On April 1st, 1952, South Australia embarked on one of the most ambitious—and certainly one of the most baffling—experiments in public transport history with the launch of the triple-decker train in Adelaide. Designed to provide an elevated view of the state's stunning landscapes, including the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley, these towering locomotives promised to transform rail travel and attract tourists in droves. The three stacked levels included an upper deck for panoramic sightseeing, a middle level with standard seating, and a lower deck for dining and bicycle storage.

Unfortunately, the reality of the triple-decker train quickly proved to be far from the glamorous vision envisioned by planners. The immense height of the carriages made them unstable on curves, causing unnerving swaying at high speeds. The new design forced hurried modifications to station platforms, creating confusion as commuters struggled to board the correct level. The most infamous mishap occurred when a passenger on the top deck reached for a newspaper, only to find himself in a precarious encounter with an overhead bridge near Blackwood. Tunnels also posed a significant problem, and the plan to alter the train tracks through the Adelaide Hills was quickly deemed unfeasible, as it would require the construction of an entirely new railway network.

After just six months, the triple-decker train experiment was quietly abandoned, and the remaining trains were repurposed for other uses, including static dining establishments in country towns. One of the repurposed trains is even rumored to still exist as a forgotten chicken coop in the Clare Valley. Although the project failed, the triple-decker train remains a quirky and largely forgotten chapter in South Australia's transportation history, a bold vision that couldn't quite defy the limits of engineering and practicality.