Recollections of the Rockhampton Roundhouse -...

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

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


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


“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.”


26 August 1913.


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.”


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…”


2 December 1913.

“The whole of the roundhouse is

lighted with electricity, which is

a decided improvement on the

former system of gas lighting.”


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.”


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


23 July 1914.


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


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.)


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


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


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


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


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


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.


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


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


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.


John as a teenager (Image courtesy of John Lyon.)

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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.)


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

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“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.)


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

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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.)


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

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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.


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,


U C O W D A F S M

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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.)


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

U C O W D A F S M

I T E N

AURIZON PAGE 39

The Administration Offices incorporated into the Roundhouse bays. (Image courtesy of Aurizon.)


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.


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.



33 The Cairns Post 28 January 1949.


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


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


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.

AURIZON PAGE 41

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