CBR-BNE-CBR

[Todd M]

Got back yesterday from a lovely holiday up in Brisbane, and I really did not want to come back to work and the freezing cold air that Canberra seems to produce. So here it is, with photos and all.

 

Date: 12/07/2006

 

Flight No: DJ557

 

Reg: VH-VBY

 

Type: 737-7FE

 

Name: 'Virgin'ia Blue'

 

Seat: 9F

 

Seq. Number: 1

 

STD: 6:25

 

STA: 8.00

 

Gate: 6

 

Dep Rwy: 35

 

Arr Rwy: 19

 

Checked in about 10am the day before, scoring a close seat and avoiding the line at check in. Walked straight to the Bag Drop Counter, dropped off what I needed to check in while the other people looked glaringly at me as they were not forward enough to use self service or web check. While waiting to board they had the hanger doors open over at the RAAF base side, which looked fantastic just a wall of light in the darkness. Boarding was the same as always, pretty efficient and there were very few delays caused by late passengers. We left via runway 35, not on the new extension though, but left in where the runway used to end (It is back open, it was closed during construction between taxiways M&N.Onboard was little turbulence, with a beautiful sunrise coming up on my side of the aircraft. I remember doing a similar time flight back in 2000 with Ansett on a Kendell CRj-200 with the same beautiful view. Cheese and Biscuits with a hot Choccie was on the menu, so I enjoyed that while watching the sunrise. Flight crew were older than the normal Virgin crew you get, one would have at least been about 48/49 and had her for there and back.she was very very professional, not as laid back as the other crew aswell. I preferred the younguns, they were friendly but laid back and well... hot! Landing we came in over with the Gold Coast to my side, which was fun to have a look at the mass amount of Highrises glinting in the morning sun, and then out over the ocean with a left turn onto runway 19 and a very smooth touchdown. Best thing was I got off at the same gate I got off in 2000, kinda like a flashback. Just with a bigger aircraft.

 

 

Wing View

 

 

Took this the day I left, But it is the plane I got, Just in a different Location.

 

Date: 18/07/2006

 

Flight No: DJ558

 

Reg: VH-VBD

 

Type: 737-8Q8

 

Name: 'Sassy Sydney'

 

Seat: 22A

 

Seq. Number: 51

 

STD: 8:15

 

STA: 10:05

 

ATA: 09:55

 

Gate: 44

 

Dep Rwy: 19

 

Arr Rwy: 17

 

I checked in Via the self service Check in, and was once again one of the only people using the service and the Bag drop counter. Flight was abit late to board but we left virtually ontime. Was a beautiful morning for flying, nice and sunny with not as many clouds as there were on approach to Canberra. Not much to say, I had a choccie bar and coke during the flight, and unfortunently they had a problem with the inflight entertainment systems and it could not be turned on for us to listen too which was a shame. Not much to say, apart from there was quite abit of turbulence over Lake George which made the flight quite fun, and also one turn really made you have a weird feeling in your body, kinda the feeling where you whole guts are being moved up and they are going to come out. Weird but fun.

 

 

Another Wing View.

 

Am home now, and not enjoying it. Am looking at going up there for a few months and get a transfer through Coles to do so. Also, the Below is for the train fan's, if any on the board.

 

Train: Electric Tilt Train (EDI/Walkers and Hitachi)

 

Operator: Queensland Rail

 

Service: QTT501

 

Train Consist #: 5301/6301/8301/8302/6302/5302

 

Tran Consist: MC-T-M-M-T-MC

 

Train Name: City Of Maryborough

 

Dept. Point: Roma Street Station

 

Arr. Point: Cooroy

 

Dep Time: 11.00

 

Arr Time: 12.57

 

Seat: 43

 

Car: D

 

Class: Economy

 

Max Speed Reached: 100km/h

 

This was my second trip on the QR Tilt Train, but the first after the train has come back from getting refurbished. They have done a good job, replacing the older CRT mainscreen TV's with brand new LCD TV's. They have put new fabric on the seats, a nice dark blue and black fabric which gives an nice cool and calm image, and dark blue curtains. The Carpet is new, but is a lighter colour to break up the darker feel of the Train. Along with the interior, the exterior brought on a new colour scheme, much like its Diesel Tilt Train cousins which suits the train very well. The trip was good, but the train itself is limited to 100km/h at them moment due to speed restrictions inplace after a derailment near Bundaberg. Sop this means that the CityTrain services running to Cooroy and Nambour run at faster speeds than the current Tilt Train. At the beginning they show you a video on the safety of the Tilt Train and what to do in an Emergency. Much like the Airlines. Unfortunently, I coould not get my In Seat Audio entertainment to work. Only one channel which would have been ABC radio or something like that, so I got out the trusty iPod and listened to that for the remainder of the journey. QR offer a trolley service on the Tilt Trains, offering a range of pre prepared food fore purchase. They do not offer hot meals like pies and such from the trolley, but have a seperate Galley where that is avaliable. I got a Milk and a cheese and Biscuits for mine, which were ten times better than the Air Fare ones found on Virgin Blue. The Brisbane to Cooroy run is short, but it gives you a good feel of the train itself. And it is inside the Translink zonal network with a Interurban train following behind it so you can get back to Brisbane quickly. I give the train 10/10 for anything we have here in Australia, you cannot get better than the Tilt Train when travelling in Australia.

 

 

Tilt at Roma Street.

 

 

Seating

 

 

Tilt Train Logo

 

As stated the return Journey is easily made by the Interurban following behind which terminates at Cooroy and travels back to Brisbane at about 13:30. This is Normally an ICE (Intercity Express) unit, or an ICE/EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) Hybrid. The ICE was actually the predecessor of the Tilt Train, it was introduced to do the Brisbane to Rockhampton route back in the 80's as a service called Spirit Of Capricorn. Now it runs the Nambour, Gympie North and Cooroy services for CityTrain. The EMU and ICE are more or less the same in technical terms, and looks. The ICE just has 2+1 seating, Reading Lights, Toilets, Galley (Disused, was in there for now defunct Spirit Of Capricorn service), and luggage racks. The EMU has commuter seating, open plan 2+2 arrangement with no extras like toilets.

 

 

ICE at Cooroy

 

 

ICE Interior

 

Hope y'all enjoyed it.

 

Todd M.

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Also, the Below is for the train fan's, if any on the board.

Steam trains are better :)

 

Thanks for the trip report Todd

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

:lol: Great report Todd. For once I dident fall asleep reading a trip report 8) P.S I still owe you a beer and you still owe me Claire :P

Oi Robbo, you are taken mate, so no Claire! heh heh :lol:

 

Todd, great trip report, I like the way and sequence of pics. Well done mate. I always enjoy these.