The Bathurst Bullet coming on to Orange and staying here the night rather than in Lithgow would have done the job.

But the government says no so we need a plan B and Transport for NSW probably wouldn't give a toss if Lachlan Valley Rail, always looking for a dollar, stepped in to fill the gap.

The dedicated rail buffs spend most of their spare time restoring rail motors and old steam locos like the 106-year-old flagship 5367 called Rosy or 117-year-old 3026 but both are still capable of hauling passenger carriages without breaking down.

That's something that can't be guaranteed with the clapped out XPTs with engines packing it in every now and then. And for that matter the bullet also has its problems.

The XPTs' 38-year-old rail cars have travelled more than 10 million kilometres, the equivalent of 13 times to the moon and back, while they were designed to travel 7.5 million kilometres before being pensioned off. One has clicked up 13 million kilometres.

Lachlan Valley Rail's grand old rail motors are raring to go.

One parked at Orange Railway Station just waiting to be fired up is 95 years old but still as reliable as the day it was built.

Of course a steam or rail motor trip from Orange to Sydney would be an hour or so longer than the XPT but LVR has an old sleeping car for its steam trains so passengers could take it in turns to have a quick nap to help pass the time.

Or they could take their own sleeping bag.

LVR could dish up hot pies and tomato sauce for refreshments while sandwiches would be fine on the rail motors.

Can you imagine these museum pieces rattling into Central Station from Orange?

No doubt it would send a message to the government that we want better. Meantime those new Spanish trains can't come quickly enough.

A reader left without power for 21 hours and losing frozen food on August 7 and 8 put in a claim under Essential Energy's 'network reliability interruption duration standard' but was refused.

Essential's reason? 'The duration of the single power outage does not qualify for a payment due to an interruption within a region in which a natural disaster has occurred...'Did anyone in Orange feel an earthquake, see a flood or volcano eruption, a mudslide or bushfire?

They're defined natural disasters.

What a cop out.

Part of the City Council's Future City plan is to extend the Summer Street festoon lights to Hill Street. Selected buildings and facades will also be lit throughout the year and on special events.

Trees will get fairy lights.

The festoon lights there now look spectacular but already there's lots of blown bulbs.Surely they should last a bit longer or they'll cost a fortune in replacements.

A customer goes into a pharmacy and asks an assistant what kills bacteria on surfaces.

The assistant: "Ammonia cleaner".

The customer: "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you worked here."