1888 - TAM class sleeping car

TAM class sleeping car

Built: 1929

Builder: New South Wales Railways, Eveleigh

Current status: Static display

TAM 1888 was one of the last of its kind built in 1929, but the TAM 12-wheel cars were first built in 1914. They were the successor to American-style sleeping cars like the AL1040, built to cater for the growing demand for sleeper trains. Their 6-wheel bogies not only gave a smoother ride, but allowed the carriages to be longer and hold more people.

TAM sleepers were a common sight on the Canberra branch, as they were used frequently on services to Cooma and Bombala. They were also used by politicians travelling to Parliament. A TAM sleeper would be detached from the Melbourne Limited at Goulburn, and coupled to a Canberra-bound train.

During the Second World War, TAM 1888 was one of several NSWGR passenger cars requisitioned by the Army for the purposes of creating an Ambulance Train, ferrying wounded troops from the docks to inland hospitals. Later in life, TAM 1888 was fitted with electric foot warmers, reclassified XAM 1888, and used on ski traffic to Cooma.