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FNAR News • 1

All AboardNews from the Friends of the North Australia Railway at Adelaide River December 2008

Season’s greetingsSEASON’S GREETINGS TO one and all.

Reflecting on the year 2008 cannot be donein the space we have here and belongs inanother place (for example, 2009!).

Suffice to say that it has been an extremelybusy year and we have had as many triumphsas we’ve had setbacks, so we are wellpleased with ourselves.

We’ve consolidated our reputation as aprofessional (albeit entirely voluntary)organisation and this is reflected by theesteem in which we are held by the corporateand public sectors, kindred heritageorganisations, the tourism sector and localgovernment organisations. This kudos is inno small part down to the tact and diplomacy(not to mention dogged determination) of ourPresident Trevor Horman who seems to beable to function on between zero and fourhours sleep every night. Naturally enough, therest of us can’t (and don’t try to) keep up,but we give what support wecan and we have

proved ourselves to be a dynamic littleorganisation.

We recruited new volunteers in 2008, andwe hope we’ve created enough interest toretain them in 2009 and beyond.

We have members all around the world, andat this festive time of the year, we extendcompliments of the season to you and thankyou for your support.

Those of us in the Top End are hoping foran imminent Wet Season because it is a tadsticky hereabouts.

We do, however, wish you and yours all thebest for a safe and happy Christmas and NewYear and we look forward to a massive 2009.

FNAR News • 2

History repeated as Talbotpasses through the River

All AboardEditor: Robyn Smith

Copy writers: Judy Richardson, Trevor Horman

Chief Photographer: Judy Richardson

Proof reader: Margaret Tucker

E-mail: [email protected]

URL: www.northernexposure.com.au/rail

Postal: GPO Box 3504, Darwin NT 0801

All Aboard phone: 08-8985 1909

ON 18 AND 19 AUGUST, the National Motor Museum’s Off the Beaten Track: A Journey Acrossthe Nation exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first crossing of the Australiancontinent by motor car reached Adelaide River.

It was 100 years ago when Harry Dutton and Murray Aunger travelled from Adelaide toDarwin in a 1908 25-horsepower Talbot motor car. It was the first crossing of the Australiancontinent by motor vehicle at a time when there were no roads or service stations along theway.

In fact, the Talbot was the first self-propelled vehicle ever seen by many people in remoteregions.

At Oodnadatta 100 years ago. The Great Northernrailway line enbankment can be seen. Photograph

courtesy of the National Motor Museum, SA

The Talbot crossing the Adelaide River and, right,the Talbot crossing the low level bridge 100 years on.

Crossing the Edwin Verberg Bridge.

FNAR News • 3

2008 WIP event another success

THE 2008 WORKS-IN-PROGRESS exhibitionwas another successful event for FNAR. Heldon Friday 7 November, the WIP exhibition wasour final formal function of the year, althoughwork continues with lots of fervour in theprecinct to complete work prior to the onsetof the Wet Season.

The event was not as well attended asprevious events have been, but it is a very busy(and hot!) time of the year. The yard atBerrimah was a picture and was somewhatdifferent to how it has looked in previousyears, given that several large items of rollingstock have been transported to AdelaideRiver.

Still, there was much to show off, and showoff we did.

There is absolutely no truth to the rumourthat the Hudswell Clarke saddle tank steamlocomotive was fired up using a compressorand run along a small length of track. Thatwould be contrary to railway safety rules andlicensing arrangements. In the photographbelow, Mike Bowman is merely talking gueststhrough the work that he has completed onthe dear little engine that was gifted to us byMt Isa Rotary Club.

Guests, who included Dr Brian Reid, theChairman of the Heritage Advisory Council,were treated to a guided tour withcommentary provided by our most learnedPresident, Trevor Horman, whilst beingserved a range of canapes - scordalia;avocado & tomato salsa pastry boats;Japanese prawn and Miso shooters; morsels

of rendang daging; and blood plum paste andblue castello pumpernickel rounds (and, yes,Mick, we know you would prefer a meat piewith tomato sauce...). The catering crewcomprised Robyn Smith, roped in ‘volunteer’Margaret Tucker, Coleen Harris on the bar,and Estelle Harris, Nola Smith and MargaretKirkup on wash-up and assistance withservice detail.

Other volunteers on the day were SteveTucker, Trevor Horman, Mike Bowman, JudyRichardson and welder extraordinaire JackDevlin whom we recruited at last year’s WIPexhibition.

Our thanks, as always, go to Peter andEstelle Cornell for the use of their block atBerrimah, to the volunteers who helped prepthe block for the exhibition, and to all our valuedsponsors and supporters who do so much toassist us in so many ways throughout the year.They include: Darwin Container Services;Allora Gardens Nursery; SteelconConstructions (Alan Spexiale, Damien Collis,Nick, Bags, Brad and Scully); GweloDevelopments; the Community Benefit Fund;Ballarine Peninsula Railway; GhanPreservation Society; Bendigo TramwayMuseum; Museum and Art Galleries of the NT;Coomalie Community Government Council;Litchfield Shire Council; and the Power andWater Corporation.

Planning is underway for next year’s event,which we hope to move to a more pleasanttime of the year.

Explaining the finer points of railway heritage andpreservation: Trevor providing running commentary.

FNAR News • 4

1885 Smith & Coventry wheel lathe:THE PALMERSTON AND PINE

Creek Railway (P&PCR) Actwas passed by the SouthAustralian parliament and gained RoyalAssent on 26 October 1883. The SAgovernment acted swiftly and a survey teamwas despatched on 27 October. The surveywas completed in September 1884 and theordering of materials was then able tocommence. Krupp of Essen won the order forthe rails in 1885 and the steel sleepers wereordered through Ibbotson Brothers in the UK.This was also the time when major plant forthe railway workshop at Parap was ordered.

The first box had a collection ofhouse magazines known as “TheGresley Magazine.”

