Australian Railway History

31/01/2025

31/01/2025

🚂THE FEBRUARY ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂
Back in late 1969, Lindsay Morrison was employed by the Victorian Railways as a trainee engineman and was qualified to act as a fireman, based mainly at South Dynon locomotive depot. At that time there was a large complement of folks in the ‘engine’ grades rostered on what was known as the ‘goods roster’. Lindsay tells us about being rostered on to the Essendon Goods. Not a particularly well reported on train back then but today there are no local suburban goods trains in Melbourne and locations like Essendon don’t see anything like this kind of working today. It truly is a gem from the past.
Having three brothers killed in separate railway accidents not only represents a terrible family loss but a happening that has hopefully not been repeated anywhere else in Australia. Neville Pollard writes on some unfortunate family history that he and his brother Geoff have discovered in recent years.
David Matheson writes on the recent Lapstone Hill Tunnel Community Open days and we have another exciting instalment into of Firing Days at South Dynon Loco Depot by Frank Hussey.
All this and more in our FEBRUARY issue!
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Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

30/01/2025

Last to chance to bask in the beauty of the Black and White photos on the Short South in the dying days of steam in this months ARH. All this and more in our JANUARY issue!
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Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/
Or Call (02) 9699 4595 during our opening times.

24/01/2025

We also have some beautiful photos of the Victorian Railways Blue and Gold in our second part of Firing Days at South Dynon Locomotive Depot, 1968 - 1974 by Frank Hussey. Melbourne suburbs have changed so much! Frank Hussey writes on leaving the New South Wales Government Railways and Sydney in September 1968 (see ARH, April 2022) and starting the next stage of his railway career at the Victorian Railways as a trainee engineman at the South Dynon Locomotive Depot. South Dynon was the VR’s largest loco depot in the state and provided locos and crews for the Melbourne area.
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/
Or Call (02) 9699 4595 during our opening times.

10/01/2025

Don't forget to bask in the beauty of the Black and White photos on the Short South in the dying days of steam in this months ARH. All this and more in our JANUARY issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/
Or Call (02) 9699 4595 during our opening times.

30/12/2024

🚂THE JANUARY ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂
Following on from the black and white pictorial coverage of the Main West in the May 2024 issue of Australian Railway History, we provide a similar insight into the section of the Main Southern line to Goulburn, affectionately known as the Short South. While there were short, sharp grades on the North and the West, train working on the Short South involved long sections of continuous uphill grades from Picton (1 in 75 to Moss Vale and then a short section of 1 in 66 from Werai to Exeter). From Goulburn, there were several sections of 1 in 66 right up to the last climb into Moss Vale on the Up. Strategically located at the crest of grades in both directions, Moss Vale played a significant role in steam operations right until the end, with a passenger train terminating there each night and locos being detached after assisting on the main grades. Come and share with us an exquisite selection of black and white photos by Laurie Anderson, Graham Cotterall and Dennis O’Brien from the dying says of steam on the Short South. We also have some beautiful photos of the Blue and Gold in our second part of Firing Days at South Dynon Locomotive Depot, 1968 - 1974 by Frank Hussey.
All this and more in our JANUARY issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

23/12/2024

What was your favorite cover of the year?
The 2024 Index is now available to download and print at the site address below.
We want to wish all of our readers Season Greetings!
Many thanks for all your readership in 2024. We are really looking forward to 2025 and all the rail content that we can fit in!
Make sure you are ready with an ARHS membership or ARH subscription for Digital or Print at https://arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/ or call (02)
9699 4595 when we return on the 6 January 2025!

13/12/2024

The completion of the Daradgee Bridge in October 1924 meant that the north and south of Queensland railways were now finally combined to form the North Coast Line. The line was officially opened on Monday the 8 December 1924 by Queensland Premier Edward Theodore amongst a crowd of 6000, that had arrived by special trains from Townsville, Charters Towers, Cairns and the Atherton Tableland to witness the opening ceremony. This amazing achievement parallels the opening of the Trans Australian railway and the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia’s engineering development.

