Magnificent Steam Train Books from Robert and Bruce Wheatley
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The modern railway features enormous freight trains with dozens of container wagons hauled by several diesels all controlled by a single crew. There are no brake vans, no 4 wheel wagons, and no steam locomotives! Instead of semaphore signals we have colour lights, modern safe working has replaced staffs, there are very few water towers or coal stages. Even many of the loco depots that once fuelled the economies of towns like Werris Creek and Junee are no longer in use due to trains travelling long distances without an engine change.
When you think about it, we live in a completely different world as far as the railway is concerned.
The Wheatleys grew up in the 1960s. This was a golden era for those of us who frantically ran around the country (and world in my case) with cameras in hand, capturing the magic of those days. They are gone forever.
While most of us have hundreds of shots of standard three quarter views of trains with and without smoke, Robert and Bruce did things a little differently, focusing instead on the operation of the railway and the men who worked it. Operating a C38 Pacific on the Newcastle Flyer started with an early morning ritual to light the fire and check the engine. Then it would be fuelled with coal and water before finally heading off to Newcastle to attach to the train. A lot went on behind the scenes to get those trains operating smoothly.
The books really catch the soul of the railway. They made it to Dubbo in the West, past Armidale to the north, and Harden in the south of the state.
Portraits of Steam has been around for a while, but it you don’t yet have a copy, it is a must for your steam library. They have been very popular with those who worked on the railways, as they recognise the many roles portrayed here.
If you are looking for a superb black and white memoir of the days of steam in NSW, these are the books for you.
Each volume is priced at just $55 plus $20 per order for postage anywhere in Australia.
Railway Portraits
This was to be the one and only volume. It proved so popular that two more volumes appeared! A masterpiece capturing the soul of the NSW railways in steam days.
Railway Portraits Vol 2.
Railway Portraits Volume 3
