Re: THE GHAN

[telljb@OZozemail.com.au (< Tell >)]

"Ron BEST" <ronbest@bigpond.com> wrote:
> 
> This would be about the time the following (possibly apocryphal)
> conversation took place on the "Ghan":
> 
> Lady passenger to conductor: "When will we arrive at Alice Springs?"
> Conductor: "In a while, madam, in a while. Why do you ask?"
> Lady: "Well, you see, I'm expecting a baby very soon."
> Conductor:"Madam, you shouldn't have got on the train in that condition."
> Lady: "Sir, when I got on this train, I wasn't in this condition!"
 

Arrrrrg, that's an oldie Ron.  The Beeb used that old
gag in their Great Railway Journeys of the World.

Incidentally, one very old and dear friend of mine who
began his life long driving career on the Commonwealth
Railways when he started as a Fireman on the NM 4-8-0
class before World War 2, was very upset when the media
began too notice the old Ghan in the final 12 months
with all sorts of stories about how long it could take
to reach Alice Springs and other "horror" stories which
were mostly fiction but portrayed as fact.

He used to retaliated by saying, they like other
Enginemen on the State Government systems, took their
job very seriously and followed the working timetable
and rule book without question.

Big difference for them, they arguably worked one of
the most difficult lines in Australia.  Blistering hot
conditions in summer and below freezing night time
working in winter, they worked loco's with doubtful
water quality on very indifferent track.  When nature
opened up the heavens, there was nothing they could do.

Apart from the fatal Copley smash during WW2, the
Commonwealth Railways never caused the death or serious
injury of a fare paying passenger, he always reminded
us about that, and remembers pitching in with the rest
of the crew to make things as comfortable as possible
for the passengers during flooding and derailments.

----Terry Burton
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