Trains

The report on Wot Went Wrong with the Eurostar reminds me of the railway journey I took with my ozzie sister in 1999.

For a treat, we booked first-class on the Tilt Train, a super high-speed stylish machine which does the east-coast run from Brisbane to Cairns. The train, especially the first-class carriage, was very plush and done out like an aeroplane - between the films there was a map display showing where we'd got to, though the picture from the cams mounted on the engine was more interesting.

Being February, it was quite warm. A couple of hours up the coast, the power suddenly went off. Everything died: engine, aircon, lights, door controls, the lot. A guard came through, forcing open the door into the carriage, and asked if someone would lend them a mobile phone because the radio was off too, and the driver needed to contact traffic control to stop the train behind us before there was a very nasty accident. Then the train staff went through with crowbars and opened the external doors so we could get some air.

Apparently this had happened several times before, and was caused by the train overheating. Nothing could be done except wait until it cooled and would start again. It was close to 40C, so cooling took a few hours. We shared any food and drink we could find, made fans out of magazines, and hoped the loos would be back in operation soon. The adventurous or desperate climbed down and investigated the spindly bushes.

At least we weren't in a tunnel.