recollections of the rockhampton roundhouse -...
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ROCKHAMPTONRecollections of the
Rockhampton Roundhouse
Recollections of the
Rockhampton Roundhouse
© Aurizon 2016 – This document does not necessarily represent the views of Aurizon Operations
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PAGE vi Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
AURIZON PAGE vii
VIIIAcknowledgements
1Foreword
2Rockhampton
Needs a Railway
3Servicing the Network
and Rollingstock:
The Rockhampton
Railway Workshops
7The Jewel in the Crown –
The Rockhampton
Roundhouse
11Personal Stories:
Charlie Hunt
Contents
12The Role of Coal
14The Railway Ambulance
16Personal Stories:
Alan Bambrick
19The Roundhouse in
the Age of Steam
24Foreigners
26Personal Stories:
Des Bendall
28Personal Stories:
John Lyon
30The Post-Steam Era
32Apprenticeships
35The Railway Family
36Personal Stories:
Stephen Bell
38The Roundhouse Today
PAGE viii Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Acknowledgements his book would not have been possible without the numerous
people who volunteered their time to contribute stories,
memorabilia, guidance and advice.
We would like to extend our thanks to the following current and
former staff who provided stories and memorabilia: Alan Bambrick,
Kevin Bateman, Catherine Baxter, Stephen Bell, Greg Belz,
Des Bendall, Damien Bock, Ray Cameron, Stephen Ciesiolka,
Peter Dedman, Billy Dunn, Charlie Hunt, John Lyon, Tony Madden,
Henry Mansfield, Dale McDonald, Ken McHugh, Barry Parker,
Len Reddy, Eddie vea vea and Franklin Wood.
We would like to extend our thanks to the following people
and organisations that provided content assistance,
including photographs, information and advice:
Archer Park Rail Museum, Claire Arthur (ERM), Peter Bruce
(http://teenagerailfan.blogspot.com.au), Central Queensland
University Library, Lindsay Cooper (Aurizon), Peter Marquis-Kyle,
Queensland Rail, Rockhampton Regional Library History Centre,
The Workshops Rail Museum, Dean Stalker (Queensland’s Railways
interest Group), Dr. Barbara Webster (Central Queensland
University) and Lynn Zelmer (http://qldrailheritage.com).
We would also like to acknowledge the authors of this book,
Holly Maclean (ERM) who provided the primary content and
Jacqueline Murray (Aurizon) who provided peer review and
secondary content. Lastly, we would like to acknowledge
Stephen Cox, vP Enterprise Real Estate (Aurizon) for his
support and sponsorship of the project.
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
AURIZON PAGE 1
Foreword o celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rockhampton
Roundhouse, Aurizon has prepared this book to capture the
stories of employees that have worked in this iconic structure.
The book serves as a unique record of the role the Rockhampton
Roundhouse has played in the economic development of local
communities and the state of Queensland.
The Roundhouse is an instantly recognisable part of our transport
heritage. Like so many other railway buildings of the era, it has
served a number of purposes, however its primary function over
the last 100 years has been to accommodate the basic necessities
for rollingstock maintenance and repair.
The Roundhouse was a place where the work was hot, dirty and
difficult. So why did so many people dedicate their entire lives to
working in this landmark building? The answer is simple – it was the
people. Although this book is about celebrating the Roundhouse,
it is the people who should be celebrated. Construction of the
Roundhouse was undertaken entirely by railway staff and is
a testament to their ingenuity and expertise.
Today, it stands as a reminder of our industrial heritage and a
symbol of our journey towards becoming a world leading rail-based
transport business.
Lance Hockridge
Managing Director & CEO
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
PAGE 2 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Rockhampton Needs a Railway
n 1858, one year before the
official separation of Queensland
and New South Wales, the coastal
settlement of Rockhampton was
officially proclaimed a town and Port
of Entry. The region’s residents first
heard the chugging of steam engines
in the late 1860s when the Great
Northern Railway was established.
Turning of the first sod took place
on 27 September 1865.
The Great Northern Railway was
constructed in a number of sections.
The first section was opened in
1867, starting at Rockhampton and
terminating approximately 47km
west at Westwood. The journey
between these stations originally
took two hours to complete.1
Despite the fanfare that
accompanied the commencement
of construction, there was relatively
little ceremony for the opening of
this section of the Great Northern
Line. The staff, however, were the
subject of high praise.
“The Great Northern Line was
opened to traffic on Thursday.
The first train left Rockhampton
at eight o’clock, with a quantity
of freight and a fair number of
passengers, returning in the
afternoon with a considerable
quantity of goods. Everything went
off well, the men falling into their
places as naturally as if the line
had been open for months.”
Rockhampton Bulletin
and Central Queensland Advertiser,
21 September 1867.
in 1872, the novelist Anthony
Trollope derided the ‘greatness’
of the Great Northern Railway,
describing it as “a railway that
started in the bush and led to
nowhere”.2 in 1878 it was decided
the initial title was not appropriate
and the line was renamed the
Central Railway.3
Over the next 50 years the Central
Railway was opened in sections
and by 1928 it reached as far west
as Winton.
The steam era propelled Queensland
into a new phase of productivity
and growth. Trips which had
previously taken days by drays
could be completed by rail in hours.
People, goods and postal mail could
be transported longer distances
with ease. Most importantly, with the
expansion of the rail network,
new inland areas of the State
became available for settlement.
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
“Shortly after the hour of
noon yesterday, the first sod
of the Great Northern Railway
was turned by his excellency
Sir George Bowen, G.C.M.G.
The attendance on the occasion
numbered from fifteen hundred to
two thousand, and included a large
number of ladies. His excellency
delivered an inspiring speech to the
party of officials and public,
closing by saying, “May the important
public work now commenced realise
all the hopes of its promoters,
and endure throughout the great
future of the Northern Districts of
Queensland, a source of permanent
and increasing prosperity.”
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and
General Advertiser,
7 October 1865.
AURIZON PAGE 3
Servicing the Network and Rollingstock –
The Rockhampton Railway Workshopshe first steam locomotives
used in Queensland in the 19th
Century were imported from
Britain and the United States. By the
1890s, Australia was producing its
own steam locomotives. The design
of Australian locomotives generally
incorporated both British and
American characteristics.4
Whilst the steam locomotives made
many aspects of travel easier,
behind the scenes there was a
constant schedule of maintenance
and repair. Boilers required cleaning;
soot and ash had to be removed
from fireboxes; moving parts
needed lubrication; brakes and
signal equipment required regular
maintenance; and engines had
to be kept in prime condition.
To keep Central Queensland’s steam
trains operational, a Rail Reserve
was established at Rockhampton for
the purpose of building a workshops
facility. The reserve was centrally
situated on a block of land bounded
by Denison, South, Campbell and
Stanley Streets. The buildings
planned for construction were
anticipated to materially improve the
appearance of the neighbourhood.5
One of the first buildings constructed
at the new Rockhampton Railway
Workshops was a partial Roundhouse
– also known as an “Engine Shed”
or “Running Shed”. The building was
completed in 1877 and originally
comprised of seven stalls. it was later
enlarged to accommodate more
engines before further improvements
were undertaken in 1903.6
(Image courtesy of Queensland State Archives.)7
“The new railway workshops
are now rapidly assuming the form
intended by the designer and very
soon will present to the untrained eye
of the general public, at least from
outside, an appearance of completion
that has hitherto been lacking.
The Morning Bulletin,
23 July 1914. U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
PAGE 4 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Rockhampton Workshops and Carriage Shed c1900. (Image courtesy of Queensland State Archives.)9
“They were some of the cleverest
tradesmen I’ve ever seen in my life.
They could make ANYTHING in
those workshops.”
Des Bendall, Sheet Metal Worker at the Rockhampton
Roundhouse between 1963 and 2000.
By the turn of the 20th Century,
the size of the rollingstock fleet
operating in Central Queensland had
outgrown the capacity of the partial
Roundhouse and workshops.
“…[the Rockhampton] Workshops
were built many years ago,
and through they have done good
service, the time has now arrived
when the question of providing
larger shops, equipped with modern
machinery, tools, etc., should be
considered.”
Queensland Rail Annual Report 1910:97.
A recreational area adjacent to
the existing workshops, known as
Fitzroy Park, was acquired by the
railways department to expand the
Workshops. Plans for the expansion
were submitted to the Acting
Maintenance Engineer in November
1912 and construction commenced
shortly thereafter.8
A large number of shops were built,
that served a broad range
of functions.
The shops where locomotives,
wagons and carriages were built,
repaired or overhauled included
the Erecting Shop, Wagon Shop,
Wheel Shop, Carriage Shop and
Lifting Shop.
Equipment and parts were
fabricated, machined, forged or
repaired at the Boiler Shop,
Machine Shop, Blacksmiths
Workshop, Timber Mill,
Carpenter’s Shop, Electricians
Workshop, Battery Room,
Tool Room, Motor Room and the
Westinghouse Brake Gear Shop.
Additional specialist shops included
the Paint Shop where all the
stencilling, painting and sign writing
was done; the White Metal Bearing
Shed, where electroplating
and polishing was completed;
and the Carriage Trimmer’s Shop
and Mattress Shop where
fabric-based works such as
upholstering for seating and
mattresses took place.
Ancillary buildings included water
tanks, toilets, showers, a timekeeper’s
office, rest rooms, and oil stores.
AURIZON PAGE 5
“Excellent progress is being made by Mr J.H. McKewen and his
men of converting the fifteen acres of what is known as Fitzroy
Park into a railway centre of some note. The group of buildings,
when completed, will make quite an imposing array. The buildings
are not ornamental, of course, but they will be very useful, and will
materially improve the appearance of the neighbourhood. They will
number almost a dozen. They will include two structures known
as roundhouses, each 333ft in diameter, a machine shop of very
respectable dimensions, namely 200ft long and 100ft wide;
a smith’s shops; erecting shops; electric power house; waggon shops;
carriage shed; and a rest-house for engine-drivers and bath-houses
for the mechanics. The whole of the structures will be arranged so
as to provide for convenient working in and between the several
departments. Only about one-third of the work has been done so far,
so that a great deal remains to be done. One of the roundhouses has
been handed over by the contracting department, and is now in use
as a locomotive running shed. This is 333ft in diameter and is enclosed
with galvanised iron walls and roofed with fibro cement tiles, the latter
being used because iron is liable to be injuriously affected by the action
of steam and smoke from the engines housed within. The floors and a
portion of the open space is the centre area of concrete. There are
75 sets of rails and 52 cleaning pits in the building, which is subdivided
into seven sections, or bays. Each section or bay has seven or eight pits
over which the locomotives are run to be cleaned and prepared for the
road. Seventy-eight engines can be accommodated in the buildings,
where all of the minor repairs are done. This shed is said to be one
of the most convenient running sheds in the Commonwealth. A 60ft
turntable occupies a position in the centre of the enclosure, five sets
of rails converge, and is worked by compressed air supplied by the
Westinghouse pumps on the engines themselves, while a set of rails
runs round the building outside to carry the engine which supplies the
steam and water for washing out purposes. A comfortable rest house
has been erected in the corner of the enclosure nearest to Bolsover
Street for the engine drivers and firemen. The room is provided with
showers and other conveniences that will be appreciated by the men,
and the office of the foreman of the running shed, Mr W Humphreys,
is near the South-street entrance gates.”
