Blackburn Railway Station showing goods yard and open carriage.blackburn, railway station, goods yard

The engine was being transported because it had broken a coupling in transit. Windsor Crescent is in the background. We have an original copy donated by Ian Barkla and a larger one copied by Ken Hall. The Barkla original has a sticker with his reference details on the back.A black and white photocopy of a steam engine. There are some local kinder children and an adult inspecting the train and climbing on the picket fence. The house in the background is in Windsor Crescent.surrey hills railway station, goods yard, steam train, transporter wagon, 1950, children, clothing and dress

Box Hill Railway Station and goods yard where goods trains were loaded, shunted and passenger trains were parked as needed.Black and white photorailway stations, railway carriages, box hill railway station

The railway goods yard in Carrington Road. This site is now a multi-storey car park for Box Hill Shopping Centre - Centro.Black and white photocarrington road, box hill, railway lines

Box Hill Railway goods yard where trains were shunted, goods trains were loaded and passenger trains were parked as needed.Black and white phototrain services, trains, railway carriages, railway lines

railway goods yard on the corner of Carrington Road and Thurston Street in October 1975.This site is now a multi-storey car park for Box Hill Shopping Centre - Centro.Black and white photocarrington road, thurston street

Set of six reports from the "The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways" .1 - Report - 12 pages + plan printed stapled titled "Report - Darling - Glen Waverley" - includes connexion between Camberwell to Ferntree Gully and Oakleigh. Dated 30/6/1926 .2 - Report - 16 pages - "Report - Outer Eastern Suburbs Connecting Railway or Tramway (Doncaster, Templestowe and Warrandyte)"- 8/7/1925. .3 - Report - 24 pages - "Doncaster and Warrandyte Districts Connecting Railway" - 13/12/1928 - 2 copies held. .4 - Report - 12 pages - Proposed Kew to Doncaster Electric Railway Extension" - 4/12/1930 - 3 copies held - see also Reg Item 414. .5 - Report - 16 pages including plan - "Keilor and Bulla Districts Connecting Railway" - 1926. .6 - Progress Report - 12 pages including plans - "Proposed Expenditure under railway loan application Act - provision of connecting lines between Glenroy and Albion and Melbourne Goods Yard" - 30/6/1926. Includes a circular letter dated 24/7/1926, enclosing reports 5 and 6 from the Secretary of the Metropolitan Town Planning Commission. Note: All these documents are available as a pdf on the Parliament of Victoria website..2 - has "Manager" stamped and "Mr. Murdoch" and a date in the top right hand corner.. .3 - copy 2 - has "Mr. Lormer" as for .4trams, tramways, railways, parliament, darling, glen waverley, doncaster, templestowe, warrandyte, keilor, essendon

The donor George Lister Coop was about 21 years of age when he took this photo. It is one of a small series of photos donated by him that relate to Mont Albert and Surrey Hills stations. He has always had an interest in railways and there are other examples of his documentation of railway history in other collections contributing to this database. R J Mercer was the butcher at 112 Union Road. This property has a long history of being a butcher's shop beginning from c1904. He took over from Edward Lloyd in 1951. Spotless Dry Cleaners were at 104 Union Road.This is an important photo as there are few known colour images of the station prior to the installation of the third line in the early 1970s, which resulted in the demolition of the station built in 1883. It is also significant as a record of the housing along the south side of Stirling Crescent which was later replaced by light industry.A digital colour photo of Surrey Hills railway station taken from the overhead pedestrian footbridge looking towards Canterbury. Both tracks and the verandas on either side of the line can be seen, as can the railway gates in the open position and the signal box, beside which is a large palm tree. A section of red goods vans are positioned in the adjacent goods yard. Some of the businesses and advertising hoardings in Union Road can be seen in the background. These include A Doubleday (real estate agents), R J Mer..., grocer, baker, Spotless Dry Cleaning, Robur tea and Lipton tea (part of only). A number of the Edwardian houses along the south side of Stirling Crescent are also seen.george l coop, surrey hills railway station, goods yard, real estate agent, a doubleday, grocer, baker, union road, stirling crescent, spotless dry cleaning, r j mercer, butcher

Railway station and goods yards, c1880tatura, buildings, historic, transport, railway

