The Queensland Rail History Podcast

We pass through train stations every day, but have you ever wondered who designed them? In this episode, our historian Greg Hallam and Annette Caesar explore the remarkable life and legacy of Elina Mottram, Queensland Railway's pioneering female architect, who set new benchmarks for women in the profession. Elina’s story is one of determination, talent, and trailblazing achievement.  We’ve go...

In this episode, Annette and historian Greg Hallam dive into the surprisingly colourful world of Queensland Rail’s locomotive liveries. From emerald greens and royal blues to bold Broncos‑inspired maroon and yellow, they trace how paint schemes have evolved from the 1800s to today.  Greg shares the stories behind iconic locomotives, quirky nicknames, and the artistry hidden in heritage paint speci...

Episode 28 - ‘On ya Bike’ - Along the Brisbane Valley Line - Some stories about the railway to Yarraman (and a bit beyond that…) In this episode Annette and our Historian Greg Hallam take listeners on a nostalgic journey along the Brisbane Valley Line, a rural railway that once stretched from Wulkuraka to Yarraman. They explore its origins in the 1880s, the decades-long construction, and its role...

In this mini Rail Tale episode, our host Annette and Queensland Rail Historian Greg Hallam take listeners on a nostalgic journey through Queensland’s rich history of seaside holidays and rail travel. From the origins of “taking the waters” in 18th-century Europe to the rise of beachside and mountain retreats in the Sunshine Coast, they explore how railways opened up access to iconic destinations l...

Rail Tale Episode 5 - The Mecca of our Desires. The Tourist train, the forerunner of today’s Kuranda Scenic Railway (KSR) experience has a long history going back to very beginning of the Cairns Railway.   In 1913 as a result of what was termed a “rapid increase” in tourist traffic to Barron Falls, plans were prepared for what was termed four up-to-date observation carriages. It was hoped to have...

In today’s world of selfies, social media and smartphones – everyone has a camera in their pocket. But, 160 years ago, a picture told a thousand words! These were seen as living images, forming an incredible archive - created by artists – professional photographers, employed by railways across the world. And even here, in Queensland there was those travelling the vast landscapes and documenting wh...

160th Special - People, personalities and the early beginnings of our railways. On 31 July 1865, the first section of railway line opened in Queensland, between Ipswich and what was then called 'Bigges Camp' (today’s Grandchester). The story of our railway is much bigger than just a series of facts, figures, and statistics. It is more than a roll call of railway line openings, introducti...

Rail Tale Episode 4 - Telegraphically Yours When the first railway line opened in Queensland in 1865, alongside it also went the electric telegraph line. The wires that accompanied the rails would be a vital part of the connection of our communities and enable communication that was the very much at the forefront of technology in the middle 19th century.  Got a question about our railway's hi...

Episode 25 - Signal Central - The Rail Management Centre Why do trains run late sometimes?  How do you even plan a train time table?  What does it take to become a train controller?  What happens to the rail network during disruptions – like say, a tropical cyclone...?  In today's episode we chat to someone from our Train Planning team and find out all of that, and more! We also chat with our...

Why do trains run late sometimes?  How do you even plan a train time table?  What does it take to become a train controller?  What happens to the rail network during disruptions – like say, a tropical cyclone...?  Here's our full interview with Matt Green, Senior Manager, RMC Product, Strategy and Planning. We hear about his love for trains, breaking down the key roles and responsibilities at...

Episode 24 – Made in Maryborough In 1873, Walker's Limited built Queensland's first steam engine and went on to become a major manufacturer of railway Rollingstock. The first B15 steam locomotives came from Walkers, and they built steam locomotives up until 1958. Walker's Limited built over 550 steam powered, 12 diesel electric and 144 diesel hydraulic locomotives. In today's e...

Episode 23 - Trains in King George Square In February 1914, Queensland Railways commemorated the 50th anniversary of the beginning of construction for the first section of railway line in the state.  This section of line from Ipswich to Bigges Camp (today’s Grandchester, west of Ipswich) opened on 31 July 1865. The Commissioner of the Railways had formally written to the Mayor of Brisbane, asking...

