An album of black and white pictures of two of the last railways to carry commercial steam hauled trains in Australia, namely the characterful mining railways based at Hexham and Maitland in NSW. The pictures were taken in 1969 and '70 and are combined with maps and notes drawn from Australian and British sources.
Many of the locomotives were second hand, perhaps the most noteworthy being one of the original Mersey Railway (Liverpool) tanks and a number ex Railway Operating Department (ROD)s built to the design of the Great Central Railway's J. G. Robinson, noted for his elegant designs. The pictures show the locos at work but also in close-up detail which may be of interest to modellers.
The two railways concerned, the Richmond Vale Railway and the South Maitland Railway were of contrasting character but both eventually ended up in the common ownership of Coal and Allied Industries.
Fortunately, a number of the locomotives pictured have survived into preservation. This book gives visitors to the preservation sites a chance to see the machines at work.