© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Author: Greg Ray

This author has written 481 articles
Read more about the article Accidents, prangs and crashes: Part 2
Burnt-out tram after a fatal crash at Jesmond on October 11, 1943

Accidents, prangs and crashes: Part 2

. As a career fireman, transport collector Ken Magor naturally accumulated many photographs of accidents and disasters. Here are some more tales of vehicular tragedy and misadventure from our Ken Magor archive. . Fatal wartime tram-truck smash at Jesmond The burnt-out tramThe late Fred Quayle . Thanks to Jack Nyman for this account. . At 11.30 am on 11th October,1943, tram driver Fred Quayle, 41, of Wallsend, was taking a two-car tram set bound from Newcastle to Plattsburg and Wallsend. He left Howe Street, Lambton, and began the 1 in 30 ascent over the Lambton range.…

Continue ReadingAccidents, prangs and crashes: Part 2
Read more about the article Bridging the Hawkesbury River: Part 3

Bridging the Hawkesbury River: Part 3

In the early days of European settlement in the colony of New South Wales, the only way to travel from Sydney to the "Coal River" - later to be Newcastle - was by sea. And that was fine by the colonial government, since the northern settlement was chiefly valued as a remote prison camp for the worst of the colony's convicts. Escaping overland from the Coal River was at first dangerous and often fatal. Newcastle was a punishment camp for the worst prisoners Over the years some convicts did manage to find their way back to…

Continue ReadingBridging the Hawkesbury River: Part 3
Read more about the article Bridging the Hawkesbury River: Part 2
The "old" and "new" Hawkesbury River railway bridges. The new bridge is on the right in the photo.

Bridging the Hawkesbury River: Part 2

By 1937 it had become apparent that the first bridge over the Hawkesbury River, NSW – a key link in the rail connection between the state capital Sydney and the north of the state – was badly in need of replacement. Cracks had appeared in at least one of the piers supporting the bridge and emergency steelwork was clamped around pier number 4 to prevent it failing. Investigations of the other piers found the concrete wasn’t suitable for the loads the bridge was expected to support. Meanwhile, it was also found that the bearings supporting the…

Continue ReadingBridging the Hawkesbury River: Part 2
×
×

Cart