The Brisbane Limited was an Australian passenger train service operated by the New South Wales Government Railways between Sydney and Brisbane from 1888 until February 1990. The route is now served by an unnamed XPT service.
History
The Brisbane Limited originally operated from Sydney via the Main Northern line to Wallangarra. A change of gauge required passengers to change here for a narrow gauge Queensland Railways train on its Southern line to complete the journey to Brisbane.
The Limited service was also known as a 'limited express'; its daily service ran in parallel with a 'mail train', open to passengers, which featured more stops and took several hours longer."Sydney Mail Train, The New Timetable", 'The Telegraph' (Brisbane) 1 November 1915
Following the extension of the North Coast line to South Brisbane in September 1930, it was rerouted shaving six hours off the journey time, even allowing for the need for the train to be taken over the Clarence River by barge pending the completion of the Grafton Bridge."Brisbane Express First Train Leaves via North Coast Route" Sydney Morning Herald 27 September 1930 This occurred in May 1932."Crossing the Clarence" Roundhouse July 1982 pages 4-23 Its headcode was NL1/NL2.
In the early 1950s, it began to be worked by diesel locomotives and from January 1960 was hauled by 46 class electric locomotives south of Gosford. Also in 1960 stainless steel sleeping carriages were introduced."The Southern Aurora and the Sydney – Melbourne Expresses" Railway Digest January 1994 page 18
From June 1984, it was hauled by electric locomotives to Broadmeadow, and in June 1986 was extended at its northern end over the Merivale Bridge to Roma Street."North Coast Report" Railway Digest September 1986 page 280 It was withdrawn in February 1990 to be replaced by an unnamed XPT service."The New Timetable" Railway Digest March 1990 page 94
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