It contained all sorts of news of interest toemployees including bowling, tennis andsuchlike.It did mention that Smith & Coventry had takenStand 5 at the International EngineeringExhibition at Olympia in London 5-20September 1920.

They were exhibiting the machines in whichthey were then specialising which were asfollows:

Robey Smith Patent Spiral Bevel Gear planer.Smith & Coventry patent Universal relievinglathe;Single Pulley Plain Horizontal Milling Machine;andNew Ball Bearing Sensitive Drilling Machine.

All machines would have been in action onthe stand.

by TREVOR HORMAN

SMITH & COVENTRY Ltd from Manchestergained the order for the railway wheel lathe.This firm was based at the Gresley Iron Works,Ordsal Lane, Salford an industrial area ofManchester. It was already well establishedas a machine tool manufacturer (first mentionis 1857). They had a major display at thefamous Paris Exhibition in May 1889 (theEiffel Tower was erected for this event). Theyalso exhibited at Antwerp in 1892 and 1894and at Brussels in 1910. The founders werestill running the company until 1898 with MrArthur Coventry (1836 - 1929) continuing asan active director. FNAR member AlanSpargo searched through some papers fromthe company at Manchester Museum ofScience and Technology in July 2006 andfound some details of their profile in 1920.Part of Alan’s report reads:

I was given access to two large boxes of papersand most were dated 1919 or 1920.

This advertisement is from Kelly’s Directory ofWorcestershire, 1892.

The company was sold off or went bankrupt(not sure) in the 1920s. By then it was beingrun by Arthur’s eldest son, Theodore Coventryand the son of the original Mr Smith.

FNAR News • 5

a story of restoration and revivalThe purpose of a wheel lathe

THE STEEL TYRES ON railway wagons havea special profile which keeps the wagonrunning down the centre of the rails andreduces wear on the wheel flanges. Afterextensive running miles, the tyres wear andthe profile becomes less than ideal. Railwaywheel lathes are used to re-establish thecorrect profile on the tyres. In the case of the1885 Smith & Coventry lathe, the completerailway axle with both wheels is mounted inthe lathe. The two tyres can be machined atthe same time if two lathe operators areavailable.

Technical terms

THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS of the lathe areexplained on site using interpretive signsprepared by Owen Peake. The following is abrief summary:

The bed is a robust base that supports theheadstock and permits the tailstock to bealigned parallel with the axis of the spindle.This is facilitated by hardened and ground wayswhich restrain the tailstock in a set track.The headstock houses the main spindle anddrive gears . The headstock is required to bemade as robust as possible due to the cuttingforces involved.The spindle runs in precision bearings and isfitted with some means of attaching workholding devices such as faceplates (the bigrotating discs on this wheel lathe).The tailstock is a toolholder directly mountedon the spindle axis, opposite the headstock.The tailstock spindle on this lathe rotates andcarries another faceplate.The (two) carriages hold the tool bits and movesthem longitudinally (turning) or perpendicularly(facing) under the control of the operator(s). Theoperator can move the carriages manually (butin this case the carriages will usually stay at3ft 6 inch separation).The cross-slide stands atop the carriage andtravels perpendicular to the main spindle axis,this permits facing operations to be performed.The tool bit is mounted in the toolpost whichis of the traditional 4 sided square style.The term tool bit generally refers to the cuttingtool used in metal lathes. The cutting edge isground to suit a particular machining operationand may be resharpened or reshaped as

needed. The ground tool bit is held rigidly by atool holder while it is cutting.Cutting speed may be defined as the rate (orspeed) that the material moves past the cuttingedge of the tool ,(in this case the steel tyrerotating past the cutting tool). A cutting speedfor mild steel of 100 ft/min (or approx 30 metres/min) is common.

History of the P&PCRwheel lathe

AFTER BEING MANUFACTURED at the GresleyIronworks factory in Manchester, the lathewould have been lifted on to a train and hauledto Liverpool for shipment to Australia. It wouldhave sailed via Cape Horn to Adelaide andthen Darwin. When it arrived in Darwin,Wishart would have just completed the curvedRailway Jetty. Its possible that the lathe wasunloaded from the sailing ship by the 188510 ton Cowans Sheldon railway crane that weare restoring. It would then have been hauledto Parap by Sandfly.

The railway workshops at Paraparap (as itwas then known) were quite extensive andwere equipped with a range of machine tools.All machines (including the wheel lathe) weredriven by belts from a lay shaft running thelength of the workshop and driven by a steamengine just outside. The floor of the workshopwas dirt (possibly ant bed).

The Commonwealth government inheritedthe Northern Territory Railway in January 1911.The facilities were inspected by aparliamentary delegation in 1912 (which hasleft us a legacy of some exceptionalprofessional photographs).

Commonwealth Railways despatchedAuditor George Hobler and Engineer RobertMcCallum to conduct a complete audit of theneglected railway which had received minimalmaintenance.

On 15 February 1915 McCallum recordedthe presence of the Smith & Coventry lathealong with other machinery in the machineshop. At that stage he recorded that it hadrecently been mounted on a concrete plinthafter presumably spending 27 years on thecompacted oil-soaked dirt floor of themachine shop.

FNAR News • 6

After the bombing raids in February 1942,the railway activated its Emergency Plan andevacuated the whole workshop operation toKatherine. A large workshop was establishedby the river bank (the RSL is on part of thesite now) and all equipment from Parap wasrelocated to what was called ‘The EvacuatedWorkshop’ at Katherine. This included thewheel lathe, and thanks to a militaryphotograph we have the only image of thelathe in action.

North Australia Railway and installed it at hisworkshop in Menmuir Street, Winnellie. It wasthe biggest lathe of its type in the NT and Stanwas called on to machine special jobs for arange of customers, including Stokes HillPower Station.

Leo Izod to the rescue

WITH THE CLOSURE OF Stan’s workshop in1999, Industrial Archaeologist Leo Izodbecame concerned about the potential fateof this important piece of 19 th centuryengineering. Stan was happy enough for thelathe to go to a museum. In 2001, Leoapproached the fledgling FNAR, impressingupon us the historical importance of thismachine.

