Tilt Train into Tropic Thunder

Roma Street railway station Brisbane 

Greetings from the Spirit of Queensland train, at Mackay, Queensland. We left Brisbane yesterday afternoon and traveled through the night, past flooded fields. There is Tropical Low 30U in our path ahead and it is unlikely we will reach our destination of Cairns (lows do not get the romantic names of cyclones). This tilt train is comfortable and well equipped. 

First class seat 

I am in first class, with lie flat beds. There is a large video screen for each seat, but with a very limited selection of video & audio entertainment. The seats are comfortable with power adjustment. However, to convert to a bed the staff have to plug in an extra hand controller and manually unfold part of the chair. 

There is one USB socket for each seat and a place for a bottle of water (with a complementary bottle in it). There is a pillow, doona, blanket and towel in an overhead locker. There is a toilet and a toilet shower at the end of the carriage (a very large shower by railway standards). The food is good (and included in the ticket price). There is a cafe car in the middle of the train.

While a tilt train, it is not particularly fast, due to the narrow winding track. But the ride is comfortable. We have had to divert around Gladstone due to flooding and there is water lying in the cane fields around Mackay, but the train is only one hour behind schedule. 

The train has no WFi but Telstra's mobile coverage works most of the way.