Railways and Tramways of Australia

27 May

Publicity photo of B18¼ Class locomotive no. 231 with the Sunshine Express. The forested background has been added to the scene. Photo: State Library of Queensland 22629.

Luxury in the sunshine

Queensland’s Sunshine Express made its first run on 27 May 1935.

At the time of its introduction, the Sunshine Express was one of the most luxurious trains in Australia. Its journey on the Sunshine Route from Brisbane to Cairns was a grand experience.

Carriages for the new train were designed and built at Ipswich Workshops in Brisbane. They had wooden bodies that were built on steel underframes. The train consisted of parlour car, three First Class sleeping cars, three Second Class sleeping cars, one First Class sitting car, one Second Class sitting car, dining car, luggage van and brake van.

The Sunshine Express carriages featured a varnished exterior and a polished interior. Natural Queensland timber was used for the internal panelling. Electric lighting and electric fans were included. All carriages were mounted on roller bearings to provide smooth running. The parlour car was provided for First Class passengers and featured swivelling leather chairs, wall adornments, wide windows, and an observation platform at the rear.

A trial trip of the Sunshine Express ran from Brisbane to Landsborough and return on 27 May 1935. On board were Members of Parliament, railway officials and business representatives. There was widespread praise for the new train. The first regular service for passengers departed from Brisbane on the evening of 28 May.

The Sunshine Express was introduced primarily as a tourist service but also carried local passengers. Six services each week operated between Brisbane and Townsville, with three continuing to Cairns. Services were reduced to four per week during the summer months when passenger numbers were lower, while additional services were added during peak times. During the Second World War services were curtailed but reintroduced six days each week in 1946.

The Sunshine Express brought luxury travel to Queensland’s Sunshine Route.

Bibliography

Armstrong, J & J Kerr, Sunshine route jubilee, Australian Railway Historical Society (Queensland Division), Brisbane, 1975.

Burke, D, Chasing the sunshine: the story of Queensland’s Sunshine Express, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, 2009.

‘New train for “Sunshine Route”: Brisbane–Cairns service’, The Courier-Mail, 24 May 1935, p 15.

‘New train’s first trip’, The Courier-Mail, 29 May 1935, p 12.

‘Sunshine Express: arrival in Cairns’, The Cairns Post, 31 May 1935, p 8.

‘Travel de luxe on the sunshine route: new train’s successful trial run’, Daily Standard, 24 May 1935, p 2.

Sunshine Express at St Lawrence, 1937. Photo: State Library of Queensland, 99184072946802061.