I arrived in Dirranbandi around 1991 around 10am and I had some time there, the newsagent didn’t have any newspapers because they handn’t got them off the train yet. When I bought a burger, they apologised there was no lettuce bacause they haven’t got it off the train yet. I was amazed because in Victoria everything went by road. It was an eye opener.
My wife and I did this journey in 1962, arriving at Dirranbandi at noon on Anzac Day of that year. The Dirranbandi Mail train was hauled by a steam engine...the whole experience was absolutely awesome...best rail journey of my life.
These trains need to be brought back !! They were so vital to regional communities and still could be and would be to this day and way more reliable and efficient then slow and late trucks
As a young lad I used to watch this train roll past my house in Warwick religiously. I recall playing cricket in the back yard while the passengers in the last two cars would wave and cheer as they rolled by :D
Ah, memories of early 60s. my brother and I, 11 or 12 yrs old, going from Brisbane to Dirrin, on the Mail, to Grandparents on "Bonnie Doon" for school holidays. Still my fondest memories as a child.
As a Qld Rail Employee, my Dad's job was to deliver the mail on this run - from Toowoomba to Dirran bandi in the 60's. Thank you for the trip down memory lane!
Thanks for this great video, it stirred the old memories, nostalgic indeed. Country looks so dry out there. But they were the good old days of travelling on trains esp the mixed goods in Qld, ambling along at most tines at a leisurely pace, not in a rush like today where it is no longer enjoyable, with no fresh air blowing tbrough the windows. There was much shunting, and decoupling, stopping and starting, then there were the drivers and passengers tea and meal breaks at old era refreshments rooms where they made the best cup of old fadhioned tea from a large earn with real tea leaves and china cups. Remember it just like yesterday, and the leather seats and pull down arm rests, beautiful old black and white photos on the walls above the seats of differents scenes in Australia and the toilets that flushed directly onto the tracks with the infamous almost unusable waxed toilet paper, the frosted glass water bottles and glasses, the old metal fans whirring overhead in first class carriages, the beautiful pull down wash basins and the unforgettable smell of Qld Rail soap and the blue and white hand towels. it was always such an adventure. I truly miss it. The constant old clicketty clack of the railway lines unlike the almost silent rails of today. The clanking and creaking of the wooden carriages and coupling, the bleating and smell from the passing cows and sheep cattle trains and the gushing of steam and the hum of the diesel engine, not forgetting the inumerable sudden jolts!! And then tthere was the silence of the bush as we waited for another onccomig train or when tthe engine broke down. Such simple pleasures. No one was in a rush. A different era based on a different value system that catered for tbe people as people, not declared as customers to our face as of today where we are treated as a commodity, no longer called passengers! I shall play this many times with much pleasure.
Thanks for sharing these, I have fond memories of a busmans holiday to QR back in 1993 and rode the Dirranbandi Mail and all the Lander Trains making my way to Cairns to ride the forysth train. Sadly the video I did was lost in a fire 7 years later. Cheers
33:20 Good old Warwick, welcome to Queensland's Goulburn. All that fuel traffic that once accumulated at Warwick from Stanthorpe and the like would be still viable if the Maryvale and Aratula lines joined at Cunningham's gap bypassing Toowoomba. Bad for Toowoomba, probably but it makes sense taking into consideration that Stanthorpe once had oil terminals for Caltex, Shell, Mobil and Golden Fleece. Back in January 1990 there were rail oil tank wagons everywhere at Winstanes near Kingsford Smith Drive. Vale Dirranbandi Mixed August 1994.
I rode the Dirranbandi Mail in 1990 - one of the world's great railway journeys in period wagons. 413 km branch line from Warwick, all up 668 km ride from Brisbane. Patronage light but good load of freight. Return journey was slow due to fires. I asked the guard how long it would take. He spoke as slowly as the train. Dirranbandi was already a virtual ghost town at the time. Most of the shops closed. The line was approved for extension another 80 odd kilometres to Boomie but never happened. Sad loss this marvel has gone.
The Dirranbandi mixed lives on in my memory, as one of the most enjoyable trips I have had in an old sleeping car. I had the cabin to myself, indeed, there were only two passengers in the sleeper. . . . a relaxed 'fun' trip and amazing to have still existed, at the time.
