Re: Fish & Chip(s)

[dbromage@metz.une.edu.au (David Bromage)]

Garry R. Ford (garry@merddyn.apana.org.au) wrote:
>tezza wrote:
>
>> Can anyone tell me the origin of the name of the old Fish & Chip(s) service.
>> There was a lot of discussion in the Telegraph a few years ago but I don't
>> know what the outcome was and someone brought it up the other day.
>
>The official version (as reported in 1955) is that the driver of the first train
>that later became "The Fish" was a Mr John Heron. He was called derogatorily by
>fellow employees the "Big Fish". He regularly worked the up workers' train to
>Sydney so it was eventually called  "The Fish".

Heron's regular locomotive from 1865 into the early 1880s was No. 15, and
this was rostered to the train wherever possible. It was actually the
evening business train from Sydney to Penrith.

>It  was from around 1880 that the train for workers from Mt Victoria east to
>Sydney became known as "The Fish".  It was only a matter of time before the
>return trip for workers was called "The Chips".

IIRC, the name The Chips was first unofficially applied to the second
division of The Fish, which didn't quite work as far. When officially
applied, The Fish worked to Mt Victoria and The Chips was the next train
which which ran to Springwood. These days The Fish runs to Lithgow and The
Chips runs to Mt Victoria.

There was also the third train named The Heron after John Heron. It was
traditionally the 8 stop limited express to Penrith, and now runs to
Springwood.

For those interested, there is a photo of John Heron on the footplate of
No. 15 at http://www.railpage.org.au/pix/steam/15.jpg

Cheers
David