The Diesel Tilt Train is the name for three high-speed

tilting train A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train (or other vehicle) rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide abo ...

services, operated by

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

on the North Coast line from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

as part of its

Spirit of Queensland The Spirit of Queensland is a Queensland Rail long distance passenger rail service. It is operated by a diesel powered Tilt Train that runs five times a week on the North Coast line between Brisbane and Cairns, a distance of 1,681 kilometres ...

service.

History

In August 1999, a contract was awarded to Walkers for two diesel tilting trains to operate services from

. In contrast to the

Electric Tilt Train The Electric Tilt Train is the name for two identical high-speed tilting trains operated by Queensland Rail on the North Coast line from Brisbane to Bundaberg and Rockhampton which entered service in November 1998. History In March 1993, Qu ...

, the diesel Tilt Train is a push-pull locomotive based train, although the two are externally similar. Following a derailment of the Diesel Tilt Train in November 2004 that injured 157 people, all services were limited to until track upgrades and the introduction of

Automatic Train Protection Automatic train protection (ATP) is a type of train protection system which continually checks that the speed of a train is compatible with the permitted speed allowed by signalling, including automatic stop at certain signal aspects. If it is ...

allowed full speed operation to resume in June 2007. In October 2010,

Downer Rail Downer Rail is a business unit within the Downer Group. As well as manufacturing and maintaining railway rolling stock it holds maintenance contracts to maintain rail infrastructure. The head office is located in North Ryde. History The EDI ...

was awarded a contract to build a further diesel tilt train with two power cars and 12 carriages to replace locomotive hauled stock on ''

The Sunlander ''The Sunlander'' was a long distance passenger rail service operated by Queensland Rail on the North Coast line between Brisbane and Cairns in Queensland between June 1953 and December 2014. It has been replaced by the ''Spirit of Queenslan ...

''. All work was performed in Maryborough. The first refurbished set entered service in October 2013. The third and brand new set was delivered and entered service in 2014.

Liveries

The original paint scheme, or

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

, was yellow, purple and silver in colour, which was retained until the Spirit Of Queensland had a major overhaul in the mid-2010s. In 2010, designs by

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

artist

Alick Tipoti Alick Tipoti (born 1975), whose traditional name is Zugub, is a Torres Strait Islander artist, linguist, and activist of the Kala Lagaw Ya people, from Badu Island, in the Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait). His work includes painting, installations, ...

were painted on one side of the

carriages A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

, while the work of Aboriginal artist of the

Waanyi The Waanyi people, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji, or Waanji, are an Aboriginal Australian people from south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Language The Waanyi language, although earlier thought to be extinct, wa ...

people,

Judy Watson Judy Watson (born 1959) is an Australian Waanyi multi-media artist who works in print-making, painting, video and installation. Her work often examines Indigenous Australian histories, and she has received a number of high profile commissions ...

, was featured on the other side.

Routes

The DTT features a 2×2 economy class seating arrangement, 1×2 business class seating arrangement, in-seat audio and visual entertainment and a TV screen attached to the seat armrest. A trolley service is available, and a club car is part of the consist of this Tilt Train service. In October 2013 when the first refurbished set returned to traffic, the service was named the ''

''. In 2014, the additional train was delivered to operate as a replacement for ''The Sunlander'' between Brisbane and Cairns, meaning the only service on this route is the ''Spirit of Queensland''.Spirit of Queensland factsheet
Queensland Rail

Notes and references

External links

Spirit of QueenslandFlickr gallery
{{Public transport in Queensland High-speed rail Named passenger trains of Queensland Railcars of Queensland Tilting trains Diesel multiple units with locomotive-like power cars