538) Trans-Australian Railway Train Service Centenary (1917-2017): The Railway between Kalgoorlie and Post Augusta: Commemorative postage stamps and Coins of $1 issued by Australia Post and Perth Mint Australia on 04.07.2017:

 538) Trans-Australian Railway Train Service Centenary (1917-2017): The Railway between Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta: Commemorative Postage Stamps and Coins of $1 issued by Australia Post and Perth Mint, Australia on 04.07.2017:

The Trans-Australian Train Service (earlier called Trans-Australian Express) was an Australian passenger train operated by the Commonwealth Railways initially between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie on the Trans-Australian Railway Line and later extended West to Perth and East toPort Pirie and Adelaide.

Commemorating the Centenary of the Trans-Atlantic Railway (1917-2017):
The Perth Mint and Australia Post have brought out special stamps and a unique coin that commemorate the Centenary of the iconic Trans-Australian Railway Service.

An image of the First Day Postal Numismatic Cover (FDPNC) commemorating the Centenary (1917-2017) of two $1 Trans-Australian Railway Stamp and $1 Coin.

The two $1 Stamps which appear on the First day Cover (FDC) feature vintage travel posters.

The first Stamp titled "Across Australia" depicts an iconic 1930 poster showing a figure on a camel viewing a G-Class locomotive speeding across the desert.

                 The poster which was replicated on the $1 stamp

The second Stamp titled "To the West" showcases a stylised train, drawn/hauled by the first Diesel locomotive GM1 in service from 1951-1967.

The Cancellation Hand-Stamp is inscribed "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE, KALGOORLIE WA" and is dated "04.July 2017".

Also seen on the FDC is an Aluminium-Bronze $1 coin.

On the Reverse of the Australian $1 coin is depicted a typical locomotive used on the historic railway. Above the train is the inscription "100th Anniversary".

Below the train and separated by a horizontal line of tracks are the dates "1917-2017". The Mint's "P" mint mark is depicted on the centre right periphery and appears to the right of the steam engine locomotive.

On the Obverse of the Australian $1 coin is depicted a profile of Queen Elizabeth facing right, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley whose initials (IRB) appear below the Queen's neck. The peripheral inscriptons are - "ELIZABETH II.AUSTRALIA.2017. 1 DOLLAR".
The specifications of this coin are:

Denomination:  AUD 1; Metallic Composition: Aluminium Bronze, Weight: 13.5 grams; Diameter/Size: 30.60 mm; Thickness: 3.10 mm; Mintage: Unlimited; Year of issue: 2017; General Remarks: Each coin is placed in an illustrated card and presented in an envelope featuring photographic images of the railway.

Brief history of the Trans Australian Railway Line:

The Necessity for a Railway Service:

Before the Australian Federation was formed in 1901, Western Australia had made the construction of a railway linking the nation's Eastern and Western colonies a pre-requisite for joining the Federation. At that time, the West was linked to the Easterncities/settlements only by a rough sea voyage and a single telegraph line. This isolation inhibited commerce between the colonies and made it difficult to move troops quickly to safeguard Australia's Southern and Western shores against foreign invasion.

The work:

This poster is a public notice that the inauguration of the Railway construction work is being done by the Governor General on 14.09.1902.

In 1907, surveyors and engineers began marking a route across the Nullabar Plain.

Four years later, the Australian Government authorised construction of the Railway.

In 1912, Commonwealth Railways was established to oversee the planning and implementation of the Trans-Australian Railway. Work began on a new Railway Line between Port Augusta in South Australia and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

In 1914, the outbreak of World War I made it difficult for Commonwealth Railways to source labour and materials.

By 1916, more than 3,400 workers were employed on the project. Maintenance crews lived along the line and were supplied food provisions by the "weekly tea and sugar" train service.

It took five years for teams of rail workers to lay 2.5 million hardwood sleepers and 140,000 tinnes of rail needed to finish the 1693 kilometre railroad.

The Trans-Australia Train commences operations:

On 22.10.1917, the train commenced operating between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie following the completion of the Trans-Australian Railway.

In 1937, it was extended to Port Pirie following the conversion of this line to Standard Gauge.

Initially, the train was hauled by G-Class locomotives (The Commonwealth Railways G-Class fuel locomotives were a class of Standard Gauge locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works (12engines), Clyde Engineering (4 Engines) and Toowoomba Foundry (10 engines) all built between 1914-1917). 

                                A G-Class  steam locomotive

From 1938, C-Class locomotives were used by the Victorian Railways, (C - Class Fuel locomotives were built by Walkers Limited in 1938 itself) for heavy hauling, particularly freight haulage.

In 1951, the train was hauled by GM Class diesel-electric locomotives (built by Clyde Engineering, Granville between 1951-1967).

                                        A GM Class locomotive

 In 1964, 24 carbon steel carriages were used on the train, which were later augmented by stainless steel carriages.

