Here are the photos I took during the QR steam driver training session.
We have a perfectly ordinary suburban station just before 10am.
Then this beauty turns up. Running just a "normal" all stations train through the city to Shorncliffe. Anybody could hop on provided they had just a normal ticket. Some people were actually just using to get into the city, it just happened to be pulled by steam! It was all part of a training scheme to bring in a new generation of drivers for QR heritage since many qualified steam drivers are retiring this year.
Not the normal wooden heritage set, but the stainless steel SX set. When introduced in the 1960s, these were state of the art (with things like power operated sliding doors!) and were going to be part of an electrification scheme. That fell through and they were hauled by both steam and Diesel traction on suburban work, the latter until the SX set's withdrawal from regular service in 2000. QR sold most of the sets, some going to Thailand, a set ended up in Chile, others to New Zealand (where they are still going, though refurbished), one set was kept for special work with QR and some went into preservation groups (one up in North Queensland, the other at Southern Downs I think).
The "swank" interior of the SX set. The seats can be flipped back and forth and they are sprung really well. They are dead comfortable.
Taken after leaving Bowen Hills station I think, heading out towards Shorncliffe.
Could be a bit hairy nipping between carriages when the trains doing full pace (since the SX tend to roll and jump a bit). During the run, most of the interlocking doors were locked due to OHS reasons.
The tail. This was the last photo I could get. The train was running a little late and there was a EMU waiting behind us, so they got everyone out quickly to shunt the train into the loop and turn the loco and water tanker on the triangle. I had to get to work (damn!) so nipped on to the shortly departing EMU.
It was such a nice day, and brought back quite a few memories of school trips in them (though they were mostly out of use by my time). Still, it was great to see Queensland Rail maintaining its heritage fleet, both in material and people.