The Morning Bulletin 24 February 1915
PAGE 6 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
“The way the architects and builders of this
place managed to get everything just right
– all the rails lining up perfectly, plus the
clever designs that encouraged drainage
of water away from the rails – it’s an incredible piece of engineering.”
Stephen Ciesiolka (Image courtesy of
Central Queensland University.10)
AURIZON PAGE 7
The Jewel in the Crown – The Rockhampton Roundhouse
ndoubtedly the most
important building
constructed in the
expansion of the Railway
Workshops during the 1910s
was the Rockhampton Roundhouse.
A Roundhouse, as its name
suggests, is generally a circular
structure, though semi-circle
or partial Roundhouses are
not uncommon. They are large
industrious structures where
day-to-day repairs and maintenance
of locomotives are carried out.
They also serve as accommodation
for locomotives that are not in use.
The partial Roundhouse which
had been established in 1877 was
demolished to make way for the
current Roundhouse. Original plans
show two Roundhouses were
proposed for construction however
only one was ever completed.
Construction on the current
Roundhouse commenced in 1913.
A railway went around the perimeter
of the Roundhouse to enable small
engines to supply water for filling
of boilers, and steam for cleaning
of engines.
Rockhampton Roundhouse during construction, 1914. (Image courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.11)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
“The Roundhouse is intended
to be for engines what stables
are for horses.”
The Brisbane Courier,
21 October 1909.
“It is estimated that the
roundhouse alone will cost
over £120,000 to complete.”
The Morning Bulletin,
26 August 1913.
PAGE 8 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
The circular structure was divided
into a series of sections, or bays,
which were separated by brick walls.
The bricks were procured from the
Mount Morgan brickworks and it was
estimated that over a quarter of a
million bricks were required.12
The bays in turn were divided into
a number of stalls. Overall, the stalls
could accommodate 52 steam
locomotives undercover.
The stalls were open, each only
being delineated by the rail lines and
the hardwood posts in between that
supported the multi-gabled roof.
Within the stalls were pits for the
inspection, maintenance and repair
of the locomotives.13
The Roundhouse was roofed with
fibro-cement tiles, which were
considered a hardy alternative
to iron that would have been
susceptible to deterioration from
the corrosive gasses emitted
from the locomotives.
The open design of the stalls
enabled free movement by the rail
workers between the locomotives.
Barry Parker recalls how the
open design of the Roundhouse
allowed workers to be able to easily
communicate with their colleagues,
and see where everyone was up to
with their repairs. You could also
move easily between the carriages,
enabling you to work on multiple
items with ease.
Rockhampton Workshops Site Plan, 1909. (Image Courtesy of Queensland State Archives.14)
“Mr Pagan said that
good progress was being made with
the work in connection to the
roundhouse, which would be able
to house 52 engines, and a really
fine job was being made of it.”
The Morning Bulletin,
9 August 1913.
“So far attention has been
mainly devoted to the erection of
the roundhouse, which is said to be
the largest of its kind in the state…”
The Morning Bulletin,
2 December 1913.
“The whole of the roundhouse is
lighted with electricity, which is
a decided improvement on the
former system of gas lighting.”
The Morning Bulletin,
8 October 1927.
“The roundhouse is capable of
stabling 52 locomotives. It is provided
with a turntable, which enables
engines to be put into the
stall required for washing out the
boiler, or necessary repairs,
while it also protects the engine from
the weather and at the same time
enabling cleaners and others
to work in comfort.”
The Morning Bulletin,
8 October 1927.
AURIZON PAGE 9
A revolving turntable positioned
in the middle of the Roundhouse
completed the design.
Locomotives were able to be
driven from the rail yards onto
the turntable, which was then
rotated to enable the locomotive
to be manoeuvred into any
one of the 52 stalls.
The turntable was operated with
compressed air. Des Bendall,
John Lyon and Alan Bambrick
remember the distinctive ‘tic-tic-tic-tic’
sound of the turntable in operation.
Alan Bambrick recalls that the
turntable was operational 24 hours.
During the day, compressed air
was supplied from a pump in
the Electrical Shop. Outside of
operational hours, the pump
was hooked up to a locomotive.
One of the Cleaners on the night
shift would be on ‘light up duty’,
which meant that he had to make
sure that the fire in the loco’s firebox
was kept alight. The steam pressure
from the locomotive would operate
the pump, so the fire had to be
tended all night.
Lighting up steam locomotives
generated significant amounts of
steam and smoke. The design of the
Roundhouse included roof vents to
encourage smoke from the engine
funnels to be expelled from the bays,
in an attempt to minimise pollution
affecting those working inside.15
“The whole of the circular
building is enclosed with galvanised
iron, and a portion of the inside
sheeting also has been placed in
position. The finishing touches are
being given to the last of the seven
brick piers which form the dividing
walls of the workshops, whilst the
wooden frames which are intended
to carry the roof have almost been
completed.”16
The Morning Bulletin,
23 July 1914.
PAGE 10 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
However, the reality does not seem
to have matched the intended
design. A verbal agreement was
in place that locomotives weren’t
supposed to be lit up while anyone
was working in those shops.
“They used to start the fires in
the locos with pieces of timber,
and a great big ball of what we
called ‘waste’ – basically scraps of
material. They’d put the waste in the
firebox, put a two-quart pot’s worth
of kero on top, light it up, then stick
the timber on top. Well you can
imagine just how much smoke
that would make! If they did that,
we’d have to leave – you couldn’t
even see your hand in front
of your face.
We had this manager at the time,
had the old hat and moustache.
He’d come round yelling at us
for standing around on the job
– then see smoke absolutely
billowing out of the Roundhouse.
He had a terrible temper. When he
found out who lit the thing up –
boy would they wear it! You’d get
a fine for doing that too.”
Des Bendall
“If they couldn’t avoid lighting the
locos in the Roundhouse, you’d hear
the call ‘All out!’ telling us they were
going to light up the loco. That led to
40 or 50 of us all having to head out
of the work area till it cleared.”
John Lyon
Sometimes smoke wasn’t the
biggest consequence of lighting
up the locomotives. Ray Cameron
recalls a story told to him by one
of the blacksmiths he worked with:
“When they’d finished working on
the steam locos, it was time to fire
them up. It could take around eight
hours to get a head of steam up.
One day they finished working on
one, fired it up, and went away to
get lunch. They must have left it
engaged and with the brakes off
accidentally. It got a decent head
of steam up, and drove itself out of
the Roundhouse onto the street! It
ended up under a mango tree just
outside the gates… and had to be
dragged back into the Roundhouse.”
The Rockhampton Roundhouse was
operational by the end of 1914 and
was in full swing in 1915. By 1927
the Roundhouse had a staff of
20 Fitters, six Boilermakers,
16 Shed Men and Light Up Men.
Running staff included 80 drivers,
70 firemen and 26 cleaners.17
“The Roundhouse is a
masterpiece. My eyes were as big as
saucers when I saw that place.”
Alan Bambrick recalls the first time he
saw the Roundhouse.
“During the time that
the Roundhouse was being used
for steam locomotives and wagons,
that turntable was used every day.
It was indispensable.”
Franklin Wood,
current employee in
The Brake Shop.
“You had to be pretty good at
turning it round. If you were out
by just a little, you’d send the
loco into the wrong bay.”
Des Bendall
Partly constructed Roundhouse and turntable c1914 (Image courtesy of National Library of Australia.18)
AURIZON PAGE 11
Charlie Hunt
FORMER LOCOMOTIVE FIREMAN
harlie Hunt was 14 years
old when he first saw the
Roundhouse from the
bike shop that he worked at
near the railway.
After a chance conversation with
some Locomotive Cleaners about
their jobs, Charlie decided to visit
the Railway Administration Office to
enquire about available jobs. He was
offered a position at Emerald and
later at Gladstone, both of which he
declined due to the distance from
home. Finally in 1955 a position was
available at Mt Morgan. “I was pretty
young, and Mt Morgan was only
20 minutes up the road, so that one
sounded good.”
Later that year, Charlie returned to
Rockhampton and started working
at the Roundhouse as a Cleaner.
At the time there were about 50
or 60 Cleaners at the Roundhouse.
Charlie fondly recalls how they all
stuck together – it was a real feeling
of mateship. About 50 would work
the day shift, 5 or 6 on a midnight
to 8am shift, and 5 or 6 on a 4pm-
midnight shift.
“During the day, you’d have to clean
out the boilers and get rid of the
dirty, stale water. You also had to
do things like clean the locomotive
windows, sweep soot from the
engine cabins and climb into the
front of the engine and clean it out.
There wasn’t so much cleaning to
do on the night shifts. You’d tend
to fires as needed and go around
delivering notices to the train crew
if any incoming trains were delayed.
So that’s why there were only a few
guys rostered on the late shifts.”
Being a Cleaner was hard and dirty
work. They were constantly up close
and personal with oil, grease and
soot. When the Cleaners needed
a break outside prescribed smoko
times, there was always someone
charged with standing on the back
of the coal tender on ‘lookout’ duty
to alert the other men when the
boss was coming.
As with many other Cleaners,
Charlie later moved on to be a
Fireman. He was classified in Emerald
in 1959, and returned to Rockhampton
in 1963. Throughout the 1980s and
early 1990s he worked as an Acting
Driver and Locomotive Assistant,
then was a Driver from 1993.
His favourite job was working as a
Fireman. “You have to help out the
Driver and make sure the locomotive
keeps going, but the Driver has all
the real worries.”
Often individual Firemen and Drivers
would ‘team up’ and work together
for many years. “As a Fireman,
you could be booked with any
Driver, or you could make a team
with a particular Driver. When I was
a Fireman, I worked with one Driver
for 17 years. Old Jack, he was a good
mate. We only had one argument …
every day!”
Charlie retired in 1996 after
40 years’ service. He still has the
commemorative watch he was
presented with on retirement.
A personal story from
Charlie Hunt’s watch, commemorating 40 years’ service. (Image courtesy of Charlie Hunt.)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
PAGE 12 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
The Role of Coalhe Roundhouse was
constructed during the era of
the steam locomotive when
coal was a vital part of keeping
locomotives in operation. To ensure
the locomotives had fast and easy
access to this essential resource,
a coal stage (at the time, called a
coal elevator) was constructed at
the Workshops in the early 1900s.