Rail Tale Episode 3 - ‘Filling’ in time: The School Rail Dental Clinics Did you know one of the first travelling dental clinics in Queensland was a railway carriage?  The school dental scheme was developed by the Department of Public Instruction in the late 1920s. The Rail Dental Clinic ensured people from the country received the same level of care as those living in the city. Operating for half...

Episode 22 - Not quite set in concrete? Today on our podcast, we will go on a journey, and look at when things were not set in stone, but, rather, poured in concrete.  Queensland Railways was a pioneer in the early use of concrete, where remarkable structures, bridges, dams, and buildings sprang up all over the state using this innovative building material.    We will also talk about getting the m...

Rail Tale Episode 2 - A Runaway Premier (or a runaway Premiers’ carriage?) In 1931, the then Queensland Premier Arthur Moore travelled to Monto and opened Monto's Third Annual Show on Friday, 1 May 1931. Monto was a "new town" to which rail connection had been opened via Gayndah on 15th September 1928. The official party comprised the Premier, Arthur Moore, his wife, and Mr. R. L. B...

Episode 21 - The Merivale Bridge On Saturday, 18 November 1978, the Merivale Railway Bridge, connecting Roma Street and South Brisbane Railway Stations was officially opened in the presence of 850 official guests. Crossing the Brisbane River, the bridge was constructed over a period of three years and three months and reported to have cost $20.6 million. In today's episode we discuss why the...

Episode 20 - The North Coast Railway In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries most of the travel between the isolated railway systems, and towns of Queensland was carried out by coastal shipping.  By the end of the nineteenth century there were eleven of these isolated systems of the Queensland Railways and most of them ran from a coastal point towards the bush – the closest port was c...

Our first rail tale about Queensland’s first Station Master… Sir Charles Fox and Son, Agents for the Queensland Government based in London, were appointed as consulting engineers to the colony of Queensland and were given the job to find administrative staff for the Southern and Western Railway, then under construction between Ipswich and Grandchester (Bigges Camp). On 12 January 1865, the agents...

Episode 19 - Cobb & Co and the Queensland Railways - A long lasting shared journey From the mid-1860s until 1924, travel in Australia involved trains hauled by steam locomotives, sailing and steam ships, paddle steamers, cable cars in the big cities, bicycles, and later the motor car. Plus, one of the great icons of transport in Australia - the horse-drawn coach services called Cobb & Co. ...

Episode 18 - The Tilt Train In today's episode we look at how over 25 years ago, Queensland Rail began its ‘tilt to the future’ with an innovative technology and a number of Australian rail firsts, and how two trains revolutionised the train service between Brisbane and Rockhampton.  We also chat with Jack, one of our Regional Rollingstock Project Delivery Managers involved in a recent tracti...

Episode 17 - Electrifying Times There were two events in the 1960s and early 1970s that led to a massive change in South East Queensland’s passenger railways. The first was the replacement of steam with diesel-electric locomotives by 1969. This inevitably led to faster and cleaner trains. The next big step forward was the introduction of modern electric trains for the suburban system in Brisbane w...

Episode 16 - Rail Motors Christmas time and the school holidays would bring back memories of long train journeys to far flung parts of Queensland, for many people. The link between country and regional towns, and the smaller townships, was the railmotor. For many decades in Queensland, the small red painted 45 horsepower AEC motors (based on a London bus design), ‘red rattlers’, or the later incar...

Today, we’ll be looking at the era in the late 1880s and into the early 20th century, when many towns close to the South Coast (now known as the Gold Coast) all wanted their own railway to their own ‘slice of paradise’. When taking the train to your favourite holiday spot on the beach, or the bay was all part of the adventure.  We’ll also chat with special guest, Deni, Assistant Station Master at...

Episode 14 - The Landers 1953 was one of the truly revolutionary years for the Queensland Railways, with the introduction of air conditioned trains on our long distance services in Queensland. The Sunlander commenced service on the 4th June 1953. This new air conditioned train was hauled by a diesel locomotive and by eliminating steam locomotive servicing stops, the transit time from Brisbane to C...

1952 was one of the truly revolutionary years for the Queensland Railways. It was in that year that the first DEL (Diesel Electric Locomotives) entered service. The new motive power would forever change the railway landscape of Queensland. Almost overnight, it demonstrating the economic, and operational benefits of modern diesel locomotives.  In this episode we’ll look at how Queensland Railways p...