For 150 years, the railway has been part of the Australian's landscape and an integral part of the economic and social fabric of Australia. From the slow-moving branch-line trains that were the vital link for country people, to the sleek tilt trains of today; from the steam-hauled goods trains that shunted wagons every few miles to the modern express coal, iron ore and wheat trains, 'The Railway Age in Australia" remembers them all.
Fifty years ago, almost every Australian's life was influenced by railways. They travelled to school of work, they went on holidays in trains, their produce and goods were shipped out and their daily supplies arrived on the rail. The steel road transformed this continent. Everyone knew someone who worked on the railways.
This is the story of the people of the railway age - the women who baked and cooked three course meals at refreshment rooms all over the nation, the towns that sprung up from nothing when the railway arrived and the porters who laboured thousands of tons of goods a day. It features the trains that have become household names, such as the Spirit of Progress, The Fish and The Ghan, as well as the wartime trains, the Queensland rail ambulance service and the special trains that delivered water to communities and farms in times of drought.
Brimming with local anecdotes and colourful stories, 'The Railway Age in Australia' documents both the old and the new. It portrays the railway at its peak, covers the latest developments in rail travel across the nation and contains many essential facts for rail enthusiasts and historians, such as key dates, the first railway for each state, worst accidents and a list of rail companies and departments.
Contents:
Introduction
1. Life in the Railway Age
2. Towns the Railways Made
3. Trains, Good and Bad
4. They Ran the Trains
5. The Gauge Question
6. Taking Stock
Acknowledgements and Bibliography
Index