After WW2, the workshop was repatriatedto Darwin along with the wheel lathe. TheParap workshop suffered little damage so thewheel lathe was put back in service in 1946and provided continuous service through until1970 when it was superseded by a brand new$250,000 ‘in-ground’ wheel lathe as part ofthe upgrade for the ‘one million tonne per year’Frances Creek iron ore haulage contract.

Stan Kennon purchased the lathe from the

We first sighted the lathe in February 2002.The workshop and equipment was thenowned by Nick Bjelica and we negotiated topurchase the lathe with personal funds. KerryMoran, Leo Izod and Owen Peake gentlydismantled the heavy machine and lifted thebed ready for removal by crane on 16 March2002.

Ironically, we were permitted to store thedisassembled lathe in the building which wasformerly the 1970 vintage railway wheel latheshed now owned by Power and WaterCorporation.

In September 2002 Norm Cramp kindlyarranged for Richard Summerauer and GaryCrammond to clean the parts and paint them.

1885 Smith & Coventry wheel lathe:

Parap Railway workshops, 1912: visiting Parliamentarydelegation (hence the white suits!)

The lathe in wartime service in Katherine. Theoperators are two of Jim Harvey’s ‘Forgotten Volunteers’

who had come to the NT from southern railways.

The Smith & Coventry lathe as it appeared in StanKennon’s workshop when we went to dismantle it.

FNAR News • 7

We consulted Leo on the appropriate colour,after detecting some patches of green, andvery appropriately settled on a colour calledDark Ages.

The intention had always been to display thewheel lathe inside the Sidney WilliamsExhibition Hall at Adelaide River.

The concrete floor in Sid Williams wascompleted in August 2005 and Peter Cornellmoved the lathe pieces to Adelaide River on7 September 2005. The floor is especiallystrong to carry the wheel lathe and thecomplementary Niles wheel press.

Leo spent a whole day with Pete’s forklifttaking the pieces inside the shed. The 20ftlong bed of the lathe, which weighs 4.5 tonne,took some effort and ingenuity to get throughthe door and in to position.

Cathro (a WW2 veteran who was visiting).For the last two years, Owen Peake has

been largely progressing the project byhimself, assisted by his brother-in-law ColinOberon (on holidays from Melbourne). Thishas been an incredible effort for a fellow whohas many other interests and responsibilities.Owen’s work included:• fitted the Headstock & Tailstock gear lever

fittings and lowered the whole assembly onto the lathe bed;

• fitted the Tool Posts (which carry the cuttingtools which actually machine the tyres);

• drive shaft (20ft long and 6inch diameter)retrieved, cleaned and fitted with ‘cumalong’;

• bolted down the head and tail stocks;• fitted faceplates at both ends. (the

faceplates are the big rotating ‘wheels’)• supplied the electric motor and fabricated

the motor mounting bracket;• cleaned the whole machine again with wire

brushes, cold chisels, etc;• cleaned and restored the original electrical

motor starter control box (for display);• fabricated and installed the new electrical

stater controls;• rewired the entire Sidney Williams hut;• fabricated the mesh safety cages around the

rotating gear wheels;• repainted the machine; and• produced a set of interpretive signs to

explain the elements of the wheel lathe.Reassembly of the lathe occurred in

February and March 2006. Leo and Mike Izoddonated the 16” x 7” universal beams onwhich the lathe is mounted. Splicelinesupplied the rubber matting under the beams.Mick Kent helped to jack the lathe bed leveland installed shims between the bed and thebeams as it seemed that the bottom of thecasting was not straight (anticipating concretebedding).

The Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club loanedus their large engine hoist (ex Caterpillar) toassist with lifting and gently installing the manylarge pieces of the lathe. Many peopleassisted in this phase including Leo Izod,Owen Peake, Colin Oberon, Mike Bowman,Mick Kent, Mel Jobst, Peter Hateley and Max

Owen Peake standing before the 1885 Smith &Coventry Wheel Lathe at the railway precinct at

Adelaide River in July this year.

a story of restoration and revival

FNAR News • 8

Smith & Coventrywheel lathe (cont)

Rail thefts continue

THROUGH OUR AFFILIATION with interstatekindred organizations we hear that rail theftcontinues and is increasing.

In some places thieves are ripping up railwhen a heritage rail is not used (egweekdays). South Australian police aremounting a serious attack on the practice inthat state. New Zealand has similar problems.

We were again gobsmacked when weheard that it is happening in our own back yard(and our own police have been on the casefor some months).

A couple of weeks ago, a visitor noticedsome steel in a local location had been cutand apparently left, and it appeared odd.When they returned past the same spot, thesteel was gone and a vehicle hauling a trailerwas spotted in the distance exiting the scene.

Please remain vigilant for this kind of activityand report it immediately to police.

Owen left Darwin , after 40 years, in August2008 but he has declared his intention to returnin 2009 and undertake some more work onthe lathe during his ‘retirement’.

The official firing up

DURING THE RAILWAY PICNIC on 4 August2008, with a crowd of 150 people in theSidney Williams Hut, the 120 year old lathewas rotated for the first time in many years.

On this occasion Leo Izod did the honoursand pressed the Start button, which completeda mission that he precipitated seven yearsago.

All present were suitably impressed andbroke in to spontaneous applause when thebig machine began to roll.

Earthworks

DURING THE PAST FEW months somesignificant earthworks have been happeningat the precinct. Major progress has beenmade with the carpark (which includesprovision for the original run-off from TelstraHill to fill the reservoir). The large breach inthe wall of the reservoir (created by roadbuilders seeking water in the 1980s) has beenfilled and the overflow is being formalized.Drainage, which has been a problem, hasbeen improved (acknowledging that our floodwaters flow south to Burrells Creek). Ourfrontage to DORAT Road has been cleanedup to the point that it can be slashed by theHighway Dept contractors. The frontage of ourneighbours (the ARSS Club) has also beenbeautified and a walking track from ARSS totown is being formalized. Whilst the backhoewas on site we excavated a trench to installcabling to streetlights along our access road.

