Re: [SYD] Former "Contura" carriage

[matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au (Matthew Geier)]

In article <95do6c$bhl$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,  <maikha_l@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Oh dear........the webpage is still floating on the WWW?!?
>I'd thought that it'd be long gone webpage on the Cityrail site!!!
>
>As someone mentioned here, is the Contura the one with its end facing
>the buffers, next to that yellow thing (what is it?!?)
>
>
>Thanks, Anybody here had a ride in Contura before we'd be interested to
>find out!

 It was cut into a specially built 4 car V set that was used for some sort of
long range tour I did a few years ago, I can no longer remember who organised 
the tour, but it covered all the major lines, south to at least Sutherland,
Mt Vic, and Newcastle.

 The trouble with the Contura is that they never reinstated the driving cab
so it could 'swing' on the rear (and then become the front) of a train, they
had to remarshal a set. Any potential hire needed to hire at least 2 carrages
(otherwise you end up with the public traveling on either side and the way 
blocked between the public cars) and probably pay for the set to be made up.

 It was nice idea, utterly failed in execution.