SunsetLimited
Enjoy the Journey
Hey everyone. So I recently found some photos online of an incredible train, and I thought I would share it.
During the 1990s, the railway workshops in the North Queensland city of Townsville were facing closure due to a lack of work. In response, Queensland Rail embarked on a visionary project never undertaken in Australia. The 1990s were a period of modernisation for QR and century-old heritage rolling stock, although disused, was still in abundance. The decision was made to restore the old rolling stock for use as a luxury tourist train, and the Townsville Workshops would play host to the restoration project.
As the project progressed, it became evident that the timber coaches (some dating from 1900) were too weak to support modern comforts. The timber walls also proved impossible to house electrical wiring. QR went back to the drawing board and once again embarked on a revolutionary idea. The Townsville Workshops would still be used to create a luxury train, but the train would be built brand new from the wheels up. 21 coaches were designed with inspiration being taken from the Venice-Simplon Orient-Express, historic cars within Australia, and traditional Queensland decor. The train was to include a power car, lounge car, two dining cars, sleeping cars, a bar-observation car and a staff car.
To achieve the look and feel of a Victorian-era train, QR re-educated staff at the Townsville Workshops on construction and design techniques long forgotten. The cars were constructed with a steel chassis and frames, and the exterior walls were built from aluminium that was moulded to resemble timber. The traditional clerestory roofs featured stained glass, and the interiors of the cars were clad in stained timbers and plaster mouldings. The lounge featured a baby grand piano, and one-third of the rear bar-observation car was dedicated to an open-air verandah. Even the original Queensland Government Railways logo was revived. The attention to detail and level of luxury was so great that Orient-Express (now Belmond) partnered with QR to operate the service, which was named the Great South Pacific Express.
The narrow-gauge train began operation in 1999 in time for the tourism boom brought about by the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Three classes of sleeper were offered, the most premium of which offered cabins taking up half a carriage each. The most common route of the train was Brisbane - Kuranda and Cairns (1700km/1050 miles), but national interest led to the construction of standard-gauge bogies to permit the train to travel interstate. The train even accommodated the Queen on a visit to Australia during it's operation.
The GSPE's popularity began to decline after the 2001 terrorist attacks and the outbreak of the SARS virus affected international patronage. To make matters worse, the train wasn't highly advertised within Australia itself and the nature of the train's varied routes made it fairly elusive and mysterious. Orient-Express' arrangements with QR became very controversial and cracks began to show when disagreements occurred over who actually owned the train. The service ceased in 2005 and the carriages were hidden away at the Ipswich Workshops west of Brisbane. QR shipped a single coach overseas to an undisclosed location a while later, but the coach was said to have gone missing after arriving at it's destination.
The secrecy of the GSPE and it's disappearance remained for a decade as the train performed its duty as the world's biggest dust collector. The train was not discussed by QR at all, aside from the rare media reports boasting a potential future for the service. In February this year, QR began shipping the cars by road out of the Ipswich Works, and it was revealed that QR and Belmond (Orient-Express) had reached an agreement. The train was sold to Belmond for A$35 Million.
Even today it's very difficult to find photos and information on the train. I've lived in Brisbane all my life, and despite my passionate railfanning, I managed to only see it in operation twice. I find it a truly amazing story of innovation, commitment and mystery, I hope you guys do too. Thanks for reading. I do not take credit for any of the photos.
And now it's your turn... Post the trains that you guys find most amazing - I'd love to see what makes you all tick!!
Mitch
During the 1990s, the railway workshops in the North Queensland city of Townsville were facing closure due to a lack of work. In response, Queensland Rail embarked on a visionary project never undertaken in Australia. The 1990s were a period of modernisation for QR and century-old heritage rolling stock, although disused, was still in abundance. The decision was made to restore the old rolling stock for use as a luxury tourist train, and the Townsville Workshops would play host to the restoration project.
As the project progressed, it became evident that the timber coaches (some dating from 1900) were too weak to support modern comforts. The timber walls also proved impossible to house electrical wiring. QR went back to the drawing board and once again embarked on a revolutionary idea. The Townsville Workshops would still be used to create a luxury train, but the train would be built brand new from the wheels up. 21 coaches were designed with inspiration being taken from the Venice-Simplon Orient-Express, historic cars within Australia, and traditional Queensland decor. The train was to include a power car, lounge car, two dining cars, sleeping cars, a bar-observation car and a staff car.
To achieve the look and feel of a Victorian-era train, QR re-educated staff at the Townsville Workshops on construction and design techniques long forgotten. The cars were constructed with a steel chassis and frames, and the exterior walls were built from aluminium that was moulded to resemble timber. The traditional clerestory roofs featured stained glass, and the interiors of the cars were clad in stained timbers and plaster mouldings. The lounge featured a baby grand piano, and one-third of the rear bar-observation car was dedicated to an open-air verandah. Even the original Queensland Government Railways logo was revived. The attention to detail and level of luxury was so great that Orient-Express (now Belmond) partnered with QR to operate the service, which was named the Great South Pacific Express.
The narrow-gauge train began operation in 1999 in time for the tourism boom brought about by the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Three classes of sleeper were offered, the most premium of which offered cabins taking up half a carriage each. The most common route of the train was Brisbane - Kuranda and Cairns (1700km/1050 miles), but national interest led to the construction of standard-gauge bogies to permit the train to travel interstate. The train even accommodated the Queen on a visit to Australia during it's operation.
The GSPE's popularity began to decline after the 2001 terrorist attacks and the outbreak of the SARS virus affected international patronage. To make matters worse, the train wasn't highly advertised within Australia itself and the nature of the train's varied routes made it fairly elusive and mysterious. Orient-Express' arrangements with QR became very controversial and cracks began to show when disagreements occurred over who actually owned the train. The service ceased in 2005 and the carriages were hidden away at the Ipswich Workshops west of Brisbane. QR shipped a single coach overseas to an undisclosed location a while later, but the coach was said to have gone missing after arriving at it's destination.
The secrecy of the GSPE and it's disappearance remained for a decade as the train performed its duty as the world's biggest dust collector. The train was not discussed by QR at all, aside from the rare media reports boasting a potential future for the service. In February this year, QR began shipping the cars by road out of the Ipswich Works, and it was revealed that QR and Belmond (Orient-Express) had reached an agreement. The train was sold to Belmond for A$35 Million.
Even today it's very difficult to find photos and information on the train. I've lived in Brisbane all my life, and despite my passionate railfanning, I managed to only see it in operation twice. I find it a truly amazing story of innovation, commitment and mystery, I hope you guys do too. Thanks for reading. I do not take credit for any of the photos.
And now it's your turn... Post the trains that you guys find most amazing - I'd love to see what makes you all tick!!
Mitch
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