Last Train To Dirranbandi ran in 1993 about 27 years ago! Would have been a fantastic trip to go on sadly no longer possible like a lot of lines in Queensland such as the Hughenden-Winton Railway The Line to Yaraka near Blackall And The Aramac-Barcaldine Tramway! This is real Queensland Outback Cattle Country for sure! Got the DVD "Diesels in Queensland" but I don't think the Dirranbandi Mail Train features!😀🤠🚇🚃🚃🚃🚃🛤️✉️📨📦📮🏜️🐂🐑🐴🐎🇦🇺
Thanks for letting me go on a journey I can never do in reality. I have been to Dirranbandi by ARHS steam train in about 1971 but can hardly remember any of that trip except that the power failed at Dirranbandi just after we got there. Candlelight dinner with a bunch of blokes that didn't know what deodorant was, fab!
Rumour was that when QR wanted to end the passenger part, they accidentally shunted the train too hard at Toowoomba and damaged the passenger rolling stock so badly it couldn't be used.
This did happen. Accident or intended. I was booked on it the following week and had to make do with an old guard’s van. These were themselves withdrawn not long after.
They burnt nearly all the Sunshine coaches and vans around 1995 I think at Kabra station siding on the Central West line west of Rocky. Damn shame they were beautiful steel framed red coaches.
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I arrived in Dirranbandi around 1991 around 10am and I had some time there, the newsagent didn’t have any newspapers because they handn’t got them off the train yet. When I bought a burger, they apologised there was no lettuce bacause they haven’t got it off the train yet.
I was amazed because in Victoria everything went by road. It was an eye opener.
Sadly it too now goes by road!
My wife and I did this journey in 1962, arriving at Dirranbandi at noon on Anzac Day of that year. The Dirranbandi Mail train was hauled by a steam engine...the whole experience was absolutely awesome...best rail journey of my life.
Great Stuff Andrew! Love the Old Blue Locomotive Livery Of The Queenland Railways!😀🚇🛤️🐂🍍
These trains need to be brought back !! They were so vital to regional communities and still could be and would be to this day and way more reliable and efficient then slow and late trucks
Noone is going to be travelling in non-airconditioned, extremely slow mixed trains at 50 km/h on a regular basis.
QLD rail is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love QLD rail for some reason.
Nice video Andrew love those old clips I enjoyed it very much t y Cheers 👍👍🚂🚂 🦘🦘🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
As a young lad I used to watch this train roll past my house in Warwick religiously. I recall playing cricket in the back yard while the passengers in the last two cars would wave and cheer as they rolled by :D
Ah, memories of early 60s. my brother and I, 11 or 12 yrs old, going from Brisbane to Dirrin, on the Mail, to Grandparents on "Bonnie Doon" for school holidays. Still my fondest memories as a child.
Outstanding camera work, Andrew bringing a bygone era back
As a Qld Rail Employee, my Dad's job was to deliver the mail on this run - from Toowoomba to Dirran bandi in the 60's. Thank you for the trip down memory lane!
you welcome,
Looks like it would of been an awesome trip 👍
Thanks for this great video, it stirred the old memories, nostalgic indeed. Country looks so dry out there. But they were the good old days of travelling on trains esp the mixed goods in Qld, ambling along at most tines at a leisurely pace, not in a rush like today where it is no longer enjoyable, with no fresh air blowing tbrough the windows. There was much shunting, and decoupling, stopping and starting, then there were the drivers and passengers tea and meal breaks at old era refreshments rooms where they made the best cup of old fadhioned tea from a large earn with real tea leaves and china cups. Remember it just like yesterday, and the leather seats and pull down arm rests, beautiful old black and white photos on the walls above the seats of differents scenes in Australia and the toilets that flushed directly onto the tracks with the infamous almost unusable waxed toilet paper, the frosted glass water bottles and glasses, the old metal fans whirring overhead in first class carriages, the beautiful pull down wash basins and the unforgettable smell of Qld Rail soap and the blue and white hand towels. it was always such an adventure. I truly miss it. The constant old clicketty clack of the railway lines unlike the almost silent rails of today. The clanking and creaking of the wooden carriages and coupling, the bleating and smell from the passing cows and sheep cattle trains and the gushing of steam and the hum of the diesel engine, not forgetting the inumerable sudden jolts!! And then tthere was the silence of the bush as we waited for another onccomig train or when tthe engine broke down. Such simple pleasures. No one was in a rush. A different era based on a different value system that catered for tbe people as people, not declared as customers to our face as of today where we are treated as a commodity, no longer called passengers! I shall play this many times with much pleasure.
