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Introduction
The means by which refreshments have been provided to passengers travelling between Melbourne and Mildura over the last 100 years has gone through a number of distinct changes.
These changes are set out in the following timeline that runs from 1903 until today (August 2003).
It is worthwhile noting that there have been a number of significant catering milestones in relation to the Mildura line, including:
* The Mildura line was the first in Victoria on which on-train catering was offered.
* It was the longest corridor over which on-train catering was ever provided in Victoria.
* It was one of the few lines at which bedroom accommodation was offered to the general public at a station (namely Ouyen).
1903: When passenger services were extended through to Mildura, passengers travelled via Castlemaine and Maryborough and changed trains at both locations.
No on-train catering was provided when Mildura services commenced (nor was it available on any train in Victoria at this time) and refreshments could only be obtained from Railway Refreshment Rooms located along the route. Railway Refreshment Rooms (R.R.R.) were essentially restaurants located either on the platform or behind the main building at railway stations. In 1903, these rooms were leased to private individuals who were expected to provide a minimum range of refreshments to rail patrons as a part of their lease arrangements with the Railways. Most rooms also served the needs of their local community, although their main focus was always rail patrons. The larger R.R.R.'s offered sit down meals at tables with a waitress service in a separate dining room, as well as meals over a counter in the main refreshment room (The main refreshment room was generally referred to as the buffet section in Victoria).
In 1903, stations at which refreshments could be obtained were Castlemaine (opened in 1862), Maryborough (opened in 1874) and St. Arnaud (opened in 1878).
1907/08: Work started during the year on the conversion of Mann Boudoir sleeping car O3 into a combined sleeping/dining car for use on the Mildura line. Sleeping car O3 first entered service on 24 December 1886 as Victorian & South Australian Railway (V. & S.A.R.) joint stock sleeping car O3 in Melbourne after arriving from the U.S.A. in October 1886 aboard the ship Normandy. O3 and three other Mann Boudoir cars (O1, O2 and O4) were allocated to the Inter-Colonial Express service between Melbourne and Adelaide when it commenced running on 19 January 1887. The Mann Boudoir cars were displaced from Melbourne - Adelaide trains by the new joint stock `E' type sleeping cars introduced in 1907. At this stage there were six Mann cars in service after the original four were joined by O29 and O30 when they entered service on 31 October 1889. In March 1908, the ownership of Mann Boudoir car O3 passed to the V.R. from the joint stock register.
In August 1908, the conversion was completed and the car was re-named "Mildura". It was semi-permanently coupled to 1st / 2nd class composite corridor car 59 ABC which had a vestibule door cut in one end to give passengers access to the dining car.
59 ABC had been built by Pickles & Company and first entered revenue service as 108 AA in 1889 (The AA cars were the first side corridor sitting cars to enter service in Victoria). Altered to 12 AC in 1902 and then 59 ABC on 14 August 1908 (although this date is not certain). In about 1910, the car was recoded 59 ABL and then 11 BL in about 1918. Broken up on 12 April 1961.
Combined sleeping and dining car "Mildura". Source: Victorian Railways
59ABC - a First and Second Class composite corridor car with vestibule connection at one end to enable access to the permanently attached "Mildura" dining and sleeping car. Source: Victorian Railways
August 1908: A dining car service was introduced on the Mildura line between St. Arnaud and Mildura using combined sleeping/dining car "Mildura".
The Mildura line was the first in Victoria on which a dining car service was made available to the general travelling public and the second in Australia. (The Western Australian Government Railways had been running a dining car between Perth and Kalgoorlie since 1905). "Mildura" (presumably along with 59 ABC) had been put on public display at Spencer Street Station in mid-August 1908 before entering service.
On its first run, the car was in charge of Conductor Holdsworth, whilst the Inspector of Refreshment Rooms, Mr. Cooper, also travelled on this trip.
The carriage featured a kitchen and pantry, five ice chests and tables for twelve diners. Other features of the car were:
* Electric bells were installed to call the conductor to any compartment.
* Lavatories were installed for both women and men.
* Two and four berth sleeping compartments were available.
* The car was illuminated by Pinsch gas.
* A `Minimax' fire extinguisher was fitted.
* A telephone system was also available that could be connected to the railway telephone pole line (It is unclear if this was available to the travelling public when the train was stationary or was only available for Railway staff).
* No smoking was allowed within "Mildura".
* Tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, soft drinks, biscuits, confectionary and ice cream were available for purchase, as well as a selection of meals (Currently, a menu dating from this period has not yet been found). Meals were available for a florin (two shillings and sixpence).
The Mildura dining car service, along with the dining cars running on the Sydney express and Adelaide express (introduced on 7 December 1908 and 14 December 1908 respectively), were managed and supported by the Dining Car Service (DCS) - a newly formed section within the Victorian Railway's (VR) Transportation Branch. The DCS was based at a newly established depot located behind the Dudley Street Carriage Shelter Sheds at West Melbourne. This depot was known as the Dining Car Depot and incorporated an office, kitchen, laundry and store.
It appears that DCS staff for the car were initially based at St. Arnaud and sourced their catering hardware supplies (crockery, cutlery, table clothes, etc.) and foodstuffs from the Dining Car Depot, although no records to confirm this have yet been found. It is also more than likely that a number of perishable foodstuffs were sourced from the St. Arnaud Railway Refreshment Rooms.
August / September 1909: Combined dining / sleeping car "Mildura" was temporarily withdrawn for three weeks during this period so that it could be overhauled and repainted at Newport Workshops. No alternative vehicle was available whilst it was in the shops and presumably passengers used the roadside refreshment rooms during this period.
An ordinary sleeping car (identity unknown) was used on the train during this period to provide the sleeping accommodation normally provided by "Mildura".
December 1910: Dining Car "Mitta Mitta" entered service. "Mitta Mitta" originally entered service as two separate First class carriages (67A and 68A) that were both built in 1880 by Williamstown Workshops. End platforms were only fitted to one end of both carriages, and it appears that they rode on a bogie at one end and a fixed wheel at the other. Both cars were displayed in the 1880 International Exhibition held at the Exhibition Buildings prior to entering service, along with two locomotives (O Class No.129 and a B class - possibly No.186) in a joint VR / Phoenix Foundry of Ballarat stand. In June 1894, 67A was altered to Ministerial Car No.2, whilst 68A was altered to Ministerial Car No.1. Both cars were joined together on a common underframe in 1899 with the platforms facing outwards to form a new ministerial bogie car called "Edinburgh". On 3 December 1910, Edinburgh was outshopped as dining car "Mitta Mitta".
This car was used to replace combined dining / sleeping car "Mildura" when it wasn't available for service. It may also have been used to provide on-train catering on special trains given that there were occasions when "Mildura" wasn't replaced when it was in the workshops.
