Description

June 2019 RD Blurb

Light rail arrives in Canberra

First mooted in Walter Burley Griffin’s 1912 plan for Canberra, the city’s first, long-awaited, light rail line officially opened to the public on Saturday 20 April. Given Canberra’s high rate of car usage and relatively good road network, it is remarkable that it has now joined the growing list of cities around the world that have embraced light rail. John Hoyle takes a detailed look at the long, ambivalent history of public transport generally, and light rail particularly, in Australia’s Capital.

The Otway Road railway bridge and the wombat

When V/Line chief executive officer James Pinder visited Warrnambool on Tuesday 2 April to announce the imminent replacement of the rail bridge over Otway Road, he was quick to point out that a certain much-loved wombat would not suffer in the process, as John Curtis reports.

In and around Port Pirie (Part one)

From mid-February to the end of the first week of March, Mike Martin spent three weeks in South Australia, mainly in the northern region between Two Wells and Hesso. Much of the time was spent in the Port Pirie/Port Augusta/Crystal Brook area within about 100 kilometres or so radius of Port Pirie. In Part one of his two-part photo-essay, Mike takes us to the area from Port Pirie north to Hesso and the Whyalla line in the west, and around Port Pirie itself.

Rio Tinto (Robe River) ‘J Type’ Iron Ore Cars

The unique characteristics of the mine and port facilities on Rio Tinto’s Robe River line, in the WA Pilbara region, gave rise to a particular type of ore car – known as the ‘J Type’. Peter Clark takes a close look at these sturdy, hard working vehicles.

Hunter Valley Steamfest 2019

This year’s Hunter Valley Steamfest, held on the weekend of 13-14 April, featured 3526 and 3265 (ably assisted by 4490 and 4403) and followed what has now become a fairly standard format in respect of both the positioning transfers and the scope of steam operated excursions. Robert Driver reports.