Model Trains and Things

If you come from the south like I do then much of the old Queensland Railways – or what’s left of it –  appears almost quaint while the modern version of the Queensland Railways appears to be right up there at the cutting edge.

The contrast between the old and new is therefore like a major culture shift and no where is it more noticeable than in the humble signal box.

The picture on the left was taken in the signal box that is a integral part of the preserved and restored Archer Street station in Rockhampton. This station was once the main railway station in Rockhampton and the signal box was built inside the station building which had a covered platform.

The floor of the box was actually slightly elevated above the platform and was accessed from the main station office. You can see the position of the restored station in this Google satellite map - it’s the long thin silver roofed building . Even though the station has now been closed as a stopping point for trains Google still shows it as the main Rockhampton station.

If you have a close look at the map you will see that the railway line does run right down the middle of the street – and it’s not some quiet branch line, that’s the main northern line to Cairns embedded in that street.

Compare my photo with this one  by Jeff Grenfell of part of the current Rockhampton control centre and you’ll see how far signal boxes have come in Queensland.

And if you want to see a train running down the middle of the street then check out the Streets of Rockhampton

This entry was posted on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 4:54 am and is filed under Signal Boxes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.