27 March 1911: The combined dining / sleeping car used on the Mildura line was outshopped from Newport Workshops after the following changes to the dining saloon had been made:
* The two longitudinal 5 foot 6 inch (1.676 metre) x 2 foot 6 inch (0.762 metre) tables and 12 individual chairs (6 per table) were removed.
* This space was then divided into two compartments separated by a low partition. Each compartment was fitted with a 6 foot 4 inch (1.929 metre) x 2 foot 3 inch (0.686 metre) table with fixed bench seating on either side of the table.
The car was renamed "Kiewa" from "Mildura" as a part of this work (Why it was renamed is unclear). "Kiewa" did not work with 59 ABL from this date.
1910/11: The following number of meals had been served on each of the dining car services after three years of operation:
Financial Year |
Sydney |
Adelaide |
Mildura |
Total |
1908/09 |
16,178 |
11,990 |
2,704 |
30,872 |
1909/10 |
39,835 |
29,950 |
4,897 |
74,682 |
1910/11 |
42,202 |
32,688 |
5,428 |
80,318 |
11 October 1911: The General Superintendent of Transportation recommended that the depot for the Mildura dining car service be moved from St. Arnaud to Maryborough. This was approved on 8 February 1912 and the move was completed on 10 September 1912. It appears that the dining car was now attached to the train at Maryborough from September 1912 rather than St. Arnaud.
2 December 1911: Combined sleeping / dining car "Avon" was outshopped from Newport Workshops after having been converted from Sleeping Car No.6. "Avon" incorporated all the features in the dining saloon made to "Kiewa" in March 1911. "Avon" originally entered service on 22 October 1886 as Victorian & South Australian Railways (V. & S.A.R.) joint stock sleeping car O2 in Melbourne after arriving from the U.S.A. in August 1886 aboard the ship "Iceburg". O2 and three other Mann Boudoir cars (O1, O3 and O4) were allocated to the "Inter-Colonial Express" between Melbourne and Adelaide when it commenced running on Wednesday, 19 January 1887. The Mann Boudoir cars were displaced from Melbourne - Adelaide trains by the new joint stock `E' type sleeping cars in 1907. At this stage there were six Mann cars in service after the original four were joined by O29 and O30 when they entered service on 31 October 1889. The ownership of Mann Boudoir car O2 passed to the V.R. from the joint stock register in the Winter of 1908. It was allocated to the Mildura line and occasionally to Adelaide services when traffic was heavy from this time. Recoded to Sleeping car No.6 on 14 August 1908
The introduction of a new timetable on 1 December 1911 that increased weekly service frequency on the Mildura line from four services in each direction to five could not be supported by a single catering car. Consequently, it appears that "Avon" was built to ensure that catering was provided on all Mildura services north of St. Arnaud following the introduction of the new timetable.
1914: The VR didn't have authority to sell liquor on its dining cars when they were first introduced. Passengers did one of the following to overcome this problem:
* Carried liquor with them.
* Purchased it from a refreshment room en route.
* Asked the dining car Steward to purchase the liquor on their behalf at a refreshment room.
This last method was an issue as railway staff were forbidden to enter a refreshment room to obtain intoxicating liquor. Likewise, refreshment room lessees were forbidden to sell staff liquor.
On 23 July 1914, the Crown Solicitor expressed his opinion that no law was being broken if a Steward purchased liquor as a bona fide agent of a passenger.
On 12 August 1914, the VR Commissioners gave their approval to issue a special notification to the lessees of the refreshment rooms at Bacchus Marsh, Ballarat, Seymour and Maryborough that liquor may be supplied to dining car Stewards if purchased on behalf of a passenger wishing to consume liquor with their meal.
1917: A new system of collecting money in dining cars in Victoria was trialled on the Mildura line for four months from September 1917. Under the trial, each patron of the dining car was issued with a ticket with a detachable corner that was handed to the waiter responsible for charging for the patron's meal. Under the previous system, a docket with a carbon copy had to be completed.
The new system was considered to be an improvement and was adopted on the dining cars running on the Adelaide express from 1 February 1918 (It is unclear when the system was adopted by the dining cars running on the Sydney express).
1919/20: It was noted in the Annual Report issued for this financial year that:
The growth of traffic on the Mildura line renders it necessary to afford additional dining facilities for travellers and consideration is now being given to the matter.
1 March 1920: The Refreshment Services Branch was established. This branch progressively assumed control of R.R.R. across the state from the private lessees, as well as the Dining Car Service from the Transportation Branch.
It appears that a decision to provide additional dining car facilities on the Mildura line was postponed with the establishment of this Branch.
In the previous year (1919), a Central Store was established in the vaults at Banana Alley near Flinders Street Station. This store would eventually supply almost all the food and materials required by the R.R.R. network and Dining Car Service. It was an important element of the Refreshment Services Branch and occupied 9 half length vaults and 1 full length vault.
5 July 1920: The management of the R.R.R. at Maryborough passed from the private lessee to the Railway Department (Refreshment Services Branch).
24 August 1920: The management of the R.R.R. at St. Arnaud passed from the private lessee to the Railway Department (Refreshment Services Branch).
25 August 1920: The following comments by the Superintendent of Refreshment Services - Mr. Harris - to the VR Commissioners in regard to the Mildura dining car service were noted on the summary sheet of VR Secretary File No.1920/9894 (PRO 421/P000/440):
The dining car cannot accommodate more than 14 at one time and it is not an uncommon occurrence for four sittings to be necessary for one meal, so that if lunch is served at 12 o'clock the last is not finished before 3.00 pm. Breakfast is prolonged the same way. The Commercial Travellers Association representatives also urge the provision of improved facilities and the remedy in my opinion lies in the establishment of Refreshment Rooms at convenient points. The most suitable locations are Donald, Woomelang and Ouyen and I recommend the provision of rooms at these points. At Ouyen, which is the junction of the Pinnaroo line I think we should provide rooms sufficient to accommodate the passengers who arrive there in the early hours of the morning and cannot get away until 9 am. If the contemplated alterations in this service provide for a better connection between the main line and branch line and arriving at Ouyen during the hours ordinary accommodation houses are open for business, this residential accommodation would not be necessary.
I beg to recommend that we apply for licenses for each of these three stations and Underbool at the Licensing Courts to be held in November.
4 October 1920: As at this date, meals in the dining car running on the Mildura corridor cost 2 shillings each (1 shilling 6 pence for children under 14 years). Light refreshments, such as tea and scones, were available throughout the journey for 1 shilling per serve. Tobacco and cigarettes were also obtainable from the Steward at all times.