This work was funded by Tourism NT andthe Urban Enhancement Program and wasfacilitated the CEO of Coomalie Council (LisaWain). We sincerely appreciate this majorcontribution to improving and presenting theprecinct. CS Services was our contractor.Some minor components of the work remainto be completed.

Congratulations to everyone who wasinvolved in this extensive and often dauntingproject.

It is one of the features of the precinct (weare beginning to have so many!) and is a creditto everyone who worked in so many differentways on it.

It is the case that Owen was often quizzedby visitors to the precinct whilst he wasworking on it, so it has been a case of heritagein action.

FNAR News • 9

Historical detective: the 1800s

YOUR EDITOR, FOR A VARIETY of reasons, hasbeen sorting through early copies of the NTTimes and Gazette.

Owned by Mr V L Solomon, who constructedSolomons Emporium (now known as Brown’sMart) in 1885, the paper seems to consideritself the political conscience of the residentsof Palmerston (Darwin’s then name), the‘residents’, of course, being white, propertiedand male.

It is not clear whether Solomon had inputinto the editorial missives fired by staff at theNT Times and Gazette, but there werecertainly some vitriolic attacks on thegovernment of South Australia at the time.

For example, after screaming blue bloodymurder in the 1870s that Europeans werecompletely incapable of working in tropicalconditions and that the only way the colonywould thrive is by importation of Coolie labour,the tune had changed dramatically by 1887:

The Government has at last been forced to giverelief work to European labourers, and a numberof men have been put to work repairing theGulnare jetty. This may be considered the firstfruits of the optional labour railway contract, andthe curse of every true Territorian will know everyman who advocated the acceptance of theMillar Brothers’ Chinese railway tender.

1 Jan 1887

This, of course, is a reference to the MillarBrothers who won the contract to construct therailway. By 1887, the paper was howling thatChinese labour was very cheap and Europeanlabourers couldn’t compete with it. This is atypical extract:

The Government has this week arranged withMessrs. Millar Bros to give work to some 30European miners. The men proceeded to the18-mile camp on Wednesday last, and a depotfor supplying them with stores has beenestablished by the Government. From whatwe can learn, these men are only to receive alow rate of wages, which will go into the handsof the Government, who, after deducting the costof their rations, will retain the balance until itamounts to sufficient to pay the passages ofthe men out of the country. This is the latestnovelty in the way of colonising the Territorywith Europeans. The scheme has not yet been

patented, but its value as an advertisement toattract white population to our shores will,doubtless, render it popular with theadministration whose combined wisdomaccepted the tender for a railway to beconstructed with Chinese labour.

8 Jan 1887

There is no question that the language iscolourful (and that is but a morsel); even moreinteresting is the correlation between theparochial rhetoric of the 1880s fired squarelyat the seat of government in Adelaide and theparochial rhetoric of the 1980s in much thesame vein fired squarely at the seat ofgovernment in Canberra!

However, returning to the issue of the railway,this missive was fired in relation to the railwaycontract and the Millar Brothers’ managementof it [Charles Millar was still in Adelaide at thistime]:

A large number of Chinese employed byMessrs. Millar Brothers struck work last week.It appears from this that neither Europeans norChinese are inclined to work in this climateunless fairly paid for their labour. We expect tolive to see the end of our Northern section ofthe great Transconotinental Railway completedby Billymuck, Pickles and Company who willbe doled out a weekly supply of damaged flourand tobacco by our open-handed contractors.

12 Feb 1887

In the same publication appeared thisadvertisement:

THE Q.C.E. HOTELADELAIDE RIVER.

CHARLES HAIMES

BEGS to inform his friends and the residentsof the Northern Territory that he has

purchased and thoroughly renovated theabove hotel and offers Superior

Accommodation to all who may favour himwith their support.

The Proprietor’s long experience in the tradewill be sufficient guarantee that all Wines,Beers, Spirits will be the best obtainable in

the market.

All Aboard readers will have to wait for amore extensive account of this research...

FNAR News • 10

In brief...in brief...in brief...in brief..in briefA gong

CONGRATULATIONS TO COLEEN HARRIS, anoccasional volunteer for FNAR and daughterof regular volunteer Estelle, for having anundergraduate history paper on Eve Sack,former proprietor of the Refreshment Roomsat Adelaide River Railway Station, nominatedand accepted for inclusion in the next issueof the Journal of Northern Territory History.This is a feather in Coleen’s cap and will addto the body of historical work we have inrelation to the precinct. Kay Goon, who dida lot of research on the tea ladies at the River,steered Coleen in the right direction.

Another gong

CONGRATULATIONS, TOO, TO ESTELLECORNELL, proprietor of Allora GardensNursery and major sponsor of FNAR with herhusband Peter (Porky), who won the NurseryIndustry category of the Australian SmallBusiness Champion Awards for the secondyear running. We wonder whether the rollingstock in the background provides uniqueambiance for the judges...

Guess who needs a diary...

FNAR SUPPORTER asked - two weeks afterthe event - when the WIP exhibition wasbecause he was really looking forward to it.Well, if you live Around Palmerston, perhapsyou should consider a diary. After all, whenyou reach a certain age, your brain becomessomething of a sieve...

British Parliamentary visit

ON 28 AUGUST WE hosted a short visit bymembers of a visiting British Parliamentarydelegation, the members of which wereguests of the Legislative Assembly inconjunction with the CommonwealthParliamentary Association. One of the Lordswas a Director of West Somerset Railway (afabulous example for us to follow in the westof the UK). Another was a guard and a railway

clerk many years ago and was on the Boardof a heritage railway before being awardedthe life peerage. The delegation visited theWar Cemetery and the Railway Museum atAdelaide River.

