Australia's tilting diesel train | The Spirit of Queensland | Townsville to Cairns

Find out what it's like to travel by train between Townsville and Cairns in Far North Queensland on the diesel Tilt Train – the Spirit of Queensland.

In this video you'll get to take a look at both the RailBed (a lie-flat bed) and economy class seats; discover the food and drink options; and get to see the wonderful scenery along the way.

Travelling between Brisbane and Cairns five times a week, the Spirit of Queensland helps people reach the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays, Townsville and Cairns.

Although the diesel tilt train has a top speed of 160kmh/h, the track between Townsville and Cairns has a line limit of 80 km/h with the tilt train permitted up to 100 km/h. However, the average speed is much slower than this.

The Spirit of Queensland is operated by Queensland Rail.

See my RailBed review here:
   • Spirit of Queensland RailBed review |...  

Spirit of Queensland timetable:
https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com....

Spirit of Queensland fares and bookings:
https://queenslandrailtravel-booking....

#SpiritofQueensland #QueenslandRail #ThisIsQueensland

🚉 Train: The Spirit of Queensland
🚉 Operator: Queensland Rail
🚉 Locomotives: Diesel tilt train
🚉 Seat: Car F, Seat 15
🚉 Route: Townsville to Cairns via the North Coast Railway Line
🚉 Distance: 340km
🚉 Travel time: 6 hours 37 mins (scheduled)
🚉 Class: Economy
🚉 Travel date: 9 November 2021

EQUIPMENT:
🚉 Camera: GoPro Hero 10, GoPro Hero 8 and iPhone 12 Pro Max

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:32 Townsville Railway Station
02:37 The Diesel Tilt Train
03:55 Boarding and seat tour
04:33 Departure and announcements
07:58 Route to Cairns, train and line speeds
08:54 Shower and toilet tour
09:40 Canefields railways
10:25 Train walk through including cafe / galley
11:32 Ingham including comfort stop
13:30 Sugar mill and cane railway crossings
14:28 Food options and ocean views in Cardwell
15:59 Lunch and tilting system
16:50 Tully including comfort stop
18:26 RailBed tour
19:18 Tully to Innisfail scenery
20:05 Entertainment system and cane train
21:00 Innisfail including comfort stop
22:40 Rivers, rainforests and mountains
25:10 Road vs rail
25:40 Mulgrave Sugar Mill and Gordonvale
26:42 Townsville to Cairns fares
27:20 Approach to Cairns and final announcement
28:25 Final thoughts and arrival in Cairns
30:53 Kuranda Scenic Railway and Millaa Millaa Falls

Image credits:

OpenRailwayMap:
https://www.openrailwaymap.org

Information sources:

https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_C...

Wikipedia

Sugar cane railways:
https://www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRz.htm

The Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich