Re: Sydney Interurban Trains

[matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au (Matthew Geier)]

In article <B451D280.727%joel@abilitycorp.com.au>,
Joel Cooper  <joel@abilitycorp.com.au> wrote:
>For the last 8 years I haven't been able to work this out.
>
>I was sitting down the down stairs compartment of a Central Coast Intercity
>train and couldn't work out what the metal plate was on the wall at the end
>of the compartment. It doesn't seem to have a purpose. I wonder if it used
>to be a sign of some sort. It's about the size of a vertical brick.

 Sounds like one of the {Non}Smoking signs back from the days when one car was a smoking car
on the Intercity trains.

 When a train was amalgamated, they would change the sign over from smoking to non smoking
and subject the non smokers who eventually boarded to a carrage that reeked of cigarette
smoke.

 One of the best things they ever did was ban smoking totally. Nothing was worse than having
to travel in a smoke ridden carrage. Changing a sign didnt magicly get the smoke out of the
seats or air-conditioning filters.