Railway station and goods yards; c1920tatura, buildings, historic

Colour photograph of a railway station and goods yardWritten on back of photo: "Springhurst"springhurst station, railways, railway stations

yarra junction railway station goods yard powelltown tramway

Black and white postcard photograph of railway station, goods yard, siding and a steam train.Written on back of card: "The Railway Station Rutherglen | Dear Alice, Just a card to wish you all a Bright and Prosperous New Year. With Love From. Cousin Ellen. | Miss Barnard, 144 The Parade, Ascot Vale."railway stations, rutherglen railway station, rutherglen railway yards, steam trains

Black and white photograph of Geelong Pengelley tram No. 19 in Railway Terrace inbound to the City area. See also Reg. Item 2800 for the tram at the station terminus. Photo shows the fence along the south side of the Railway goods yard. Photo taken 1955 or 1956.tramways, trams, geelong, railway station, railway terrace, tram 19

Box Hill Railway Station and tracks, October 1975. Also shows goods yard where goods trains were loaded, shunted and passenger trains were parked as needed, looking east to Box Hill Station, Thurston Street with parked cars.Black and white photorailway stations, railways, thurston street, box hill railway station

Black and White PhotographAccompanying printed sheet reads, "Taken a few minutes after the previous picture shows the Croydon train arriving. Also in this picture you can see the wooden pole supporting the wiring bridge over the goods yard. This was another temporary resulting from the June 1945 accident.

Photograph shows a view north east over the intersection of Fenwick St, Gordon Ave, towards the Railway station. Photo taken before the Goods yard was fully developed and the offices were added to the station buildings.Yields information about the Geelong railway station precinct.Black and white photograph, with a plain back.geelong, railway station, gordon ave

Historic - Victorian Railways Station sign used at Whitfield Station Whitfield Station The terminus of the line. Whitfield was the most distant narrow gauge station from Melbourne Opened 1899 Closed 1953 Whitfield was the small terminus for the Whitfield railway line The station had a moderately long passenger platform, small goods yard, goods shed, ticket office and locomotive shed. Platforms 1 Tracks 3 Historic - Victorian Railways Station sign used at Whitfield StationStation Sign - Whitfield large black wooden backing board with white letteringWhitfieldpuffing billy, victorian railways, station sign, whitfield

Suburban electric train of the swing door variety seen here inbound to the City from St Kilda having just joined the Port Melbourne lines at the former Port Melbourne & St Kilda Junction. The angle of the Port Melbourne lines over Clarendon St are the remains of the former Port Melbourne main line that went right through the middle of Montague Goods Yard seen in the background.transport - railways, red train

Possibly used in the Orbost district. Railway lamps of this kind were hand signalling lamps used by train guards, shunters and sometimes signalmen and station staff. They could signal the locomotive crew at night to let them know what to do (move forward/move backward/right-of-way) when leaving a station, goods yard or siding. Railway lamps of this kind were significant railway items in their period of use as essential tools to the safe-working operations of the railway. Two railway signal lamps. These are kerosene burning lamps made of metal and painted red. Both lamps have carrying handles at the top. .1 has a green glass lens and .2 has a red glass lens. signals lamps communication railway transport kerosene-burning

Black and white photograph of a cable tram trailer loaded onto a truck operated by the Maine Carrying Co with a banner advertising "Trams - Anywhere". Has two workers standing alongside. Thought to be photographed at Spencer St Station goods yard with one of the sheds behind it. Possibly for shipping to a country location. The truck has the telephone Central 684, solid tyres and an acetylene lamp. On the rear of the photograph is a dated 1929. Two prints held.On rear in red ink "1929" and "4-108-1" in blue ink. The date appears to be in Bob Lilburn's hand writing.trams, tramways, cable trams, sale of trams, disposal, spencer st

Photograph of Geelong No. 21, side on view, inbound to the city area with the destination of Belmont. Shows the crews in shirt sleeves, the blinds drawn and the length of the tram with its two trolley poles. Photo by an unknown photographer, 1954. Dave O'Neil confirmed June 30/2009, the tram is travelling from North to Belmont, most likely at Mercer and Railway Terrace. Entrance to the goods yard is at the rear of the tram, and Gordon institute can been seen through the front entrance. See Related documents.Yields information about the appearance of Geelong 21 and the crews operating it on a hot summers day.Black and white photograph with notes on the rear. Two copies held. Second copy on AGFA paper.In pencil on the rear 1954.tramways, trams, geelong, crews, railway station, tram 21

