|
It
has been just over fifty years since I began
photographing trains. My first attempts, using an
old Kodak "Brownie" 620 camera were
failures and consigned to the rubbish bin. There
followed a succession of 120 folding cameras,
including two Zeiss Super Ikontas and an Agfa
Billy Record III, until I arrived at my present
camera, a Rolleicord VB purchased in 1971.
My
preference has always been black and white
photography, but in 1954 I purchased a Kodak
Retina 1a 35mm camera and began taking
transparencies. In 1971 this was replaced with a
Pentax SP1000 SLR which I still use.
In
recent years, due to deteriorating eyesight, I
have been unable to process my own prints. My
thanks therefore goes to Murray Billett for
processing most of the photos in this gallery.
Here
then is a small selection of photographs from my
collection, giving glimpses of railroading in
South Australia and Victoria when I was a good
deal younger. Just click the thumbnails to view
larger images.
|
|
|
Built
by Beyer Peacock, Manchester, UK, in 1882 SAR's
K-class 0-6-4T No.58 awaits its end in the
Islington Workshops yard, in October 1952. Photo
by Douglas Colquhoun (DAC0117). |
|
|
|
William
Thow's Dubs built Q-class 4-4-0s for the SAR
provided power for passenger trains from 1885
until displaced by the faster and more
powerful S-class in 1894. All the Qs except
No.90 were scrapped by 1936. 90 survived until
1956, shunting at Tailem Bend and later
Islington Works. Photo taken in 1953 by Lionel
Bates (DAC0172).
|
|
|
|
SAR's
500B-class 4-8-4 No.505 with maximum tonnage
for Tailem Bend climbs upgrade through Eden
Hills on a fine winter's afternoon in July
1953. Photo by Douglas Colquhoun (DAC0400).
|
|
|
Much
photographed by rail fans in the 1950s was the
SAR's Saturday afternoon transfer freight
between Mile End and Dry Creek. Here, in this
1954 scene, 2-8-2 709 on this train blasts out
from under the Bakewell bridge at Mile End and
heads for the main north line via the Gaol
Loop. Photo by L. J. Williams (DAC0610). |
|
|
|
SAR's
"Berkshire" No.724 climbs towards
the tunnel at Sleeps Hill with a Saturday
afternoon freight back in 1951. The 720B class
locos, designed by Fred Shea and built at the
Islington Works, were also known as "Big
Mikados". Photo by Lionel Bates
(DAC0674).
|
|
|
SAR's
ancient narrow-gauge V-class 0-4-4Ts numbers 9
and 146 (built in 1876 and 1893 respectively),
and shrouded in steam, emerge from the
Peterborough roadhouse on Australia Day, 1953.
Photo by Douglas Colquhoun (DAC1060).
|
|
|
|
Spending
its last years as an employees' sleeping van,
5003 had begun its career as a post office van
No.42 back in 1881. Photographed at Port Pirie
by Douglas Colquhoun (DAC1137).
|
|
|
Commonwealth
Railways GM3 gets away from Port Pirie with a
hybrid standard-gauge "Ghan". At
Maree, passengers were still required to
change to the narrow-gauge train for the last
section of their journey to Alice Springs. The
date: 14 October 1957. Photo by Douglas
Colquhoun (DAC1201). |
|
|
|
An
unusual sight. Two Commonwealth Railways
narrow-gauge NM-class 4-8-0s, numbers 37 and
34, depart Port Augusta for Quorn with a load
of Newcastle loco coal. March 8, 1952. Photo
by Douglas Colquhoun (DAC1301). |
|
|
S-class
swan song? VR's S302 on the down Albury Mail
races through Seymour at dusk on April 19,
1954. A visit to North Melbourne depot a few
days later found all four S-class separated
from their tenders and parked along the back
fence. Was this 302's last run? Photo by
Douglas Colquhoun (DAC1512). |
|
|
|
The
first VR C-class Clyde-GMs to work between
Melbourne and Adelaide were numbers 505 and
506. Here, at the head of a TNT container
freight, they arrive at the SAR's Mile End
freight yard on August 3, 1979. Photo by
Douglas Colquhoun (DAC7276). |
|
|
During
World War II in an attempt to save manpower
the MTT, Adelaide permanently coupled into
pairs 48 A-class and 4 A10-class cars. Here
coupled set 29-30 leave Wakefield Street and
move into Victoria Square - St. Francis Xavier
cathedral in the background. The pairs were
separated in 1951 and most cars returned to
service. All were withdrawn from traffic by
the end of 1953. Photo taken in 1948 by Wal
Jack. |
|
|
|
Race
day. MTT H-class cars parked in the
Morphettville Racecourse sidings wait for
homeward bound punters while a Glenelg bound
2-car set races past on the main line. Photo
taken by Douglas Colquhoun March 15, 1958
(DAC1972).
|
|
|
M&MTB
VR-class car, still carrying its Victorian
Railways No.52, rolling down Leeds Street,
Footscray on its way to Moonee Ponds over
route-82. Photo by Douglas Colquhoun
(DAC4144). |
|
|
|
Rush
hour at St. Kilda. Three standard Victorian
Railways cars, numbers 43, 26 and 30 wait at
St. Kilda station to work the afternoon
"school peak" to Elwood, North
Brighton, and Brighton Beach. 24 April 1957.
Photo by Douglas Colquhoun (DAC2075). |
|
|
The
State Electricity Commission's Geelong tramway
system was one of three in Victorian
provincial cities. It was closed in 1956, and
unlike Ballarat and Bendigo, where lines have
been preserved, nothing remains. In this
photograph No.4 stands at the New Town
terminus before running to the city on April
26, 1954. Photograph by Douglas Colquhoun
(DAC2140). |
|
|
|
Adelaide's
MTT once operated a trolleybus fleet serving
routes in the eastern suburbs and the Port
Adelaide area. Here four of their five
handsome Leyland double-deckers stand at the
Port Adelaide depot. 8 December 1957.
(DAC2170). |
|
|
Home
- Contents
Top |
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
