Railway Digest Magazine November 2017 Back Issue

Newcastle Interchange opens
Nearly three years after the last passenger train left the old Newcastle station in controversial circumstances, just before midnight on Christmas Day 2014, the new ‘Newcastle Interchange’ station at Wickham opened for business, with the first passenger service departing around 2.00 am on Sunday 15 October. We take a look at the new ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the Revitalising Newcastle program.

The Townsville to Mt Isa Railway
Stretching 966 kilometres from Stuart, 10 kilometres south of Townsville on Queensland Rail’s North Coast Line, to the inland mining city of Mount Isa, Queensland Rail’s Townsville to Mount Isa Line has played a significant part in the development of North Queensland. John Hoyle reports on an interesting and historic railway that has seen its fortunes wax and wane, but now looks towards a promising future.

4201 Returns!
After a break of several years, 4201 made its official return to operational service on Saturday 16 September. Its debut involved a ceremony at Central station to mark the occasion and, afterwards, the restored locomotive hauled a NSW Rail Museum tour billed as ‘The Highlander” from Sydney to Moss Vale before returning to Sydney via Robertson and the South Coast line. Wayne Eade reports.

Fifty-five years
On Thursday 28 September 2017, Darren Tulk was at the Brisbane Tramway Museum as it opened for a special evening. The well-patronised night was timed to commemorate the disastrous event of 1962 that contributed to the closure of Brisbane’s tram network in 1969.