Spirit of the West (train)

The Spirit of the West was a restaurant train operated by South Spur Rail Services out of Perth, Western Australia from 2002 until 2008.

History In 2001, the Midland Railway Company was formed by the South Spur Rail Services (SSRS), taking the name of the former Western Australian operator.Current details for ABN 49 098 960 591 Australian Business Register On 18 October 2002 it commenced operating under the Spirit of the West brand with two services; the City to Port Indulgence and The Avon Experience."Rail News" The Westland issue 215 December 2002 page 15

The City to Port Indulgence operated on Friday and Saturday evenings as a dinner service from East Perth via the Eastern Railway to Woodbridge before proceeding south via the Kwinana line to Canning Vale and then north over the Fremantle line to Leighton.New rail restaurant service launched Minister for Planning & Infrastructure 30 October 2002City to Port Indulgence Spirit of the West It ceased in 2005 after being vandalised on the Forrestfield to Cockburn section.

The Avon Experience operated as a Sunday lunch service from East Perth via the Eastern Railway to West Toodyay.The Avon Experience Spirit of the West

The service received two Gold Plate awards for Best Tourist Restaurant.Gold Plate Winners 2004 Catering Institute of Australia (WA)Gold Plate Winners 2007 Catering Institute of Australia (WA) It last ran on 31 May 2008."Transwa/regioal passenger services" The Westland issue 261 2008 page 16

Rolling stock The service commenced with SSRS' K205 hauling a power van and three restored carriages hired from Rail Heritage WA that had been restored for the Centenary of the Federation of Australia.Locomotive & Carriage History Spirit of the WestFederation Train Rail Heritage WA A further three carriages were acquired between 2003 and 2005.History Spirit of the West"ARG Cars sold" The Westland issue 233 June 2004 page 12 All carriages had been built for the Commonwealth Railways to operate on the Trans-Australian. The SSRS owned stock was painted in a maroon and cream livery, the hired Rail Heritage WA stock brown and cream. All were of and were stabled at the Midland Railway Workshops."Rail News" The Midland issue 214 November 2002 page 15

The consist of the train usually involved a combination of the following: NumberBuilderYear builtNotesImageK205 English Electric, Rocklea 1966 South Spur Rail Services locomotive, ex Westrail HRGA96L| Niedrsachsische Waggonfabrik, West Germany 1952 Power van purchased from Rail Heritage WA mid-2002HGRA96 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information BRBF1 Clyde Engineering, Sydney 1915 Sleeping carriage named the Federation Carriage, donated by Australian National to Rail Heritage WA in 1995 and restoredABP1 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information 26AF Port Augusta Works 1917 Timber lounge car named the Heritage Carriage, built on the frame of flat wagon RA668, donated by Australian National to Rail Heritage WA in 1995 and restoredAF26 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information D20 A Pengelly & Co, Adelaide 1918 Dining carriage named the Colonial Carriage, donated by Australian National to Rail Heritage WA in 1995 and restoredD20 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information DD136F Commonwealth Engineering, Sydney 1963 ex the MurrayLander kitchen/dining car named the Regency CarriageDD136 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information AFB137V Commonwealth Engineering, Sydney 1963 ex Australian Railroad Group, named the Imperial Carriage, used for cocktail and corporate functionsAFB137 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information EI84 Wegmann & Co. Kessel, Germany 1952 Observation car ex Australian Railroad Group, named the Regal CarriageARF84 Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information

Due to the occasional motive power shortage, the Spirit of the West was sometimes hauled by another locomotive. Such rare workings included Pacific National's Kewdale Freight Terminal shunter 8112, Specialised Container Transport's Forrestfield shunter H5, and other locomotives from the South Spur Rail fleet: D48, D49, K206, K210, KA212."News from Around the State" The Westland issue 234 July 2004 page 9 D48 was painted similarly to K205.

References

External links Spirit of the West website