Following the visit, we received this e-mailfrom Lord Faulkner:

Coming to Adelaide River was particularlyspecial for me, because I was able to combinemy interests in war graves and railway heritage.I chair a parliamentary committee on the former,and as I mentioned to you, I am the chairmanof the Railway Heritage Committee in GreatBritain. I particularly enjoyed reading the railwayliterature you kindly gave me, and I was veryimpressed by your website.Do please keep in touch and have a look at theRHC website if you are interested in what wetry to do (www.railwayheritage.org.uk).

It’s rewarding to hear compliments fromkindred organisations. Many thanks to RobynSmith for hosting the visit.

Vale John Crossing

JOHN CROSSING from the Darwin rural areahad a long career with the railways in SouthAustralia and was a supporter of FNAR. whenJohn passed away earlier this year, his familykindly donated to FNAR an impressivecollection of railway artefacts and literature.The donated items are currently beingrestored by Mick Kent and will eventually bedisplayed at the museum at Adelaide Riverafter a specially prepared display unit hasbeen constructed. Our grateful thanks go tothe Crossing family.

Toyota tow motor

RECENTLY, GREAT SOUTHERN RAIL (GSR)donated a Toyota TG10 Tow Motor to FNAR.This small unit was used to haul luggagetrolleys along the platform at Darwin (andKeswick in earlier times). Yvonne Lamotte(GSR Terminal Manager in Darwin) arrangedthe donation of the tug and kindly supplied themaintenance history of it. This indicated theitems that may need some attention as were-commission the tug. The tug will be very

FNAR News • 11

useful around the precinct (it is golf buggy size)and will no doubt haul the fairground train fromtime to time. We thank Yvonne and GSR forthis special donation.

Some more historical ditties

FURTHER TO THE TEASER on page 9, Rob isfinding some absolute classic railwaysnippets and is assembling them into acomprehensive dossier.

A couple that she has shared with Trevorare sufficient evidence that this rag (the NTTimes and Gazette) was the forerunner of theNT News of today. Here’s one from 28 July1888:

In another column will be found advertisementsfrom Messrs. Millar Brothers, offering portionsof their live stock and plant for sale. Surely “the powers that be “ will make some effort toprevent the dispersion of such a complete plantuntil it has been decided whether theTranscontinental line is to be carried throughor not. At the very least, they must completethe line to the Katherine, for without it, Maudie’sCreek reefs, that already show great promise,will be shut out.

Note that Charles and Edwin Millar built thePalmerston and Pine Creek Railway. By July1888 they were making good progress wellpast Adelaide River and they started the firsttrain service from Palmerston to the northbank of Adelaide River. Perhaps it was timeto dispose of some plant. Maude’s Creekgold is still being mined today (near KatherineGorge).

Then there was this from 29 September1888:

A visitor to the country districts cannot fail tobe somewhat puzzled to find out whythousands of pounds have been expended inconstructing two immense reservoirs, one nearthe Darwin Bridge, and one within a very shortdistance of the Adelaide River, at both of whichplaces a permanent supply of water isobtainable. The water is as good as any in thecountry, and unless the Governmentlocomotives are far more fastidious thanGovernment officials, and refuse to consumeanything more impure than rain-water, we fail tosee any reasonable excuse for the immense

In brief...in brief...in brief...in brief..in briefexpenditure upon these seemingly uselessreservoirs.

Well, yes...the reservoir near the DarwinBridge is presumably the Southport Reservoir.Its not that far from Darwin River. At DarwinRiver, water was pumped from the river in toan overhead tank (at least it was in a 1912photo). Further, steam locomotives (andsteam boilers generally) do need high qualitywater. It’s tough for Members of the FourthEstate to admit that they are not the keepersof all knowledge in all things.

A very l-o-n-g wait

WE NOTE, WITH FLAGGING stamina,thatanother parliamentary year has passed in theNorthern Territory, yet we appear no nearer toseeing or hearing about the ‘new’ HeritageAct that was promised - oh, let’s see, it will beseven years ago in March 2009.

Works in Progress Exhibition

AND ON MATTERS Parliamentary, it was goodto see Members of the Legislative AssemblyGerry Wood and Kezia Purick attend theWIP exhibition. Several other members wereinvited. Some were obviously too busy - toobusy, even, to respond to the invitation!

Wellness

WE ARE PLEASED TO report that JohnNixon’s leg continues to heal well and thatMick Kent is shaping up to be dangerouslyfit. John is far more mobile and has ditchedhis stick. Mick is putting in some serious hoursboth at the precinct and on restoration worksat Porky’s block.

More trains

NOT CONTENT WITH THE Gulflander andSavannahlander trip in October (see pp 12-13), Judy Richardson no sooner returnedto Darwin than she jumped on The Ghan foranother choo-choo ride...

FNAR News • 12

OUR 2008 EXPEDITION toremote 1880 pioneer railwaysin North Queensland wascompleted in October.

The group of six expeditioners - JudyRichardson, Mick Kent, Nola Smith, EstelleHarris, Di Lunn and myself - had a memorableexperience thanks to the organization of JudyRichardson and Cairns Kuranda Steam.

Stage one of the expedition was a trip onthe legendry Gulflander, a weekly service ona vintage railmotor over a 95 mile track whichstill has mile posts and 95 per cent of theoriginal iron sleepers designed by Phillips asa cheap railway to the gold rush at Croydonin 1885.

We arrived on Monday for the WednesdayGulflander and so had 24 hours free time onthe Tuesday. We found that Normanton hasheaps of heritage, magnificent widethoroughfares (so that you can turn bullockteams), a fabulous Visitors Info Centre andlots of friendly people. The 1885 railwaystation itself is sensational.

We found that the butcher is the local rent-a-car man and Doug kindly hired the Maxi Taxito us for the day at very favorable rates.

FNAR explores eastward:

and enjoyed the famous Ash’sfish and chips.

