TWO generations of railway enthusiasts have been raised on Leon Oberg’s popular book Locomotives of Australia which first appeared as a 272 page title in 1975. In successive reprints and updates, the author, aided by an army of dedicated friends, be they rail industry executives, researchers or photographers, has provided his readers with a potted examination of the multiplicity of steam, diesel and electric locomotives that have played a key part in Australia’s transport scene since 1854.
But this book is not only a work that restricts itself to facts and figures relating only to locomotives. As a photo-journalist and former newspaper editor, the author insists locomotive stories would not be complete without an examination of the prevailing social fabric of the various railway administrative bodies and the ever expanding transport needs of towns, industry and mining which often provide the key reasons many locomotive types were developed.
This 2010 reprint is a light upgrade of our 2006 fully revised work and not only brings up to date a host of existing entries, but also takes the opportunity to include several significant locomotive types that have appeared in Australia since that edition appeared. These include AC-drive products from rival diesel-electric locomotive firms that are respectively finding favour with a number of train operators with examples of both marques working across the nation.
285 x 210 mm, 448 pages, 100 colour plates and 200 black and white photos.
Hardcover
Leon Oberg