The original coal stage was replaced
in the 1930s and the new stage was
sited in the space that the second
Roundhouse was originally planned
to occupy.19 it was remembered by
Roundhouse workers as an imposing
timber structure.
“I remember one of the first things
I saw at that place – that huge old
timber ramp to that coal stage.
It was amazing.”
Billy Dunn
Wagons, or ‘hoppers’, would be
shunted up the ramp and onto
the coal stage. Beneath the coal
stage were coal storage boxes,
where the coal was deposited
from coal wagons to await transfer
to locomotives.
Labourers on the coal stage
would feed the coal from the
wagons into the coal storage boxes.
The Locomotive Fireman would
then stand on the roof of the
engine cabin, and operate chutes
that would feed coal into the
locomotive tender.
Des Bendall recalls observing the
coal wagons being shunted to the
top of the coal stage: “To get the coal
onto the bunkers, they only had little
coal wagons. They’d get about eight
of them, and push them all the way
out to Port Curtis junction. The loco
would be positioned behind the coal
wagons, and the Fireman would pump
the coal into the locomotive to get a
full head of steam. Then they’d race
the locomotive all the way from
Port Curtis Junction, with the coal
wagons in front of it.
They’d push the wagons up that
ramp – but had to make sure they
didn’t over shoot – otherwise the
whole lot would go straight off the
end. Sometimes, they’d miss and
wouldn’t get all the way up. So back
out to Port Curtis they went, to try
the whole thing again.”
Charlie Hunt recalls one instance
where the coal wagons didn’t stop
before the end of the coal stage.
“The coal stage went alongside
the Roundhouse. It was really high.
From there they used to ‘coal them
up’. One day, the coal shunter was
pushing wagons up, and it didn’t
stop in time. The blocks that were
Coal wagons, or ‘hoppers’ can be seen at the top of this picture, on the Ipswich coal stage, 1963. The hoppers are above coal storage boxes that have chutes at the bottom. Firemen would operate the chutes to let the coal drop into the locomotive tender, below. (Image courtesy of Peter Bruce.20)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
AURIZON PAGE 13
Alan Bambrick worked on
steam locomotives as a Fireman
between 1950 and 1956. He recalls
that most experienced Firemen
could identify which mine the coal
came from just by looking at it.
Each mine produced a different
quality of coal. The best was
highly prized by the Firemen.
“The type of coal is critical to the
operation of steam locomotives.
Sometimes coal would be
delivered in large blocks that the
Firemen would then have to break
up with coal hammers. Coal used
on Rockhampton locomotives
generally came from three mines,
Blair Athol, Selene, or the Bluff
Coal Field. Firemen loved Blair
Athol coal. It burned beautifully,
with great intensity. The soft ash
was easy to remove, and engines
steamed so well on it.
We really didn’t appreciate when
we got Selene coal. It was like
paper. It made an impressive
burst of flames – but fizzled out
and filled up the firebox with ash
far too quickly. There were a few
times that I nearly lost the fire
because Selene coal burnt out
so fast.
Bluff coal was inconsistent.
Often you’d throw it onto the
fire and it had an intense heat,
but was full of impurities.
The impurities would leave a
metallic residue on the firebars
which were positioned in the
firebox. The residue would
connect across the firebars, and
restrict the flow of air into the
firebox. We called the residue
‘clinkers’, because of the clinking
sound it would make when
we tried to clean the firebars.
Sometimes cleaning the clinkers
off could take up to 45 minutes.”
supposed to stop the wagons were
knocked right out, and out came
the coal everywhere. Then the
guy in charge saw it and shouted
‘get your shovels!’ and we had to
shovel it all up by hand. We were
there for ages!”
in 1953, a fatality occurred at the
coal stage. The fatality was the
result of injuries sustained by a
Fireman trying to release a chute
blockage caused by a large chunk
of coal. The fatality immediately
prompted an improvement of
conditions at the coal stage.
in 1954, chutes were enlarged,
which aimed to reduce blockages
in the chutes from large chunks of
coal. Platforms were also added to
the coal stage beneath the chutes,
so Firemen could stand on a stable
platform during coal delivery.
The coal stage was eventually
dismantled with the phasing out of
steam technology at the workshops.
In this image, two men can be seen walking along the coal stage, and the barrier preventing wagons from going over the edge, 1964. (Image courtesy of Peter Bruce. 21)
Looking Towards the Roundhouse from the Coal Elevator (The Capricornian 12 December 1929.)
PAGE 14 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
The Railway Ambulancever the last decade the
safety culture within
Aurizon has changed the
way we work. But safety incidents
haven’t always been as few and
far between as they are today.
The Workshops contained
equipment that could be dangerous
if not used properly and first aid
assistance was often required.
Historically, the health and safety
of the men at the Rockhampton
Roundhouse and Workshops
was supported by the dedicated
volunteers of the Queensland
Railway Ambulance Corps (QRAC).
The history of the QRAC dates
back to 1892.22
“A meeting was held on Friday
evening… to consider the
advisableness of forming an
ambulance class from the railway
employees in the different branches
of the service… all [in attendance]
were unanimous in the expression
of the feeling that a class should
be formed as early as possible…
It is to be hoped that the movement
will receive the hearty support
of the employees generally,
seeing that they are, from
the peculiar nature of their
employment, especially liable to
accident… Mr Prewett, secretary
to the Railway Commissioners,
informed the meeting that the
commissioners were in favour of
the movement and were prepared
to give it material assistance.”
The Brisbane Courier 05 September 1892.
The decision was made to train
the members of the QRAC in
accordance with the methods
used by the St John Ambulance
and in December of 1892 the
very first ambulance class was
held by QRAC.23
Annual examinations were held to
recognise high achieving individuals
in the field of first aid. From 1908
the prestigious Thallon Medal,
established by Rail Commissioner
James F. Thallon, was on offer to
the person with the highest marks.24
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
The Rockhampton Railway Workshops Ambulance Corps in competition. From L-R: Lex Houghton, Russell Bean, Unknown and Des Bendall. (Image Courtesy of Des Bendall.)
The first railway ambulance team: J. Woods, T. Dimmick, C. Newman, G. Stirling and on stretcher H.Jackson, c1914.25
AURIZON PAGE 15
The examinations were extended in
1914 to include group competition.
This enabled members to put their
first aid skills to practice, and to also
extend their skills.26 Rockhampton
was one of four towns selected to
host the annual event.
Participants were marked
according to their proficiency in
applying first aid with supplied
material (for example bandages),
improvised material (for example,
using personal attire),
provision of treatment and
recovery for casualties, an oral
exam testing theoretical knowledge
and an individual examination in
which participants must conduct
appropriate first aid without the
assistance of their team members.27
The Rockhampton team was a
consistently high performer, attesting
to the excellent training received.
John Lyon recalls: “There were
some brilliant ambulance teams!
Within the railway system, they
would compete against other
depots, then eventually against other
states. Vince Cronin – he worked
with us, and he was the Australian
individual champion at one stage,
probably back in the 1960s.”
The concept of Personal Protective
Equipment (or PPE) was foreign
to many railway employees.
For example, the workers in the
Coppersmiths shop would only wear
thick leather gloves that went to
their elbows but no other form of
PPE. “We just didn’t think of things
like goggles, ear muffs and so forth.
That’s just how things were back
then, nobody knew any different.”
While the Railway Ambulance
was always there to provide
first aid attention to injured
employees, over the years the
safety culture within the workshops
vastly improved.
“Safety did eventually become
an issue – this is one great
improvement that the railways
emphasised. Men who needed
glasses were given bifocals and
transition lenses, hearing and eye
protection was provided. By the
1980s, whatever you might think
you want – the rail provided. It did
take a bit of adjusting to though.”
John Lyon
By the 1980s, Queensland Rail
started implementing a variety
of health and safety initiatives.
it started small, with signage being
placed around the site to highlight
potential workplace dangers.
Soon, all manner of equipment was
made available to employees.
“I’d give the rail company 11/10
for the improvements they made
to safety.”
Alan Bambrick
Not only was PPE provided,
but things such as guards and
emergency stop switches were
added to machinery. Henry Mansfield
recalls “Even though some guys were
a bit stuck in their ways and were a
bit resistant to the changes, we all
got used to it, and it’s been great.”
The QRAC changed its name to
Queensland Rail First Aid Services
in 1992. in 2011 the new name
“Railway First Aid volunteers”
(RFAv) was adopted. The RFAv
still continue the fine traditions
established by the QRAC, educating
and administering high-quality first
aid to fellow rail personnel.
Over the last decade the safety of
employees has become a core value
of Aurizon’s operations and has
positively changed the
working environment.
Thallon Medal awarded to G.B. Wilkinson (Rockhampton), 1921. On display at The Workshops Rail Museum.
“For the seventh year in succession, Rockhampton “A” team won the Challenge Cup with 490 points out of 520.” The Daily Mercury 22.09.1932
“Rockhampton Wins Ambulance Competition! Rockhampton scooped the pool at the Railway Ambulance Competition held at the Exhibition Grounds today, winning both the Silver Challenge Shield and the Junior Shield.”The Telegraph 17.10.1946
“In the final competition for the Commissioner’s Shield, the Central Queensland (Rockhampton) team won by a comfortable margin.”The Courier Mail 09.10.1936
“A competition in first aid work under the auspices of the Queensland Railway Ambulance Corps was held recently on the Rifle Range, North Rockhampton. After an interesting competition, the honours fell to the Rockhampton A team.”The Morning Bulletin 01.12.1915
“The Rockhampton team, with a total of 455 points out of 530, won the C.A. Murton Shield for the champion Railway Ambulance team of Queensland yesterday.”The Courier Mail, 14.10.1938
PAGE 16 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Alan Bambrick
FORMER LOCOMOTIVE CLEANER, LOCOMOTIVE FIREMAN AND STENCILLER & RECORDER
hen Alan was young he
worked as a message boy
with Livingstone Shire
Council. Alan would ride around on
his bike, picking up spare parts for
the vehicles being repaired in the
Council depot workshop – all for
only £1 2s 6d a week. When a job
was advertised for something called
a Locomotive Cleaner, paying £3 8s,
Alan jumped at the chance.
Alan started working at the
Roundhouse as a Locomotive
Cleaner (or simply, Cleaner) in 1949.
He considered trying to get an
apprenticeship as a Fitter, but at
age 17 he was considered ‘too old’.
Unlike the Workshop trades, to be
a Cleaner you had to respond to an
advertised job rather than taking
the apprentice’s exam.
