|
16
Tues/Fri
|
8S
Tues/Fri
|
|
|
13
Thur/Sun
|
2nd 13
Thur/Sun
|
|
Toowoomba (R)
|
10:03
pm
|
10:28/50
pm
|
|
Charleville (R)
|
4:05
pm
|
4:40
pm
|
|
Dalby (R)
|
11:48/51
|
12:31/39
am
|
|
Morven
|
6:12/17
|
6:47/57
|
|
Chinchilla
|
1:18/25
am
|
2:7/15
|
|
Mitchel (R)
|
8:28/38
|
9:03/13
|
|
Roma (R)
|
5:5/30
|
5:56/6:24
|
|
Roma (R)
|
10:37/11:04
|
11:18/38
|
|
Mitchel (R)
|
7:30/50
|
8:22/36
|
|
Chinchilla
|
2:48/58
am
|
3:23/28
am
|
|
Morven
|
10:11/14
|
11:00/6
|
|
Dalby (R)
|
4:24/32
|
5:01/9
|
|
Charleville (R)
|
12:11
pm
|
1:44
pm
|
|
Toowoomba (R)
|
6:30/7:00
|
7:05
|
|
|
Sat/Wed
|
Sat/Wed
|
|
|
Mon/Fri
|
Mon/Fri
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
(R) Refreshment Rooms.
|
|
|
||||
Looking at the timetable, timing at
Refreshments Rooms stops, staffing and the number of dining cars in service, plus
the information in the Sunshine Express, I think have a dining car on train 2nd
13 would of been luxurious and most likely did not happen in real life. Management
on the SWR looks after their passengers and goes the extra mile for their
comfort, thus a dining car on my 2nd 13 down.
The train can be viewed running on the
layout on YouTube
Trust the information was useful for
your modelling.
Arthur H.