Re: Reopening NSW branch lines

["M.B. and C.M.McDonald" <michael.and.colleen.mcdonald@xtra.co.nz>]

Barry Campbell wrote in message <36FF1C28.70F42553@qimr.edu.au>...
>M.B. and C.M.McDonald wrote:
>
>> >Barry Campbell wrote
>> >Townsville - Mt Isa doesn't require a change of trains. If you wanted to
>> >go from Brisbane you'd use McCaffertys.
>> >
>
>> Rail's much more comfortable!  But .. it doesn't run every day.
>> When I did some touring of QR a year ago (almost exactly!), the contrast
>> couldn't have been much greater :-
>
><snip>
>
>Rail may give you a bit more leg room but I can't agree that it's much
>more comfortable. In any case if you want to go from Bris to Mt Isa, I
>can't believe that days sitting up on a train would be better than a
>much shorter trip on a bus. Of course you could get a sleeper, but then
>you might as well fly.
>
>Barry Campbell

I travelled by rail, not because I wanted to go to Mt Isa, but because I
wanted a rail journey!  ie the journey was more important than the
destination.  There was a big difference between the Sunlander (full) and
the Inlander (nearly empty).  Because of the lack of passengers, the
Inlander was much more comfortable - had a 3-berth sleeping compartment to
myself, and also on the Westlander and Spirit of the Outback,  (couldn't get
one on the Sunlander).  I could have stayed on the train for days.

If the destination had been important, and time was important I might have
flown - flew back because time was important.

My biggest grudge with buses is that every two hours or so you are
encouraged to get off and patronise a road-house, sometimes compuslorily.
Much worse than the now historic refreshment stops on the North Island Main
Trunk in NZ - had ample experience of those in 1966 when I must have spent
at least 20 nights on the train between Auckland and Wellington, travelling
2nd class.  The body would rebel at that sort of treatment nowadays!

Michael