Re: [NSW] my free travels today

["Hoges" <pghogan@NOSPAMbigpond.com>]

 > Anita Lukaszyk  wrote somewhere at the start of this thread :
>
<snip>
>
           I was also planning to go to Katoomba this arvo, but I was told
there
>           was NO SNOW up there.
>
>           Where did the rest of you go?
>
I might claim some sort of record for furthest afield, as I got to Bathurst
and back for free.

0834 ex Strathfield to Mt Victoria (per your world's allegedly greatest
train etc, etc), change at Mt Vic for bus to Lithgow account trackwork (that
wasn't in the script!), change at Lithgow for the COUNTRYLINK bus which runs
to Bathurst, Orange and beyond.

This was the interesting bit, as the service to Bathurst is shared between
Countrylink and CityRail. They were obliged to honour the free travel as far
as Bathurst, but insisted that we have a ticket, to guarantee a place on the
return bus (and probably so they can send CityRail the bill).

So the bus was delayed while us CityRail "freeloaders" queued at the booking
office. After trying to issue individual tickets , they gave up and ran a
block booking.  I thus have a unique souvenir of the occasion - a
CountryLink ticket reservation for a total of $0.00, made out to "Mr J.
Citizen" !    How they must  love their Transport Minister for imposing this
sort of stunt on them.

The return journey was 1355 bus ex Bathurst, bus to Mt Vic, and 3.32pm
Intercity to Sydney. Despite heavy loadings on all Down Mountains services
this morning, CityRail in their infinite wisdom left this vital return
service as a 4 car set (I'm sure there was a spare set in Mt Vic yard).
Absolute chaos ensued at Katoomba, with some people left behind, and many
standing in crush conditions for over 2 hours. Given that the price was
right, very few actually complained!

As for snow, it had mostly melted bar a few traces in the Blue Mountains,
much to the disappointment of the families who went to Katoomba. However on
the bus to Bathurst, there was still plenty of snow to be seen in the Mt
Lambie- Yetholme section - it must have been a huge fall.

Anyone get to Scone or Dungog?

Regards,

Paul