On January 1st 1915 the Manchester Unity Order of Oldfellows had planned to hold its annual New Years day picnic.  A train was scheduled to run to Silverton from Broken Hill carrying those headed for the picnic.  It pulled out of Broken Hill's Sulphide Street station at 10am carrying 1200 men, women and children travelling in 40 open trucks fitted with wooden seats.

About two miles out of Broken Hill, an ice cream cart flying a Turkish flag was noticed by those on the train.  It was on the northern side of the line close to the railway fence and two men, later identified as Gool Mohamed and Mulla Abdulla, lay in a trench beside the track within 30 yards of the passing train.  They began firing as the train drew level with them The firing continued as the train passed with 20 or 30 shots being fired in total. 

The train was brought to a halt further up the line.  It was found as a result of the attack on the train two people were killed and seven wounded.  Two of the iron railway trucks  bore marks of the attack. One had a circular hole in it about 7/8 of an inch in diameter. The other had a circular mark of about the same size, but this one did not penetrate the steel side of the truck.

At this point it was decided that  the train should pull into the Silverton Tramway Company's Reservoir to tend the wounded and call for help.  From the siding (a stretch of railway line where trains can safely be left stationery) the alarm was telephoned to the police in Broken Hill and Inspector Miller sent some men to the scene. The police also contacted Lieutenant Resch at the local army base and all available men from the local army base were contacted and despatched.

The train then made its way back to Broken Hill meeting Dr Moulden and others in motor cars, who had responded to the telephone calls, on the way. Some of the injured were taken by car, and the others were taken back on the train to the Broken Hill hospital..