1 September 1920: The VR Commissioners agreed to provide funds to build refreshment rooms at Donald and Ouyen, but not at Woomelang for the present (A tea stall operated by a private lessee did operate at Woomelang for a brief period until it was closed on 30 September 1925).
The VR Commissioners indicated that they were not prepared to provide residential accommodation at Ouyen.
25 January 1921: The VR Commissioners reversed an earlier decision to obtain a license for the new refreshment rooms at Ouyen and Donald on account of the troubles experienced with the sale of intoxicating liquors at refreshment room stations.
5 December 1921: The Railway Refreshment Rooms at Ouyen were opened. The refreshment rooms at Ouyen consisted of a dining room, kitchen and manager's accommodation attached to the crew rest house and a fruit and soft drink stall located on the platform.
The dining room and kitchen was located roughly 50 yards (45.72 metres) behind the station.
June 1922: The VR Commissioners decided not to proceed with the construction of R.R.R.'s at Donald on account of their close proximity to the rooms at St. Arnaud.
It was decided to establish rooms at Birchip as they were more centrally located for the purpose, although the Commissioners recognised that train arrival times at Birchip were not quite as convenient for meals as was the case at Donald.
Based on plans completed in September 1921, the rooms at Donald would have been very impressive and were substantially larger than the rooms initially built at Birchip. Features of the proposed Donald rooms were:
* A 60 foot (18.288 metre) long x 18 foot (5.486 metre) wide refreshment room fitted with a counter that ran the full length of the room. This room would have incorporated a ladies area separated by a wall and door from the rest of the refreshment room. Access from the platform would have been through three double doors.
* A 41 foot 6 inch (12.649 metre) long x 23 foot (7.010 metre) wide dining room featuring seven round tables that would have each accommodated eight diners (A total of 56 diners).
* An 18 foot (5.485 metre) x 25 foot (7.620 metre) kitchen with attached servery, scullery and pantry.
* A sitting room and two bedrooms for the manager and his family.
* Three bedrooms for female staff and a staff sitting room.
* A meat store, vegetable store and wash house and laundry.
The bedrooms and staff sitting room were located on top of the other rooms. Stairs next to the manager's sitting room linked the second level with the ground floor.
It was planned to build these rooms on the Melbourne side of the main station building at Donald.
27 August 1923: R.R.R. at Birchip were opened by the Refreshment Services Branch, although they weren't officially completed until 31 August 1923.
The rooms were of weatherboard construction and stood on the Melbourne side of the main station building. They consisted of:
* A 35 foot (10.668 metre) long x 16 foot (4.877 metre) wide refreshment room fitted with a counter that ran for the full length of the room. Access from the platform to this room was through two double doors.
*A 16 foot (4.877 metre) long x 15 foot (4.572 metre) wide kitchen located behind the refreshment room.
*A single bedroom, sitting room and bath room for the Manager of the rooms and his wife.
5 December 1923: The management of the R.R.R. at Ouyen passed from the private lessee to the Railway Department (Refreshment Services Branch).
January 1924: The dining cars running on the Mildura line were withdrawn during the month following the opening of a dining room at Birchip R.R.R. The dining room supplemented the buffet section provided when the rooms were opened in August 1923.
The new dining room was added to the Melbourne end of the existing R.R.R. at Birchip.
The dining cars had originally been withdrawn in August 1923 when the R.R.R. at Birchip were first opened and two new `E' type sleeping cars became available on the Mildura line. However, they were restored shortly afterwards when demand for meals at the R.R.R. was such that it was unable to cope without a dining room.
The fate of the three dining cars used on the Mildura line after January 1924 is as follows:
Kiewa: Outshopped as a 20 berth sleeping car on 16 September 1924 after having had the dining saloon removed. It continued to be deployed on the Mildura corridor.
Broken up in May 1929 after it was replaced in 1928 on Mildura services by one of three new `E' type sleeping cars built for this route named "Werribee", "Indi" and "Ovens".
Avon: In the mid-1920's, this car was altered to serve on the Commissioners tour train and other special trains (This conversion may have occurred in 1924). The dining saloon was retained, whilst the biggest change was the conversion of two 5 foot 0 inch (1.524 metre) wide compartments to shower rooms.
Officially broken up on 15 April 1932 after its role was replaced by former dining car "Goulburn". The two gas water heaters from the shower compartments in "Avon" were transferred to "Goulburn" for further use.
Mitta Mitta: By 22 March 1924, this car had been withdrawn from Maryborough and was stored at the Car and Wagon Shed at Spencer Street.
On 1 April 1924, the VR Commissioners gave their approval to modify this car at a cost of £255 to make it suitable for medical examinations. Outshopped from Newport as the "Vision Test Car" on 15 July 1924 and available for service from 16 July 1924.
Scrapped on 31 March 1939 after it was replaced by the new "Medical and Vision Test Car" converted in 1938 from "Wimmera".
From January 1924, passengers could obtain refreshments from R.R.R. at Castlemaine, Maryborough, St. Arnaud, Birchip and Ouyen, with the main refreshment stop being Birchip.
8 September 1930: Mildura services started to run via Ballarat rather than Castlemaine. In addition, the weekly frequency of passenger trains serving Mildura was reduced down to four trains in each direction due to the Great Depression.
As a result, Ballarat R.R.R. replaced Castlemaine R.R.R. as a source of refreshments for passengers. In the north bound direction, a stop of 25 minutes was made at Ballarat so that passengers could have dinner at the Ballarat R.R.R.
1933: By this time, the rest house at Ouyen was providing accommodation for the following people:
* Railway operating staff.
* The R.R.R. manager and his family.
* R.R.R. staff.
* The general public requiring overnight accommodation.
The rest house was particularly popular with women and children travelling without a male from outlying areas who stayed overnight before catching their train. It is unclear when the rest house became available to the general public given that in 1920 the VR Commissioners were not prepared to offer accommodation at Ouyen.
By 1933, the rest house was unable to meet demand, especially after Commercial House burnt down in Rowe Street, Ouyen. In August 1933, the manager of the rest house had to turn away 15 people on one night and 12 on another.
A proposal was developed to transfer the building that housed the R.R.R. manager and his staff at Birchip to Ouyen and rebuild the disused dining room at Birchip to accommodate the Birchip manager. (The dining room at Birchip appears to have been closed in 1930 when the new Mildura line timetable was introduced). It was planned to modify the relocated building to expand the bedroom accommodation available at the Ouyen rest house.
In mid-1934, the VR Commissioners decided against proceeding with the proposal given the loss being incurred by the rest house (During the first 11 accounting periods in 1933/34, the rest house had incurred a loss of £36 on revenue of £2,391).