Station facilities for the travelling public on the narrow gauge line at Colac Railway Station were non-existent for many years. Tickets were purchased from the broad gauge booking office and the travellers then had to walk with their luggage over the rough, potentially ankle-twisting, stone approaches, through the goods yard and wait in the open amongst the mud holes alongside the narrow gauge departure track. In 1922 a footbridge was erected over the broad gauge lines, and a passenger shelter and small goods shed were built on the departure track.B/W. At Colac Railway Station, an locomotive 8A with five NQR wagons, an NM livestock wagon and a NBDBD combined passenger and brake van destined for Beech Forest, with either the driver or the fireman peering out of the engine, three youths standing at the front of the engine, and a group of people, including a woman, standing near the livestock wagon. A multi-storied shed and two houses are in the background. 179mm x 280mm picture.colac; railway; narrow gauge; na locomotive;

3151.1 is of a water tanker on stand by at Orbost ready for emergency use. Similar suppliers were at Bairnsdale and Nowa Nowa. The two tankers hels about 9,000 gallons (34068.7 litres) - from a news item in "Gippsland" September, 1971. 3151.2 is of Victoria's X class 1,800 H.P general purpose diesel electric locomotive. Si had been ordered for the Victorian Railways and cost about £ 250,000 each. 3151.3 is of several loaded, covered railway trucks on a rail line. 3151.4 was taken at the goods yard at Orbost Railway Station. 3151.5 has some rail wagons with "SHOWMOBILE COUNCIL OF ADULT EDUCATION" on the sides. 3151.6 is of goods wagons (Probably not at Orbost Station) 3151.7 is a goods train 3151.8 shows the loading or unloading of farm produce at Orbost railway Station. 3151.9 shows cattle being loaded at Orbost Railway Station. 3151.10 is of a container N.Y.K. LINE ( a Japanese shipping company) This item is associated with the history of the Orbost-Bairnsdale railway line and therefore reflects the role that the rail line played in the social and economic history of Orbost.Ten black / white photographs related to Orbost rail. orbost-railway east-gippsland-railway transport-railway railway-engine orbost-railway-station export-produce

Set of seven Colour slides, Kodak, brown cardboard of the removal of the Elsternwick Level crossing on 28-5-1960 .1 - looking down into he cutting through the old goods yard - has the platform being installed. .2 - X2 675 crossing the new bridge with the level crossing in the background. .3 - L103, to the city, route 4, with the conductor watching the trolley pole. Has an advert for white horse whiskey. .4 - W2 269, route 4 to Carnegie, on the level crossing. Has a building in the background, advertising Esquire car sales. .5 - A Tait train on the crossing no gates in operation. .6 - ditto, to Sandringham .7 - W6 965, route 4 to the City on the crossing. Has two railway hoardings in the background advertising BP Benzol petrol and Saunders Pure Malt extract and part of a sign for Penfolds. The tram has an advert for Porsche cars. Note the tram stop sign on the small post alongside the tram.Hand writing on rear in ink; .1 - 28-5-60 - Railway cutting for underpass at Elsternwick Vic. .2 - ditto, tram 675 on temporary tracks in Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick Vic. .3 - tram 103 on temporary tracks in Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick Vic. .4 - tram 269 on temporary tracks in Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick Vic. .5 - Elsternwick station new crossing .6 - Temporary track Elsternwick Vic .7 - Tram 965 at temporary stop at Elsternwick Vic.trams, tramways, elsternwick, level crossings, railway squares, w2 class, l class, carnegie, south caulfield, glenhuntly rd, w6 class, vr

