Sightseer Limited
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Status | discontinued (1987) |
| Locale | Themiclesia |
| Predecessor | AC Recliner Limited |
| First service | February 22, 1956 |
| Last service | September 22, 1988 |
| Current operator(s) | National Rail |
| Route | |
| Line(s) used | All non-electrified lines |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | AC Recliner |
| Seating arrangements | 52 (per SPRA coach) 20 (in Skylight coach) |
| Catering facilities | Restaurant car Snack bar |
| Observation facilities | Skylight observation coach |
| Baggage facilities | Baggage van |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | S6 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Operating speed | 90 MPH |
Routes and variations
Rakes
Operation history
Immediately before the war, most trains had either II/III or all-III rakes, while important named trains often had I/II rakes. When the war intensified, I class coaches were withdrawn, and II class coaches were converted en masse to III class to support troop movements. After the war, some named trains that formerly had I/II rakes recovered their I class coaches (e.g. the 1/2 Northern and 7/8 Rak Day), yet many others were revived as II-class only services (e.g. 15/16 Qwang Limited). In the late 40s, the wartime conversion of II coaches to III created a shortage of II coaches post-war, and Recliner coaches (which were used in war as sleeper substitutes) were provided as II coaches. Thus, in the late 40s and early 50s, over 20 pairs of named trains suspended during the war were revived as all-II class or all-Recliner trains.
AC Recliner coaches had appeared as early as 1950, but they were used specifically on named services (such as the 7/8 Day Rak Limited) and complemented air conditioned I class coaches on those trains. These pioneering AC Recliner coaches used the same dynamo mechanism to power their AC units as I class coaches did as far back as the 30s. Because the AC unit on each coach ran independently, they could be entrained with non-AC coaches with no interfacing problems. Thus, during the early 50s, premium trains often consisted of both non-AC and AC Recliner coaches, the latter being more expensive.
With AC available throughout named trains by 1952, AC was rolled out on the ex-named trains with II-class rakes from November 1952. National Rail approached this rollout piecemeal, and the first fully-AC Recliner train did not appear until January 2, 1954, the 21/22 being christened the Northwestern AC Recliner Limited (溫冷汽座臥特快客). Other trains were converted to AC stock by wholesale upgrade to the new Series 6 coaches that began service in mid-1954. By early 1957, National Rail ran nine all-AC Recliner services, powered by head-end power after the introduction of diesel locomotives in mid-1952.
During the post-war years through the 50s, National Rail sought to enter the tourism market which it believed had higher margins than mere railway business under government regulation. To this end, it also built some hotels and tourist lodges on its properties across Themiclesia. National Rail integrated the AC Recliner Limited services part of its railway-based tours and experimentally manufactured in 1954 a prototype Skylight coach that included a lounge area with glass roof and enlarged, rear-facing windows for an unobstructed view out the rear. The prototype was a great success, prompting National Rail to add it to trains more broadly in 1957. This combination of AC Recliner coaches and Skylight car was then formally named the Sightseer Limited in 1957.
Culture
The Sightseer Limited series became a byname for luxury travel during the late 1950s and a repesentation of Themiclesia's economic recovery from the depredations of the Pan-Septentrion War. Its monoclass rake also injected a theme of equality resonating with some of the wartime propaganda aimed at national unity, despite the reality that most Themiclesians could not afford to travel regularly by this level of service.
Vouchers
Since National Rail's charter required it to support the travel needs of public servants, it issued vouchers to meet this requirement for occasional travellers; the voucher issued depended on the recipient's rank. Most enlisted ratings and petty officers contended with III Class vouchers (legroom 26 in (660 mm)), but officers were usually allowed to travel II Class or Recliner (legroom 52 in (1,321 mm)). With the introduction of AC Reclier coaches in 1950, vouchers for this class were also issued to senior officers ranked major/commander or above. The introduction of the Sightseer Limited service level in 1956 induced the introduction of vouchers at this level as well to senior officers, with AC Recliner vouchers then cascading down to captain/lieutenant rank and non-AC Recliner down to lieutenant/midshipman rank in 1956.
The correlation between service rank and voucher was strict only at the point National Rail issues them. In practice, servicepeople regularly traded the vouchers between themselves for money. Such trade was unlawful but never actively censured because it was almost impossible to prove and because successful prosecutions wouldn't result in a financial benefit for any party. The market rate of the vouchers varied between military bases because some bases had a higher proportion of individuals who do not need vouchers; here, premium vouchers like Recliner, AC Recliner, and Sightseer may trickle down to enlisted ratings especially for a fee to a more senior claimant. On the other hand, remote bases would see the standard III Class voucher sold at a premium to officers because demand for any kind of voucher was high.
According to some memoirs, Recliner vouchers usually sold for about $10, AC Recliner for $15, and Sightseer for $20 around the Kien-k'ang area during the late 50s. At the Rem district base, the officers and ratings pinned the vouchers they owned on a bulletin board and the price they wanted for the voucher.