All this and more in our DECEMBER issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

07/12/2024

THE MIGHTY VR
Frank Hussey writes on leaving the New South Wales Government Railways and Sydney in September 1968 (see ARH, April 2022) and starting the next stage of his railway career at the Victorian Railways as a trainee engineman at the South Dynon Locomotive Depot. South Dynon was the VR’s largest loco depot in the state and provided locos and crews for the Melbourne area.

All this and more in our DECEMBER issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

29/11/2024

🚂THE DECEMBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂

This December we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Queensland’s North Coast Line.
The completion of the Daradgee Bridge in October 1924 meant that the north and south of Queensland railways were now finally combined to form the North Coast Line. The line was officially opened on Monday the 8 December 1924 by Queensland Premier Edward Theodore amongst a crowd of 6000, that had arrived by special trains from Townsville, Charters Towers, Cairns and the Atherton Tableland to witness the opening ceremony. This amazing achievement parallels the opening of the Trans Australian railway and the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia’s engineering development.
Frank Hussey writes on leaving the New South Wales Government Railways and Sydney in September 1968 (see ARH, April 2022) and starting the next stage of his railway career at the Victorian Railways as a trainee engineman at the South Dynon Locomotive Depot. South Dynon was the VR’s largest loco depot in the state and provided locos and crews for the Melbourne area.
We also complete our article by Geoff Lillico on Circular Quay station as the Sydney Ferries move out move out to make way for construction at the birthplace of European settlement and the part played by J J C Bradfield.

All this and more in our DECEMBER issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

22/11/2024

A little item from across the pond in – A relic of New Zealand's rail past has emerged from the mud 93 years after being dumped in a Southland River.

A relic of New Zealand's rail past has emerged from the mud 93 years after being dumped in a Southland River.The Lumsden Heritage Trust has been campaigning ...

01/11/2024

🚂THE NOVEMBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂

On 26 January 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip raised the British flag on the banks of the Tank Stream near where it entered Sydney Cove. One hundred and sixty-eight years later, Circular Quay station was opened on 20 January 1956 by the New South Wales (NSW) Premier, JJ (Joe) Cahill, at a site adjacent to the birthplace of European settlement in Australia. For 100 years prior to that opening, the planning and construction of the station and the City Circle railway it serves was steeped in controversy. The station at the birthplace of European settlement and the part played by J J C Bradfield by author Geoff Lillico covers the history and the problems in building this vital part of the City Railway in Sydney.
More than 40 years (nearly 41 years now) have passed since the Tasmanian Transport Museum in the Hobart suburb of Glenorchy was formally opened to the public. Peter Carey has produced an insightful article and pictorial on the history of the rail operations of the museum as they prepare for operations on more track through Hobarts former main line.
Richard Mathews writes on a unique wagon that has escaped any coverage on the NSW Railways, the Rowland’s Mineral Water Tank Wagon. The timeline for the wagon existed in the late 19th century but Richard has been able to locate some diagrams and some illustrations that prove for interesting reading on the wagons life and function.

All this and more in our NOVEMBER issue!
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Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

01/10/2024

🚂THE OCTOBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂

L Class locomotives also operated suburban goods trains beyond their usual Traralgon Line rosters. Author Chris Banger opens a photo in more ways than one when he takes a look at a photo of L 1169 in the suburb of Fairfield while working a rake of empty wagons used for paper pulp near the mainline junction of the 1.125 kilometre-long Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM) Siding at Fairfield. We look at the history of the siding and history behind the traffic.
Outside of the western Riverina of New South Wales there probably aren’t many who have heard of Carrathool, a village of around 70 inhabitants, three kilometres north of the Murrumbidgee River on the former South West (Junee–Hay) railway, 72.3 miles (116.3km) west of Narrandera1 and 34.7 miles (55.8km) east of Hay. Neville Pollard studies the railway’s role in the rise and fall of Carrathool. Of significance is competition between railway and river for wool traffic and opening of the Griffith–Hillston Line for wheat traffic.
The ARHS Archives have so much amazing things inside but we have recently found an interesting article in amongst CC Singletons papers left to the society about 3801s on its trail trip to Thirroul and return in 1943. It is an interesting account that is not to be missed as so many of CC Singletons accounts, articles and reports are when looking back at those priceless ARHS Bulletin issues.

