England for the first time on television the great little train from Down Under
This program is proudly presented by Newspot Motors
When the power of steam was king ruling the industrial onslaught of the 1800s
Australia was as much engulfed in a development craze as Europe and America
Although on the other side of the world this colony quickly became swept up in
the frenzy of creating a spiderweb of iron rails all over the country
Still an outpost of the mother country Australian railways were as strongly
influenced by England as was the rest of our daily lives. The design for most of
our locomotives was distinctly English and despite local workshops turning out
large numbers many hundreds of our engines were built over there and shipped
out as fully assembled deck cargo. In the far southern corner of Australia
Alastair Matheson is a gentleman who wants to reverse this process just once
This is the first time that an Australian built locomotive has ever
been taken to the United Kingdom
An excellent way to view the extent of English influence on our culture is a
visit to Tasmania. With similarities in geography and climate the architecture
here simply completes the picture
In his own little pocket of this island state about as far away from the
equator as one can get in Australia Alastair Matheson built a working old
style timber mill in 1979. Symbolic of one of the country's most prolific
industries it's typical of hundreds of such mills which were once dotted
throughout the Australian bush. In 1986 Alastair somehow found himself up to his
knees building an ambitious extension to his mill a narrow gauge steam railway
inspired from one photograph. English aristocrat and railway engineer Sir Arthur
Haywood started it all off by developing this 15 inch gauge system and it was a
photograph from his original railway given to me by my eight-year-old
daughter in a book one year for Christmas that inspired me to build what
is now the Bushmill railway
Once we had created the Bushmill I felt that we had to go on to a further stage
and I wanted to put because of my interest in steam and steam railways
generally I would have loved to have put in a railway but because of the terrain
it was virtually impossible to do that and it was Sir Arthur Haywood's vision
that he had back in the early 1870s and he achieved it he got these little
railways up through remarkable radiance and around very very tight curves and as
soon as I saw the photograph I knew straight away why can't we do this
about 12 months after we finished our railway I was in England and I
accidentally came across a book which was a printed edition of Sir Arthur
Haywood's original diary about his railways and in the back of that
edition were some superb glass plate photographs of the railway that he had
built himself back in the 1870s at Duffield Bank and when I looked at those
photographs I just could not believe what I was seeing because without
previous knowledge our railways were just so similar and it really took my
breath away when I saw the photographs perhaps there was some unfinished
business that he had to attend to
Sir Arthur Haywood was an intelligent and creative engineer who endured the
quaint frustration of being both ahead of the times and behind them all at
once in the latter half of the 1800s he devoted his work to what became known as
minimum gauge railways where he could see the benefit in small cheaper easier
to handle construction 15 inch gauge he contended was big enough to handle heavy
loads but small enough to be operated by one man it was also capable of
negotiating very steep gradients and tight curves Sir Arthur had a vision of
developing his estate railways tiny private lines which would link the
farming land of the manners with a full-size railway network and their
connected markets but he only ever completed two one for himself and another
for his good friend the Duke of Westminster
Haywood's unique and distinctive engineering concepts were considered too
revolutionary to be accepted then by the time enough influential people were
taking notice of his ideas roads and motor lorries had captured the transport
limelight effectively eliminating the need for this type of railway his life's
work was already obsolete
however Haywood's essential belief in narrow gauge did take hold all over the
world small railways of all shapes and sizes played a vital role in the
relentless spread of transport services
in Victoria another of Australia's premier tourist attractions Huffing Billy
is a living revival of an actual narrow gauge railway at the turn of the century
local activity was centered around the train and the humble station master was
a highly placed community member
now nearly a quarter of a million passengers a year continue the long
standing tradition of riding on Huffing Billy through the Dandenong Rangers
we're really looking at getting onto the map in the railway world the local
media muse over whether this is the antique of an enthusiast an entrepreneur
or a bit of a crackpot it'll certainly put us and Tasmania in this locomotive
it's all come together six months of organizing raising finance finding a
ship now it's actually happening ahead of the locomotive is six weeks at sea and
tomorrow the first step in that journey begins the worst flu in years it's an
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it's a fairly safe bet that no matter how far ahead work begins there's always
going to be a bag full of jobs to do on the last night while taking a complete
steam engine to England may be outside the limits of hand luggage with modern
transport systems it's actually not as difficult as may first appear after the
initial you're going to what from bystanders a common question centered
around whether the container had been specially built for the task and the
answer was no a standard ANL 20-footer had a simple frame set up to act as
rails placed on the floor once inside the locomotive would simply be pinned to
this frame with a brace at the front and back the shipping container has
revolutionized freight handling loading this cargo is like pointing a kid's
train set into a shoebox
