Re: Mystery Train

["David Bennetts" <davibenn@pcug.org.au>]

einsaar@bigpond.com wrote in article <3518abfb.1085243@news.bigpond.com>...
>  Recently I found a watercolour painting of a train traveling through
> the Blue Mountains, the train consist of a C35 Locomotive painted
> black with a silver star on the smoke box door and four red coachs.
> It was painted in the late 1920, the picture is entitled
> the"HONEYMOONERS EXPRESS" I believe that this train did run between 
> Sydney and Hazelbrook, can anyone give me any information on it?
> 
> Arthur Einsaar
> einsaar@bigpond.com
> 
Quite possibly the Caves Express which went to Mt Victoria around that era.
This train ran non-stop from Sydney to Hazelbrook thence all stations to Mt
Victoria except Bullaburra. It was a C35 class roster, leaving Sydney at
10.35 am, and arriving Mt Victoria at 1.00 pm - at only 2 hrs 25 minutes a
very creditable performance given the grades encountered. The return
journey was better still, taking only 2 hours 15 minutes!  The Blue
Mountains were a very popular social area from the turn of the century to
the 1950s, when a decline set in.  It was very popular for honeymoons, so
it's not surprising that the train was referred to as such.  

Wentworth Falls, Leura, Katoomba, Medlow Bath and Mt Victoria were all well
supplied with hotels and guest houses catering for overnight and weekly
stays.  Needless to say most people travelled there by train, as cars were
not so readily available.  Until straightened out from the 60s onward, the
Great Western Highway was very winding, and could be quite slow, nowhere to
pass slow vehicles and dangerous curves, particularly the right angle bends
both sides of the many bridges crossing the railway line.

David Bennetts
Canberra