"Shire Horses & Jumbos: The 45 and 442 Classes"
By Rod Milne
Paperback cover 48 pages black/white photos
INTRODUCTION
In the mid 1990s, an era of great distinction came to a close on the North Coast line of New South Wales. Grubby, paint fading and smoke producing, the great Alcos of the old New South Wales Railways finished their days on this picturesque, winding line and were replaced by Ready Motive Power functional looking 82 class and State Rail's less modern 81, 422 and 80 classes. As I am a resident of the southern Queensland region, railway in Beaudesert Shire and the city area, this time of change came as a sad one indeed. For their last years, often operating in quite poor order due to their age and reduced maintenance, the Alcos of the 44, 45 and 442 classes had worked heavy trains on the line, often coming into the Acacia Ridge yard at Brisbane's southern portal on the proverbial 'wing and a prayer'. At times, it seemed as if that se called 'main line' was a railway in a Third World contry but it was a line blessed with wonderful character and charm as the Alcos ran out their time.