The Canberra Monaro Express was a passenger train operated by the New South Wales Government Railways between Sydney, Canberra and Cooma from May 1955 until September 1988.

Canberra Monaro Express

DEB set carriage at Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot in December 2012
Overview
Service type	Passenger train
Status	Ceased
Predecessor	Federal City Express
First service	9 May 1955
Last service	26 September 1988
Former operator(s)	State Rail Authority
Route
Termini	Sydney Canberra Cooma
Distance travelled	435 kilometres
Service frequency	daily in each direction
Train number(s)	S37/S38
Line(s) used	Main South Bombala Canberra
Technical
Rolling stock	DEB sets

It was formed by two four-carriage DEB railcar sets and replaced the steam-hauled Federal City Express.[1]

After departing Sydney Central, it travelled via the Main South line to Goulburn where it branched off to Queanbeyan. There the train divided, with one set going to Canberra, and the other to Cooma.[2]

The train normally consisted of two DEB railcar sets of four carriages. In July 1973 it was cut back to a single four-carriage set serving both Canberra and Cooma, sometimes with a non air-conditioned 620/720 set attached when demand warranted.[1] Reliability problems with the DEB sets saw locomotive hauled trains take over the service between June 1981 and August 1982. In the State Rail Authority era it was built up to seven-carriage DEB sets serving Canberra and Cooma, before the old practice of dividing the train at Queanbeyan, with three cars going to Cooma, was reverted to in March 1986.[3] The final Canberra Monaro Express ran on 26 September 1988.[4]

References