Suburban Steam

Queensland Rail is unique among railway operators in Australia in that it still owns and operates steam locomotives in heritage service.  Given that it has been over 40 years since steam traction finished as regular motive power in the state, drivers and fireman who were qualified on steam in regular service are very thin on the ground and getting thinner every year.  To help alleviate this, QR ran a few “steam schools” with one run back in 1997, but with 3-4 more retirements amongst steam men coming up, the opportunity was taken again to run one during April 2010.  To assist with practical training, an all stations suburban service was run and this was initially publicised through one press release with only a few people knowing about it.  We started off from Ipswich station right behind a preceeding electric service, so initially there weren’t too many other passengers, however as we travelled further towards Brisbane, given we couldn’t keep up with an electric timetable, we started to see full platforms of commuters waiting for the next electric service which was catching up to us.  By the time we were at Toowong, the train was completely full and it was standing room only.  Toowong Station is built over, so the station is completely enclosed, hence the noise of the loco was well amplified, so that, combined with a full train, and an aggressive start by the driver, meant some good noise was to be had on departure and for the acceleration to our next station stop at Auchenflower where the recording ends. 

The train ran all stations from Ipswich, through the city, to Shorncliffe station where the loco was turned and a return all stations service was worked.  We join the train at Sandgate Station, and after the automatic doors close, we hear the “Right Away!” given to the driver and the loco heads off with a deep throated bark echoing back off the station.  We then run all stations through Deagon, North Boondall (where we have an excellent start along the former “speedway” now rudely interrupted by the new Boondall station) and Boondall and we leave the train as we accelerate away from that station.  The wind noise was very hard to avoid as the train was completely full again right from the start, so the microphone was outside for most of it to reduce the chatter coming from inside the train.

The main stations on Brisbane’s suburban network are Fortitude Valley (formerly Brunswick St), Central and Roma St, with the latter being the main station for long distance and interstate services as well.  We join the train at Brunswick St as we hear the air being slowly released from the brake cylinders, the guard gives right away and then we are off, starting out under the large confines of the station now completely built over.  The train breaks out into the open before heading into the long tunnel to Central and we keep accelerating along the long straight of the tunnel before easing up ready for the sharp curve and into Platform 3.  One my earliest memories of riding suburban trains was the sound of the air brakes on these SX cars, the Budd Car Co. stainless steel coaches that were once destined to be Queensland’s first electrics, but due to political whim, became loco hauled for their entire carrier, and the sounds of the air coming on and being released brings back many of those memories.  When we arrive at Central, we hear the unique station announcement of being able to board a steam train service stopping all stations stopping to Ipswich, then another right away, and we are off, now under the completely enclosed (well nearly!) Central station.  This is very reminiscent of the former Central station, which had a large station canopy, and the sounds are much like that heard in other departures of steam recorded hear during steam days.  We then head into another shorter tunnel before coasting into Roma St Station where the sounds of the air brakes releasing signal the end of our journey.