By Margaret Maccoll
The BB18 and a quarter express engine 1079 steamed into Cooroy Saturday morning filled with about 300 rail enthusiasts thrilled to be travelling in the style of yesteryear.
It’s high back leather upholstered seats separated by a table into cosy compartments was reminiscent of a time when people travelled at a more leisurely pace and spent more time in conversation than on smart phones.
Australian Railway Historical Society member Ken Coulter said the society organised the popular Sunshine Express rail tours to the Sunshine Coast only about once a year. Ken said quite a few passengers on board came from the Noosa area where train travel was a novelty.
He said the locomotive and its carriages which included a sleeping car would in its day have taken passengers from Brisbane to Cairns.
