f. Southern Queensland

28th February 2007

Forty years has changed Brisbane and Southern Queensland out of sight. In 1961 the tallest building in Brisbane was the Post Office clock tower, and suburban trains were steam hauled on 3'6" gauge. The coal mining boom had yet to happen, and the QR was very much the "Quaint and Rattly". The steam locomotives were green, brown, blue or black, and the delightful rollingstock was mainly wooden. The diesels were light blue and white, as were the showcase all steel, air-conditioned trains. The rails were laid vertical and the wheels were cylindrical. The enginemen wore waistcoats and felt hats. There were also about 2,000 miles of 2 foot gauge sugar tramways, criss-crossing the mainline up the Sunshine Route. To Southerners, it was all too good to be true!

Blow Down	View from the Big End	12 Minutes Refreshments!	Home on the Downs
What a Challenge!	Brown Bomber	Three Fours	Dad and Dave Country
The Mails Cross at Watts	Dropping the Fire	Real Yank, Pseudo Yank	Steam on the Range
Good Spot for a Chat	A Mile from the GPO	The Long Way Round	Just a Train
Airy Cab for the Tropics	Sunblinds and Waistcoats	The Commuters Had White Shirts	First and Last Look
Mission Accomplished