Yields information about the tram operations at or near the Ballarat Railway Station.Six (6) Digital images taken by George Coop during the period 1968 - 1970, of SEC trams in Lydiard St North near or at the Railway station/ .1 - Tram 28 northbound with the station building and signal gantry in the background. No. 28 has a White Florist roof advert. .2 - Tram 32 southbound - taken from the signal box, has the gate wheel in the foreground. .3 - Tram 27 south bound, with destination of Sebastopol, with the station building, signal gantry and Reid's Coffee Palace in the background. No. 27 has a Twin Lakes sign and a Bliss Bombs roof advert. .4 - Tram 32, northbound, crossing the railway tracks, taken from the signal box has the railway station goods shed, building and signal gantry in the background. The tram has a Wilkinson Sword Razor blades roof advert. .5 - Tram 28, southbound from signal box. See image .1 for details. .6 - Tram 27, southbound in Lydiard St north with Bliss Bombs advert and destination of Sebastopol. Has the goods yard in the background. Taken through the verandah of Victoria House. trams, tramways, level crossings, railway station, lydiard st north, signals, tram 28, tram 32, tram 27

The Tottenham Yard began as a modest goods yard supporting local industries in Braybrook, Tottenham, and West Footscray, the Sunshine industrial belt and the nearby munitions and explosives factories Key features of the early yard included a small number of sidings, a goods shed, a basic loading / unloading facilities and a connection to the Tottenham triangle (Sunshine–Footscray–North Melbourne junction). As the yard expanded with additional siding and larger marshalling areas, there was a requirement to maintain the Ashley Street North – South access route for private and commercial travel. The work involved to solve this problem was to elevate the railway yard and place Ashley Street through a tunnel. This railway underpass for many years was simply known as the Ashley Street Tunnel. By the 1970s, the Tottenham Yard had become one of the largest freight yards in Victoria, second only to Dynon. In the 1982, the level crossing gates at the southern end of tunnel were removed, the tunnel extended southwards and the former Tottenham Railway Station was replaced with an elevated one above the new tunnel extension. During these works the road surface level was lowered to allow for higher trucks to pass through. At this point of time, the reference to tunnel was replaced with underpass. During the 1990’s and 2000’s, there was a decline in the use of the Tottenham Yard and many sidings were removed, shorten, converted to storage or left unused. Today the yard is used for wagon storage, crew changes, light shunting and providing access to the Tottenham triangle and Sunshine corridor.These photographs were taken shortly after the tunnel was completed.5335.01 - Ashley Street Railway Underpass Looking North Photo 01.jpg 5335.02 - Ashley Street Railway Underpass Looking South Photo 02.jpgashley street, railway line, tottenham

The original Mitcham Station was opened on 25th December 1882. Until the 1970s a shunting yard and goods shed existed where the southern car park is now. Tracks remained embedded in the car park for many years. In 1979 boom gates were provided at both Mitcham Road and Rooks Road. From December 2009 to January 2010 Mitcham Railway Station was used as a bus interchange when the realignment of tracks and construction of a new station occurred at Nunawading. The new Mitcham Station opened on 25th January 2014.Coloured photographs of the construction of the underground railway station at Mitcham in 2013-14 and the opening in 2014.mitcham railway station construction 2013-14, mitcham railway station opening 2014, mitcham railway station, rialway stations

