The Violet Town rail accident, also known as the Southern Aurora disaster, was a railway accident that occurred on 7 February 1969 following the incapacitation of the driver of one of the trains, near the McDiarmids Road crossing, approximately 1 km south of Violet Town, Victoria, Australia. The crash resulted in nine deaths and 117 injuries. Background The Southern Aurora was an overnight express service between the two largest Australian cities, Melbourne and Sydney. The service began in 1962 with the opening of the North East standard gauge line in Victoria, which enabled direct rail traffic between the two capitals for the first time. Owned and operated jointly by the Victorian Railways (VR) and New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR), the Southern Aurora ran in both directions each night with first-class sleeping carriages making up the entire train. Disputes between VR and NSWGR during the design and construction phase of the passenger carriages had led to several compromises, including the ability to fit bogies of the preferred types of both railways. Due to the insistence of manufacturer Commonwealth Engineering, stainless steel was eventually selected as the primary material, despite the initial reticence of the railways, who wished to use their own existing carriage designs. Among the vaunted benefits of stainless steel construction was its superior crashworthiness, a benefit that was maximised by late design changes made to improve the energy-absorbing capacity of the draw gear between carriages. Freight services had also begun on the standard gauge line in 1962, with the commissioning of facilities at Melbourne's South Dynon. Passenger services like the Aurora shared the primarily single-track main line with freight traffic in both directions; it was usual practice for freight trains to be held at passing loops (short sections of double track) in order to minimise delays to passenger timetables. One such crossing loop was located at Violet Town, around in rail distance to the north-east of Melbourne. The loop had a length of , and, like the rest of the standard gauge line between Melbourne and Albury, signals and points were operated by centralised traffic control from Melbourne. On the night of the accident, 7 February 1969, the Southern Aurora from Sydney departed with fourteen carriages, carrying a near-capacity load of 192 passengers and 22 crew by the time it reached Violet Town. Its driver was Jack Bowden, a highly experienced 52-year-old VR employee; its fireman was 30-year-old