"Mixed" services still running in Australia

Hi all

What mixed services are still running in Australia? By this I mean freight
trains with a passenger car attached that you can ride in for a fee.

cheers Peter

"peter berrett" <p.berrett@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message news:<409357f1$0$441$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au >...
> Hi all
>
> What mixed services are still running in Australia? By this I mean freight
> trains with a passenger car attached that you can ride in for a fee.
>
> cheers Peter

There are no mixed freight/passenger train services in the public
timetable on any Australian rail system. However, QR operate two mixed
train services that are NOT in the public timetable, and these
services are a challenge to ride.

One mixed connects with the "Inlander" train service that departs
Townsville each Wednesday afternoon, for Mt Isa. It runs from
Hughenden to Winton. Also, there is a mixed running from Rockhampton
to Yaraka, and the best chance one would have of riding that train, is
to travel from Brisbane to Blackall in Central Queensland, by
McCafferty's coach, and turn up at the railway station first thing in
the morning, on a Friday, and just ask if you can travel on the Yaraka
train. You MAY be allowed to do so, as there is a van with seating
for 14 passengers. But, QR have said that passengers are BANNED from
riding that train! Despite the travel ban, the train crew might permit
you to ride the train. If so, there is time to have a meal in the pub
in Yaraka, and then ride the mixed all the way to Emerald, on the main
line.

The Yarak mixed departs Blackall on a Friday morning, at about
10:00am, so you will need to leave Brisbane on a Wednesday, and stay
in Blackall overnight, just in case the mixed departs before the coach
is due into Blackall.

Good luck, and I hope that you CAN ride one of the above mentioned
trains.

John Coyle

shane.polle@austmg.com (Shane Polle) wrote in message news:<42387c27.0405011515.4391d1ec@ com>...
>> What mixed services are still running in Australia? By this I mean freight
>> trains with a passenger car attached that you can ride in for a fee.
>>
>> cheers Peter
>
> "free", I think it has been a very long time, if ever since a railway
> operator added a pax wagon on a mixed and then let you ride it for
> free.

Peter said "for a fee" not "for free".

John Dennis

> > Hi all
> >
> > What mixed services are still running in Australia? By this I mean freight
> > trains with a passenger car attached that you can ride in for a fee.
> >
> > cheers Peter
>
> There are no mixed freight/passenger train services in the public
> timetable on any Australian rail system. However, QR operate two mixed
> train services that are NOT in the public timetable, and these
> services are a challenge to ride.
>
> One mixed connects with the "Inlander" train service that departs
> Townsville each Wednesday afternoon, for Mt Isa. It runs from
> Hughenden to Winton. Also, there is a mixed running from Rockhampton
> to Yaraka, and the best chance one would have of riding that train, is
> to travel from Brisbane to Blackall in Central Queensland, by
> McCafferty's coach, and turn up at the railway station first thing in
> the morning, on a Friday, and just ask if you can travel on the Yaraka
> train. You MAY be allowed to do so, as there is a van with seating
> for 14 passengers. But, QR have said that passengers are BANNED from
> riding that train! Despite the travel ban, the train crew might permit
> you to ride the train. If so, there is time to have a meal in the pub
> in Yaraka, and then ride the mixed all the way to Emerald, on the main
> line.
>
> The Yarak mixed departs Blackall on a Friday morning, at about
> 10:00am, so you will need to leave Brisbane on a Wednesday, and stay
> in Blackall overnight, just in case the mixed departs before the coach
> is due into Blackall.
>
> Good luck, and I hope that you CAN ride one of the above mentioned
> trains.
>
> John Coyle

Mmm, drive/bus nearly 12hr from Brisbane and take a chance that the
crew "might" let you on board, don't think so. I phoned three stations
from Emerald west in hope that a station dude might let us on. But not
a chance. If I thourght John's suggestion was possible, I'd be out
there this Friday.

Shane
sspolle@hotkey.net.au

PS If anyone has managed to get on as John suggested, what ever you
do, don't post it. QR maybe watching.

shane.polle@austmg.com (Shane Polle) wrote in message news:<42387c27.0405020126.1d760c6f@ com>...
> > > Hi all
> > >
> > > What mixed services are still running in Australia? By this I mean freight
> > > trains with a passenger car attached that you can ride in for a fee.
> > >
> > > cheers Peter
> >
> > There are no mixed freight/passenger train services in the public
> > timetable on any Australian rail system. However, QR operate two mixed
> > train services that are NOT in the public timetable, and these
> > services are a challenge to ride.
> >
> > One mixed connects with the "Inlander" train service that departs
> > Townsville each Wednesday afternoon, for Mt Isa. It runs from
> > Hughenden to Winton. Also, there is a mixed running from Rockhampton
> > to Yaraka, and the best chance one would have of riding that train, is
> > to travel from Brisbane to Blackall in Central Queensland, by
> > McCafferty's coach, and turn up at the railway station first thing in
> > the morning, on a Friday, and just ask if you can travel on the Yaraka
> > train. You MAY be allowed to do so, as there is a van with seating
> > for 14 passengers. But, QR have said that passengers are BANNED from
> > riding that train! Despite the travel ban, the train crew might permit
> > you to ride the train. If so, there is time to have a meal in the pub
> > in Yaraka, and then ride the mixed all the way to Emerald, on the main
> > line.
> >
> > The Yarak mixed departs Blackall on a Friday morning, at about
> > 10:00am, so you will need to leave Brisbane on a Wednesday, and stay
> > in Blackall overnight, just in case the mixed departs before the coach
> > is due into Blackall.
> >
> > Good luck, and I hope that you CAN ride one of the above mentioned
> > trains.
> >
> > John Coyle
>
> Mmm, drive/bus nearly 12hr from Brisbane and take a chance that the
> crew "might" let you on board, don't think so. I phoned three stations
> from Emerald west in hope that a station dude might let us on. But not
> a chance. If I thourght John's suggestion was possible, I'd be out
> there this Friday.
>
> Shane
> sspolle@hotkey.net.au
>
> PS If anyone has managed to get on as John suggested, what ever you
> do, don't post it. QR maybe watching.

I said "might", and I meant it. One should be prepared to be told that
they can't travel to Yaraka, but if a person is already in a place on
the branch line, such as Blackall, and the TGV van is on the train, an
agreeable crew MAY allow a passenger to ride on the train. I agree
with you, in that IF anybody DOES get to ride the mixed to Yaraka,
they should NOT discuss it in public! However, if the date that the
trip took place is NOT revealed, I think that many rail fans would
have to talk about the "rare" rail trip! Even if it is months after
doing the run.

The "Westlander" no longer has freight cars attached, so it, and the
"Inlander" are no longer mixed trains! In fact, in the QR timetable,
those trains were NEVER described as mixed trains, despite the frieght
cars that were attached.

John Coyle

"Kerry" <Kerry_Whitfield@Capebyron.com> wrote in message news:<409ab7bc$1@dnews.tpgi.com.au>...
> >David Johnson <usenet@trainman.id.au> >
>
> > What would you call the Westlander then?
> >
>
> A passenger train with goods accommodation.

A passenger train. The westlander no longer runs with goods vans (QLX
vans) attached, it is purely a passenger train and has been for some
months now. I think the inlander is the same.

cheers,
Colin