“A Cleaner was a very versatile
position. You would usually learn to
be a Fireman, but could also learn to
be Train Crew, or some other jobs.”
Cleaners had a variety of tasks to
do to make sure locomotives were
ready for use. While Cleaners were
undertaking their cleaning duties,
they were also learning about
the operation of locomotives.
This included becoming familiar
with all the parts of a locomotive
and how they worked; how steam
was generated; how the braking
system worked; how the traffic
signalling system functioned
and the general working of the
locomotives. “You’d need to know
all of this to become a successful
Fireman then a successful Driver.”28
Being a Cleaner allowed Alan to
experience a variety of other jobs
within the Roundhouse and around
the workshops. He helped repair
wagons, did odd jobs lifting or
moving goods around the Workshops,
and helped out at the accounts office
writing out pay dockets.
As a Cleaner, he often had to do
‘notice boy’ tasks.
“You’d have to get on your bike
and deliver notes to the train crew.
You’d plan out your route, then cycle
all over town. You’d show up at
someone’s yard, yell “Railway!”
then hand over the notices.”
Sometimes the notice boy would
have to search for people to take
on an unscheduled job, called a
A personal story from
Alan with Julia Gillard at a Labor Party fundraiser (Image courtesy of Alan Bambrick.)U C O W
D A F S M
I T E N
AURIZON PAGE 17
‘catch job’. This happened when a
Driver or Fireman called in sick.
Alan recalls:
“You’d have to ride around to
different houses, usually at night,
looking for a suitable person to
take the catch job. There was one
crotchety driver who would never
take a catch job. I’d pound on his
door, yelling ‘Railway!’ at the top of
my lungs – he’d never respond!”
After working as a Cleaner for just
a year, Alan decided to take the
Fireman’s exam. He was promoted
to Fireman in Emerald in 1951.
As a Fireman, he travelled
throughout central Queensland,
including Barcaldine, Longreach,
Emerald, Bluff, Clermont, Blair Athol
and Springsure.
During his time as a Fireman,
Alan occasionally had opportunities
to take over the driving. The first
time was on the mail train between
Bluff and Emerald. “The Driver said
‘Go on, take it home’. That’s how you
learnt back then. Once a driver could
see you knew what you were doing
as a Fireman, they’d let you take
control of the locomotives for a
part of the journey.”
Alan worked as a Fireman for six
years before going back to his
role as a Cleaner to diversify his
career pathway. He later became
a Stenciller & Recorder and it was
during this tenure that he attended
his first Union meeting in 1958.
From then on, Alan dedicated
significant amounts of his time to
union activities and improving the
working conditions of his colleagues.
As a result, Alan was fortunate
to travel to Japan for 17 days in
August 1985 as part of an exchange
program with the Japanese National
Railway. He recalls the experience
as ‘absolutely marvellous’, with one
memorable experience being the
opportunity to ride in the Driver’s
cabin of the bullet train between
Tokyo and Sendai.
Alan’s impressive Union resumé
includes Chairman of the
Australian Railways Union (ARU)
Workshops Committee 1962-1991;
Railway Appeal Board Employees
Representative for the Workshops,
Running Shed Branch 1968-1984;
and Secretary of the Combined
Railways Union (CRU) in the 1980s.
in recognition of his dedication to
the Union he was later honoured
with life membership of the ARU.29
Alan retired from the railways
in 1995.
Alan Bambrick, aged 21 in 1952. (Image courtesy of Alan Bambrick.)
(Image courtesy of Stephen Ciesiolka.)
PAGE 18 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
AURIZON PAGE 19
uring the 1920s to 1930s, the
Great Depression resulted in
few works to the rail network.
At the Rockhampton Workshops,
newspaper reports dating to the
first half of the 1930s report high
levels of retrenchments occurring.
However, by later that decade,
the economy was improving.
The rail department noted that rail
traffic through the State was very
heavy and that the department was
planning to embark on a vigorous
Workshops improvement program.30
New rollingstock was planned to be
added to the fleet, including 13 new
locomotives, 175 new wagons,
new rail motors and new carriages.
in the 1930s, the Boiler Shop and
Erecting Shop were extended31 and
the workshops of the Coppersmiths,
Plumbers and Sheetmetal Workers
were relocated to the Roundhouse.32
Little change occurred to the
Roundhouse as a result of this move,
apart from timber floorboards being
added over the rails to minimise the
risk of tripping.
The Roundhouse in the Age of Steam
Schematic of Turntable Pit c1913 (Image courtesy of Queensland Rail.)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
“That Roundhouse is simply a
remarkable piece of engineering.”
Des Bendall
PAGE 20 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Criticisms over the layout of the
Workshops at Rockhampton were
mounting in the 1930s to 1940s.
The site was described as being
poorly laid out, with the Workshops
and goods yards all being on the
same property, thus rendering
it impossible to expand. By the
late 1940s, plans were in place for
investing large sums of money into
new workshops at Rockhampton.
The existing site was reportedly
suffering from bottlenecks and
traffic jams, but there was no room
to expand. A site was investigated
between Parkhurst and Kawana,33
but funding was still being sought
into the 1950s.34
The introduction of Garratt-type
steam locomotives in the 1940s
led to changes at the Workshops.
They were too long to fit on the
turntable at the Roundhouse,
and couldn’t be housed within.
The turntable was used as a bridge
only for Garratts. New sheds had
to be built at the Workshops site in
the 1950s to house them. The sheds
were constructed next to the
coal stage.
Money was invested into expanding
the Rockhampton railway yards more
broadly in the early 1950s. A building
to store goods under bond was built
next to the rail siding at Bolsover
Street; the siding itself was modified;
and a carriage shed was built.35
Locomotive technologies continued
to evolve and in the 1950s
diesel-electric locomotives were
introduced. The first went into
service in Queensland in 1952.36
With the advent of this technology,
axle loadings were heavier and
necessitated the replacement of
the turntable in the Roundhouse
in 1953.37
The diesel-electric locomotives were
hailed as ‘a driver’s dream come
true’, with leather, coil sprung seats,
a wind tunnel to cool the machinery,
a cab surrounded by plate glass
windows and even two hot plates
for cooking.38
A shed with an examination pit was
constructed specifically for works
to the diesel-electric locomotives at
the Workshops. Whilst the diesel-
electric locomotives may have been
a dream for drivers, the men behind
the scenes recall that the diesel
sheds they had to work in were dirty
and polluted.
A significant decision was made in
the late 1950s to completely phase
out steam technology by the late
1960s. The 1960s was also a significant
period of upheaval for the rail
department as road transportation
became preferential to rail.
Where collection and delivery of
goods were previously bound by rail
depots, road transport afforded the
convenience of door-to-door service.39
Charlie Hunt recalls: “In the days
of steam or even diesel, all the
bulk goods came to Rockhampton
by train. Things like cream,
wheat and cotton. Gradually
it became less so. There used
to be four big warehouses in
Rockhampton were everything was
delivered. Now it’s all transported
by trucks, and a lot of those old rail
lines have been pulled up.”
Barry Parker recalls that they
didn’t always work in the
Roundhouse – usually only
when the ‘big’ jobs came in.
They remember doing work on
the milk trains, replacing rusty
components and relining the
carriages: – “This could take
a month each. The rail department
would also inspect the condition of
the wagons at Gladstone every three
months. When we had to reline these
wagons, that’d keep us busy in
the Roundhouse for three to
four months”.
There were definitely some projects
that were better than others,
mainly because some were just dirty,
hot work. Henry Mansfield recalls:
“Some fellas were known as ‘racing
car drivers’ – they were the ones that
didn’t want to do the dirty jobs,
just the good ones”.
John Lyon recalls that making
the domes for the steam
engines made for interesting
work. “Usually we’d be doing
work like stripping pipes off locos,
cleaning them and remoulding them
to fit back on the locos. It could get
a bit mundane, and was usually a
pretty dirty job. Making the domes
was different – not only was it
different to daily jobs, but we
got to make something NEW,
rather than overhauling existing
equipment.”
The 1960s also boasted an
unprecedented boom in coal
production. The railway department
shifted attention to servicing this
resource, and the Workshops
invested much manpower into the
construction and maintenance of
70 tonne aluminium wagons that
were introduced for coal transport.40
Up until the 1970s, most employees
rode bicycles to work. “So many
people would leave on bikes at the
end of the day, that they would
take over the road. Trucks might be
coming along the road, but would
have to give way to the huge amount
of bikes.” Gregory Belz
AURIZON PAGE 21
Jobs in the Roundhouse
There were hundreds of men
working at the Roundhouse in
a variety of roles. Many of those
roles were directly related to the
maintenance and running of the
steam locomotives. These jobs
included:
Locomotive Cleaner – Responsible
for keeping locomotives clean,
both aesthetically and mechanically.
Also responsible for lighting up the
loco’s ready for travel;
“Sometimes the Cleaners had
to actually get into the loco.
Soot would get all inside,
and needed to be cleaned out.
Boiler Inspectors also had to get
into the loco. See, steam locos
had a series of pipes inside.
The Boiler Inspector would use
this really long carbide light,
stick it way down into the pipes
to check that they weren’t
damaged. If they were, the boiler
could explode. There were only
a certain few who did that job.
Really important, but boy –
a terrible filthy job! As a
Sheet Metal Worker, I was glad
I didn’t have to do that!”
Des Bendall
Fireman – Responsible for
maintaining the fire in the
locomotive firebox, ensuring the
train has enough power for travel;
Driver – Operated the locomotives
during travel and was responsible
for checking the condition of
the locomotive, including the
mechanisms and moving parts,
prior to commencement of travel.
Kitman – Ensured each locomotive
was equipped with the right tools,
including coal hammers, buckets,
kerosene and lamps;
Oil Storeman – Maintained the oil
stores essential for the effective
operation of the steam locomotives.
Also maintained stores of other
essential items such as sweat rags,
water bags and bales of waste for
lighting fires in the locomotive
firebox;
Sandman – Responsible for
keeping sand supplies for use
during travel, to be thrown onto
the track to increase friction
between the rail and wheels.
In addition to the locomotive-
specific staff, Coppersmiths,
Sheet Metal Workers and Plumbers
had their workshops in the
Roundhouse by the late 1930s.41
They occupied around five bays.
Coppersmiths would work with
copper or brass elements on the
locomotives. This included pipes,
water tanks for the carriages,
lamps, and the domes for the
boilers.
Sheet Metal Workers would
cut and shape white metals
(such as steel) in order to fabricate
locomotive parts. These included
pipes, brakes, and casings.
Plumbers worked with systems
such as water pumps, valve gear,
lubricators, and boilers.
Promotions
Prior to the days of job applications
and merit-based appointments
(that is, the use of selection criteria
to appoint staff), seniority was the
determining factor in who received
a promotion at the Roundhouse and
Workshops.
