"Southern Aurora" memories was Pacific Coast Aurora

[Mark Bau <markbau@earthlink.net>]

in article WslC6.3792$482.16630@newsfeeds.bigpond.com, Phil @big pond at
trapcleaver1@bigpond.com wrote on 4/15/01 12:22 PM:

> Morning to the group .
> 1 Pardon my ignorance ( as I am not a dedicated rail fan/nut)  But do like
> train travel
> 2 The Aurora  title has been confusing the heck out of me over here in WA
> 3 I agree with Mark  it WAS the premier train  and a delight to travel on
> as you arrived in melb  with most of your corro up to date  right in the
> centre of the city and could hit the ground running business wise.
> 4 There was an interesting card school on board in the old days with some
> very heavy and well known players .
> Now what the heck is this Aurora you chaps are talking about ?
> is it the same carriages  etc or  just the name has been lifted .
> 
> Oh while on a roll with 20 questions   what happened to the old spirit of
> Progress  also not a bad train in its day ?
> Thanks look forward to catching up on this data
> 
> kindest regards
> Phil
> 
> --
> http://cleaver.freeyellow.com/sad.html
> and also   http://cleaver.freeyellow.com/caption2.html
> 
> THE NEW ADD YOUR OWN FACILITY http://www.angelfire.com/ab3/caption/link
> "John Coyle" <John_member@newsranger.com> wrote in message
> 8O3C6.6444$FY5.511714@www.newsranger.com">news:8O3C6.6444$FY5.511714@www.newsranger.com...
> In article <B6FDE392.258E%markbau@earthlink.net>, Mark Bau says...
>> 
> 
> I agee 100%, Mark! I worked for the old NSWGR from 1971 til 1988. In 1974 I
> PAID
> my fare on the "Southern Aurora" TEN TIMES between Melbourne and Sydney! If
> I
> had the cash "up front", I WOULD have obtained a yearly ticket, which WERE
> available, in thos days! Southbound, I used the "South Mail" out of Sydney
> on a
> Thursday or Friday night. I would often ride a Southern NSW branch line, and
> then the "Intercapital Daylight" to Melbourne, to visit my parents. The
> "Aurora"
> was a 100% sleeping car train, with a dining car, and lounge car. The train
> was
> up there, with other great trains, including the NYC "20th Century Limited".
> My
> most intersting trip on the "Aurora" was when it run into Sydney via Moss
> Vale-Woolongong line! I also rode the "Spirit" via the Mittagong-Picton loop
> line, but that's another story.
> 

As a kid I lived fairly close to Jacana and on hot summer nights would ride
my bike from Pascoe Vale to watch it. It went through Jacana a little after
8.30pm. I still remember the lovely illuminated sign on the back of the
train.

When I transferred to Wodonga as a fireman in 1982 I was very anxious to
"fire" on the Aurora and before long I was on the big wheel doing just that.
I fired on it between Melbourne and Albury over 200 times, usually with a
422 but sometimes with an X or X  and once with a WAGR L class.

After I left Wodonga for the sparks I took a trip to Sydney and decided that
after working on it so many times I should actually ride the thing. It was
my only trip as a passenger but I still remember it fondly as easily
Australia's best train. Someone once told me that it was the last all
sleeping car train in the world. I don't know if that's true, (doesn't the
Blue Train" still run in South Africa?) Of course the IP and the Ghan are
probably more famous but the Aurora will always be #1 in my book.

Apparently Graham Kennedy was a regular on it when he travelled from Sydney
to Melb. to tape Blankety Blanks? He travelled in the DAM car which had
double beds and huge compartments

It stopped running sometime around 1986 I think, replaced by the SEX (Sydney
Express) and the MEX (Melbourne Express) They didn't last long till the
railmotor took over.

Mark