Railways and Tramways of Australia

Fit for royalty

 

Commonwealth Railways Special Service Car of State SS44 entered service on 23 April 1920.

 

SS44 was one of the most opulent carriages to ever run on Australian railways; it would soon make its royal debut.

 

Built for the Commonwealth Railways at Port Augusta Workshops, SS44 had a length of 76 feet 7 inches (23.3 metres) and a width of 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 metres). It contained four two-berth compartments and two single-berth compartments. The single-berth compartments could be opened and converted to a sitting room or bedroom. A bathroom and kitchen were also included. The carriage also featured a saloon that could be used as a lounge or dining room, and an observation platform.

 

Materials of the best quality were used, including steel ceilings, ornate light fittings, and cathedral glass panels in the doors. Australian timbers were used throughout, and the dining area was decorated with elaborate wood carvings.

 

The first run of SS44 was a shakedown trip on 23 April 1920. But a more important passenger awaited. His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, was accommodated in the Special Service Car from Kalgoorlie to Port Augusta during July 1920. He travelled extensively in Australia to thank Australians for their role in the Great War (First World War).

 

SS44 was later renumbered Special Car no. 1 but was generally known as the ‘Prince of Wales Car’ after its first royal passenger. Another royal traveller in the carriage was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, in 1934. Various modifications were made over the years but it retained its grandeur. It was restored in 1988 to accommodate opera singer Dame Kiri Tekanawa for Opera in the Outback.

 

Today SS44 is in the care of Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions.

 

The Prince of Wales Car is a truly royal carriage.

 

Bibliography

‘A regal beauty reigns’, Railways of Australia Network, vol. 29, no. 4, October, November, December 1992, pp 12–16.

C Drymalik, Commonwealth, Australian National and South Australian Railways rollingstock volume 2: carriage information, 2021.

C Drymalik, ‘Commonwealth Railways Special Car No. 1’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 638, December 1990, pp 288–93.

‘Commonwealth Railways Special Car No. 1’, Chris’s Commonwealth Railways Information (ComRails),

     www.comrails.com/common/special_car_no1.html, accessed 20 April 2026.

KA Smith, ‘Nullarbor interlude: a recollection of Lord Louis Mountbatten’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 734, December 1998, pp 467–82.