Seniority in this case did not apply
to whomever was oldest, rather who
had put in the most hours in a given
position and was therefore ‘next in
line’ for moving up the ranks.
“This method of promotion was seen
by the workers and the Unions as
transparent and fair.” Alan Bambrick
Many men recall that promotion by
seniority played a part in earning the
respect of your fellow workmates.
By the time you made it to ‘the
top’, everyone knew that you’d
done every job, from the bottom
up. You knew all the ins and outs of
all the jobs. You’d put in your time,
you knew your stuff, and you were
respected for that.
“Of course, whilst there was
seniority, of course there was an
element of practicality – you still
had to be good at your job.”
Dale McDonald
When merit-based promotion came
in, it took a lot of getting used to.
Men who may have never seen a
workshop before, let alone worked
in one, were appointed to senior
positions. Rather than relying on
experience gained through years
of working at the Roundhouse and
Workshops, they relied on books
and manuals.
it took many tradesmen a lot of time
to adjust having ‘non-tradesmen’
as managers.
“I started work in 1971. Missed out
by 12, maybe 18 months on seeing
the last of the steam locos.”
Billy Dunn
“All the boys from the steam days
had a lot of stories!”
Henry Mansfield
“The Roundhouse was definitely
not a hive of activity when I started
(1970s) – but we’d hear heaps of
stories from the old blokes about
what this place was like during the
steam era!”
Gregory Belz
“It would have been great to see
the Roundhouse in the steam era,
with all the activity and the bays
full of locos.”
Barry Parker
PAGE 22 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
The last mainline steam locomotive built in Australia was by Walkers Ltd of Maryborough in March 1958.41a Full dieselisation of the rollingstock fleet was completed by 1969. The steam-era works at the Rockhampton Roundhouse ceased on 29 September 1969.
“There are many tales that could be told by
those who experienced the age of steam. Some talk of ‘the
romance of steam’, others talk of
‘bloody hard work’. I believe that it was a
mixture of both. But one thing is
for certain: The camaraderie and mateship we
experienced lives on in the memories of all
those involved.”
Alan Bambrick
AURIZON PAGE 23
Women in the RoundhouseThe Roundhouse and Workshops were a ‘man’s domain’ for many
decades. Women performing such laborious, dirty work did not
align with the social norms of the early twentieth century.
Women were seldom seen at the Workshops, except to
promote social events, such as selling tickets for the Railway
Ball or other such events. “I think it’s just that the Roundhouse
was from a time when men went to work, and women worked at
home”, explains Peter Dedman.
During the heyday of the Roundhouse, women very
rarely worked once they were married. In fact, until 1969,
married women were banned by legislation from working as
permanent employees in the Queensland public sector.
Women who worked with the railways were generally employed
in administrative positions. Eddie Vea Vea worked in the
Administrative Offices in Rockhampton and he recalls that many
women worked in telecommunications. They would operate the
teleprinters that were used to communicate messages between
stations. He also recalls that women also worked in smaller
stations as station mistresses. These women were generally
the wives of Station Masters, who were responsible for the
operations of the rural stations.
By the end of the twentieth-century, social change was afoot
and women were taking up roles previously occupied only by
men. At the Roundhouse, it wasn’t until around the 1990s that
women started as apprentices. John Lyon recalls the first female
apprentice he worked with: “We had one female apprentice
Coppersmith, maybe 1999 or 2000? She was a tiny thing,
but she was really great at working the copper.”
In later years, just as men had their sons joining the rail family
so too were their daughters.
Len Reddy was a Sheet Metal Worker at the Workshops, and is
proud of having two daughters working with Queensland Rail.
Catherine Baxter recalls being at university finishing her degree
and considering her career options. A vacancy in the freight
terminal came up, and her dad suggested she apply.
Catherine was already part of ‘the rail family’ – her father
worked in Accounts, her brother worked in the commercial area,
and her grandfather was a Fireman. She was successful in
her application, and joined the Workshops group in 1994,
before progressing to become the first female Operations
Manager Rollingstock based at the Rockhampton Workshops.
Last steam locomotive overhauled at the Rockhampton Workshops, 1969 (Image courtesy of Archer Park Railway Museum, Rockhampton.)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
PAGE 24 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Foreignersny discussion about railway
culture and experience
inevitably reveals the enigma
of the “foreigner”. Foreigners, in the
railway context, were objects “that
were foreign to your daily work”.
Foreigners were usually made from
leftover or scrap materials and
produced during work hours,
but after the daily or weekly quota
of items was manufactured.
Whilst there is an air of fondness
when foreigners are discussed,
there are many initial reactions of
joking denial – “Foreigners?
Never made those!” “No comment!”
A foreigner could be anything.
Small items like money boxes,
children’s toys, cake tins,
fishing reels and sinkers, and 18th
or 21st birthday keys were common.
These were generally easy to
take away from the workplace.
However, size was not a limiting
factor in foreigner creation.
Chairs, the classic Australian
Hills Hoist, washing machines,
car trailers, whole car exhaust
systems, and even a partially
constructed boat are all rumoured
to have been crafted at the
Rockhampton Railway Workshops.
No doubt such items would have
required some more creative
thinking to have been relocated from
the Workshops. There is general
agreement that “getting them
offsite was sometimes an art,
but there was always a way!”
“I’ve seen some amazing foreigners
come out of those workshops!”
Des Bendall
The production of foreigners
was certainly not restricted to
the Rockhampton Roundhouse
and Railway Workshops.
Throughout Australia, the terms
‘foreigner’, ‘foreigny’ ‘foreignies’,
and ‘foreign order’ represent
variations across State lines.
They were also known as ‘take-home
fringe benefits’ at the ipswich
Railway Workshops; ‘la perruque’
in French transport industries;
‘homers’ in the United States and
‘fiddles’ in the United Kingdom.42, 43
The daily grind of the workplace
often meant that many men found
themselves doing the same task
over and over, in order to fill a
required quota. While all were
dedicated to their production of
railway items, many of these men
were highly skilled and creative.
Foreigners were often viewed as a
way to initiate apprentices into the
trade, to tangibly express their skill
and to gain compliments or respect
from colleagues.44
“The apprentices would often be
given foreigners to work on. It was a
learning opportunity as the requests
were always so varied. Sometimes
the requests would come with
diagrams or drawings of what the
object should look like, but mostly
you’d have to design it yourself.
They really helped to extend
people’s skills.”
Gregory Belz
“There wouldn’t be one machine
we haven’t made a foreigner with!
Mainly that’s what we’d give the
apprentices to do, to give them
experience.”
Franklin Wood
Some believe that making foreigners
maintained a team spirit as the men
planned and created unique items
together.45
At the Rockhampton Roundhouse
and Workshops many foreigners
incorporated the skills of multiple
tradesmen to complete, and kept
the skills of tradesmen sharp during
idle times. The Carpenters would
craft items, the Electricians would
provide power or electronics as
required, and the Stencillers or
Painters could add colour and
other personalised touches.
Sometimes though, creativity may
have been on vacation –
“When I was a Union delegate, I was
invited to Japan on union business.
I thought it would be a nice gift to
take a handmade map of Australia
over. So the Carpenters and Painters
got on board. When I went to pick
it up I received a lovely map of
Queensland. Apparently Australia
was too difficult!”
Alan Bambrick
it was generally accepted that as
long as productivity didn’t slide,
management would often turn
a blind eye to the creation of
foreigners.46 The workers in turn
accepted the unspoken ‘rule’ that
foreigners were for personal use
only and not for profit.
“A lot of guys at the railway were
also farmers, so they’d make or
repair things they needed to use
on the farms. Cattle branders,
gate hinges, all kinds of things.”
Henry Mansfield
AURIZON PAGE 25
“The guys would find odd bits and
pieces, and they’d be able to make
anything you needed from those.
The Fitters were particularly good.”
Charlie Hunt
Most workers did not see foreigner
production as a prohibited activity.
They viewed it as an activity that
allowed them to identify needs in
their everyday lives and use their
own skills to fulfill those needs.
“They didn’t always make new
things. They would get their
tools from home fixed up as well.
The Blacksmiths were great at
sharpening up gardening tools,
resurfacing crow bars and all
kinds of things.”
Des Bendall
Today, the covert practice of
making foreigners seems to
be going the way of the steam
era. Changing technologies and
automation in industrial
production is gradually resulting
in the decline of the historic
workshop trades which
enabled foreigner production.47
Today, foreigners are viewed as
a secretive and intriguing part of
railway culture and their existence
is proof of the ingenuity and
expertise of tradesmen employed
by the railways.
Foreigners held in the collection of The Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich. Clockwise from top – 21st birthday key, jewellery box, fishing reel, decorative platter.
PAGE 26 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Des Bendall
FORMER SHEET METAL WORKER
es Bendall started working
for the railways in 1963.
He retired in 2000 after
37 years of service. Des worked as
a Sheet Metal Worker and was also
a convenor for the Amalgamated
Metal Workers Union.
Des recalls one of his funniest
memories of working at the
Roundhouse was concerning
a particularly large ‘foreigner’.
“I remember one foreigner in
particular. It was a Hoover-style
washing machine. They were around
in the 1950s and 1960s. They only
had a capacity for a couple of
shirts and half a dozen underpants,
but they were seen as really
revolutionising the way washing
was done.
Back in those days, stainless steel
was a relatively new thing and one
chap managed to get a hold of
some to make a washing machine.
First he made the bowl from the
stainless steel, then he made the
outside casing out of ordinary sheet
metal. He put the slots in the side
for carrying the thing, made the
spinner and got some help from the
Electricians to make the motor.
The washing machine was in two
parts – the inner-bowl and the
outer-casing – and I remember
thinking to myself, ‘Now, how the
heck are you gonna get that out?’
Well anyway, one day I noticed
the bowl had disappeared. I don’t
know how he got that out –
and I don’t want to know!
Next day he came to work on a push
bike. Now, this was a little strange
as he usually came in his car. Well,
at smoko time, everyone knew the
Timekeepers would be busy having
a break and a cup of tea. So he got
on his bike, and we all pitched in to
put the outer-casing over the top of
him. All he had were his arms poking
out from the bottom, gripping the
handlebars so he could steer.
He could only see where he was
going through the tiny handle
hole in the casing – Ned Kelly style!
Off he went on his bike, straight out
the gate and down Bolsover Street.
The Timekeepers didn’t know who
he was because they couldn’t see
him under the casing! He pedalled
with this thing on his body, all the
way to his car that he’d parked up
A personal story from
Presentation of the silver medal to the Rockhampton Railway Ambulance Corps, early 1970s. From L-R: R.Bean, P.Nieth, L.Haughton, D.Bendall, Unknown, J.Ellison (Image courtesy of Des Bendall.)