30 June 1936: The dining room section of the R.R.R. at Maryborough was closed.
Mid-1939: Work commenced on the conversion of 21 AE (originally outshopped from Newport Workshops as First class car 21 AVE on 16 July 1909. It was recoded 21 AE in approximately 1910) and 26 AE (originally outshopped from Newport Workshops as First class car 26 AVE on 2 September 1909. It was built under the Butty Gang system by Herbert & Party and was recoded 26 AE in approximately 1910) to buffet cars "Kiewa" and "Moyne" for service on the Mildura line. It is understood that permission to convert these cars was given by the Railway Commissioners in 1938.
A sketch included in rolling stock records suggests that it was planned to give these cars an internal arrangement similar to wooden bodied Buffet Car "Taggerty" (also known as Buffet Car No.1). This car had been in regular revenue service on the Bendigo line since 5 April 1937.
Note: In early 1939, it was decided to name V.R. buffet cars after Victorian rivers. The wooden bodied buffet car used on the Bendigo line became "Taggerty", whilst the first steel bodied buffet car became "Wimmera" (it was probably outshopped new from Newport Workshops in December 1938 with this name). Names were also allocated to buffet cars then under construction.
On 22 July 1939, the Rolling Stock Engineers Office issued a memo outlining the proposed internal livery of these cars. In summary, it was proposed to use the following colours in these cars:
Kiewa
Section |
Colour |
Walls beneath belt rail |
Black Dulux |
Walls above belt rail |
Green Dulux 368 / 8659 |
Ceiling |
Ivory |
Beneath counter front |
Black Fabrex |
Counter top rubber |
Black |
Flooring |
Mottled Green and White Rubber (Dunlop Perdriau) |
Flooring plinths |
Black Rubber |
Counter step |
Mottled Green and White Rubber (Dunlop Perdriau) |
Saloon chairs |
Red Leather |
Blinds |
Green and Silver Fabrex from 33 yards in stock |
Moyne
Section |
Colour |
Walls |
Cream Dulux 368 / 8714 |
Ceiling |
Cream Dulux 368 / 8714 |
Beneath counter front |
Kanimbla Blue Fabrex |
Counter top rubber |
Fawn Dunlop No. 105 |
Flooring |
Mottled Brown (similar to Runnymede No. R.B. 5256) |
Counter step |
Mottled Brown similar to floor |
Saloon chairs |
Tangerine Leather |
Blinds |
Grey Fabrex. "Dupont" 3009 Grey, Grain R. 71. |
Window sills |
Tangerine |
September 1939: Work on the conversion of the two buffet cars for the Mildura line ceased shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War. These two cars were placed into storage (presumably at Newport).
In 1955, the conversion of these carriages to air-conditioned catering cars was completed, although they were outshopped with an internal arrangement that differed to what was originally proposed for their service on the Mildura line. They were known as Restaurant cars and were used on trains serving Horsham and Warrnambool from October 1955.
Unfortunately, they did not perform well financially on these trains and were withdrawn in April 1959. In 1961, they were both converted to BG class sitting cars.
1939: A new station building was completed at Ouyen during the year. The new building did not incorporate any new refreshment facilities as it was planned to attach a buffet car to the Mildura train.
After work stopped on the conversion of the Mildura line buffet cars, the Superintendent of Refreshment Services recommended in December 1939 that work proceed on adding a refreshment room and kitchen to the new station building.
The plans prepared for the new Ouyen station building in 1937 made an allowance to incorporate a 30 foot (9.144 metre) long refreshment room and kitchen at the Mildura end of the building if it was ever required.
In mid-1940, the VR Commissioners decided not to proceed with the construction of the refreshment rooms given war-time conditions.
1939/40: At the conclusion of this financial year, only £785 of the total annual revenue of £2,440 earned by the R.R.R. at Ouyen was from train travellers (The rest came from railway staff and local people using the rooms).
The railways attributed this to the distance the main rooms were located away from the platform and passenger reluctance to leave the platform to obtain refreshments (particularly among first time travellers and the elderly).
15 June 1940: The R.R.R. at St.Arnaud were closed.
1 January 1948: The 40 hour week became standard in lieu of 44 hours throughout Australia. The Federal Arbitration Court had unanimously decided to establish the shorter week on 8 September 1947. This had an adverse effect on the financial performance of railway catering operations across Victoria.
3 September 1957: The "Mildura Sunlight" was introduced between Melbourne and Mildura. This was a daylight service that operated three times a week in both directions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The overnight service continued to depart from Melbourne and Mildura on Sunday and Friday nights.
No on-train catering was provided on the Mildura Sunlight" and refreshment requirements were met by R.R.R. along the route.
In summary, the main refreshment stops for the Mildura Sunlight" and the times allowed (based on the November 1957 Public Time Table) were:
North Bound (Down) |
Timetable |
Length of Stop |
Ballarat |
10 07 to 10 17 |
10 Minutes |
Maryborough |
11 19 to 11 39 |
20 Minutes |
Birchip |
14 13 to 14 23 |
10 Minutes |
Ouyen |
16 08 to 16 18 |
10 Minutes |
Southbound (Up) |
||
Ouyen |
10 44 to 10 54 |
10 Minutes |
Birchip |
12 41 to 12 56 |
15 Minutes |
Ballarat |
17 02 to 17 22 |
20 Minutes |
The main refreshment stops for the overnight service were:
North Bound (Down) |
Timetable |
Length of Stop |
Ballarat |
22 50 to 23 10 |
20 Minutes |
Maryborough |
00 20 to 00 25 |
5 Minutes |
Birchip |
03 30 to 03 40 |
10 Minutes |
Ouyen |
05 35 to 05 50 |
15 Minutes |
Southbound (Up) |
||
Ouyen |
22 33 to 22 48 |
15 Minutes |
Birchip |
00 46 to 00 56 |
10 Minutes |
Ballarat |
05 10 to 05 20 |
10 Minutes |
7 September 1958: A refreshment trolley service was introduced between Melbourne and Ouyen (By May 1960, the trolley was only available as far as Donald) on the "Mildura Sunlight".
This was the second refreshment trolley service in Victoria - the first was introduced in 1957/58 on the broad gauge Melbourne - Sydney "Daylight", although it was only used on those occasions that the "Daylight" was heavily booked and the buffet car would be overtaxed.
Ouyen railway rest house in 1960. Photo: Victorian Railways
Miss E. MacDougall and Mrs. J. Thompson preparing a meal at Ouyen Rest House. 1960. Photo: Victorian Railways
4 November 1961: Maryborough R.R.R. were closed.
23 November 1964: The Rolling Stock Engineers Office issued what appears to have been the first quote to equip an air-conditioned AS or BS car with a buffet suitable for service on the "Mildura Sunlight". The quote - including the cost of materials - was £6,700 ($13,400).
23 November 1965: During a visit to Mildura, the V.R. Commissioners announced that a mini-buffet would be introduced on the "Mildura Sunlight".
