Silver City Comet
Encyclopedia
The Silver City Comet was a train service that operated from 1937 to 1989 and ran between Broken Hill
and Parkes
in rural New South Wales
and with special services to Sydney. It was to be the first ever airconditioned-train service in Australia
and all sets were based in Parkes during their lifetime. In the 1940s the train provided regular services to Canberra
and Newcastle
during coal shortages.
rail in 1919 and eventually connected to Sydney via the Broken Hill line in 1927.
In 1937, New South Wales Government Railways
commissioned the Silver City Comet to be built by Ritchie Bros. at Auburn
. The train was originally powered by two eight cylinder diesel engines built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast, and electricity was supplied by two National diesel generator sets. The original engines were later replaced with General Motors Series 110 two stroke diesels, in a similar configuration.
The Silver City Comet had provided 52 years of service from 1937 to 1989. The NSW State Liberal
Government had commissioned a report into the State Rail Authority with US consultants Booz Allan and Hamilton. The report had recommended that several regional services be axed (Including the Silver City Comet and Canberra XPT), with job losses up to 8,000 and the closure of 94 regional stations. The report also recommended that all country services to be scrapped but the government had found that doing so would be politically unfeasible. The last service was conducted in November 1989 and was replaced by the State Rail Authority's Road coach.
In 1994, the state Labor Party
promised that if elected they would reintroduce the service to Broken Hill by the end of 1995.
However, when they tried to do this they found the withdrawn sets in a state of disarray and the only available rolling stock were old and had a remaining life of four years. Labor had pledged to the people of Broken Hill that they would one day return the service.
The service to Broken Hill was resumed in March 1996 using three locomotive-hauled RUB set carriages, providing a once-weekly service. This service ended on April 12, 2000 with the retirement of the carriages used, and resumption of the service awaiting the delivery of additional rolling stock to CountryLink. On June 25, 2002 the service was reintroduced using a CountryLink Xplorer
. However, the service that runs between Sydney's Central Station and Broken Hill was not given the name of Silver City Comet. The move was welcomed by Broken Hill residents.
in Thirlmere
, another at Dorrigo Rail Transport Museum
in Dorrigo
and one preserved in Broken Hill's Sulphide Street.
Broken Hill, New South Wales
-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
and Parkes
Parkes, New South Wales
- Transport :Parkes has a local bus service provided by Western Road Liners, which acquired Harris Bus Lines in March 2006. The Indian Pacific also stops twice a week, as well as the Broken Hill Outback Xplorer service, run by CountryLink, which heads to Broken Hill on Mondays and Sydney on...
in rural New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and with special services to Sydney. It was to be the first ever airconditioned-train service in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and all sets were based in Parkes during their lifetime. In the 1940s the train provided regular services to Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
during coal shortages.
History of service
Broken Hill had two tramways which were established by the early 1900s. One was closed in 1926 due to loss of profit while the other was converted to standard gaugeStandard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
rail in 1919 and eventually connected to Sydney via the Broken Hill line in 1927.
In 1937, New South Wales Government Railways
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
commissioned the Silver City Comet to be built by Ritchie Bros. at Auburn
Auburn, New South Wales
Auburn is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Auburn is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Auburn Council.-History:...
. The train was originally powered by two eight cylinder diesel engines built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast, and electricity was supplied by two National diesel generator sets. The original engines were later replaced with General Motors Series 110 two stroke diesels, in a similar configuration.
The Silver City Comet had provided 52 years of service from 1937 to 1989. The NSW State Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
Government had commissioned a report into the State Rail Authority with US consultants Booz Allan and Hamilton. The report had recommended that several regional services be axed (Including the Silver City Comet and Canberra XPT), with job losses up to 8,000 and the closure of 94 regional stations. The report also recommended that all country services to be scrapped but the government had found that doing so would be politically unfeasible. The last service was conducted in November 1989 and was replaced by the State Rail Authority's Road coach.
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
promised that if elected they would reintroduce the service to Broken Hill by the end of 1995.
The service to Broken Hill was resumed in March 1996 using three locomotive-hauled RUB set carriages, providing a once-weekly service. This service ended on April 12, 2000 with the retirement of the carriages used, and resumption of the service awaiting the delivery of additional rolling stock to CountryLink. On June 25, 2002 the service was reintroduced using a CountryLink Xplorer
CountryLink Xplorer
The Xplorer is a Diesel Multiple Unit train used on country passenger rail services in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of two types of passenger rollingstock used by CountryLink, the government owned operator of country trains . The Xplorer trains entered service in 1993, and are externally...
. However, the service that runs between Sydney's Central Station and Broken Hill was not given the name of Silver City Comet. The move was welcomed by Broken Hill residents.
Preservation
Today, a few Silver City Comet sets have been preserved. Such examples are at the New South Wales Rail Transport MuseumNew South Wales Rail Transport Museum
The New South Wales Rail Transport Museum located in Thirlmere, New South Wales south-west of Sydney, is a museum dedicated to displaying former locomotives, carriages and goods wagons from the New South Wales Government Railways as well as private operations in NSW. The collection features steam,...
in Thirlmere
Thirlmere, New South Wales
Thirlmere is a small semi-rural town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire. Popularly known for its railway origins, the town is located 89 km south west of Sydney , one third of the distance from Sydney to Canberra...
, another at Dorrigo Rail Transport Museum
Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum
The Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum in Dorrigo, New South Wales, Australia is a large, privately owned collection of preserved railway vehicles and equipment from the railways of New South Wales, covering both Government and private railways...
in Dorrigo
Dorrigo, New South Wales
Dorrigo is a small town located on the Waterfall Way in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 580 kilometres north of the state capital, Sydney via the Pacific Highway, and 60 kilometres from the coastal city of Coffs Harbour. The town is situated on the Dorrigo Plateau near the...
and one preserved in Broken Hill's Sulphide Street.