16 y.o. Harry Tilbrook Tramping S.A.

ruwoltjon
Aug 1
2 min read

Please Attend the:

Annual General Meeting 2025 Clare Regional History Group

Friday 8 August 5.30pm, Barbara Long Room, Clare Town Hall

Light food and wine supplied

Guest speaker - Eugenie Booth to speak on Hans Heysen and 'Cedars': the home of the Heysen family.

August 23rd, 1864

from Harry's Notebook...

Once more, after three weeks in Adelaide, I made a start for the North-East. Made the usual train-and-mail journey from Adelaide to Burra Burra via Kapunda, but not in one day this time!

One interesting event happened on the train. After leaving Gawler, there is a stiff gradient in a cutting near Roseworthy. This gradient was about one in forty-five. Now, I believe, it is about one in sixty-four.

The rails were slippery. The engine puffed and puffed! – slowly – and – more – slowly! It was going like a knocked-up stockhorse, just as I afterwards rode one after wild cattle.

Then the engine stopped – just like the horse! – and couldn’t go another yard! It stood still rather more than half-way up the cutting.

The banks were high on either side, and nothing was visible in front except the rails going over the hill. Our engine wailed out its note of woe in one continuous whistle.

Roseworthy was not far away. There happened to be another engine there with steam up – perhaps kept there for just such an emergency!

After a long wait, the spare engine came along very cautiously towards the cutting. Then, seeing our train at a standstill, slid slowly down the hill and hitched itself to our engine – evidently with matrimonial intentions!

With this added power and weight, we soon climbed the hill and reached Roseworthy. We were now behind time.

As lost time had to be made up, we sailed along with both engines. At all down gradings we went at such terrific speed – it must have been seventy miles an hour – that, on putting my head out of the window, the wind was blown down my throat so hard I could not get my breath, and had to draw in my head quickly.

Upon arrival at Kapunda, Cobb & Co’s conveyance was so crowded that I, with others, had to be left behind.