15 February 1966: A mini-buffet service (using MBS class cars) was introduced on the "Mildura Sunlight". (1 MBS and 2 MBS were converted from 2 BS and 3 BS respectively. 2 BS originally entered service as Coach No.7 on 14 November 1937, whilst 3 BS originally entered service as Coach No.8 on 14 November 1937. Both cars were assigned to the new "Spirit of Progress" service running between Melbourne and Albury from 23 November 1937. As from 30 August 1939, Coach No.7 and Coach No.8 were re-coded 2 BS and 3 BS respectively. 2 BS and 3 BS were both outshopped as MBS cars in January 1966. Apparently, the design of the MBS cars was based on observations of overseas practice by Commissioner E.P. Rogan during an overseas tour).
The use of these cars allowed:
* The refreshment trolley service previously available between Melbourne and Donald to be withdrawn.
* The R.R.R. at Birchip and Ouyen to close from 10 February 1966.
* A half hour reduction in the running time for the "Mildura Sunlight".
An MBS Mini Buffet (possibly MBS2) standing in Melbourne yard outside the Dudley Street car sheds. 18-4-1966. Photo: Public Transport Corporation PR-242
The mini-buffet provided a waitress service to the tables within the buffet area which accommodated 12 patrons. A take-away service was also available. No liquor service was provided.
The MBS cars employed on this service ran a trial trip to Bendigo before entering traffic.
A MBS Mini Buffet car on a test run on the Bendigo line conducted on 11-2-1966 to allow staff to become familiar with the equipment. Mr. F.P. Kennedy (Superintendent of Refreshment Services) is the second from the left being served the salad. Photo: Public Transport Corporation PR-121
Mildura Shire and Mildura parliamentary representatives had both been agitating between 1947 and 1965 to have a buffet car provided on the Mildura train. Two key reasons given by the Victorian Railways as to why a car could not be provided prior to 1966 were:
* An additional catering carriage would have to be either built or converted from an existing carriage to introduce on-train catering on the Mildura line.
* The cost of wages for the necessary staff to crew the catering carriage would be £6,500 per annum (as at January 1956). Given the relatively light patronage on the Mildura service, it was anticipated that a loss of £3,000 per annum would be incurred - an unacceptable amount for the V.R. Commissioners.
27 April 1967: The "Mildura Sunlight" ran for the last time. The overnight service reverted to a 6 day a week service on 28 April 1967 to compensate for the loss of the day service. The overnight service did not feature any on-train catering facilities.
From 17 July 1967, the MBS mini-buffets formerly used on the "Mildura Sunlight" were introduced on the Albury line. They were attached to the morning and evening Albury trains in both directions from Monday to Saturday.
29 November 1969: The rest house at Ouyen was closed. It is believed that the public could still obtain accommodation at the rest house up until the time it was closed.
8 August 1972: "The Vinelander" made its inaugural run between Melbourne and Mildura (This was essentially the overnight service that had been re-packaged and re-branded). No on-board refreshment service was provided and the main refreshment stop was made at Ballarat.
8 January 1973: The Ballarat R.R.R. no longer opened for the down "The Overland" or down "The Vinelander".
5 September 1974: The Refreshment Services Branch became the Trading & Catering Branch.
March 1975: The report compiled by Mr. G. Mensforth (former Manager of the Trading & Catering Services Division of the South Australian Railways) on Trading & Catering Services of the V.R. was released. Mr. Mensforth had been engaged as a consultant to undertake the study on 6 January 1975.
Amongst his numerous recommendations, Mr. Mensforth made the following in regard to the Mildura service:
* Provide an on-train food service covering light refreshments and a full take-away liquor service.
* Close the Ballarat R.R.R. for both down and up Mildura movements (Authors Note: This had already occurred for the down service in January 1973).
* Introduce any on-train service improvement with a penetrating advertising campaign.
18 July 1977: A Cafeteria car service was introduced on the "The Vinelander".
Two MRS Cafeteria cars were converted from BS cars to provide this service. 1 MRS and 2 MRS were converted from 4 BS and 1 BS respectively. 4 BS originally entered service as Coach No.9 on 14 November 1937, whilst 1 BS originally entered service as Coach No.6 on 14 November 1937. Both cars were assigned to the new "Spirit of Progress" service running between Melbourne and Albury from 23 November 1937. As from 30 August 1939, Coach No.9 and Coach No.6 were re-coded 4 BS and 1 BS respectively. 4 BS and 1 BS were both outshopped as MRS cars on 9 July 1977.
Key features of these cars were:
* A 12 seat lounge section for patrons.
* A take-away food service.
* Soft drinks, liquor, cigarettes, ice cream, newspapers, etc. were available from the buffet.
Mini Buffet I MRS at Mildura after arriving on "The Vinelander". 22-8-1981. Photo: Bruce McLean
The sale and consumption of liquor was restricted to the buffet car (as opposed to the recommendation in the Mensforth report for a full take-away liquor service). Liquor was not served after midnight.
The 12 seat lounge section of the MRS Cafeteria car. 20-9-1977. Photo: Public Transport Corporation 77-2741
Three female attendants staffed each car. Crews were based in both Mildura and Melbourne and changed over at St. Arnaud. Rostering of the Melbourne based crews was the responsibility of the Manager of the Spencer Street Station Cafeteria.
4 October 1981: A new timetable for Victorian country passenger services was introduced that incorporated a number of service and operational innovations. The timetable and operational package was marketed as being the `New Deal' for country passengers and was designed to reverse the downward trend of country patronage. This package formed the basis of the service that operated until the extensive timetable changes of mid-1993.
A number of catering innovations were introduced in conjunction with the October 1981 timetable, including:
Take-away style menus replaced the counter style menus that had been in use since buffet cars were introduced in Victoria in 1937. This reduced the number of staff required to operate each buffet, although a number of items on the menu had to be deleted with this change. One item deleted, which upset a number of passengers, was the meat pie. Apparently some passengers would run into one of the remaining Railway Refreshment Rooms (RRR) to buy a pie, rather than some other item on the buffet car menu when this change was introduced.
* On-train food preparation was eliminated.
* All intrastate buffets were crewed by two staff.
Male catering assistants were introduced for the first time on buffet cars (buffets had, until this time, been worked exclusively by female staff, whilst dining cars had been worked exclusively by male staff).
The MRS Cafeteria cars continued to be allocated to the "The Vinelander" after October 1981.
April 1982: Work commenced on the construction of the new Centralised Catering Complex at Spencer Street. This complex was built within the building that formerly housed the Lost Property Store and Uniform Clothing Depot, located at the North Melbourne end of Spencer Street station, opposite "The Age" newspaper building. The Lost Property Store and Uniform Clothing Depot were relocated to Spotswood.
