IN 1995 the then NSW transport minister did a trip on a Swedish tilt train, liked what he saw and arranged to bring three carriages here for a four-month trial just before a State election.
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More than 18,000 people travelled on the Swedish X2000 train between Sydney, Goulburn and Canberra.
It also visited a string of country centres, including Orange and Parkes, although some platforms like Queanbeyan and Taree had to be modified so it could fit.
Tilt trains lean eight degrees in turns enabling them to go faster and they could cut about an hour off the time it takes for the XPT to come from Sydney to Orange.
The trial was fairly successful but highlighted the excessive curves in our main lines and this slowed the train far below its capabilities because it needed more distance between the curves to recover from leaning over on one side and then getting back across to the other.
But there’s a twist to all this.
Bruce Baird was the transport minister who brought the tilt train to NSW for the trials, a move designed to help the Liberal government win the 1995 election but it was lost to Labor.
There’s an election looming now and the NSW Government is again looking at tilt trains, promising the country if re-elected they could replace the ageing XPTs.
And who is leading the tilt train charge?
Bruce Baird’s son Mike, who is now the NSW Premier.
So it’s a case of like father, like son.
But no doubt Mike Baird is hoping he’ll get a better election result than his dad, tilt trains and all.
EASTER is the best time of the year for chocolate lovers with a feast of eggs and bunnies but Woolworths’ Orange supermarket is selling hot cross buns with a difference.
They’re chocolate and cherry or if you prefer something more conservative, you can indulge in a ginger variety created by Jamie Oliver.
Vegemite not to be left out this Easter has put out a salty take on the traditional bun recipe, trading dried fruit and glaze for the beloved savoury spread and cheese.
The recipe uses Parmesan cheese and Vegemite in the buns and the cross is created by a squeeze of Vegemite from a tube.
So it looks like there’s no limit to bun experimentation.
THE NSW Government says it’s going to make a bid to steal the formula one Australian Grand Prix from Melbourne and run it through the centre of Sydney, including a dash across the Harbour Bridge.
But what about Orange?
With all the wonderful new hot mix bitumen the council is putting down we could easily come up with an around-the-houses track.
The pit area could be set up in John Davis Motors and Bathurst Rd, with its new hot mix surface, could be the start and finish straight.
The track could then head north in Cox Ave, down Icely Rd to Autumn St, across to Summer, up to McLachlan and back to Bathurst Rd.
What a hoot?
But then, we’ve already got a race track here.
Summer St every night, where the lappers race each other up and down for hours.
So who needs the Grand Prix?
A HIGHWAY patrol cop sitting on the side of a highway is amazed to see a woman knitting while driving past in her car.
He switches on his flashing lights, takes off after her, pulls alongside and yells: “Pull over.”
“No,” she calls back cheerily. “A scarf.”
IT’S time we took around the hat to buy the commercial TV stations a clock.
You might as well throw away the guides because none of the programs ever kick off anywhere near the advertised time, meaning if you want to switch channels to watch another program you either miss the end of the one you’re watching or the start of the one you want to watch.
The Footy Show on WIN the other night was 23 minutes later than the advertised starting time because The Block just kept going and going with all its commercials so it’s become beyond a joke.
It was the same with the Graham Norton Show on TEN, 15 minutes late because the Living Room ran over time.
And If the TV stations want us to watch their shows then they should run them on time.
Running late is no doubt a deliberate move by the stations to try to keep you there but it makes you want to kick in the screen.
ARE you fed up buying two-fors, three-fors and even four-fors at the supermarkets?
It’s all designed to make it look like you’re getting a bargain.
But the deals are not all they seem because in lots of cases you’re actually paying more, or at best the same price single items were a week or so before.
Biscuits are often on special for around $2 a packet while the following week they’re on special at two for $5 so there’s no saving there.
Another example is packets of potato chips on special at two for $5 or $6 depending on the brand and often you can buy them for $2 and $2.50 packet, which is $4 for two or $1 cheaper than the $6 two-for.
A 1.25 litre bottle of Coke was $2 this week while the previous week it was on special for four bottles for $8 so there’s no savings there either.
In most cases you only need one packet of soap powder or corn flakes so why do we have to buy two?