The train trip to Croydon wasleisurely (about 20 mph) and lasted from8.30am until 2pm. We crossed flood plains

by TREVOR HORMAN

So what do you do? We headed forNormanton Cemetery (some great storiesthere). Then we went bush to Burke and WillsCamp 119. This was their final camp beforethe three day dash to the coast and back in1861. We also did the day trip to Karumba

and the Normanton River before runningthrough gentle Savannahland to Croydon.

Croydon itself was another place with plentyof its heritage in tact. We met plenty ofcolleagues of Lisa Wain who had been CEOof the shire up to about 2001. We even foundourselves have morning coffee with the Mayor.

We then bussed to Forsayth to catch theSavannahlander to Cairns. This was a twoday journey sauntering through the savannahon an 1880s railway that had been built by

Di, Estelle and Nola on the Savannahlanderat Mt Surprise.

The Gulflander paused at BlackBull to givepassengers a cup of tea.

The crew of the 2008 expedition atBurke and Wills 1861 Camp #119

FNAR News • 13

Gulflander and Savannahlander

Chillagoe Mining Company (cheaply) tosupply ore to its huge smelters.

The crew provided comprehensive andhumorous commentary and offered to stopanywhere we desired.

After the main expedition, Mick, Judy and Iventured north to Cooktown. We were againimpressed with the heritage that has survived(even though they regret the carnage that waswrought when the town was “cleaned up” forthe Queen’s visit in 1988).

The James Cook museum is sensational.The local history society is also very active.Plenty of interpretive signage aroundCooktown, Normanton and Croydon.

Our particular interest was the long defunctCooktown-Laura railway (again 1888-1961).We found quite a few reminders of it. We evenfound the chassis of the last rail motor RM58.This now belongs to the Lions Club who were

pondering what to do with it. Because of ourinquisitiveness we were invited to the LionsDinner meeting and we addressed themeeting.

Finally we visited Mareeba (another 1929AEC Rail Motor) Atherton (vintage C17locomotive 4–8–0) and Herberton (diesel loco1181 and beautiful station plus vintageconcrete underpass).

After such a wonderful adventure we arepondering ideas for a 2009 expedition.

Thanks again to Judy for organising thisevent and for the good company of Nola, Di,Estelle, Mick and Judy along the way. Ifsuccess is measured in kilos, this was a greattrip.

Apart from the good times, we observedwhat other people in the heritage tourismbusiness are doing. We felt very much at homeat Normanton, Croydon, Mount Surprise andCooktown.

Mick and Trevor studying hard at the spot whereJames Cook repaired the Endeavour in 1770 and

where the Laura railway wharf was in 1888.

A vintage upturned hopper wagon - identical tohoppers on the NAR of which some came from

Chillagoe. If only it were closer!!!

Crossing Copperfield Gorge at Einsliegh afterstopping for lunch at the pub

FNAR News • 14

STEVE ASHFORD OF THE HERITAGE Branchforwarded this extract from the Darwin Starfrom July 1976:

It’s a sad thought that future generations ofDarwin kids will be denied the pleasure ofcounting the carriages of passing trainsdreaming of far away place.Let it be recorded for posterity that the last trainto Larrimah had two locos and 19 carriages(counting flat-tops), and the not so far off placeit was going to won’t be there much longer.When the dusty old train was ready to leaveDarwin for the last time it seemed resigned toits fate and ready for the big permanent way inthe sky, whence if has been consigned bygovernment austerity measures.After posing for the cameras and issuing a fewoff-key blasts, it choofed off right on time.It was difficult to tell whether the motorists atthe Darwin crossing were blaring their horns infinal tribute or whether they were telling it toget it’s old carcass passed more quickly sothat they could cross.

The article has created quite a bit ofinterest. The location of the photo had us alittle intrigued. It was taken through very strongtelephoto lens. The MOTORAMA signsuggests Salonika Crossing and if so thefence at bottom left is the carpark for ArmidaleStreet power station. There is consensus thatthe image is with the train straddling SalonikaCrossing and starting to turn east through theParap railway yards.

The railway closed on 30 June 1976, so thistrain ran to Larrimah on about 28 June, and

Last train to Larrimahprobably returned through Katherine on 29June, reaching Darwin on 30 June.

John O’Donohoe, the last Station Masterat Darwin in 1976 (who, along with wife Judywere our Caretakers in 2006), confirmed thathe despatched the train from Darwin stationbound for Larrimah. John (who now residesin Townsville) reported that there was onepassenger on the train; an old bloke fromBrocks Creek who was a regular passenger.

The train is headed by two NT Classlocomotives followed by a crew relief van. Thisis a very small train for two powerfullocomotives which were brought in to haulFrances Creek iron ore.

There was only one loco on the train that leftLarrimah the next day for the return journey.Two locomotives is the big mystery. Johncannot remember two engines on theLarrimah train. He contacted Bill Musgrave(the last NAR workshop manager) who

confirmed that it did not happen. They wonderif one of the locos was being taken to Larrimahfor transfer south because nine of theselocomotives transferred south after the closurein 1976. John recalled:

The passenger carriage was probably down theback of the train and we wondered if it had beenSpellman’s NDH6 railcar with the drive shaftsremoved.

He also advised that the passengercarriage was not the NDH railcar, but was an

FNAR News • 15

older carriage with an end platform, a bit likethe NABP carriage at Pine Creek - only moremodern.

