Re: (NSW) Tourist Dining Train Attacked at Couridjah

[<ericsson@ridgenet.net>]

   I am planning on purchasing a rail pass next year and spending 3 weeks in
Australia. Should I be prepared to duck?
   From the tone of this post, it sounds like this is not a usual
occurrence, and that in the Oz culture, better behavior is expected(?). How
common is this? Are buses and cars attacked with rocks?
   Are there areas to avoid while travelling by train? As a Californian,
reading books on Oceania, I am surprised. I got the impression that
Australians were pretty relaxed, or 'laid back' as people here say.
   I have ridden a number of trains in Calif. in the past 30 years, and
three times saw boys 10-15 years old throw rocks, only once were they close
enough to hit the train.
   It is probably more common here for a person's body to hit the train than
a rock thrown. I was riding a train last February when a man threw himself
on the tracks. It happens regularly in Calif. How about in Oz?
Craig Ericsson

<petercook9709@my-deja.com> wrote in message
8lcg8h$bsl$1@nnrp1.deja.com">news:8lcg8h$bsl$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> At approximately 8.30pm at a level crossing at Couridjah (south of
> Thirlmere on the Picton-Mittagong Loop Line) a tourist train (CN1747,
> HN2197, BCS????, BCS2356, RMS2359, LAN????, PHA2394 hauled by double
> headed diesel locos - a 48 and a 49) was struck five times by ballast
> rocks, breaking four windows, two on CN1747 and two on HN2197 (the
> porthole window on the up left door of CN1747 was struck twice and has
> two holes in it). Additionally, one of the windows on either BCS2356 or
> RMS2359 was also believed to have been struck, although it did not
> appear to have penetrated either the inner or outer glass.
>
> Miraculously, nobody was injured during the attack although several
> passengers travelling in the two carriages struck were understandably
> shocked.  It is also believed that one of the locomotives was also
> struck, though there was no apparent damage to either upon inspection
> at Thirlmere.
>
> The train was a Christmas in July dinner service, which had left Picton
> Station at 6.45 heading to Buxton.  It was intended to proceed back to
> Thirlmere, then to Buxton again and back to Picton.  The tour was
> intended to finish at Thirlmere around midnight.  As the tour operators
> did not want to tempt fate, the second trip to Buxton was replaced with
> another return trip to Picton.
>
> It is believed the persons responsible were local youths.  It is also
> believed these people also attempted a second attack on the train near
> Thirlmere ten minutes later.
>
> IMHO, it is a disgrace that this occurred, and it is a shame this may
> affect future tourist services on the loop line.  However, none of the
> passengers abandoned the train after the incident, deciding instead to
> continue on board the tour until it was completed.
>
> Peter Cook
> Passenger
>
> For the record, at the time of the attacks, I was sitting in HN2197 one
> seat behind one of the smashed windows.
>
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.