Re: 37 Car Ghan to leave Adelaide, November 16.

[CL Burton <"clburton@camtech.com.au"@camtech.net.au>]

< Tell > wrote:
> 
> arthur marsh <marsh@ties.itu.int> wrote:
> >
> >That would be a bit longer than the 665 metre long Indian Pacific that I
> >travelled in just after the October 1996 long weekend from Sydney to
> >Adelaide. What is the record length for an Australian passenger train
> >(excluding mixed trains)?
> 
> The longest pass trains in Australia were run by the
> CR/ANR/AN, no surprise there.
> Double consists were inevitable after derailments or
> floods etc.  Regular trains like the early standard
> gauge Ghan's into Alice Springs were very long.
> 
> Some examples noted and photographed;
> 
> 23/1/81
> CL9 & GM18 The Ghan
> 16 pass cars, 1 luggage van, 1 HRD brake van, 1 power
> van, 1 pay car, 21 motorail flats.  41 plus loco's.
> 
> 24/4/81
> CL7 The Ghan
> 16 pass cars, 2 luggage vans, 1 power van, 17 motorail
> flats.  36 plus loco.
> 
> After the 1984 Marla floods, the only time that the
> Tarcoola to Alice Springs line has been flood bound.
> << The "all weather" Stuart Highway has been knocked
> out a few times. >>
> 25/1/84
> CL8 & GM38 The Ghan and Alice combined.
> 33 pass cars, 27 motorail flats, 1 van.
> AN described this as the longest passenger train ever
> run in Australia.
> At 61 vehicles plus a good o'l CL and GM, it was the
> longest pass train I have ever seen, 1.3 Kms long.
> Tonnage unknown.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> ----Terry Burton

If you look on page 44 of the ARHS(SA) publication "600", you will see a
photo of "No. 604(Steam SAR Pacific)hauls what is believed to be
Australia's longest passenger train- 43 carriages returning from
Victoria on 7th March,1954, after the Royal Tour". This was 43 carriages
not carriages and flatcars! 
IP and Ghan eat your hearts out.
-----Bill Burton