Whilst the Catering Complex was being built, trains - including "The Vinelander" - were provisioned from the Spencer Street Cafeteria.
13 December 1982: The new Centralised Catering Complex at Spencer Street was officially opened on Monday, 13 December 1982.
Catering supplies were distributed to trains from the catering complex by gas fuelled tow motors pulling specially designed food delivery trolleys via the underground parcel tunnels. Larder baskets were introduced for train loading and the return of stock to store.
A Tow motor and food delivery trolley at Spencer Street Station. 8-5-1982. Photo: Roderick B. Smith, courtesy ARHS "Newsrail" magazine.
The Dudley Street Dining Car Depot and the Flinders Street Trading and Catering Central Store closed with the opening of the new Centralised Catering Complex.
18 December 1982: The R.R.R. at Ballarat closed in conjunction with the introduction of carriage roster N 12. Under this roster, all Dimboola trains were allocated a BRN buffet, thereby removing the need for these rooms (All Horsham trains had been allocated a BRN buffet under the previous carriage roster - N 10 - introduced on 31 October 1982).
May 1983: There were about 20 Rail Snacks on the InterCity menu by this stage including 2 varieties of cold salad, lamb kebabs with rice, ravioli, bacon & egg croissant, mushroom quiche, lasagna, beef stroganoff and hamburgers. Meat pies were still not available (By June 1986, the meat pie had returned to buffet car menus).
1 July 1983: The State Transport Authority (marketed as V/Line from 21 August 1983) came into being. Under the new V/Line organizational structure, Passenger Services Division became responsible for the marketing and service specification of Trading & Catering, whilst Transport Operations Division was responsible for providing Trading & Catering services, ie., vehicles, facilities, staff and supporting administration.
21 August 1983: Following the introduction of a new car working diagram on this date, one "The Vinelander" set incorporated a MBS mini-buffet car, whilst the other set used a MRS cafeteria car. Previously, both sets used MRS cars.
February 1984: The `Hobart' brand microwave ovens fitted to BRS / BRN buffet cars were removed during the month. At least 60 ovens were removed following reports of dangerous faults with the ovens. Some of the faults Australian Railway Union (ARU) and Electrical Trades Union (ETU) members complained about included radiation leaks, broken safety catches and faulty timing devices.
Only cold food was available after the ovens were removed. Sometime during the middle of the year the ovens were refitted to a limited number of buffets which were allocated on a trial basis to the Gippsland line.
15 April 1984: BRS buffet cars were regularly assigned to the "The Vinelander" from this date with the introduction of a new car working diagram (Diagram Number N19).
It appears that the BRS cars may have replaced the MRS cafeteria cars before this date given the dates the BRS cars entered service.
Work had commenced on the conversion of 10 AS / BS class cars to BRS buffet cars for service on VicRail InterCity services during 1981/82.
The first BRS car (BRS 222 converted from AS 16) was outshopped on 12 March 1983, whilst the last (BRS 226 converted from a MRS) was outshopped on 18 April 1984.
The total cost of the BRS conversion program was $3.520 million.
July 1984: All BRS cars were refitted with microwave ovens by this stage, as well as a couple of BRN cars. A new menu was introduced during the month that featured a couple of new items, including steakette sandwiches and cottage pies.
Mid-1984: The dispute over buffet car microwave ovens flared again shortly after the ovens were internally modified and reinstalled. It is unclear exactly how long it took to settle this dispute.
March 1985: An experimental menu featuring a greater choice of items cooked using an oven/toaster was tried on the "The Vinelander". It is unclear for how long this trial was conducted and if the experimental menu was incorporated into the normal menu.
4 July 1985: New uniforms designed by Sportscraft were phased in from this date for on-train catering staff. The design of these uniforms was undertaken in consultation with catering staff, unions and management and consisted of the following major items:
Male Staff |
Female Staff |
Single breasted burnt orange coloured blazer. Optional burnt orange coloured button fronted vest. Silver grey coloured tie or bow tie. Silver grey slacks. |
Single breasted burnt orange coloured blazer. Burnt orange colored blouse (choice of patterns). Grey colored sleeveless vest. Silver grey colored skirt. Scarf (choice of patterns). |
Catering and on-train staff show off their new V/Line uniforms. July 1985. Photo: State Transport Authority
These new uniforms replaced the following old uniforms used by buffet car crews:
The mid-green uniform worn by female staff. This uniform had been introduced in 1969, although the style of uniform appears to have been progressively changed between 1969 and 1985.
The black trousers and white shirts worn by male staff employed on dining and buffet cars.
10 November 1985: One man operation of BRN / BRS buffet cars for Melbourne crews came into force from this date. Country buffet crews based at Ballarat, Bendigo, Mildura, Warrnambool and Wodonga still operated as two man crews after this date, but converted over to one person operation as staff left or were transferred.
By mid-December 1985, all buffets were operated by one man crews.
1986: A program commenced to modify the buffet modules on BRS and BRN buffet cars during the middle of the year. The main changes undertaken to the buffet modules were:
* A roller security screen replaced the timber drop shutters. The new screen could be operated from within the servery.
* A new boiling water unit and coffee dispensing system with improved performance was installed.
* A cupboard under the counter was converted to a refrigerated space. More refrigerated space was required after it was decided to stock more canned soft drinks rather than making soft drinks up on the train.
* The confectionery and cigarette display was improved.
* The Public Address system was improved.
* The second micro-wave oven was reinstalled in the existing available space.
* Rough / sharp edges within the module were cleaned-up and the overall finish was improved.
* A dry till cash draw was fitted in lieu of the original cash register.
The above modifications were first trialed on BRS 229 in early 1986 before all 19 BRN and the remaining 9 BRS buffet cars were modified. The work was completed during 1987/88.
July 1986: Passenger Services Division (PSD) assumed control of Retail and On-Train Catering operations from Transport Operations Division.
15 February 1987: A new day train was introduced between Melbourne and Mildura that was called "The Sunraysia". The train ran on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in both directions and replaced the overnight service on the days it operated. "The Sunraysia" continued to provide the same level of on-train catering as was provided on "The Vinelander" (which started to operate via North Shore from this date on the days it operated).
A BRS buffet car was still rostered on both "The Sunraysia" and "The Vinelander".
15 February 1987: An alcohol free carriage was introduced on "The Vinelander" in both directions on the days it ran (Sunday, Thursday & Friday). The alcohol-free carriage was Car B (the BRS).
This was the first Victorian intrastate service to feature an alcohol free carriage. The escalation of unruly behaviour attributed to excessive alcohol consumption by a minority of passengers lead to the introduction of this feature.