Further to this, John has been busysearching his memory and contacting friendsto provide more details on the last train toLarrimah, which has revealed:

As stated in my phone call 19/08/08 the lasttwo vehicles on the goods consist was apassenger consist and last the break van, thisvan was the working guards station, sleepingand cooking compartments for the resting crew.These break vans were referred to as ‘RelayVans’. The vans were used on all narrow gaugetrains operating on the CAR and NAR systemsthus allowing for four engine crew and twoguards to work between Stirling North and AliceSprings, Darwin to Larrimah and Frances Creekin relay without the need for rest houses beingconstructed; as was the case along thestandard gauge east west line between PortPirie SA and Parkston WA.The break vans as shown in the photo directlybehind the engines were placed in that positionon any goods train consist whenever aLocomotive Inspector or Traffic Inspector wasrequired to travel between Darwin and Larrimahand return. Traffic and locomotive inspectorswere, for want of a better description,Policemen. Their role was to ensure all aspectsof train operations were conducted safely andcorrectly as per the rules and regulations, sothey had to remain separate and impartial fromthe relay working crew.I have no doubts that the train shown in thephoto was in fact the last goods train toLarrimah.The tonnage hauled between Darwin, Larrimahand return only required one working NT classlocomotive. I think the second engine wouldbe travelling ‘dead’ to Larrimah as by this date

some rollingstock etc. was being sent downsouth.On the return trip only one locomotive was inuse. Any rolling stock standing at anunattended station was picked up and returnedto Darwin.The photo shows behind the second locomotivean inspector’s van; in fact the last train didrequire inspectors to travel to Larrimah andreturn. The inspectors were required to closedown all operational train crossings, LarrimahSiding, Katherine Station. This would haveincluded all safe working forms, train control‘train order books’ and returned to head officein Darwin.Behind the inspector’s van is a louvered van,which I believe was bound for Ah Toy’s GeneralStore at Pine Creek, then what appears to be alarger white van. If I am correct, this vehiclewas a tradesman work van having the samelayout as a break van i.e. sleeping quarters,kitchen, shower and toilet etc allowing plumbersand carpenters etc to be dropped off at sidingsthat required repairs to railway dwellings andbuildings. Following required repairs, the vanand tradesmen were picked up and returned toParap Workshop. Again, this van was probablybeing despatched south.The Darwin goods shed and shunt yards wereclosed in December 1976. By then a lot ofrollingstock had been sent south. I finishedmy NAR career on the 10th December 1976.

We are indebted to John for sharing theseprecious insights with us. In this piece hecovers quite a few aspects of railwayoperations that we hear little about. It will makea great addition to our archive.

In a separate piece of detective work, Johnbelieves he has worked out where theWeighbridge was in the Darwin Yard. We’llcover that separately.

Last train to Larrimah

Wet season caretaker required.The Wet Season is a time when visitor numbers are down but it is as important

as ever to have a presence on site to safeguard our precious collection.

If you have a caravan and are interested in this position, please contact our

Secretary, Judy Richardson, on 0439 843 747 to discuss the position.

A shaded caravan site is available in a special setting in this historic precinct.

Adelaide River is a delightful township just 112 km south of Darwin on the

Stuart Highway. Perhaps you know of someone who may suit this position.

If so, please mention it to them.

FNAR News • 16

THE ICONIC 1886 BALDWIN saddle tanklocomotive nicknamed Sandfly is currentlybeing restored by the Motor VehicleEnthusiasts Club (MVEC) at the QantasHangar at Parap.

The club was engaged by the NT HeritageBranch to undertake this work on behalf of ‘thepeople of the NT’ to whom Great SouthernRailway donated Sandfly in 2004.

Sandfly spent the intervening years sittingon Stokes Hill wharf suffering the effects ofthe elements, including salt water.

On 11 July 2008, Sandfly was ‘rescued’from Stokes HillWharf and taken toQantas Paraphangar. TomB e r t e n s h a w ,R o w a nCharrington andKurt Mussigeri m m e d i a t e l yc o m m e n c e ddismantling andpreservation works.Tom did hisapprenticeship withthe WA governmentrailways whilstRowan did his at thefamous Ipswich railway workshops inQueensland. They have worked energeticallyon this project since the day Sandfly arrived.They have stripped every part from her andcleaned them meticulously before effectingany necessary repairs. Every assembly hasbeen photographed as the projectproceeded. Peter Soulos has spent manyhours in the abrasive blasting cubicleattending to the many items that needed to

Sandfly restoration progressbe blasted clean. That’s not exactly fun in thishot weather.

The boiler has been removed to facilitateworks on the motion gear and to assist workon the boiler itself. Tom and Rowan report thatthe boiler tube end plates are in poor conditionand repair/replacement would be a majorexercise.

The many hundreds of parts that have beenrestored (and finished in very high gloss paint)are now almost ready for re-assembly. Thereis even talk that Sandfly could be backtogether again by Christmas!

MVEC PresidentPeet Menziessaid: ‘The projecthas brought outskills and talentsthat may well havebeen lost.

‘It’s been apleasure to seee x p e r i e n c e dpeople like Tom,Rowan, Kurt, PeterSoulos and Leo[Izod] contributingtheir many years ofexperience so thatSandfly was given

the very best resto job.‘MVEC is pleased to have been involved

and hopes to maintain a relationship withSandfly when it goes to its new home - whichwe hope is the Adelaide River RailwayMuseum’.

FNAR congratulates MVEC and the ‘boys’on the fine job they have done. We, too, hopeto see Sandfly in the railway heritage precinctat Adelaide River!

Sandfly as she arrived in Darwin in July 2004. Her arrivalwas not announced, and we were stunned to see her gothrough Adelaide River hitched to the end of The Ghan!

WE EXTEND GRATEFUL THANKS TO Mrs Brenda Blackadder, the mother of Peter Blackadderof the Amateur Radio Club, who very kindly donated to FNAR all the correspondence andmemorabilia of her grandfather Albert (Bert) Graham, an NAR Driver/Fireman in Darwin andAdelaide River throughout WW2. This treasure trove includes a number of photos, newspapercuttings, posters - some original, including one of Sandfly - plus snaps of goings on at AdelaideRiver during WW2. Additionally, there are documents relating to Bert’s cousin, William (Dicky)Joseph Graham who was also NAR and who, sadly, is also now deceased.

Bequest thank you

FNAR News • 17

ON MONDAY 3 DECEMBER 1888 there was aprestigious gathering of local identities (suchas Haynes QCE hotel) from Adelaide River,VIPs from Palmerston, officials from the SARailways department and management andworkers from Millar Bros, the contractors forthe Pine Creek railway line. The occasion wasthe official opening of the railway bridgeacross the Adelaide River.