U C O W D A F S M
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AURIZON PAGE 27
near Southern Cross. He transferred
it to his car, and that’s how he got
the thing home.”
As well as working as a Sheet Metal
Worker, Des was also part of the
Railway Ambulance Corps. One of
Des’s most significant memories
at the Roundhouse was during his
tenure with the Ambulance Corps
when Des was responsible for
saving a man’s life.
“It wasn’t a rail person, it was a
contractor who was on the job.
He was only 21 or 20 and was doing
the reconstruction of the new
workshops. The rail guys didn’t
start till 7:30am, but the contractors
were on site from around 6am,
when it got light. I came to work
this one morning, and before I
even got a chance to park my car,
someone was running towards me.
‘Bendy, quick, down the back –
there’s a bloke been electrocuted!’
I didn’t know what to expect.
When I got there, this chap was
just lying there. He’d been on the
ground guiding a crane load through
the passageway when the crane hit
the overhead power lines. He got
11,000 volts straight through him.
He wasn’t breathing, and I knew we
had to try to keep him alive until the
Ambulance arrived.
Now, I’d done heaps of training with
the Ambulance Corps. That included
a lot of hands-on training at the
competitions. I’d never really known
how I’d go in a real situation, but all
that training just unconsciously fell
into place. It came automatically.
I looked around and saw all these
rubberneckers standing around
near the big industrial bins. One of
the lines had fallen onto the bin.
‘Get them away from that bin!’
I yelled. We put the patient on
blankets as the ground was wet, and
I knew the Ambulance folk wouldn’t
be able to use their paddles on him
in the wet. My co-aider Russell Bean
and I swapped compressions with
breaths. We finally heard the sirens.
Boy oh boy I was glad to hear that.
I visited him in hospital and met
his family. He was so grateful.
When I saw him he showed me his
boots. He’d bought them from an
army disposals shop and they used
to have nails in the soles – the shock
blew every single one straight out!
I’m pretty proud to say that I helped
save a man’s life”
Des aged 18, working as an apprentice Sheet Metal Worker, 1961 (Image courtesy of Des Bendall.)
Example of the Hoover washing machine.49
PAGE 28 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
John Lyon
FORMER COPPERSMITH
ourteen year old John Lyon
started at the Workshops in
March 1957 as an apprentice
Coppersmith. There were about
54 apprentices who started the
same year he did and around 1,200
people employed at the workshops.
Like many other men who have
worked for the rail, John’s father
also worked for the rail and
encouraged him to join. John didn’t
have any preference for what he
wanted to do but he decided to sit
the apprentice exam and see what
happened. “As a 14 year old, a job
was a job”.
When John had just started his
apprenticeship, he was given the
opportunity to work at the lifting
shop on The Blue Baby – a DD17
class steam locomotive. Twelve were
built to provide more powerful motor
power to the Brisbane suburban
network and their predominantly
blue colour scheme led to them
being called “Blue Babies”.50
During this work at the Lifting Shop,
he was introduced to two senior
colleagues. As a polite young boy,
he was used to greeting people
older than him as ‘Mr’ or ‘Sir’.
The reply? “John – Bob’s the name.
You’re a man now!” “As a little fella,
about 1.5m tall and 35kg, it was
nice to hear!”
John completed his apprenticeship
in 1963, and was subsequently
employed in the Coppersmith’s
workshop in the Roundhouse.
He remembers the bays beside
him were occupied by the
Tinsmiths (or Sheet Metal Workers),
Plumbers, and the White Metal
Workers. Together they took up
about five bays in the Roundhouse.
The men’s uniforms included overalls
and berets. The berets would keep
the soot off their heads from the
fires and the lighting of the locos.
“There were always coke fires burning
in those shops to help with softening
the metal. They were hot times!”
Changing technologies meant that
in 1962 John’s position was made
redundant. He was given the option
to go out and “work on the links”
(that is, go and work out west
maintaining the rail line) or resign.
A personal story from
John as a teenager (Image courtesy of John Lyon.)
U C O W D A F S M
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AURIZON PAGE 29
But working out west wasn’t
for John and the Amalgamated
Engineering Union stepped in
and helped him get a job at
Evans Deakin in Brisbane.
Even though he had moved on,
John was still ‘on the books’ with
the railway department and in 1969
John was surprised to receive a
phone call asking if he’d like to come
back to the Roundhouse. Someone
had been seriously injured and
would be off work for about a year.
John returned to the Roundhouse
to take up the temporary position
and continue his work as a
Coppersmith. John’s ‘temporary’
return lasted until his 65th birthday
in 2007, when he decided to retire
from the rail.
John laughs as he says “I walked
in as a Coppersmith in 1957,
and out as a Coppersmith in 2007.
Nope, I didn’t expect that!”
The renovation of the Workshops
to accommodate the Centre of
Excellence in the 1990s resulted
in a proposal to remove the
Coppersmiths workshop. Before the
shop was removed, John asked if he
could keep the Coppersmiths sign
displayed above the entryway as a
souvenir of his working career.
After receiving permission to
keep the sign, John’s manager
promptly spoke to the contractors
responsible for the works to the
shop. “Sure, you can have it”,
was the response. “But it’s up to
you to get it down”.
As the saying goes, where there’s
a will there’s a way! John removed
the sign to keep as a souvenir.
it’s now proudly displayed at
John’s house and forms the back
rest of a great long seat that was
made for him by the Workshops
guys when John retired.
John on the job (Image courtesy of John Lyon.)
John with the Coppersmiths seat made for him on retirement (Image courtesy of John Lyon.)
PAGE 30 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
The Post-Steam Era
With the end of the steam
era, the Roundhouse lost
its status as the most
important structure on site.
Many men who had worked for
years at the Roundhouse on the
steam locomotives found that their
skills were becoming redundant.
“When I started, the Roundhouse
wasn’t a hive of activity. There were
only a few Boiler Makers and Wagon
Builders left.” Gregory Belz
During the early years, Blacksmiths
were often tasked with forging
parts for wagons and locomotives.
Ray Cameron wanted to work as a
Train Examiner, but had to wait
until a position became available.
He worked as a Blacksmith’s Striker
in the interim, and recalls that at
times it was very uncomfortable
work. “The heat from the engines
and the fires – some over 900°c.
There was a flow of air through the
Roundhouse and some places were
better than others. Especially in
summer though, it was hot work!”
As technology evolved, the need for
the traditional array of railway trades
declined. Parts that had previously
been made in house were often
ordered from external companies.
Stephen Ciesiolka recalls the change in
process: “Some companies would send
sample parts, with the proviso that all
additional parts needed to be ordered.
This meant that a lot of time was
spent with rollingstock sitting around
while we waited for parts. Previously,
the guys would just make whatever
we needed and the loco or wagon
would be fixed and good to go.”
Light timber wagons in the Roundhouse, c1980 (Image courtesy of Aurizon.)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
“The Sheet Metal Workers and
Plumbers worked in bays A and B.
The wagon repairs – cattle wagons,
box wagons and sheep wagons – were
moved into Zones C, D and E, but this
was phased out by the mid-1980s”
Dale McDonald
AURIZON PAGE 31
Timekeeping
All employees of the Roundhouse
and Workshops were allocated
an employee number, and a small
brass medallion, or ‘medal’ with that
number stamped into it. In order
to ascertain who was on site at any
given point in the day, Workers at
the Roundhouse and Workshops
were required to hang up their
medal in the medal box each time
they arrived on site, and remove
it and carry on their person when
they left. Timekeepers would also
walk around the site during the day,
checking to make sure everyone
was actually around. You were
allowed to leave for appointments
or other commitments, but you had
to make sure to let the Timekeepers
know so they could amend your
pay docket.
Stephen Bell recalls that at the
end of the day, when everyone was
supposed to be gone, the box was
locked. If you were late leaving,
“You’d have to go and find the
foreman, who’d have to open the
box for you. Sometimes you’d get
a fine for leaving late!”
Stephen Ciesiolka recalls losing his
medal. “I lost my medal once, but
luckily I was one of the team who
used to make them. I managed to
get some time to machine a new
one before anyone noticed. But we
didn’t have any of the standard-
size stamps used for stamping the
numbers into the brass. The only
ones I could find were really large,
so I was the only one on-site with
a medal with huge numbers on it.”
The development of the coal export
industry in the 1960s brought further
widespread changes to the site.51
The increase in activity resulted in a
large number of aluminium wagons
entering the rollingstock fleet.
These wagons proved to keep some
of the Blacksmiths, Boilermakers
and Fitters at the Workshops busy.
Others were given the opportunity
to retrain and learn new skills in
order to continue their work.
While the men adapted to the
changing environment, the
Roundhouse reflected these
changes also. in 1985 the Cross Shop
was built, specifically for the major
overhaul and running repairs of
large aluminium wagons. This shop
was constructed in the location of
the former coal stage and became
the major wagon repair shop.
The Roundhouse was subsequently
used for repairs of light wagons
and wooden vehicles.
Phasing out of wooden rollingstock
was completed by 1985.
Getting PaidUp until the 1980s, all men who
worked at the Roundhouse and
Workshops were paid in cash.
The cash was provided in small
metal tins, that were handcrafted
on site, then stamped with
each man’s individual employee
number. Some of the guys have
a laugh, recalling “You never
showed your wife your pay
docket! Being paid in cash,
you could always just sneak away
a couple of dollars for yourself!”
Some women must have gotten
wise to this trick, as others recall
that wives or mothers would be
there to collect the cash on
pay day! Pay tin (Courtesy of Kevin Bateman.)
PAGE 32 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Apprenticeshipsurizon has a long history
of employing and mentoring
apprentices in trades
essential to railway operations
and maintenance.
Prior to today’s recruitment
procedures, prospective apprentices
were required to sit an exam,
which was held annually. The results
of the exam would then determine
which trades you would be offered.
“Every year they did an exam.
It was in two parts – dictation,
and mathematics. I sat the exam
down where the Regent Hotel is
now. The grade you got in the exam
determined what apprenticeship
you’d be offered. I was offered the
choice of carpenter, carriage builder,
carriage painter, wood machinist,
fitter or boilermaker. I chose to
be a carpenter.”
Dale McDonald
it was common during the early years
of the Roundhouse for apprentices as
young as 14 and 15 years old to take
up roles in the Workshops.
Before starting their trades,
many apprentices already had
connections to the railways through
family members such as fathers or
grandfathers. Having family already
employed was often looked upon
favourably when hiring for new
apprenticeship positions – after all,
having your father or uncle watching
over you no doubt made for diligent
and hardworking apprentices!
Peter Dedman’s grandfather had
driven trains in the Nullarbor and
when the opportunity arose to sit
the exam, he decided to give it a go
and see what happened.