5 July 1987: New menus were introduced on intrastate and interstate services.
1 November 1987: From this date, V/Line provided one carriage in each consist of mandatory seat booked services to and from Warrnambool, Dimboola, Mildura, Swan Hill, Cobram, Albury, Sale and Bairnsdale in which the consumption of alcohol was totally prohibited.
At the time the carriage designated alcohol free in each of the standard set configurations was:
Car Set Type |
Car Classifications |
Alcohol Free Car |
N Set |
ACN (A), BRN (B), BN (C) |
Car C |
Z Set |
ACZ (A), BRS (B), BZ (C) |
Car C |
Z Set |
ACZ (A), BZ (B), BRS (C), BZ (D) |
Car B |
S Set |
ACZ (A), BS (B), BRS (C), BS (D), BS (F) |
Car B |
Mildura services used a three car Z set.
11 January 1988: From this date the carriage designated alcohol free in each of the standard set urations was altered to:
Car Set Type |
Car Classifications |
Alcohol Free Car |
N Set |
ACN (A), BRN (B), BN (C) |
Car B |
Z Set |
ACZ (A), BRS (B), BZ (C) |
Car B |
Z Set |
ACZ (A), BZ (B), BRS (C), BZ (D) |
Car B |
S Set |
ACZ (A), BS (B), BRS (C), BS (D), BS (F) |
Car B |
27 December 1989: From this date, the sale of alcoholic beverages was restricted to light beer and wine coolers on Mildura overnight services
From the same date, the sale of light ale and wine coolers was only available between 11 00 and 14 30 (the lunch time period) on Mildura daylight services
In addition, the take away alcohol service from the Tavern Bar at Spencer Street Station was withdrawn.
These changes were based on market research undertaken after the following restrictions were trialed on Mildura services between 16 July 1989 and 26 August 1989:
* "The Sunraysia" - Alcohol was only available over lunchtime hours (11 00 to 14 30)
* "The Vinelander" - Alcohol only available until 23 00.
Various permutations of alcohol restrictions were tried on all Intercity services during the trial period to determine which was the most effective.
30 May 1990: "The Sunraysia" made its last run.
1990: Alcohol free accommodation on long distance services where the purchase of alcohol was authorised was increased to 2 carriages in lieu of 1 carriage in 4 car Z and 5 car S sets. This change was introduced after the results of a customer survey indicated that passengers wanted more alcohol free accommodation. Carriages now designated alcohol free were:
Car Set Type |
Alcohol Free Car |
N Set |
Car B (BRN) |
Z Set (3 Car) |
Car B (BRS) |
Z Set (4 Car) |
Car B (BZ) and Car C (BRS) |
S Set (5 Car) |
Car B (BS) and Car C (BRS) |
1990: A new catering staff uniform was introduced featuring a white shirt/blouse, black blazer/vest and black pants/ skirt.
6 January 1993: The Minister for Transport (Hon. Alan Brown M.P.) released his public transport reform package. As a part of this package, the Minister indicated that the Public Transport Corporation (PTC) would withdraw from on-train catering and that the catering complex at Spencer Street would be closed (in approximately March 1993). Expressions of interest were sought from the private sector to take over the facility.
30 April 1993: The Minister for Public Transport (Hon. Alan Brown M.P.) announced which country passenger services would be replaced by road coaches or taken over by private operators. The Mildura service was one of the rail services to be replaced by road coaches.
May 1993: Mildura based catering crews were withdrawn and all catering staff for "The Vinelander" were sourced from Melbourne.
22 August 1993: A new country passenger timetable was introduced with the following key features:
* Road based passenger services replaced rail between - Sale and Bairnsdale, Shepparton and Cobram, Ballarat and Mildura, and Ararat and Dimboola.
* The management of rail services between Melbourne and Shepparton passed to a private operator (Hoys Roadlines).
On-train catering was withdrawn from all Ararat, Mildura, Shepparton and Sale services that were retained after 22 August 1993.
Operations at the Trading & Catering Complex at Spencer Street were scaled back in stages between September 1993 and December1993 (When the complex was closed).
September 1993: "The Vinelander" made its last run and the frequency of the overnight road coach service was increased to replace the rail service.
27 January 2002: In the north bound direction, the overnight Mildura road coach service made a stop at Ballarat railway station between 23 25 and 00 05 for refreshments and at Ouyen (Queen Bee Service Station) between 05 05 and 05 35 for breakfast.
The south bound service stopped at Ouyen (Queen Bee Service Station) between 23 10 and 23 40 for refreshments and at Ballarat railway station between 04 35 and 05 15 for breakfast.
Mildura road coaches operating via Swan Hill generally had a refreshment break at Swan Hill railway station.
As at August 2003, these coaches were still making the same stops for refreshments.
Buffet car menus from 1966 and the 1980's and 1990's are included in this section.
At present, examples of menus from the dining car service that ran between 1908 and 1924 and the MRS cafeteria car era of the late 1970's have not been found.
Salads with bread roll and butter |
Cents |
Ham |
60 |
Corned Beef |
60 |
Salmon |
60 |
Cheese |
50 |
Light Refreshments |
|
Assorted Sandwiches |
15 |
Meat pie and Sauce |
15 |
Cakes |
15 |
Biscuits and Cheese |
15 |
Scones and Butter |
15 |
Toasted Raisin Bread |
15 |
Buttered Toast |
15 |
Honey or Jam |
2 |
Toasted Sandwiches |
20 |
Devonshire Teas |
20 |
Cold Sweet with Cream |
25 |
Ice Cream, Flavoured |
15 |
Pots of Tea or Coffee |
15 |
Glass of Milk |
10 |
Canned Soft Drinks |
15 |
Confectionery, Cigarettes, and Ice Cream on Sale | |
Panel 1 |
|
Breakfast |
|
Ham and Egg Roll Croissant Hot Fruit Roll |
$2.00 $1.00 $0.50 |
Lunch and Dinner |
|
Hot Soup of the Day Roast Chicken Roll Hot Dog with Sauce or Mustard Schnitzel Burger Mini Pizza Meat Pie with Sauce Sausage Roll with Sauce Scones Jam and Cream Cold Assorted Sandwich Pack Cheese and Biscuits Wholemeal Cake Fruit Cake Carrot Cake For the Health Conscious Wholemeal Vegetarian Pastie Salad Roll Fresh Fruit Flavoured Yoghurt Flavoured Yogo |
$0.80 $1.80 $1.10 $2.00 $1.30 $1.10 $0.90 $2.00 $1.50 $1.10 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $1.20 $1.20 $0.50 $0.60 $0.60 |
Panel Two |
|
Beverages |
|
Beer Fosters Lager (375 ml) Carlton Light (375 ml) Spirits/Mixtures U.D.L. Assorted (375 ml) Wines Fitzpatrick Rhine Riesling (200 ml) Best Cabernet Sauvignon (200 ml) Non-Alcoholic Soft Drinks (375 ml) Coca Cola (375 ml) Diet Cola (375 ml) Mineral Water (375 ml) Fruit Juice Drink (250 ml) Milk Flavoured (250 ml) Tea or Coffee Hot Chocolate * Confectionery and Cigarettes are also available |
$1.30 $1.30 $2.25 $2.60 $2.60 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80 $0.65 $0.55 $0.80 $0.80 |
NOTE: This menu featured orange lettering on a black background.