Photographer notations on slide: "Unloading Timber at Wharves 1933 Age B5" Published: Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- ), Tuesday 15 August 1933 MAHOGANY FROM MANILA. (1933, August 15). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204377024 Published title: MAHOGANY FROM MANILA Published Caption: Age Tue 15 Aug 1933 Caption: Unloading Mahogany Logs brought from Manila, Philippine Islands, by the steamer Taiping, which berthed yesterday at Victoria Dock. The vessel discharged twenty logs, each weighing three tons, the first shipment of this type of timber landed in Melbourne. Research by Project Volunteer, Louise McKenzie: This photograph in many ways epitomises Melbourne in the 1930s. It is a time of enormous growth, development and change. But before delving into that, the photo itself is very powerful. The huge mahogany logs being unloaded appear to be so heavy that the ship itself seems to list to port as they are craned over the side. They are being levered into a cart to which two large and sturdy Clydesdale horses are hitched. In contrast to the traditional horses, the wharf is crisscrossed with modern railway tracks. Unloading is both mechanical and manual, and the scene is one of intense interest to a young boy bystander. The ship appears to be squat and solid, but the whole image also gives a feeling of movement and intensity. The mahogany being delivered to Melbourne would be intended for high quality furniture. In the 1930s Australia actually had a growing timber industry, but much of the eucalyptus wood was being utilised for mass produced furniture, and much of this furniture would then have had a veneer applied to it. The fact that it was economic to import this timber from the “Philippine Islands” – not a traditional trading market for Australia – reflects a Victorian economy that was strong enough to support a growing demand for good quality furniture Mahogany was described as a classic, strong hardwood, often used for dark opulent furniture. In the 1930s the importation of timber from Manila (Philippines) to Australia was a notable trade, particularly in Philippine Lauan (often referred to as Philippine Mahogany), which was used as a cheaper alternative to other hardwoods. 1930s furniture, dominated by the art deco style, used a mix of luxurious exotic woods like mahogany, macassar and ebony for high-end pieces, often veneered over less expensive woods such as walnut, birch and poplar, and with plywood, chrome and lacquer also popular for more practical, streamlined designs during the Depression era. By the mid 1930s timber mills were being relocated away from the immediate dock area, but the fact that these logs were being transported by horse-drawn cart implies that the load would not have had to be taken too far for milling. 1885 the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners had decided that land in or near the city was far too valuable to be used as timber yards. Furthermore, large stacks of timber posed a fire risk. The Trust asked the Victorian Government to reserve a site on the east side of the Yarra River opposite Yarraville and Spotswood. Here, in 1889, the Trust began building six jetties and a wharf specifically for the landing of timber. Clydesdale horses were initially brought to Victoria from Tasmania in the 1830s, and with the 1850s gold rush they were imported direct from Scotland. Melbourne was from its earliest years an important centre of horse-breeding from both imported and colonial-bred stock, providing the well-built draught horse for pulling heavily loaded wagons, the harness horse for delivery work and drawing coaches, and the saddle-horse used for riding. Stud breeding facilities were advertised from the early 1840s. By the 1870s the horse export trade was thriving, and the Port of Melbourne was the country's busiest exporter of horses to Indian, Asian and New Zealand markets. Kirk's Melbourne Horse and Carriage Bazaar in Bourke Street first advertised for business in 1840, and by the 1850s Bourke Street West was famed for its horse bazaars and saleyards. The Victorian Clydesdale Horse Society reports that Clydesdale working horses were a vital part of Melbourne's infrastructure and agricultural industry in the 1930s, when they reached the peak of their popularity despite the increasing competition from mechanization. Their main roles and usage at this time were: • City Delivery: Clydesdales were a common sight for metropolitan deliveries, particularly for breweries (such as Carlton & United Breweries), milk runs, and bread deliveries. • Industrial Work: They were heavily used for hauling cargo at the docks, in construction, and at specialized sites like the Truganina Explosives Reserve, where they pulled wagons. • Agriculture: In surrounding rural areas, they were the primary power source for ploughing and agricultural machinery. • Specialization: By the 1930s, the Clydesdale was smaller and more compact than the Shire or Percheron breeds, making them ideal for navigation in urban environments. After the 1930s their numbers decreased due to the onset of WWI and mechanisation. Wartime petrol rationing led to a brief revival for the working horse, as suburban tradesmen, now used to motor delivery, took their old jinkers out of mothballs. By 1947, however, only 1.5% of city traffic was horse-drawn. In 1952 the large horse cartage company A. Kellet Pty Ltd sold its 250 horses and