Peter passed the exam and moved
from Gladstone to Rockhampton to
accept a position as an apprentice
Boilermaker in 1985.
Peter remembers all the apprentices
receiving a beautiful wooden tool
box, lacquered and inscribed with
their names.
“The toolbox was a work of art.
Fine timber, well crafted,
lacquered and shiny, and it was
even personalised with our names
on it. I remember thinking ‘wow,
would you look at that incredible
thing’. It’s a shame we’ll probably
ruin it by throwing dirty tools in it
and leaving it in dirty Workshops!”
Peter Dedman
Some men didn’t have family
connections to the rail, but came
from a long tradition of skilled
tradesmen. Franklin Wood’s
father was an upholsterer and his
grandfather was a tailor. Franklin’s
father encouraged him to also take
up a trade, and Franklin started an
apprenticeship with the railways in
1974. He currently works in the brake
shop where he is responsible for the
overhauling of brake valves.
All men recall that not only did your
fellow apprentices become your
workmates, they quickly became
your mates.
“I started my apprenticeship in 1971.
All us apprentices would socialise
outside work hours. I even lived in a
sharehouse full of other apprentices.”
Billy Dunn
Stephen Bell and Dale McDonald
both started their apprenticeships
in 1977: Steve as a Fitter and Turner
and Dale as a Carpenter. They met
a few days into their apprenticeships
and were part of a group of about
60 apprentices. “Back then
there were so many apprentices.
Often, the older apprentices
would be tasked with training
the younger apprentices!”
Franklin Wood, Former apprentice and current Mechanical Engineering Tradesperson (Image courtesy of Aurizon.)
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
Entries from an Apprentices Logbook, 1970 (Courtesy of Kevin Bateman.)
AURIZON PAGE 33
in the last 20 years, Barry Parker
and Henry Mansfield have been
working together at the Workshops.
Barry and Henry were both
accepted as apprentices in the
1970s, one year apart.
They recall that about 20 apprentices
joined the Workshops each year.
Back then, the apprentices that
started together would all hang
out together. You’d be sure that
“if you ever got in trouble or didn’t
do something right, there’d be a
whole bunch of guys who would
have your back!”
Once accepted, all apprentices
started their trades in the
Workshops. Only the cleaners and
wagon builders would start in the
Roundhouse. Each apprentice would
spend three months in a particular
shop, eventually rotating through
the different Workshops and
learning all the ‘tricks of the trade’.
There were many apprentices
who sat the exam in Rockhampton,
accepted an apprenticeship,
and ended up working for decades
at the Workshops. However sitting
the apprenticeship exam in
Rockhampton wasn’t the only way
to secure work at the Roundhouse
or Workshops. ‘Weekly Notices’
were sent out every Thursday.
The Notices were an opportunity to
communicate important messages
to employees and to advertise
available positions to tradesmen
who had already completed their
apprenticeships elsewhere.
Gregory Belz joined the railways as
a qualified tradesman. He had
already had a couple of jobs
before starting at the Workshops.
Originally, “I only intended to be
there for maybe six months – that
was probably back in the 1970s,
so I guess it just worked out alright!”
Of the teenagers that were accepted
as apprentices, it was often a steep
learning curve into working life.
The Workshops were full of
machines that they knew nothing
about and finding their way
amongst a crowd of thousands
could be daunting.
Pranks were often played on
apprentices, such as asking them
to go to the paint shop and collect
cans of ‘striped paint’, or to pick
up a container of rivet holes from
the Tool Shop. However despite
the joking that may have occurred,
apprentices were seen as a vital
resource. They were taught their
craft by skilled, experienced
tradesmen, and played an essential
role in the continuation of the
various industries represented at
the Roundhouse and Workshops.
Aurizon recognises the
contribution of apprentices to
its success through the Lindsay
Cooper Apprentice of the Year
Awards. The award is presented
each year as part of the Aurizon
Excellence Awards.
Specifications for Hot Water Boilers (Images courtesy of John Lyon.)
PAGE 34 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
he Roundhouse was a tight
knit community of people
who bonded over trades
and experience. Some of the most
endearing concepts that arise from
any discussion of the Roundhouse
and Workshops are the concepts
of camaraderie, mateship,
and “the rail family”.
The ever-changing culture of
employment today often results in
people transitioning between jobs
every few years. For an individual
to attain 10 years’ service at one
place is now considered a milestone.
But the culture at the Roundhouse
was different – men have given
decades of their lives in service to
the railways. Boys would enter as
apprentices, move into their chosen
trade, have their own families
and retire. During these years,
people would get the chance to
know and look out for one another.
“Railway was typically a job for life.
It was a family event. For me –
my grandfather was in the railway,
my father was in the railway and
my brother too.”
Catherine Baxter
“The Roundhouse and the railway was
a real backbone employer. A lot of
fathers would be Drivers, and so their
sons would come and get jobs as
Cleaners, then Firemen and Drivers.”
Charlie Hunt
“Even as a fresh-faced fourteen-
year-old, the older guys would
take you around site and make
sure you met every single person,
face-to-face. They were adamant
that everyone would be introduced
to everyone else.”
John Lyon
“There were a lot of father figures.
The older guys would really look
out for the younger ones and
mentor them. In turn, the younger
guys respected the older guys.
There were definitely some good,
strong bonds formed.”
Henry Mansfield
“It was a real community there.
Everyone always wanted to do a
great job and contribute. The other
guys were your family, you didn’t
want to let anyone down.”
Len Reddy
Having a joke with each other
was part of affirming bonds with
your colleagues. Some of the
commonly-pulled pranks on site
included putting leather gloves in
the fires to emit an almighty stench;
placing prawn heads in strategic
locations around the Roundhouse
for similar effect; putting pepper
on top of the fans in the lunch room,
causing a chorus of sneezing when
they were turned on; and putting
chilli around the rim of people’s cups.
“The prank culture served to help
with the ‘family’ or ‘bonding’
element on site – blowing off steam,
having a laugh, the things you’d do
with your family.”
Barry Parker
“You’d wait for someone to walk
away from their bench, then nail
their tools down. It was hilarious
seeing guys come back and try
to pick the tools up!”
Billy Dunn
“You used to go home in the
afternoon with your sides sore
from laughing so hard!”
Franklin Wood
Most shops had a social club,
and social events such as bowls,
billiard nights or cricket games
gave the men and their families the
opportunity to spend time together.
The Queensland Railways institute
offered social occasions such as
dances, and the Railways Recreation
Club provided a variety of activities
that also catered for women and
children.52 The end of year break-up
before the Christmas holiday was
always enjoyed.
“We really enjoyed the last day of
the year. Mateship really came to
the fore. Time was spent with your
mates, enjoying the successes and
labours of the year. Guys would
play cards, play cricket, sit around
and tell stories yarning with mates.
Since it was so hot in Rockhampton,
water fights would sometimes break
out and some guys, usually the
apprentices, were dunked in
washing troughs.”
Alan Bambrick
Whether it was a result of
being brought together
through common backgrounds,
interests, experiences or skills,
the Roundhouse unified the
tradesmen with a common
identity; consolidating friendships
that remained strong even into
retirement.
“One of my workmates and I still
buy lotto tickets every week!”
Len Reddy
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
The Railway Family
AURIZON PAGE 35
Working for the railways was often a family tradition. Today, many Aurizon staff are part
of several generations of railway employees. Here they share their family memories.
Brian BockFormer Group GM Workshops 1999-2003
I was once lucky enough to be invited to a Railway Ball at the Redbank Workshops with dad. Everyone took the train from Roma St but my friends and I boarded the wrong carriage and ended up on the VIP train reserved for the GMs. It dropped us off inside the Workshops and right into the middle of the official opening ceremony.
Damien BockDevelopment Manager (Real Estate)
i’ve worked in the Real Estate team since 2005. My dad was
GM of the Workshops in ipswich, Rockhampton and Redbank.
Noel MaddenFormer Permanent Way Inspector
My father worked with the railway gangs on the Central Line. When I was a teenager I would sometimes tag along in his Suzuki rail car that used to run on the rail as well as the road. In those days riding on the rail tracks was smoother than the outback roads.
Tony MaddenWorkshops Team Leader
i started working at the Workshops in 1985. My father,
2 brother-in-laws and my uncle have also worked for
the railways.
George McHughFormer Locomotive Driver
Dad worked for Queensland Rail driving all types of steam trains from 1955 to 1966. At dinner time, our family conversations would nearly always lead a story by him about something that happened on the railway that day. His railway stories were always captivating to me.
Ken McHughSenior Advisor Accreditation
i started with the railways in 2010 and am responsible for managing
the interface with Aurizon’s rail safety regulators. My father drove
passenger and freight trains from 1955-1966.
Alf & John SteinFormer Fireman & Former Clerk
I never met my grandfather however he was a Fireman so we both ended up working at the Roundhouse. He always wanted to enlist but was prevented as railways was considered a protected industry. Dad was in the railways long before I was born and worked in the old Admin Office on Denison Street. I was 12 when he took me to visit his new office on Murray Street. Years later I ended up working in the same building.
Catherine BaxterVP Service Delivery Freight Markets (formerly Operations Manager Rollingstock)
i’m known as a re-tread as i’ve had 2 stints in rail in QLD –
from 1989-2005 and again from 2013. My father, grandfather
and brother all worked in the railways at Rockhampton.
PAGE 36 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
Stephen Bell
CONDITION MONITORING ANALYST
tephen started his
apprenticeship as a
Fitter at 16 years of age.
He remembers apprentice pay
in the 1970s was around $68 a
fortnight and Personal Protective
Equipment, or ‘PPE’, wasn’t yet a
concept. “We came to work in
shorts and singlets back then!”
Stephen recalls the story of his
first day at work: – “The foreman,
who was a Boilermaker, was our
next door neighbour. He gave me a
ride to work in his Valiant. He wasn’t
one for many words, and when he
dropped me of he mumbled some
obscure directions at me and off
I went. I walked into this place,
and there were men everywhere –
it was scary as a 16 year old! I walked
up this alley, and I could feel people
staring at me thinking ‘oh yeah,
look at the new boy, he’s lost.’
Finally I made it to the Engineer’s
office where I was given the
instruction to ‘sit on the ground
and wait.’ An hour and a half later
a bespectacled man walked in and
started barking – ‘Bell! Who’s Bell!?
Groskoff? Which one is Groskoff?’
he questioned. Well me and
Irwin Groskoff were escorted
through the Workshops and given
to our supervisor Bernie Mistell.
‘Mistell – these two boys here –
you got something for them
to do?’
Mistell looked at the boys.
‘Right. Know how to use a grinder?’
We shook our heads.