Panel One |
|
Breakfast |
|
Ham and Cheese Croissant Egg and Bacon Roll |
$1.60 $2.60 |
Lunch and Dinner |
|
Hot Soup of the Day Roast Chicken Roll Hot Dog with Sauce or Mustard Meat Pie or Pastie with Sauce Sausage Roll with Sauce Cold Assorted Sandwich Pack Cheese and Biscuits Assorted Cakes Chocolate Bavarian or Cherry Cheesecake For the Health Conscious Assorted Filo Pies or Quiches Salad Roll Flavoured Yoghurt Flavoured Yogo Fresh Fruit |
$1.00 $2.20 $1.50 $1.30 $1.00 $1.40 $1.50 $0.90 $0.70 $2.10 $1.50 $0.70 $0.70 $0.60 |
Panel Two |
|
Beverages |
|
Beer Fosters Lager (375 ml) Carlton Light (375 ml) Spirits/Mixtures U.D.L. Assorted (375 ml) Wines Rhine Riesling (200 ml) Cabernet Sauvignon (200 ml) Island Cooler (250 ml) Non-Alcoholic Soft Drinks (375 ml) Coca Cola (375 ml) Diet Cola (375 ml) Mineral Water (Assorted) (375 ml) Fruit Juice Drink (250 ml) Milk (flavoured) (250 ml) Tea or Coffee Hot Chocolate * Confectionery and Cigarettes are also available. |
$1.75 $1.75 $2.50 $3.10 $3.20 $1.90 $0.90 $0.90 $0.90 $0.90 $0.65 $0.55 $1.00 $1.00 |
NOTE: This menu featured white lettering on a black background.
Panel One |
|
Menu |
|
Quiche Hot Dog Vegetarian Pastie Burger Ham & Cheese Croissant Cheese & Biscuits Fruit Cake Fruit Yoghurt Shortbread Health Slice Roast Chicken Roll Meat Pie or Pastie Sausage Roll Assorted Sandwiches Croissant & Conserve Assorted Cakes Salad Roll Fresh Fruit Cheesecake |
$3.00 $2.00 $1.90 $2.80 $2.00 $1.50 $1.00 $0.90 $0.80 $1.30 $2.80 $1.80 $1.30 $1.90 $1.20 $1.20 $1.90 $0.80 $1.20 |
Panel Two |
|
Beverages |
|
Alcoholic Light Ale (375 ml) Wine Cooler Non - Alcoholic Soft Drinks (375 ml) Mineral Water (375 ml) Fruit Juice Flavoured Milk Tea or Coffee Hot Chocolate Confectionery, Newspapers and Magazines are also available. The purchase of alcohol is restricted on some services. |
$1.75 $2.50 $1.20 $1.20 $1.00 $0.90 $1.30 $1.30 |
Supplementary Menu Added-on to Main Menu Board |
|
McCain Sweet & Sour Pork McCain Macaroni & Cheese on Rice |
$3.50 $3.50 |
NOTE: This menu featured black lettering on a white background.
Panel One |
|
V/LINE ON-BOARD CATERING WELCOME ABOARD LIGHT REFRESHMENTS |
|
HOT FOOD Roast Chicken Roll Hot Dog Pie Pastie Sausage Roll Vegetarian Pastie Burger Mini Pizza Ham & Cheese Croissant COLD FOOD Assorted Sandwiches Salad Roll Flavoured Yoghurt Health Slice Cheese & Biscuits Full Cake Shortbread Anzac Biscuits Jam Tarts |
$3.40 $2.20 $2.00 $2.00 $1.50 $2.00 $3.70 $2.20 $2.50 $2.70 $2.70 $1.20 $1.50 $2.00 $1.00 $1.00 $0.80 $1.10 |
Panel Two |
|
V/LINE ON-BOARD CATERING WELCOME ABOARD BEVERAGES |
|
Tea or Coffee Hot Chocolate or Soup Flavoured Milk Fruit Juice Alcoholic Light Ale Wine Cooler Sundries Tissues Batteries (4 pack) |
$1.30 $1.30 $1.70 $1.10 $2.40 $2.70 $1.00 $4.00 |
NON-ALCOHOLIC |
|
Soft Drinks (375 ml) Mineral Water (375 ml) Spring Water |
$1.40 $1.40 $1.40 |
CONFECTIONERY |
|
Confectionery Lifesavers Twisties Potato Chips Dried Fruit & Nuts |
$1.00 $0.60 $1.00 $1.00 $1.20 |
Non-Standard add-on to Menu |
|
Muffins |
$1.50 |
The Purchase Of Alcohol Is Restricted On Some Services. Newspapers are also available.
Source: Chris. Banger Collection
Refreshment Room classifications and annual rental from 1914 Lease Agreement. Source: Chris. Banger Collection
Class 1 Refreshment Room Meal Hours from 1914 Lease Agreement. Source: Chris. Banger Collection
Class 2 Refreshment Room Meal Hours from 1914 Lease Agreement. Source: Chris. Banger Collection
Schedules attached to Victorian Railways 1914 Refreshment Rooms Lease Agreement. Source: Chris. Banger Collection
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Bruce McLean and Des Jowett for their invaluable assistance.
REFERENCES:
Newsrail and Rail News Victoria - various issues.
The following Public Record Office (PRO) files:
VPRS / 421 / P000 Unit 97 : Dining Cars and Sale of Wines
VPRS / 421 / P000 Unit 175 : Birchip R.R.R.
VPRS / 421 / P000 Unit 194 : Conversion of Mitta Mitta to Vision Test Car
VPRS / 421 / P000 Unit 440 : Donald , Underbool, Ouyen R.R.R. and Ouyen Rest House
VPRS / 421 / P000 Unit 696 : Ouyen - Construction of R.R.R.
Railway Refreshments in Victoria by Albert Isaacs & Roderick Smith (with assistance from Andrew Ward & Chris Banger) (1992 Australian Association of Time Table Collectors)
Refreshment Room Lease Cards
Report on Trading & Catering Services - V.R. by G. Mensforth (March 1975)
Selling Alcohol on Country Trains Study (October 1989 V/Line Passenger Division)
V.R. & V/Line Rolling Stock Books & Rolling Stock Register
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