converted its Richmond stables to storage. In the 1950s at Station and Princes piers, wharf labourers refused to work with the six draught horses still being used to haul trolleys and which were soon superseded by the fork lift, semi-trailer and mobile crane. Where carefully trained horses had once shunted trains in city goods yards, a few hundred a week were now being killed at the abattoirs for pet and human consumption. The last MCC dray horse was withdrawn from service in 1958, but some of the few remaining working animals are used by the mounted police for crowd control at demonstrations and football games. The death knell had also sounded for the associated trades of farrier, saddler and blacksmith. Our photo, therefore, showing the wharf with both the haulage Clydesdales and the rail lines, is a strong visual summary of the social and economic changes experienced in Victoria in the 1930s and on towards the 1950s. Our photo is located at Victoria Dock (also known as Victoria Harbour) which is still an active component of Melbourne’s port system. In 1892 the West Melbourne Dock (later Victoria Dock) was opened, downstream and immediately west of the Spencer Street railway shunting yards. It contained a swing basin for ships, replacing the one which had been provided on the south side of the river, later to be the Duke and Orr dry dock, west of the Charles Grimes Bridge. Further west was the South Wharf along the river bank. The history of Victoria Dock is extremely well described by Ashley Smith in his 2 March 2022 article in Docklands News, and its accompanying aerial photo of the Dock taken in 1934. He writes: "In the early 1930s Victoria Dock was one of the biggest sites for trade and export in Melbourne. A constant queue of ships sailed in, unloaded their cargo, recharged and reloaded, then left for the next port. Around the time this photo was taken (found in a 1934 photo book), the trapezium-shaped basin had been through some changes since its construction in the 1890s. The 497-metre-long Central Pier, finished in 1919, now featured six sheds to house the ever-increasing volume of cargo. The entrance had also been widened in the 1920s to allow better access. Some of the berths featured three-ton jib electric cranes to help with loading cargo and a rail network connected to the State Railway service. By the time construction was completed, the dock was 39 hectares and hailed as the second-largest dock in the world (behind Cavendish Dock, Barrow-in-Furness). To further save costs, excavations were dug to a more reasonable seven metres below low water, instead of British engineer Sir John Coode’s recommended 8.3 metres. Even then, the costs were still around £900,000. It was envisaged, with the extra wharfage, that around thirty 90-metre ships could berth inside. On March 22, 1892, Victoria Dock was opened by Victoria’s Governor, the Earl of Hopetoun (later Australia’s first Governor-General) who opened the sluice to let the Yarra in. It took six days to fill the basin with The Leader newspaper estimating that it would take another six months to completely fill (March 26, 1892). In the end, it took nearly a year before the first ship was allowed to enter on February 20, 1893, when the steamer Hubbuck sailed in to unload 1200 tonnes of cargo in 15 hours. The Argus (February 23, 1893) reported that the ship’s captain, J. R. Brodie, called the Yarra “better than the Thames”, and compared Victoria Dock favourably to the Albert Dock (Liverpool)." This would be a good time to move our focus on to the Taiping, which is the transporter of these giant mahogany logs. The Taiping was a steel-hulled, single-screw passenger-cargo Chinese steamer, which today has the dubious legacy of being involved in a collision headlined as “The Chinese Titanic”. It was constructed by the Hong Kong and Shampoa Dock Company at its facility in Hong Kong, with completion in 1926 for service under the Australia Oriental Line. Her gross register tonnage measured 4,324 tons, reflecting her design for inter-island and coastal trade routes, accommodating both passengers and freight. She operated routes connecting Australian ports with East Asian destinations. As World War II approached, Taiping continued predominantly working the trade routes between China and Australia, until December 1941, when she evacuated women and children from Hong Kong to Manila just before Japanese forces overran the region. She then safely reached Australia despite enemy air raids. Taiping was then requisitioned by the Royal Navy and repurposed as a victualling stores issuing ship for the Eastern Fleet, supporting logistical needs in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Returned to the Australian Oriental Line in 1947, she underwent refitting and by mid-1948 was chartered to the Shanghai Shipping Company, and modified for greater passenger accommodation – approximately 500 passengers. In 1948/49 the Chinese Civil War took place. The Taiping departed Shanghai on 26 January 1949 as one of the final vessels evacuating civilians from to Keelung Harbour in Taiwan. Reports indicate that the Taiping carried double the rated capacity of passengers i.e. 1000. The ship carried families, military personnel, civilians, carrying personal belongings, gold and valuables in hope of resettlement in Nationalist Taiwan. It also held heavy cargo in the form of silver and gold bullion loaded by the Central Bank of