The bridge was the biggest on the 145 milerailway and accounted for more than 10 percent of the cost ofthe line. The bridgeis 500ft long and is54ft above the DrySeason waterlevel. It cost morethan 100,000pounds to build.

It took all of the1888 Dry Seasonto build the largewrought ironlattice bridge. Tof a c i l i t a t ec o n s t r u c t i o nfurther towardsPine Creek, atemporary trackwas built acrossthe river at a low level.

Steam trains snorted to get up the riverbanks hauling construction materials.Sometimes three attempts were required.

Surveying of the bridge position took placein the 1884 Dry Season. This included drillingholes in the river bank to check thegeotechnical conditions for the foundations.With minimal hydrological data, it is amazinghow well they designed the bridge. It hassurvived all floods for the past 120 years.

Components for the bridge girders werefabricated by James Martin at Gawler in SouthAustralia and brought to Palmerston by sea.

The large cast iron columns probably camefrom the UK. The cast iron columns have‘rough concrete’ on the inside. Cement tomake the concrete would have come from theUK in wooden barrels. The large concrete

abutments for the bridge have no reinforcingmetal inside them and are therefore immuneto ‘concrete cancer’. The wrought iron usedin the bridge is far more corrosion resistantthan mild steel which was only in its infancy in1888.

The bridge has been subjected toengineering assessment and it is in goodshape.

It was almost used for the new standardgauge track but it may have neededstrengthening (it was strengthened once in the

1960s).The bridge is

heritage-listedand it has beenrecognised byE n g i n e e r sAustralia as anE n g i n e e r i n gH e r i t a g eLandmark (seeplaque atsouthern end ofthe bridge).

Until 1942, allroad vehicleshad to negotiatea ford across theriver just

downstream from the low level bridge, whichthe Army built in 1942. To facilitate WetSeason access, the old railway bridge wasdecked by the Army in 1942.

This high level crossing was used until 1980when the Edwin Verburg Road bridge wasbuilt. Sadly, the wooden decking on therailway bridge burned in a bush fire in 1983.The rails have simply flopped on to the ironframework of the bridge.

It is hoped that before too long the bridgewill be back in business - including thedecking to form a walkway between north andsouth Adelaide River.

On Wednesday 3 December 2008, a smallbirthday celebration was held on site tocommemorate the vision and toil of thosehundreds of workers who, during the 1888 DrySeason, created this engineering marvel.

Happy 120th to our bridge!

The small gathering at the bridge on 3 December.

FNAR News • 18

FOR SOME TIME, WE HAVE KNOWN about the 1941 Locomotive Running Shed at AdelaideRiver. The concrete footings are still there.

We have two very poor photos of the shed. One shows many locomotives in the vicinity onChristmas Day in 1944. The site has been subject to post-WW2 activity (which we do not yetunderstand) and this has despoiled some of the WW2 features of the site.

The rails through the loco shed site are 60lb rails which were left over from the Mataranka-Daly Waters extension in 1929.

In August when we were doing earthworks in the vicinity of these rails, the excavator exposeda long section of concrete underneath the rails.

Subsequently it has been shown to be the ashpit. These ashpits ran between the rails forabout 20m so that the steam locos could drop their ash during servicing.

Once the loco had gone, it was someone’s pleasant job to empty the ashpit.We have mountains of ash which suggests that a lotta shoveling was done up until 1954,

although the majority of it was done during WW2.

Ashpit discovered

Remnants of the foundations Discovery of the pit in August this year

Nuthin’ to do with trains, but...THIS SOMEWHAT SURREAL PHOTOGRAPH

was taken on 5 December from ParliamentHouse in Darwin.

In the foreground is Government House,itself an imposing building on Darwin’sEsplanade.

However, the official residence of theAdministrator is being dwarfed by a cruiseship berthed at Stokes Hill Wharf (which isa reasonable distance from Guv House) fora re-fuelling stop and so punters couldundertake a quick ‘lap’ of Darwin.

This vessel arrived after a sister vesselhad graced the same place (and dwarfedGuv House in a similar manner) the day before.

It is at times like this that one comes to appreciate how modern day cruising on the highseas really does occur in a floating city!

FNAR News • 19

If undeliverable, please return to FNAR, GPO Box 3504, Darwin NT 0801

FNARAll Aboard!

Positions VacantAUSTRALIA BE BUGGERED! Adelaide River

has a skills shortage! Are you into:• Carpentry• Cabinet making• Glazing• Signwriting• Painting• Bituminous roofing• Electrical work• Mechanical (bogies - new bushes, etc)And there is lots of unskilled work including

rubbing back flaking paint, cleaning, storingspare parts, making stencils, photographingparts before dismantling and recordingprogress etc.

Work can happen at any time to suitpeople’s preferences. Early morning (eg 7amstart) or late afternoon (finishing at dark) areall possible.

Remuneration? Well, actually, there isn’tany - HOWEVER we can guarantee youplenty of laughs, a great sense of achievementand reward, a little sense of learning andhistorical appreciation and a network offriends so diverse that the Karma Sutra lookslike a Kindy text.

Can money buy that? We don’t think so.Please contact us with your skills rating and

we can put you straight to work - pronto! Thebeauty is that you suit yourself.

Gear required for the precinct

• hundreds of #17 Tek screws to screw off theroofing iron on the SHORT TOM protective shed

• an extension ladder to leave at Adelaide River.• a steel work bench (preferably with a vice) to

store at Adelaide River.• a block and tackle hoist (minimum one tonne)

to leave at Adelaide River.• pallet racking to go in the container that Peter

Cornell has kindly placed next to the HudswellClarke steam locomotive project. The rackingwill enable parts to be stored efficiently.

• 6" x 2" hardwood timber for the running board onCaboose GB5588.

• washing Machine• windmill• money – we always need money• people – Carpenters and Cabinet Makers

especially• concrete

If you can help out with any of these requirements,

please let us know. We can collect!

Telephone: 0417 838578 • E-mail: [email protected]