On 15.06.1969, following the conversion of the Railway line from Kalgoorlie to Standard Gauge, the transport service was extended to Perth.

In 1982, after the Port Pirie to Adelaide line was converted to Standard Gauge, the Trans-Australian  Service was extended to Adelaide.

By late 1980s, de-motorised Bluebird self-propelled railcars were being used which provided modern air-conditioned services.

              Diesel locomotives hauling the train in 1986 and 1987


Originally the train provided only sleeping accommodation but from 1981 onwards seated accommodation was provided on the train.

As recession set in, with cheaper air fares, the train service was stopped from June 1991 onwards.

Newer Railway services have replaced the iconic train - present day.

In Retrospect:

The iconic Railway commenced operations after five years of arduous construction work across the Nullabor Desert.

Stretching across 1,693 kilometres of Auustralia's driest and most isolated terrain, the Trans-Australian Railway was completed on 17.10.1917.

The Railway provided the nation-building infrastructure that linked the East and Western coasts of Australia. It also delivered the platform for successful negotiations to encourage Western Australia to join the Commonwealth of Australia and establish the Australian Federation.

The Railway was by far the first major enterprise/work of a federated Australia and helped in giving the newly formed Commonwealth Nation a sense of National unity.

The Trans-Australian Railway line radically shortened travel and communication time. Mail delivery from Adelaide to Perth was cut by two days and East-bound travellers who took the train, arrived in Melbourne 3 days earlier than those making the journey by ship. Moreover, the Railway was accessible to all classes of Australians - rich or poor.

A steam locomotive which once plied the Trans Australian Railway Line is kept in a museum











Links to Posts on Australia, New Zealand and countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific on this blog:

1) Bank of Papua New Guinea: 36th Anniversary Celebrations (1973-2008): A Commemorative Uncirulated Coin Set consisting of a 2 Kina Banknote & a 2 Kina Coin

2) Papua New Guinea: An uncirculated coin set brought out in 1995 commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Independence 

 3) Currency & Coinage of the Soloman Islands: Dollars and Cents

4) New Zealand: New Banknote "Seventh Series" issued under Project "Brighter Money" from 2015 onwards

5) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of Caledonia (or Nouvelle Caledonie) the CFP Franc  

6) French Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific and the French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emmission d'outre Mer (IEOM)

7) Currency & Coinage of Samoa: Tala and Sene 

8) Currency of the South Pacific Island Country of Fiji 

9) Coinage of New Zealand: A commemorative coin set issued in 1979 

10) Currency and Coinage of Australia: Dollars and Cents 

11) The Australian Emblem or the Coat of Arms 

12) The story of the Australian Penny 

13) The Legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty: A Commemorative Coin Set from the Pitcairn Islands depicting relics from the Bounty issued in 2009 

14) An Australian $5 coin issued in 1996, commemorating Australia's greatest cricketing legend - Sir Donald Bradman 

15) New Series/Generation of Australian Banknotes being introduced from 01.09.2016 onwards starting from $5 issues 

16) Southern Lights: A $1 Silver holographic coin issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in January 2017

17) Currency & coinage of the Kingdom of Tonga : Pa'anga & Seniti 

18) Postage Stamps & Coin: Commemorating the Centenary of the Trans-Australian Railway Line stamps issued by Australia Post & coins by Perth Mint on 04.07.2017

Links to interesting posts on coins from Tuvalu Islands: 

1)Famous Pirates of the Caribbean :2) Edward Teach or "BlackBeard"

2)Famous Pirates of the Caribbean: 3)Bartholomew Roberts or Black Bart Roberts 
  
 3)Famous Pirates of the Caribbean:4)Jack Rackham 

4)Famous-pirates-of- the Caribbean : 5) Henry Avery 

5)Famous Pirates of the Caribbean : 6) Sir Henry Morgan

6)Norse Goddess Freya - a Silver 2 Dollars High Relief antiquated Coin , the first in the Series titled "Norse Goddesses" (2017) 

Other interesting links to posts from Cook Islands minted by Coin Invest Trust:

1) Brexit : Britain's exit from the EEC : Coins issued by the Cook islands in the denomination of $1, $5 and $ 20 in 2016 

2) 150th Anniversary of "The Great Tea Race - 1866": Commemorative Coins in the denomination of 10 and 2 Dollars issued by Cook Islands in 2016

3) The Mystical Ancient Egyptian Labyrinth depicted on $10 Silver coins issued by Cook islands in 2016, under its "Milestones of Mankind Series".

4) King Arthur: The first coin in the six coins "Camelot Series".

5) Quilling Art: Silver 2 Dollars coins issued - Flowers (2016) & Bird (2017)

Links to posts on issues from the Republic of Palau:
5) Republic of Palau issues "Sand Dollars": Silver & Gold 1$ coins