the ships taking its cargo about as far away from Australia as you can go
literally to the other side of the world once on English soil the great little
train from down under would tour two of the country's famous 15 inch gauge
railways the Raven glass and Eskdale in the north and the Romney high than dim
church down on the southeast corner
we needed a bigger more powerful locomotive that was suited to to our
very steep gradients and our very tight curves on the track the particular
locomotive that's been chosen to be bundled off to England has a strong
personal attachment for everyone at the Bush mill particularly as it was
hand-built at the mill co-owner and driver Lester Jones is the man
responsible for the engines construction there are very few off-the-shelf items
for making steam engines these days so virtually everything had to be scratch
built from raw materials 99% of it is handmade the boiler was built by a local
boiler maker in Hobart but all the motions the parts the wheels and
everything to all handcrafted gradually all the bits and pieces needed began to
be churned out from inside the tiny workshop a did only by a handful of
basic tools the quality of work was exceptional further enhanced when you
know that Lester had no formal engineering qualifications
I convinced the engine in November in 1987 and after three years of building
we commissioned it on the 12th of December in 1990 the engine actually has
its own particular significance in railway history being a half-size replica
of another famous locomotive it's the only one of its kind in the world the
very first Garrett built in the world was built for the Tasmanian government
railways back in the early 1900s all the $200,000 to be won when you play Arnett's
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tonight in Cairns when the Chen family sit down to dinner they have been to the
same greengrocer as the Luciano's of like our New South Wales and over in
Bunbury WA the Rhyan's enjoy delicious beef goulash from the very same butcher
the Simpsons of Ballarat by their pepper steak fact is all over the country when
Australians ask what's to eat chances are it'll be something fresh something
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Baza tell the kids about this year's environment and recreation trial at the
Royal Show well at each stop along the way you get a jigsaw piece and by the
end of the trial you have a whole jigsaw to keep and there's lots of
interesting things to see brought to you by the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources sponsored by Living Health and partly supported by Adelaide's
Channel 9 one of television's highest accolades this is your life online
few places have better shown the conflict between preservation of nature
and the onslaught of industry as Tasmania's West Coast a wilderness of
unmatched beauty last century it derived a reputation for having one of the
richest sources of mineral deposits in the world
the exploitation of that resource is well documented and the controversy over
its effect continues today but whatever the ethical or ecological issues the
story of how that mineral source was able to be plundered in such harsh
surroundings is indeed remarkable
mining took hold with all the tenacity associated with this wild industry
courage and perseverance were the keys to success large complexes shared the
mountains with tiny one-man diggings in conditions often beyond comprehension in
our modern world sometimes on the West Coast you can get a good day a lot of
the old-timers used to reckon it it rained 364 days a year except in the
leap year and of course it was the extra day it rained those days of hardship on
the islands West Coast have certainly captured the imagination of Lou Ray a
knowledgeable Tasmanian row a historian and prolific writer on the mining era
to get around the West Coast even with today's transport still causes a lot of
problems of course hundred hundred and fifty years ago without any good
transport it was virtually impossible Lou can now only reminisce about how it
was when the sound of steam stampers and shovels echoed through the hills around
zin mining is all but extinct here now the hammer mills fell into silence just
as quickly as they began
we're near vertical mountainsides once boasted massive rail haulages just the
scars of their existence remain
at the foot of the Hercules haulage or was loaded into wagons at the head of a
two-foot gauge rail line where it went to zin for processing in the smelters
the Northeast Dundas tramway was built by the Tasmanian government with work
beginning in 1895 it was just one of a myriad of railways and tramways
meandering all over the West Coast but certainly one of the most spectacular
Lou Ray well recognizes the vital role of railways during the mining boom
without those winding ribbons of steel it would have been impossible to get the
excavated tonnage out to the rest of the world this was the domain of narrow
gauge railways snaking their way through the hills and valleys when no other
transport could reach but rails alone were not enough the trial of finding
suitable engines was a long and painful one finally after waiting ten years for
a loco which simply split the rails and fill in the dirt on its first run a
different kind of approach was needed to tackle this rough mountainous country
salvation began in 1909 when the Bay of Peacock Company built two locos for the
Northeast Dundas tramway based on a radical new concept by mr. hw Garrett
the dilemma of providing enough power on mountain railways had been pondered by
this man for some time his eventual design was effectively two locomotives
in one delivering power with maneuverability from an idea to solve a
local problem a world-famous railway legend began with the birth of the
original k1 certainly the garrots did not derive their success from beauty
rather an ugly duckling quality tended to endear them more to the railway
enthusiast who had a better understanding of the locomotive's
virtues with its bright green paint job and shining brass the Bush Mills version
has transformed the duckling into a swan
