Project lead Bob Hall has experienced 25 years of “satisfaction and frustration” working on the historic AL1040 sleeper carriage. Photos: John Lomnicki.
It’s a very special birthday for an historic railway carriage as its 25-year restoration nears an end.
The AL1040 sleeper carriage, built in 1901, makes its home at the Canberra Railway Museum in Kingston.
It’s a new life for the carriage, which was used as a sleeper car and travelling dental clinic before being retired in the 1960s.
The museum acquired it in 1977, transporting it to Canberra from Goulburn.
Museum chair Bob Hall has been leading the effort to restore the train for the last quarter-century, using a combination of modern methods and historic materials.
He believes once it’s restored, it will be the only carriage of its kind in its original condition.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel – and that has become increasingly brighter,” Mr Hall said.
“We will have to finish off the upholstery, which is a long, arduous task. Realistically, it’ll probably be a couple of years more before we get it to a stage where we might be able to actually run it.”
The 20-berth carriage was made by the US company Pullman, which was ordered by NSW railway authorities to run in regional areas. It travelled around the regions until 1935.
“Mainly, they worked on the mail trains that used to operate out of Sydney six nights a week and then come back the next day,” Mr Hall said.
“When this was converted to a dental clinic car, around 85 per cent of its interior was stripped out. Most of this we’ve had to build from scratch.”
The 16 men’s berths (a designated sleeping bed inside the train car) are separated by a door from the four women’s berths.
The cushions fold out to convert into the lower sleeping berths, while other bunks fold up into the ceiling.
Some bunks in the carriage were taken from another Pullman carriage, while others were built using cedar veneer plywood.
“This one served as a Pullman sleeping car until the end of 1935, and by then it had become obsolete,” Mr Hall said.
“[Another design] gave passengers a lot more privacy, and so customer-satisfaction-wise, they were basically obsolete.”
After the 1930s, it and a sister carriage were converted into a travelling dental clinic, which would journey around NSW for months at a time.
The AL1040 carriage was ultimately damaged in a 1966 fire, which forced it out of service.
“What we think happened was that someone went to refuel the tank next to the generator, and spilt some fuel onto the hot engine,” he said.
“She went up in flames and did enough damage to the back end of the car for them to decide it was time to retire it. It then sat in storage for another 11 years.
“It was sad to look at it [before the restoration began] … I spent about a month clearing a path through the carriage.”
Canberra Railway Museum volunteers are planning a cake for a morning tea to celebrate the carriage’s 125th birthday, though a public event will be held from 11 am on 24 October.
Even though 125 would be a good innings for anyone, Mr Hall hoped his efforts would see the carriage enjoyed by the next generation.
“Restoring an old railway carriage isn’t all beer and skittles, but sometimes you get those warm inner glows,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about, really.”
The Canberra Railway Museum is located at 2 Geijera Place in Kingston. It is open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends between 10 am and 3 pm. Tickets cost between $10 and $5 for teens and adults (children have free entry).
