Re: nsw carriage codes

[Chris Brownbill <cbrnbill@enternet.com.au>]

David Bromage wrote:
> 
> Hennessy, Mason (masda@ozemail.com.au) wrote:
> : Re James Brook's posting - the "A" code did/does not refer only to sleeping
> : carriages  - it is a code for special carriages of other sorts also. Recall
> : the AB dining car for example.
> 
> : The M in the TAM etc sleeping car codes I think refers to Mann type berths?
> 
> Correct. The suffix N was given to roomettes (e.g. LAN), and L to
> longitudinal berths (e.g. MAL).
> 
> The prefix X was originally given to cars taking 600V DC head end power
> for the Cooma Mail and the short lived Kosciusko Express, e.g. XAM (TAM),
> XCM (MCE), XFS (FS) and XBS (BS). It was later reused for XPTs, hence two
> completely different types of sleeping car called XAM.
> 

Ah what a train the old Cooma Mail.  Given the almost total absence of
patronage, a trip in an XFS was akin to a trip in a sleeper because you could
have a compartment to yourself, and the nice toasty heating really worked well. 
Unfortunately you got turfed out at the terminus before sparrows and the
permafrost really woke you up quickly.