The Rail Way

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The Rail Way

Homage to the loveliest ways to travel across space and time, mostly by train, but also some ferries. Photos by William Cope.

23/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. New South Wales Government Railways No 4917 (Clyde Engineering, Granville, NSW, Builders No 346 of 1964) hauls a tour train up the Gilmore Valley towards Batlow, 2 October 1977. Built to serve Batlow’s expanding fruit and timber industries, the steeply graded branch from Gilmore opened on 22 March 1923 and reached Kunama that December. It carried apples, vegetables, timber, passengers and supplies for decades. The Kunama section closed in 1957; declining traffic ended regular Batlow services in early 1983. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

22/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Victorian Railways T 388 leads a tour train across the Darbyshire Hill No 2 bridge, 12 November 1977. Built in 1916, this was a single-track rail bridge of three-storey pier design. The timber piers on these bridges are fitted with rare double-longitudinal walings. The bridge was 96.6 metres long, with unusually tall four-pile timber piers (whose maximum height is 21.3 metres), six timber-beam approach spans each of 4.6 metres, eleven rolled-steel-joist spans each of 6.1 metres, and a deck of standard transverse-timber design. This bridge was the tallest railway bridge of timber and steel joist construction in Victoria. The bridge was destroyed in the January 2026 fires.“Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

21/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Locomotive 3203 (Beyer Peacock and Company, Manchester, No 3402 of 1891) enters Gundagai yard with a tour train, 2 October 1977. The railway reached Gundagai on 21 July 1886, ending years of isolation for the Riverina town. It was extended to Tumut on 12 October 1903 via the Murrumbidgee River bridge with its long timber viaduct and steel truss bridge. Gundagai developed into an important railway centre for wool, livestock and passenger traffic until declining services led to the line’s closure in 1984. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

20/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Drinking water flagons and glasses stand ready for the next passenger train at Sydney Terminal Station in 1976. Opened on 4 August 1906 as the grand gateway to the New South Wales railways, the station provided various comforts for passengers. Before country trains departed, drinking water was supplied in glass flagons, with individual glasses arranged on wheeled platform trolleys. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

19/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. K 153 departs Myrtleford on the Bright line on 13 November 1977, with Mount Buffalo in the background. Built progressively, the railway reached Myrtleford on 17 February 1883 and Bright on 30 September 1890. It supported the Ovens Valley by transporting timber, to***co, hops and dairy produce, as well as tourists travelling towards Mount Buffalo. Passenger services ceased on 11 June 1954, the Bright section closed on 30 November 1983, and the remaining line closed on 13 April 1987. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

18/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Near Koetong beside the Cudgewa railway, the surviving wheels and frame mark the remains of one of Australia’s earliest locomotives. Built in 1858 by Robert Stephenson and Company in England, the 5 ft 3 in gauge locomotive entered service as No 7 “Meteor” on the Melbourne and Hobson’s Bay Railway. It was later renumbered N244 on the Victorian Railways roster. Sold to Jonathan Falkenham, a railway construction contractor, in 1886, it was subsequently purchased by a sawmill to serve as a stationary boiler. Around 1906, the discarded frame and wheels were dumped into Koetong Creek. These components were salvaged and pulled into an adjacent field in the 1970s (this photograph was taken in May 1978). They were later removed and are now in private ownership at an unknown location. At Koetong. “Branch” is available on Amazon in large format, full-colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

17/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Locomotive K 153 (Newport Workshops, Melbourne, 1940) takes leads the last train to Cudgewa along the edge of Lake Hume, 27 May 1978. The railway towards Cudgewa developed gradually, reaching Tallangatta in July 1891 and Cudgewa in July 1921. Construction of the Hume Dam during the 1950s required the route to be relocated around the newly formed lake. The railway later provided an important connection for the Snowy Mountains Scheme before officially closing on 1 March 1981. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

16/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. This photograph captures the platform at Castlemaine station on 29 June 2025. Rail reached Castlemaine in October 1862, establishing the town as an important Victorian Railways junction. The Maldon branch opened in December 1884 and was extended to Shelbourne in March 1891, transporting passengers, agricultural produce and mining supplies. After closing in 1976, the Castlemaine–Maldon section returned to service in 2004 as the Victorian Goldfields Railway. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

15/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Locomotive 6042 at Parkes locomotive shed on 18 May 1975. Parkes developed into a major railway junction after the Molong–Parkes–Forbes route opened in December 1893. Its importance increased when the Forbes–Stockinbingal connection opened in April 1918, forming a cross-country link between the Main Western and Main Southern lines. Passenger trains ceased in 1974, but Parkes continues as an important freight centre and now forms part of the Inland Rail project. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

14/08/2026

From “Branch: Lost Railway Lines of New South Wales and Victoria” by William Cope. Locomotive 5367 arrives at Forbes station with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam at the controls. Rail reached Forbes in December 1893, connecting the productive Lachlan Valley with the Main Western Railway. The extension to Stockinbingal opened in April 1918, establishing an important cross-country route that transported wheat, wool and livestock. “Branch” is available at Amazon in large format, full colour hardback, paperback or e-book.

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