the rails of the tramway have all been pulled up and only a few sleepers or the
occasional cutting give evidence to the existence of this once active transport
link the old track bed is four-wheel drive territory now with several creek
crossings where timber bridges once stood
but even a four-wheel drive has limits so it's up to the ever reliable
blundstones to traverse the last section the reward is worth the effort
you
although it may be a long time since passengers on picnic trains were
enveloped by the spray of Montezuma Falls much discussion goes on about plans to
restore the line there is a dream to once again burst out of the rainforest
and see the tallest waterfall in southern Australia from a railway
carriage to find the spirit of our state and the way to the garden
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as Mother Nature begins consuming scars from the West Coast mining invasion
tourism is in fact a new local industry with the natural beauty of its rivers
and rainforests being a powerful drawcard the whole island of Tasmania is
a tourist target
as an ever-increasing number of people want to sample this remote wonderland
modern forms of transport are facing constant pressure to increase their
payload
but it's the more traditional tourist route the Aussie duo have taken to
England to sample some British way of life before their train laden ship
arrives
how easy it is to become absorbed in the grand old city of London taking in all
the architecture the people and the history aboard one of the city's most
popular venues in use today
we've just about worked this crowd up into a coma now
street theater is as old as the streets themselves an ancient art in an ancient
city
today the pavements of York in the north of the country support antics of the
offbeat like Andy dextrous alongside slightly more cultured pursuits of
curbside art
watercolor renditions of the Masters will hopefully attract a few pennies from
appreciative passes by before these works dissolve into obscurity
York has seen a lot of history which reflects in its architecture it's a
wonderful experience wandering the narrow streets of this truly medieval
city contemplating names synonymous with its past it's been in the hands of the
Danes Saxons and Normans even William the Conqueror made it a fortress
there's a contrast between the strength and the standards of these buildings
they may well have stood the test of time but their construction also
displays an extraordinary array of angles slopes of floors and curved walls
are all perfectly described by the name for one of its more famous sections
the powerful influence of Christianity dominates the skyline in York the
Cathedral of st. Peter or York Minster by popular title has its origins as far
back as the 12th century
maybe the 40 odd parish churches then sprinkled around the area didn't share
the same glory of size but this modest little church does share historical
significance by also dating back to the 12th century
the steam enthusiasts there's a structure which despite a modern
intrusion on its surroundings houses a veritable treasure trove of old goodies
in a city that became famous as a major transport center the National Rail Museum
has the finest collection imaginable railway products from the British steam
era kept in immaculate condition they range from the biggest and most powerful
to the oldest and most famous
although 25 years after the first recognized steam locomotive Stevenson's
rocket is generally associated with the beginning of railways in 1829 it was the
winner of a 500 pound prize to find the best suited locomotive for the Liverpool
and Manchester Railway
this building also houses a locomotive of special interest to the touring
Australians for here is now the home of the original K1 Garrett this may actually
have been the first locomotive to travel across the ocean from Australia to
England but Alistair's 15 inch gauge replica is the first Australian built
loco to do so and certainly the first in steam
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some people might think it's a little funny but we've changed our face to
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forest where dreams come true and miracles are made in the heart a legend
is about to come to life one of the most beloved childhood stories of all as
you've never seen it before how wonderful Academy Award winner Martin
Landau Jonathan Taylor Thomas the adventures of Pinocchio
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twyte's the Pandora is best known as the 24 gun frigate sent to the South Pacific
in search of the mutineers of the bounty in July 1791 with 14 mutineers
manacled and locked away in a makeshift prison on her quarterdeck she set sail
for England on the 29th of August she was holed and sack try to find a way
through the Great Barrier Reef 31 crew and four mutineers perished now over 200
years later she's arrived here at Port Adelaide now you can uncover the secrets
and treasures of the Pandora for yourself at this special exhibition from
the Queensland Museum a fascinating collection of photographs replicas and
recovered artifacts will show you how marine archaeologists are piecing
together the Pandora puzzle to discover how life was on the warship Pandora more
than 200 years ago come on down to the Maritime Museum at Lipson Street Port
Adelaide for an exhibition that shouldn't be missed Pandora piecing
together the puzzle proudly supported by Adelaide's Channel 9 at the barking
container base near London somewhere in a sea of containers a lonely locomotive
waits to be claimed like a puppy at a lost dog's home
wrong spell tell me your shifters not bigger you'll have to stay in the
container back home
British British technology to the rescue British English English technology
Oh
Whoa!
Got a, um, one of those, uh, bars.
Ravenglass is a small coastal village in the north west of England, right opposite the
Isle of Man.
Here in the Lakes District of Cumbria, farming ground is as rich as it looks.
In past centuries, the quiet, unassuming river entrance of Ravenglass was one of the first
ports established by the Romans.
