Description

Working Lives offers an in-depth look into the experiences of Australian rail workers over the past century. The book highlights personal stories from various workers, including guards, fettlers, waitresses, carriage cleaners, and signalmen.

It details:

• Fettlers working in harsh conditions on the Broken Hill line in the 1930s.
• Women facing discrimination in railway refreshment rooms and carriage cleaning sheds.
• Shunters navigating through flooded yards.

The book also examines the broader impact of rail services on rural Australia. It tracks the decline of the railways since World War II, documenting how repeated mismanagement and competition from road and air transport have led to service cuts and job losses.

Working Lives captures the dedication of railworkers in a system that often showed them little respect, reflecting on both their struggles and their vital role in Australian society.

ARHS NSW Publications. Mark Hearn, 1990.