Australian Railway History Magazine September 2016 Back Issue

Jim Stokes leads the September issue of Australian Railway History with his account of the challenges faced by managers of the Tasmanian Government Railways in the 1960s in upgrading the run-down system following World War II. These included low-traffic branch lines, declining freight traffic and increased road competition. Jim's excellent photographs from the era illustrate the article.
Bob McKillop follows with Part 1 of his account of the early railway contractor William Watkins. This covers his achievements and challenges in completing three of the main contracts for the Great Western Railway over the Blue Mountains from Penrith to Clarence Tunnel, together with the challenge of constructing the piles for the combined railway and road bridge across the Nepean River at Penrith.
Glenn Rose rounds off with an overview of the role played by railway surveyors in assessing, marking and documenting the main railway routes in New South Wales. Three is also a review of the book 'Engaging the Giants' by Scott Clennett, which presents a comprehensive history of the forest industry in southern Tasmania and the logging railways that facilitated their exploitation.