It lies at the bottom of a valley guarded by the infamous and rugged Hard Knot Pass.
Today, the mountain is traversed by a thin, zigzagging road up a torturous one in three
gradient.
The view commanded of the valley from near the top of this pass is reason enough for
the Romans to have built a large fort here in the first century AD.
The site was used to create a large garrison for reinforcing their military occupation of
the area.
There's enough structure remaining for the experts to have gained valuable information
about the daily life of such early times.
They even know for what purpose most of the buildings would have been used, but for the
average visitor today, it's a tenuous link with a time outside their grasp.
Another fort existed down at Ravenglass itself.
A short walk out of town, the ruins of a bathhouse are all that remain of a once substantial
structure established around 130 AD.
Ravenglass Auto has one of the most picturesque little steam trains, treading its way up into
the hills from the seaside village.
Because we've been very thirsty with these things.
The many parallels that can be drawn between England and Australia even extend to this
railway.
The little visiting garret replica will actually be running on what was once a mining line,
with amazing similarities to the North East Dundas tramway, home of the original garret
in Australia.
The interest in the Australian engine was mixed.
Some were fascinated by the type of locomotive, some wanted to see the quality of engineering,
and there were others who just wanted to see what this man from Dundas had brought halfway
up.
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Direct from America, Mario Maolo presents a celebration of swing.
Featuring on Trump Burn Bill Toll, star of the film New York, New York, and leader of
the Tommy Dorsey Band.
On trumpet, John Best, leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
With Art Depew, leader of the Harry James Band.
Plus a special tribute to the Andrew Sisters.
And the world's finest clarinet player, Peanuts Hucko of the Benny Goodman Band.
A celebration of swing.
Final show, Festival Theatre, September 2nd.
Book now.
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Over here.
I'm the invisible baker.
And this is Buttercup's Wonder White, the invisible bread.
You can see it, but can you see the fibre?
That's the invisible bit.
Wonder White might look and taste like soft white bread, but it contains the invisible
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Ask the kids.
Wonder White is the soft white bread kids love with the fibre they need.
Cash Converters Furniture, one of the biggest second hand furniture stores in South Australia,
is now at two great locations at Richmond and Gepps Cross.
Lounges, beds, tables, wardrobes.
There are hundreds of household furniture items priced to fit your budget.
If you're selling, call Cash Converters Furniture and they'll come to your home and convert
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Cash Converters Furniture, 183 Richmond Road, Richmond and 580 Main North Road, Gepps Cross.
Rich in history itself, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, affectionately known around
here as Lalratti, travels over ground sprinkled with evidence of Roman occupation from nearly
2000 years ago.
These days, resplendent scenery attracts people away from the turmoil of city living as they
tour the Cumbrian Lakes District.
Closing Information
Pubs in England are legendary, and one such establishment is a trademark of Ravenclaw's.
It's actually a pub on a railway station, and with such an appropriate address, the Ratty
Arms is definitely a focus of activity after a long day on the trains.
Proudly it stands on a platform beside the British Rail line, which services this coast,
making it one of the better waiting rooms of any station.
The now revered Ratty Arms started out as a conventional station building, when Ravenclaw's
was a busy junction with a mining line which ran a mere seven miles up the valley to Dalegarth.
Now it's a watering hole for the workers of the 15 inch gauge railway, where the newly
arrived Australian locomotive is about to commence its tour of duty.
The game of grown up boys playing with their big train set is a serious one.
Running a new engine isn't just a matter of hitching on some carriages and setting off,
but it wasn't too long before the test train escaped the boundaries of the station yard.
There's an intangibility about the attraction of steam, but somehow it manages to captivate
young and old alike.
I mean obviously they're fascinated by our steam engines, but whether they can relate
to the fact that there used to be big steam engines running up and down on the railways,
I don't know.
Trevor Stockton is one of the die hard enthusiasts who's been coming here since he was a small
boy.
After driving steam engines here for 20 years full time, Raven Glass still holds the magic
that drew him in as a youngster.
Oh my father brought me up here when I was a little lad.
I started riding up and down on here when I was about four or five, something like that.
We came for holidays every year right through till when I was old enough to start coming
up on my own volunteering on the railway.
And him is a railway with its own little community, a blend of employed staff working alongside
a core of volunteers, guards, station masters, canteen staff, ticket sellers and cleaners,
all returning here at any opportunity for year after year, giving their time to keep
the ratty rolling.
So the little green engine from Down Under has now begun to tackle English railways.
The next few weeks here will encompass much variety, the splendour of scenery at Raven
Glass, magnificent machinery at Romney, the diverse history of both places and of course
plenty of wonderful characters who are the real heart of these railways.
Thank you very much.