That's For Sure!☺️🚇🚃🚃🚃🚃🛤️✉️📦🐂
@@judithschneider7000 Well said Judith the Wonderful old days of the Queensland Railways on the Dirrenbandi Mail Train Wonderful!🤗🚇🚃🚃🚃🚃✉️📦📮🐂🐑🇦🇺
Thanks for this mate. I started school in Dirran. My old man was the Station Master. Great vid!
Thanks for sharing these, I have fond memories of a busmans holiday to QR back in 1993 and rode the Dirranbandi Mail and all the Lander Trains making my way to Cairns to ride the forysth train. Sadly the video I did was lost in a fire 7 years later. Cheers
Sucks to lose your video.
33:20 Good old Warwick, welcome to Queensland's Goulburn. All that fuel traffic that once accumulated at Warwick from Stanthorpe and the like would be still viable if the Maryvale and Aratula lines joined at Cunningham's gap bypassing Toowoomba. Bad for Toowoomba, probably but it makes sense taking into consideration that Stanthorpe once had oil terminals for Caltex, Shell, Mobil and Golden Fleece. Back in January 1990 there were rail oil tank wagons everywhere at Winstanes near Kingsford Smith Drive. Vale Dirranbandi Mixed August 1994.
Railways are good at abandoning their way to profitability!
I rode the Dirranbandi Mail in 1990 - one of the world's great railway journeys in period wagons. 413 km branch line from Warwick, all up 668 km ride from Brisbane. Patronage light but good load of freight. Return journey was slow due to fires. I asked the guard how long it would take. He spoke as slowly as the train. Dirranbandi was already a virtual ghost town at the time. Most of the shops closed. The line was approved for extension another 80 odd kilometres to Boomie but never happened. Sad loss this marvel has gone.
I Work For Australia Post so have a Double Interest in Mail Trains as a Railfan as well!😃🚇🚃🚃🚃🚃🛤️✉️📦📮🇦🇺
The Dirranbandi mixed lives on in my memory, as one of the most enjoyable trips I have had in an old sleeping car. I had the cabin to myself, indeed, there were only two passengers in the sleeper. . . . a relaxed 'fun' trip and amazing to have still existed, at the time.
I rember how cold it was
I never thought Queensland could be so cold!
Stanthorpe and Warwick can be really cold also, I know because I have travelled with the ARHS on a weekend trip to Wallangarra back in the 1970s.🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃
Had some great rail trips over the years, this was well up with the best!
It certainly was. Shame its gone.
"I Am The Dandy From Dirranbandi"!😉🤠🎙️🎸🎼🎼🎼🎼🎵🎶🎶🎶🐴🐎🐂🇦🇺
Last Train To Dirranbandi ran in 1993 about 27 years ago! Would have been a fantastic trip to go on sadly no longer possible like a lot of lines in Queensland such as the Hughenden-Winton Railway The Line to Yaraka near Blackall And The Aramac-Barcaldine Tramway! This is real Queensland Outback Cattle Country for sure! Got the DVD "Diesels in Queensland" but I don't think the Dirranbandi Mail Train features!😀🤠🚇🚃🚃🚃🚃🛤️✉️📨📦📮🏜️🐂🐑🐴🐎🇦🇺
Iron rations come in handy on the way to Dirranbandi! ..... I have been there in JCS 1007 sleeper car back around 1990 .. great video thanks
Thanks for letting me go on a journey I can never do in reality. I have been to Dirranbandi by ARHS steam train in about 1971 but can hardly remember any of that trip except that the power failed at Dirranbandi just after we got there. Candlelight dinner with a bunch of blokes that didn't know what deodorant was, fab!
No deodorant sounds just like a railfan trip!
excellent video
Dirranbandi gets a mention in the Stan Coster Song Cunnumulla Fella!😀🤠🎙️🎸🎼🎼🎵🎶🐴🐎🐂🚇🚃🚃🚃🚃🛤️
Rumour was that when QR wanted to end the passenger part, they accidentally shunted the train too hard at Toowoomba and damaged the passenger rolling stock so badly it couldn't be used.
Wouldn't surprise me!
This did happen. Accident or intended. I was booked on it the following week and had to make do with an old guard’s van. These were themselves withdrawn not long after.
They burnt nearly all the Sunshine coaches and vans around 1995 I think at Kabra station siding on the Central West line west of Rocky. Damn shame they were beautiful steel framed red coaches.