Australian Railway History

Australian Railway History The best railway history source for rails all around Australia.

🚂 THE SEPTEMBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂 Much has been written previously regarding the deviations betwee...
19/09/2025

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

Much has been written previously regarding the deviations between the base of Lapstone Hill, west of Emu Plains, and Blaxland, bypassing the Little, or Lapstone Zig Zag, and the subsequent single-line first Glenbrook Tunnel. The current double-track alignment opened in full to Blaxland on 25 September 1913, although separately located Up and Down tracks had been available following the opening of the Down line through Glenbrook Gorge on 11 May 1913. This provided great relief from the first Glenbrook Tunnel on the Down and alleviated the bottleneck for Up movements. A Blue Mountains read is always fascinating.

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/

🚂 THE SEPTEMBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂 They are utilitarian, unglamorous and now 40! Many would pick a ...
05/09/2025

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

They are utilitarian, unglamorous and now 40! Many would pick a B or an A Class before an N but V/Line’s N Class diesel-electric locomotives came about as a ‘new build’ adoption of the specifications drawn up for the B-to-A Class rebuilds being undertaken by Clyde Engineering. September is a great time to look back at the V/Line years and yes, the freight working before the freight working that we are now getting comfortably with seeing as the locos create new lives at SSR!
Its also 80 years since the Australian Standard Garratts were banned in Queensland. For readers that enjoyed the special January 2023 issue (80 years since the arrival of the ASG’s) the locos use in Queensland is controversial, so any new research is always extremely appetizing to read!
Much has been written previously regarding the deviations between the base of Lapstone Hill, west
of Emu Plains, and Blaxland, bypassing the Little, or Lapstone Zig Zag, and the subsequent single-line first Glenbrook Tunnel. The current double-track alignment opened in full to Blaxland on 25 September 1913, although separately located Up and Down tracks had been available following the opening of the Down line through Glenbrook Gorge on 11 May 1913. This provided great relief from the first Glenbrook Tunnel on the Down and alleviated the bottleneck for Up movements. A Blue Mountains read is always fascinating.

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/

🚂 THE SEPTEMBER ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂 They are utilitarian, unglamorous and now 40! Many would pick a ...
30/08/2025

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

They are utilitarian, unglamorous and now 40! Many would pick a B or an A Class before an N but V/Line’s N Class diesel-electric locomotives came about as a ‘new build’ adoption of the specifications drawn up for the B-to-A Class rebuilds being undertaken by Clyde Engineering. September is a great time to look back at the V/Line years and yes, the freight working before the freight working that we are now getting comfortably with seeing as the locos create new lives at SSR!
Its also 80 years since the Australian Standard Garratts were banned in Queensland. For readers that enjoyed the special January 2023 issue (80 years since the arrival of the ASG’s) the locos use in Queensland is controversial, so any new research is always extremely appetizing to read!
Much has been written previously regarding the deviations between the base of Lapstone Hill, west
of Emu Plains, and Blaxland, bypassing the Little, or Lapstone Zig Zag, and the subsequent single-line first Glenbrook Tunnel. The current double-track alignment opened in full to Blaxland on 25 September 1913, although separately located Up and Down tracks had been available following the opening of the Down line through Glenbrook Gorge on 11 May 1913. This provided great relief from the first Glenbrook Tunnel on the Down and alleviated the bottleneck for Up movements. A Blue Mountains read is always fascinating.

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/

🚂 THE AUGUST ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂 The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop (MURL) took almost 60 years to ...
08/08/2025

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

The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop (MURL) took almost 60 years to come to fruition and has now been in service for over 40 years. Its eventual construction followed the works that had been laid out in the Ashworth plan at the beginning of the Second World War but were not completed until the MURL’s construction was actually underway. Several maps and photos help to show the evolution of what would become the Melboune City Loop. We finish the Circus Trains of Australia this month but there are possibly more insights to come with Wirths Circus being left for another day. Still hard to believe that there were so many circuses shows traveling across the country at a time! It’s been 50 years since Electrification to Riverstone, With those wooden supports for the overheads was it done on the cheap and was the new timetable really that great when it was replaced several months later? Look back at when you used to have to change trains to get to Richmond on the Richmond Line.
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/

