ill, maps, p.208.non-fictionThe Iron Roads of the Australian Outback - the legendary Commonwealth Railways were built through some of the harshest landscapes on Earth. They were railways like no other, where men and women battled extreme temperatures, flash floods and maddening isolation to keep the trains running. This publication is the culmination of 25 years of Outback exploration, research, photography and interviews by author Nick Anchen. The result is a diverse book which brings to life both the beauty and harshness of the Australian Outback, through a collection of fascinating and historic images, along with the memories of former Commonwealth Railways employees. Following an introductory chapter on the vastness and grandeur of the Australian interior - highlighted by the memoirs of 1950s flying doctor Macarthur Job - the book delves into the story of the Central Australia Railway. This was the line built through the 'back of beyond' - the forbidding desert country of South Australia and the Northern Territory. It was here that operators of famous trains such as The Ghan battled searing heat, dust storms and raging floodwaters to keep the trains running. The chapter includes stories by well known Ghan conductor 'Aspro' Lyons, and 'Piano Playing Chef' Paddy Greenfield - along with enginemen Wolf Markowski and John Theel, both of whom worked trains on this famous railway. The story of the North Australia Railway - 'The Line to Nowhere' - is the tale of a ramshackle railway which came alive during the dark days of World War II. The memoirs of wartime engineman Jim Prentice are eye opening, as are the hair raising accounts of surviving Tropical Cyclone Tracy, as told by rolling stock foreman Bill Donaldson. The Trans-Australian Railway was built across one of the harshest and loneliest environments on Earth - the vast Nullarbor Plain. Stories from enginemen Jack Slattery and Ron Howrie, along with Nullarbor resident and roadmaster's wife Cathy Beek, tell not only of the rudimentary living conditions and maddening isolation, but of the great camaraderie amongst the railway people who kept trains such as the Trans-Australian and the Tea and Sugar running. As well as examining the ruins and relics from the long-closed CR narrow gauge lines, the book also includes a chapter on the much-loved Pichi Richi Railway - the last surviving portion of that great Transcontinental Railway dream from another age. commonwealth railways (australia) -- history., central australia railway -- history.

A book of 110 pages based on journals kept by the author, this book gives an authentic, first-hand insight into what cruises were like in the 1950s.non-fictionAfter making a life changing decision to travel overseas on a working and backpacking holiday, the author then had to earn enough money to pay for the voyage, travel and backpack. He resigned from his employment in the railways and began work on a much more lucrative job in his trade. Soon he had all the money he needed for the adventure. The author left Australia in November 1951 on the TSS Moreton Bay and spent two exciting years working in England, and backpacking in the UK, Scandinavia and the Continent. He returned to Australia in October 1953 on the TSS Orion. This book is the story of his very different experiences on board each ship. The TSS Moreton Bay from Port Melbourne to Southampton, and the TSS Orion from Naples to Port Melbourne. Both voyages were filled with many exciting events and experiences, some of which were completely unexpected. The author believes he was very fortunate to have travelled on those ships and will never forget the experience as long as he lives.gordon smith, tss moreton bay, tss orion

index, ill, p.217.non-fictionINTRODUCTION Until well into the twentieth century, driver, fireman and guard — with a locomotive — set out on something resembling a safari. Tucker boxes crammed with food, a change of clothing, a roll of blankets, and armed with a sheaf of time-tables, they worked trains hither and thither not to return home for almost a week. But the passing of time, plus union pressure, brought an end to the need for "waltzing Matilda". Not only blankets but sheets, pillow slips, then later mosquito nets, along with other aids to civilized living, were provided by the Department in living quarters away from home. Few wives took kindly to the chore of selecting and preparing food and packing tucker boxes. Railwaymen seeking board and lodgings in a new depot could receive a set-back by being told "no tucker boxes packed". Until pooling of locomotives in depots became the order, a driver and fireman had "their own engine", and great was the competition between engine crews to display the best groomed horse. Much time might be spent outside rostered working hours cleaning their engine with kerosene and polishing with tallow and bath brick. So spotless and sparkling were some that a proud engineman would say a clean white handkerchief could be rubbed even over a hidden part. While miners talked of what made their day, farmers discussed crops and harvests, seamen their ships, and trainers and jockeys their horses, wherever steam men gathered, discussion soon turned to locomotives and the trains they hauled. Like jockeys with their mounts, iron horses with excellent traits were praised while those with annoying peculiarities were criticized and remedies suggested. Methods of firing to get best results from slow steaming locos were debated. Driver warned driver of weaknesses found in locomotives on recent "trips", spoke of developing defects calling for close attention — this one is "knocking Badly on one side", that one "priming badly (give her a good blow down before leaving the shed)", another with a "big end inclined to run hot", one with "a lot of slop in the boxes", one "getting down on the springs", or the sloth that was slow pulling on steep climbs to the chagrin of a driver striving to run on time. Things of no small concern when handling a locomotive on a train for a shift of maybe eight hours straight, or ten, even twelve, and on occasions longer. Foreknowledge of the particular loco allotted his train on the next job could fill the preceding hours for a driver or fireman with pleasant contentment, or with nagging trepidation and disgust…… railroads -- queensland -- history, railroads -- australia -- queensland -- history.