‘Well, how ‘bout a welder?’
We shook our heads
‘Seen a hammer!?’
Finally, something we knew!
We nodded our heads.
‘Right. Well see that buffer over
there? Well go and hit that buffer
over there with this hammer’.
So I was finally working hard,
grinding away, when I heard these
whistles go off. Looking around,
we wondered what was going
on as we watched all the men
disappear.
Me and Irwin sat there on the buffer
and just looked at each other.
After ten minutes, another whistle,
and all the men came back again.
‘What have you boys been doing?
Did you go for smoko??’
With bewilderment we replied
‘What’s smoko?’ ‘SMOKO! That’s
what that was! Well, you may as
well just get back to work now!’
Needless to say we never missed
a smoko again.”
in the 1990s, the Workshops
underwent a lot of change. But even
as their workplace was changing
around them, the Site Services Team
that Stephen was a part of stayed
together. They took time out for
a team photo in the Roundhouse
in the early nineties. Stephen
remembers the photo was taken
after he returned from riding his
BMW motorcycle around the world.
in the photo, from left to right,
is Les McCabe (Fitter, Tool Room),
Stephen Bell (Fitter, Tool Room),
Graeme Smith (Toolmaker),
Bernie Grund (Carpenter,
A personal story from
U C O W D A F S M
I T E N
AURIZON PAGE 37
Motor Shop), Frank Nawrath
(Site Services Manager), Alan Russell
(Plumber) and Clive Bainbridge,
aka ‘the hairy rat’.
Stephen speaks fondly about
his days at the Workshops and
the lifelong mates he made.
When describing his colleagues
captured in this simple work day
photo over two decades ago,
it’s clear that the good times
were plentiful.
Les was in charge of the Hegensheidt
Wheel Lathes for their repair and
service. Then there was Graeme
Smith. He was the finest (but slowest!)
Toolmaker in the Railway. He worked
in the Tool Room with me and played
table tennis like a demon. He could
do the best bull roar i’ve ever heard.
Bernie Grund was great at his job.
He was the guy who could stand
beside a standard Railway bench and
squat down then jump up on top of
the bench like a frog. i’ve never seen
anybody else ever do that!
Frank was the Site Services boss,
and Fitter in the Erecting Shop prior
to his promotion. Frank was my
cub scout master when i was at
Hall Estate Scout Troop in 1969!
He was a nice bloke who restored
vintage cars. He was also the
tightest man i ever knew!
Alan was a great Plumber, and he
did the plumbing for my house
when i built it in 2002. He also put
the entire roof on all the Workshops
when it needed replacing in
about 1980.
Last but not least is our wonderful
friend Clive. Clive was such a great
friend to us all and nothing was
too much trouble. We shared many
times together in the Woodmill
where Clive was a Wood Machinist.
Clive passed away and is sorely
missed. He was one of the finest
men i have ever met and the way
he could have you on will live with
me forever.
Site Services Team, Rockhampton Workshops, 1990s. (Image courtesy of Stephen Bell.)
PAGE 38 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
The Roundhouse todayany of the old workshops
were demolished in the
1990s, and the Workshops
site was redeveloped to more
adequately service the modern
rollingstock fleet.
Given that the Roundhouse
wasn’t being used for locomotives,
many bays were redundant.
To capitalise on this space and to
give the Roundhouse an ongoing
use, 14 bays within the Roundhouse
were adapted to house the current
Administration Offices. Creatively
designed to minimise impact on
the historic structure, the offices
are recessed into the bays.
One bay holds a conference room,
designed with a rounded exterior
resembling a locomotive in its
bay. The architects, Allom Lovell
Marquis-Kyle, received a number
of awards for the project, including
a John Herbert Award, the RAIA
Regional Award for Conservation
and the RAIA State Award for
Conservation. The Blacksmiths
shop was relocated into a section
of the Roundhouse bays in 1999.
The Roundhouse was listed on
the Queensland Heritage Register
in 1992. The listing recognises the
significance of the Roundhouse
in the development of the steam
era in Queensland and its rarity
as one of only two remaining full
roundhouses in Australia.
The Rockhampton Roundhouse
is an iconic architectural structure
that symbolises our rail history and
is a testament to the longevity of
rail in Queensland.
“Looking back, it was a time that
will never be replaced. The faces of
the men who worked in those tin
sheds, hot as fire in summer and
colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss in
winter. Burning drums of wood,
and standing in the sun between the
shops to keep warm. Those were
the days indeed.”
Stephen Bell
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AURIZON PAGE 39
The Administration Offices incorporated into the Roundhouse bays. (Image courtesy of Aurizon.)
PAGE 40 Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse
ReferencesRockhampton Needs a Railway
1 Kerr, J.S. (1990) Triumph of Narrow Gauge:
A History of Queensland Railways. Brisbane:
Boolarong Publications. Pp23-27; 32-35.
2 Bird, J.T.S. (1904) The Early History of
Rockhampton, Dealing Chiefly with Events Up
Till 1870. Rockhampton: The Morning Bulletin.
3 Kerr, op. cit., p32.
Servicing the Network and Rollingstock – The Rockhampton Railway Workshops
4 Stalker, D., M. Smith, P. Burkitt, S. Allan,
A. Cole. QR Steam Locomotives – Introductory
Notes. Queensland Railways Interest Group
www.qrig.org
5 The Morning Bulletin, 24 February 1915.
6 Marquis-Kyle, P. and T. Blake (2014)
Rockhampton Workshops & Roundhouse
Conservation Management Plan. P11.
Unpublished document for Aurizon.
7 Rockhampton Turntable and Engine Shed.
Queensland State Archives, Item ID 282435,
Photographic Material.
8 The Morning Bulletin, 25 November 1912.
9 Rockhampton Workshops and Carriage Shed.
Queensland State Archives, Item ID 282435,
Photographic Material.
The Jewel in the Crown – The Rockhampton Roundhouse
10 Rockhampton Railway Roundhouse,
Aerial View. Central Queensland University
Library, Capricornia CQ Collection, ‘Morning
Bulletin” Photographs. MB No. MB011
11 Locomotive Shed at Rockhampton, 1914.
5628 Young Photograph Album,
John Oxley Library, State Library of
Queensland. Record Number 123263.
12 The Morning Bulletin 29 April 1914.
13 Marquis-Kyle, P. and T. Blake, loc. cit.
14 Engine Shed, Rockhampton; Rockhampton
Workshops, cross section of site and revised
site plan. Queensland State Archives Item
ID120608, Drawings – Railway.
15 Marquis-Kyle, P. and T. Blake, loc. cit.
16 The Morning Bulletin, 23 July 1914.
17 The Morning Bulletin 8 October 1927.
18 The Brisbane Courier 7 November 1914.
The Role of Coal
19 Queensland Heritage Register Citation,
Place ID 600783, Railway Workshops.
20 Image courtesy of Peter Bruce, from his blog
“I Was a Teenage Railfan.” Monday Morning
Photo 27.12.2010. http://teenagerailfan.
blogspot.com.au/2010/12/fw-monday-
morning-photo-27122010.html
21 ibid.
The Railway Ambulance
22 Railway First Aid Volunteers (n.d) Our History.
http://railwayfirstaidvolunteers.org.au
23 ibid.
24 Macno, V., R. Buchanan and T. Blake (2011).
More than Work. Memoirs of the Queensland
Museum – Culture 5 (1):107-120.
25 Image courtesy of Madeline Mullins, in Macno,
V., R. Buchanan and T. Blake (2011) More than
Work. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum –
Culture 5 (1):107-120.
26 Mewes, D. (2011/2012) Traintalk: Queensland
Railways Ambulance Corps Celebrates 120 Years.
Big Noise, Summer 2011/2012, page 6.
27 Railway First Aid Volunteers (n.d)
History of the Voluntary First Aid Movement.
www.railwayfirstaidvolunteers.org.au/pdf/
RFAVPresentation.ppt
A personal story from Alan Bambrick
28 Bambrick, A. (2015) Rockhampton Railway
Roundhouse. Unpublished paper,
25 October 2015.
29 Bambrick, A. (2005) Rockhampton Railway
Workshops 1957-1991. Experiences of
Alan Bambrick, Job Representative,
Australian Railways Union. Unpublished paper,
2 October 2005.
The Roundhouse in the Age of Steam
30 The Central Queensland Herald 3 August 1939.
31 The Central Queensland Herald 17 August 1939.
32 Marquis-Kyle, P. and T. Blake, loc. cit.
33 The Cairns Post 28 January 1949.
34 The Central Queensland Herald 2 August 1956.
35 The Morning Bulletin 20 March 1953.
36 ibid.
37 Marquis-Kyle, P. and T. Blake, op.cit. p20.
38 The Daily Mercury 25 December 1952.
39 Kerr, loc. cit.
40 Bambrick, A. (2005). Rockhampton Railway
Workshops 1957-1991. Unpublished document.
41 Marquis-Kyle, P. and T. Blake op.cit. pg 9.
41a Bambrick, A. (2005). Rockhampton Railway
Workshops 1957-1991. Unpublished document.
Foreigners
42 Oliver, B. (2009) Making Foreigners at the
Midland Government Railway Workshops,
1904-1994. In J. Harris (ed) Foreigners.
Secret Artefacts of Industrialism, pp26-37.
Curtin University Library ESpace http://
espace.library.curtin.edu.au/R?func=dbin-
jump-full&local_base=gen01-era02&object_
id=180962
43 Seal, G. (2009) Foreigners in Workplace
Culture. In J. Harris (ed) Foreigners.
Secret Artefacts of Industrialism, pp38-47.
Curtin University Library ESpace http://
espace.library.curtin.edu.au/R?func=dbin-
jump-full&local_base=gen01-era02&object_
id=133644
44 Ibid.
45 Oliver, loc. cit.
46 ibid
47 Seal, loc. cit.
48 Images courtesy of Rob Shiels, Assistant
Collection Manager, The Workshops
Railway Museum.
A personal story from Des Bendall
49 Hoover washing machine with wringer,
Model 0307, 1948. Image No. 10240820.
Collection of the Science Museum London
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/images/
I011/10240820.aspx
A personal story from John Lyon
50 Mewes, D. (2005) The Workshops Rail Museum
Information Sheet – Blue Baby: DD17 No. 1051.
http://www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au/
Learning+resources/Resources#.VlafdWAgkdU
The Post- Steam Era
51 Bambrick, A. (2005). Rockhampton Railway
Workshops 1957-1991. Unpublished document.
The Railway Family
52 Webster, B. (2005) A Good Job in the Railway:
Rockhampton Railway Workshops 1938 to the
1980s. Paper presented at the 19th Conference
of the Association of Industrial Relations
Academics of Australia and New Zealand,
Sydney.
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