Railway Digest Magazine August 2018 Back Issue

Indian Pacific 2017 – Part two: The train
Following on from Part one (in our June issue) when he described his journey from Sydney to Perth and return, John Beckhaus takes a look at the rolling stock, both past and present, that’s seen regular use on the Indian Pacific.

Impressions of an electric Tilt Train
QR electrified the Brisbane to Rockhampton main line in 1989 and, in 1998, they introduced the electric Tilt Train, significantly reducing the travel time to the now 7.5 hours for the 639km journey. At the invitation of his sister and brother-in-law, Ron Brown decided it was time to take a ride to Rocky, on the Tilt Train.

Chasing the ‘daylight’ Merbein freight service
The chance of a day off work, combined with a relatively early finish the previous night and forecast fine sunny weather was enough to convince David Campbell to drive to Dunolly, north of Maryborough in Western Victoria, to photograph the Melbourne - Merbein intermodal train run by Pacific National. The drive also gave him an opportunity to view the recent gauge-conversion works along the line.

The Australasian Rail Industry Awards Gala Dinner
Individuals and organisations from the Australasian rail industry were recognised for their outstanding achievements and innovations at the 2018 Australasian Rail Industry Awards event, the biggest ever, held in the Palladium Room at Melbourne’s Crown Towers.