China. Because of the risk of patrols, and to conserve fuel, the Captain took the ship away from the usual open-sea passage, and instead navigated along the coast. He also extinguished navigation lights to avoid detection. Shortly after midnight on 27 January 1949 the Taiping collided with the smaller cargo steamer Chien Yuan in the East China Sea near the Zhoushan Archipelago. The Chien Yuan was also operating in darkness. The subsequent collision was catastrophic. The Chien Yuan sank with in 5 minutes, with the loss of 72 of its 74 crew. The Taiping sustained severe structural compromise from the broadside strike and initially remained afloat, then made a swift descent into the freezing water, with no attempt at an organised evacuation. No formal recovery process was instigated, however a distress signal went out. 32 survivors were picked up by the Australian destroyer HMAS Warramunga (on patrol nearby), a passing US vessel found 2 more, and local Zhoushan fishermen retrieved others. In the end, only 37 people survived. The event is remembered as a poignant moment in the mass migration to Taiwan, with families tragically separated. A memorial to the disaster exists at the Keelung Harbour naval base on Taiwan. With its total of over 1,500 deaths, it constituted one of the worst peacetime maritime losses. It is sometimes referred to as the “Oriental Titanic” because of the similarly large loss of life and speed of demise with the RMS Titanic in 1912. A fictional depiction of this event appears in the John Woo movies “The Crossing (Part 1) (2014), and The Crossing II (2015), known in Chinese as “Taiping Wheel”. The narrative weaves a story around pre-disaster romances and wartime turmoil among passengers, culminating in the ship’s rapid sinking. “The production, a high-budget Sino-Taiwanese-Hong Kong co-effort, portrays the event as a microcosm of the 1940s Sino-Japanese and civil war legacies, though critics noted the melodramatic style prioritizing spectacle over historical precision.” In conclusion, it is nice to return to our photo, and observe the people involved in this moment. The dockworkers are, so typical of the 1930s, dressed in what looks to us like formal clothing – dark suits or coats, white shirts, and black hats. I am particularly drawn to the young boy, bare-headed, arms crossed, and so intent on the unloading process. He too is wearing a white shirt, black trousers and jacket, and black shoes. This is 1933 Melbourne – but the haircut he is sporting is now very “hipster” and modern in 2026 Melbourne. References: MAHOGANY FROM MANILA. (1933, August 15). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 30, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204377024 Wikipedia, Taiping steamer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_(steamer) Wikipedia, Victoria Dock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Dock_(Melbourne) Docklands News, Ashley Smith, 2 Mar 2022, https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/victoria-dock/ Living Histories: Heritage Council of Victoria, Jill Barnard, 2008, Jetties and Piers, https://livinghistories.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jetties-ONL-intro_Part-1.pdf eMelbourne, Wharves and Docks, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01612b.htm Australian Academy of Technological Sciences – Harvesting Wood, https://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/225.html Old Treasury Building, On the Water – The Docks, https://tinyurl.com/3wkbk66m Old Treasury Building, On The Road, https://tinyurl.com/dw44yr3t Port of Melbourne, Victorian Places, https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/port-of-melbourne Docklands Heritage Study - Environmental History, https://mvga-prod-files.s3.ap-southeast-4.amazonaws.com/public/2024-05/docklands-heritage-review-thematic-environmental-history-1991.pdf eMelbourne, Horses, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00723b.htm Victorian Clydesdale Horse Society, https://www.clydesdalesvic.org.au/history The Crossing, https://letterboxd.com/film/the-crossing-i/Photographer notations on slide: "Unloading Timber at Wharves 1933 Age B5"ships, shipping, timber industry, shipwrecks, horses, docks, wharves, 1930-1939, wars, docklands

A special plant track repair and goods recovery train proceeding to a cattle train derailment on the Balranald (NSW) line from which sheep had also escaped. The train composition was made up of J-Class steam locomtive J-502, a water gin carrying extra water for the train given doubtful supplies en-route, a wagon to reload the surviving sheep, a wagon containing track tools and equipment, a carriage for the work crew, a bogie wagon containing all the specialist tools for re-railing the train, followed lastly by the Guard's van. The specialist wagons and their equipment were based at the Bendigo Depot (see painted markings on van side) in a state of readiness for immediate use as the need arose The train is viewed approaching the Iron Bridge grade out of the Echuca rail yard. The Gatekeepers hut is visible on the right. The gatekeeper would be notified of the approaching train at which time he would open the gate to allow the train to pass through the Packenham Street level crossing.Digital TIFF file Scan of black and white print Enlargement prints on textured paper (15.5 x 20.5 cm)george coop collection, echuca, j-502, j-class steam locomotive (vulcan foundry)