All this and more in our OCTOBER issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

30/08/2024

🚂THE SEPTEMBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂

We are staying on the North Coast Line of NSW with a wonderful article supplied from Garry Kahler from a trip during the 1977/78 years to Coffs Harbour. Lots of first generation power was in use on the line just as the stickers of the PTC had been applied over the locos in NSWGR livery. The contrast is quite stunning as the trains come through the banana plantations and carry out good trains operations before the yard closed in 1996.
We also get a little architectural with a look at the NSW Two-Storey Railway Houses that were built to accommodate railway staff during the second half of the nineteenth century. Most railway two-storey houses followed architectural styles of the Victorian period with some brilliant examples still seen around the tracks.
Western Australian Government Railways never went to close to Alcos before but with the awarding of this contract for the soon to be N Class, it was a complete departure from the past locomotive buying practices of the WAGR. The WAGR had entered the diesel locomotive era in the 1950s with locomotives sourced from British builders. In the 1960s the focus for main and branch line locomotives shifted to a mix of Clyde Engineering/General Motors EMD and Australian built English Electric units. It was an experiment to say the least!

All this and more in our SEPTEMBER issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

18/08/2024

Australian Railway History – August 2024 Issue Out Now

This month’s issue of Australian Railway History is brimming with fascinating stories and detailed accounts that bring our railway heritage to life. Here are three standout articles you won’t want to miss:

Temporary Transfer to Ararat: Dive into the personal experiences of Lindsay Morrison as he recounts his time as a young Victorian Railways fireman, temporarily stationed in Ararat during the busy wheat season. A vivid portrayal of life on the rails in the late 1960s.

A Lament for the Murwillumbah Railway – 20 Years On: Explore the history and eventual decline of the Murwillumbah line in this insightful second part by Peter Cokley. A reflective piece on the impact of this line on local communities and the broader railway network.

Rail Travel to the Gold Coast: Join Col Gilbertson on a nostalgic journey back to the days when trains connected Sydney to the glitzy Gold Coast, offering a glimpse into the golden era of rail travel to this iconic destination.

Subscriptions available online at https://arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/ and come free with ARHS membership. Or visit your local newsagent to purchase this month's issue.

31/07/2024

🚂THE AUGUST ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂

Ararat was the busiest railway yard and junction outside of Melbourne and late December 1969, Lindsay Morrison was a Victorian Railways Trainee Engineman. With the wheat season underway, this was a busy time each year on the VR as many special additional trains were run to transfer grain. Additional train crews were required and consequently Lindsay was to be temporarily transferred to Ararat to help run these extra trains. It was an interesting time with the demise of steam in sight and the coming of more and more diesels to the region. We extend our coverage of 20 years since the closure of the Murwillumbah Line with Part 2 of A Lament for the Murwillumbah Railway, 20 years on by Peter Cokley. But we also offer a complementing article by Col Gilbertson with his Rail Travel to the Gold Coast. Col discusses and places context to the changes in rollingstock and the passenger trains that ran in the late 20th century along the North Coast Line leading up to the closure. The Murwillumbah Railway was not immune to the effects of the national economy but it held in there as a result of state electoral math but in the end with changes in government it sadly couldn’t last forever.

All this and more in our AUGUST issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

28/06/2024

🚂THE JULY ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂

Unusually we look at some railway history in the early 2000s on Australia’s Apple Isle in the July issue. Pacific Nationals tenure in Tasmania was short and an odd time to say the least between 2004 and 2009. Equipment and track faults but also EE locomotives could not be used in multiple with EMD units to operate trains. Very few locos ever wore the PN livery. It’s a very interesting article and an ideal time to assess the privatisation with perspective. We complete the final part of History of the Gippsland Line Electrification this month but no electric rolling stock exist now but its reminds us of some of the unusual rolling stock that we saw in the 1990s after the wires were pulled down. But there is more in sight as we have just received another article on the other Gippsland Electrification (watch this space)!
Where has time gone – who can believe that it has been 20 years since the last XPT left Murwillumbah station? Once it left it ended 110 years of rail transport in the region!

All this and more in our JULY issue!
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

21/06/2024

To anyone that enjoyed our February issue on The Trans-Australian Railway, a time now forgotten!