Thanks for all the positive feedback so far this month on the July issue.Make sure you do not miss out grab your copy no...
18/07/2025

Thanks for all the positive feedback so far this month on the July issue.
Make sure you do not miss out grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

🚂 THE JULY ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂
Can you imagine sitting at any of the stations beyond Gosford on the Shorth North in the 1960s and watching the incredible display of steam streaming past on a scale never to be seen again! Laurie Anderson, Graham Cotterall, Ian Gray, Malcolm Holdsworth and Robert Kingsford-Smith have come together to display the very best black and white photos from their collections of this special time. There was always a sense of anticipation as the interurban slowed on its approach to Gosford station. Which of the seven steam classes would be in the yard waiting to haul the next few trains? Col Gilbertson and Robert Kingsford-Smith’s writings provide a detailed overview of locomotive working and operations on the Short North between 1965 and 1972. The comparisons of then and now are startling to anyone who has travelled between Sydney to Newcastle. You cannot afford to miss this issue and of course the many photos of those 60 Class Garratts!
All this and more in our JULY issue!
Grab your copy now!

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🚂 THE JULY ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂 Can you imagine sitting at any of the stations beyond Gosford on the ...
01/07/2025

🚂 THE JULY ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂
Can you imagine sitting at any of the stations beyond Gosford on the Shorth North in the 1960s and watching the incredible display of steam streaming past on a scale never to be seen again! Laurie Anderson, Graham Cotterall, Ian Gray, Malcolm Holdsworth and Robert Kingsford-Smith have come together to display the very best black and white photos from their collections of this special time. There was always a sense of anticipation as the interurban slowed on its approach to Gosford station. Which of the seven steam classes would be in the yard waiting to haul the next few trains? Col Gilbertson and Robert Kingsford-Smith’s writings provide a detailed overview of locomotive working and operations on the Short North between 1965 and 1972. The comparisons of then and now are startling to anyone who has travelled between Sydney to Newcastle. You cannot afford to miss this issue and of course the many photos of those 60 Class Garratts!
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/

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🚂🚂🚂 The last few days of June is upon us make sure you get the JUNE ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL OR PRINT before you mis...
27/06/2025

🚂🚂🚂 The last few days of June is upon us make sure you get the JUNE ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL OR PRINT before you miss out.
Grab your copy now!
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

🚂THE JUNE ARH ISSUE OUT NOW IN DIGITAL AND PRINT🚂As the April issue is still fresh in many readers minds, many have sent...
13/06/2025

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

As the April issue is still fresh in many readers minds, many have sent feedback on their memories and associations with both Budd and Bluebird DMUs tearing through the South Australian countryside. So we have had another look and cobbled some photos together especially on ‘those flying Bluebirds’ just for fun! Who can believe they were only being pulled from the rails 30 years ago. We also continue with Part 3 on Greg Blackwells interesting Circus Trains in Australia, Between 1891 and 1963. It’s hard to believe so much interest from the community being on the station yards when these trains arrived into town with elephants helping to unpack and set up the performance site. We take an interesting look into a Photographer focus with Ted Richards collection that has been left to his son Lin Richards.
John Beckhaus has taken the opportunity and research the recently retired Queensland Railways, Intercity Express Electric Multiple Units. What many may not realise is that the NSW Railways was not the only Australian rail system to utilise specially designed Interurban Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) on electrified lines beyond its capital city suburban system. Queensland Rail was the only other railway to engage similar EMUs for Intercity service. Initially built to operate the Spirit of Capricorn service on the North Coast line between Brisbane and Rockhampton in mid-1989 these trains have a interesting history and interest from Queenslanders.

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

Don for get to get a copy of the May issue:Shepherd’s is a long forgotten mainline wayside station that served local far...
16/05/2025

Don for get to get a copy of the May issue:
Shepherd’s is a long forgotten mainline wayside station that served local farming districts and gave locals a link to the bigger world for their goods and family.
Print and digital formats available. Order at:
arhsnsw.com.au/australian-railway-history/

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