I lived in Lismore from 1951 to 1966 and then from 1980 to 1987.
In the sixties we used the Lismore - Byron service as a convenient access to the then quiet beach town. No millionaires' mansions at Wategos Beach, just a great place to go to. We would travel north on what was generally called Second Division of the Brisbane Express (Officially just called the Brisbane Express) which was made up of cars off the through train detached at Casino. I don't think that a sleeper was included in the branchline train. Return was via a local train (end platform cars) that met the 1st Division of the Express (ie the Brisbane LImited) at Casino.
Travel to the south was improved when air conditioned cars were put on the Limited but the Express remained un airconditioned for years later.
In about 1966, tests were carried out with a 620 class railcar set towing an ETP brakevan. This led to the construction of 2 car diesel set 638/738 which was specially fitted with a higher powered Cummins engine rather than the Detroit 6-110 engines fitted to cars 628 to 637 to provide extra power over steep sections such as the Burringbar Range. It ran from South Grafton (now Grafton City) and served all stations from Grafton to Casino. THis allowed the Brisbane Express to be accelerated over that section. It is interesting to note that between Grafton City and Casino today there a precisely zero stations, attended or otherwise.
My children used the Motorail/ North Coast Express (?) occasionally to Byron Bay in the 1980s and we travelled south on the Motorail when one of us had to travel alone. The difference between driving in the 1960s compared to the 1980s was quite marked and it made family travel much more comfortable. We also used Kirklands bus service which was no less comfortable that sitting up in an unrefurbished economy carriage. Business travellers had long deserted the train as the air service from Casino was much more efficient.
By the time we left Lismore the Motorail was like most of the New South Wales system - largely used by concession card holders. Airline deregulation and the development of the Gold Coast Airport and the amusingly named Ballina Byron Airport have since made the train even more pointless. A quick check of fares indicates that Jetstar quoted prices of between $56 and $167 and NSW Trainlink managed a flat rste of $59.35. There is no contest.
Vale the Brisbane Limited, Brisbane Express, Gold Coast/ Pacific Coast Motorail. They served their purpose in their day but times have changed.
(Sorry for raving on)
No raving on it that post Barry, when I go back to the 90's and before that, the GCMR was mosly full in both sleepers and sitting cars, the later cars had many young people get on at Casino, Lismore and Bangalow along with their surfboards for a day at the beach at Byron Bay, they had to have return tickets for the trips and if unbooked passengers got on with a late station ticket sales, the young ones had to stand, for most of them they had no car, and the buses were up the spout.
I never saw the car carriers not full, mostly there were two at the front, and the cars had to be washed on arrival especially to get oil from the diesels off the paint, if left on too long the oils could bit into the paint and bubble it, a costly exercise for the railways to fix. I used to have a HR Holden and parked it at Delec for two nights as went to Goulburn, Booked off and returned the next night, when getting to the car I noticed a lot of oil spots on the top, bonnet and boot, all small blobs, I got home and gave the car a good wash with hot water and then polished all bar one side of the roof, too tired to finish off, next day the roof where I had not polished was covered in bubbles of the paint. I reported it to the DLE at Delec who brushed it aside as there was no cover as its a park at own risk. Others I know had similar problems with the cars, so if that happened on the MR trains would have been huge payouts and/or repaints.
In the winter months the majority of cars were from Victoria where they put their cars on the SA, had them transferred to the GCMR, the cost a couple told me was minimalist when one compared the cost with petrol and the need to stay in motels o/night on their way to QLD and up to Townsville and beyond. The aspect of a clean car, food service to the roomettes and arrive at MBWH refreshed was more than worth the money itself. also they had the benefit of a day in Sydney both directions.
When the loco hauled sets finished up along with the retabling of the XPT that went up and back with just enough time to refuel at MBWH, they lost all the local travel, along with the car carrying benefits, the number of passengers dropped off, and with PN cutting out the freight services on the branch, the death knell was almost complete. The Casino transfer to buses is a disgrace, and as our youngest son lives at Southport we usually go up 3 times a year at least, and even in the peak season neither service is ever booked out, in fact most carriages are half empty, although summer months do get extra's. The aspect also of most stations now closed and no one on duty for many people they do not feel safe at those stations.
