Engineering Heritage Newsletter – July 2012

This is an occasional newsletter from Engineering Heritage Victoria sent to all members on our mailing list. Enquiries, discussion or correspondence related to the Newsletter should be directed to the Editor at [email protected] or address postal correspondence to the Chairman, Engineering Heritage Victoria, Engineers House, 21 Bedford Street, North , Vic 3051.

Editorial In the February issue I called for stories and anecdotes to reflect engineers and engineering in the various Victoria Division Regions. I was disappointed that I got absolutely no response to this call. It was equally disappointing to get no response to a call for volunteers to help establish an Oral History Program (see page 11). Division can shame us in this regard. And on the subject of Sydney Division, I have included an article by Ian Bowie in which he gives an interesting collection of web sites to explore. Ian Bowie has been a member of the Sydney Division Engineering Heritage Committee for about as long as it has existed (long before I joined it in 1983). For his work on the committee he was given Engineering Heritage Australia’s Award of Merit on 19th April 2010.

1. Guest Speakers & Other Functions – 2012

FUTURE FUNCTIONS:

6th & 8th August 2012 – Event Title: Discover Engineering Heritage — Melbourne Walking Tour Host: Engineering Heritage Victoria Subject & Venue: A two hour walk and tram exploration of the engineering heritage of Melbourne’s CBD, starting at Federation Square and finishing at Melbourne Central, Melbourne, VIC Time: Monday 6th August and W ednesday 8th August 10:00am until 12:00am Description: Melbourne was founded in 1835 and grew very rapidly during the gold rush of the 1850s. Its heyday as Marvellous Melbourne was in the 1880s. Today it is a major metropolis housing more than 4 million Melburnians who come from many countries. More than one-in-three of us were born overseas. Engineering has played a huge part in Melbourne’s development, and this tour will explore some of the engineering heritage gems of the city. An early focus was on transport infrastructure, principally to facilitate the importation and movement of people and goods. The wealth from the gold rush enabled the city to develop rapidly and magnificently. The guided tour will take in some of the city bridges, selected buildings of note from an engineering heritage perspective and evidence of some early utility services. Participants will need to be comfortable with walking a total distance of about 5 km and choose footwear accordingly. A rain jacket or coat may also be advisable depending on the weather forecast for the tour days. It is planned to have a stop at a coffee shop for refreshment part of the way through the tour. This tour is free, but Registration is essential as places are limited. Go to: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/events/discover-engineering-heritage-melbourne-walking-tour-0 Have fun exploring the centre of our city! STOP PRESS — UNFORTUNATELY THE TOURS ARE BOOKED OUT – ALL PLACES ARE TAKEN AND REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSED

16th August 2012 – Event Title: Barwon Heads Bridge — History or Heritage? Speaker: David Beauchamp Host: Engineering Heritage Victoria Location: Engineers Australia John Connell Auditorium, 21 Bedford St., North Melbourne Time: 5:30 pm refreshments, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm presentation. The Subject: The Barwon Heads Bridge, built in 1927, near the mouth of the Barwon River, was the largest timber bridge built for the Country Roads Board. During its life it was altered, widened and strengthened to meet changing traffic requirements. In 1999 it was placed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Because of the high cost of maintenance of the bridge, and concern about its load carrying capacity, VicRoads, in 2005, commissioned a study of ten options for a new bridge at three different locations. In 2006 it was announced that the bridge was to be demolished and replaced. After a huge public outcry to save the bridge the Government set up an Advisory Committee to look at alternative solutions for the bridge. VicRoads first attempt at meeting the Committee's recommendations was much criticised. The final solution was to dismantle the existing bridge and replace it with a steel and concrete ‘replica', which is on the Victorian Heritage Register and build a timber clad, concrete pedestrian and cyclist bridge downstream from the new road bridge. This talk covers the history of the original bridge, a description of the new bridges and examines the question of the heritage value of the new road bridge. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 2

The Speaker: David Beauchamp is a forensic and heritage engineer and deputy chair of Engineering Heritage Victoria. In 2002 he wrote a conservation management plan for the Barwon Heads Bridge. In 2006 he prepared a 'Cultural Heritage Study of the Options for Replacing the Barwon Heads Bridge' and he subsequently prepared a conservation management plan for VicRoads’ 2007 proposal for a new bridge. W hen this proposal was rejected in 2008, he wrote a further conservation management plan for the bridge that has now been built.

Barwon Heads Road Bridge in 2011

Barwon Heads Bridge in 2001 To Register, go to: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/events/ehv-guest-speaker-program-david-beauchamp-barwon-heads-bridge-controversy-rebuilding

18th October 2012 – Event Title: Goldfields Railways Seminar No Further Information Available at Present

FUNCTIONS PAST:

Tuesday 17th April — On a brief visit to Melbourne from the UK, Dr Michael Bailey spoke on Learning Through Examination: The Archaeology of Early Steam . About the Speaker: Dr. Michael Bailey is a Fellow and Past-President of the Newcomen Society – the International Society for the History of Engineering and Technology. He is also a Vice-President of the Stephenson Society. He is a lecturer, author and museum consultant on early railway technology. He was a Trustee of the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester for many years until it was absorbed into the National Museum of Science & Industry in February this year.

The Subject: The world’s museums of science, industry and transport possess major collections of machinery which have been assembled over many years – in some cases since the mid-19th century. Together they form a major resource from which to learn much about the history and progress of machinery design, materials and manufacturing methods, and provide us with an understanding of mechanical progress. Museums have usually been unable to pursue comprehensive archival and archaeological research of their artefacts. The collections include early steam locomotives, which Dr Bailey has spent many years studying. He has undertaken several detailed archaeological studies on locomotives for museums in Britain and Canada, the findings from which have been written up as papers and books. These locomotives range between Stephenson’s Rocket of 1829, to Canada’s oldest industrial and main line locomotives, dating from 1838 and 1872 respectively. He has also been closely involved in underwater archaeology of early locomotive components, dating from 1857, recovered from a Scottish shipwreck site.

Dr Michael Bailey Dr Bailey’s fascinating illustrated talk took in all the above projects, as well as describing his involvement in the research and manufacture of operable replica locomotives for museums in Britain and Denmark. His studies have added significantly to our understanding of early locomotive technology which Dr Bailey summarised at the conclusion of his talk. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 3

On Thursday 19th April, Richard Gillespie, the Head of the Department of History and Technology at the Museum of Victoria, spoke about The Great Melbourne Telescope. About the Subject: The Great Melbourne Telescope is one of the great hidden stories of 19th century Australia. Designed by leading British astronomers and erected at Melbourne Observatory in 1869, the telescope was then the second largest telescope in the world. It was designed to explore the nature of the nebulae in the southern skies. W ere the nebulae really clouds of gas, the birthplace of stars, or were they distant clusters of stars? Only a large telescope could help resolve this question. For Melburnians in the 1870s and 1880s, the telescope was tangible evidence of Melbourne’s claim to being the leading metropolis of the southern hemisphere. The telescope became a symbol of Marvellous Melbourne. Incredibly, the telescope had a second and a third life; transferred to Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra in 1945, it was rebuilt for new astronomical projects. In the 1990s it detected compelling evidence of dark matter. Now returned to Melbourne, it is being restored for a new life. Few telescopes in the world have had such a rich history. About the Speaker: Richard Gillespie is Head of the History and Technology Department at Museum Victoria. He is an historian of science who has focused on the interactions between scientific practice, institutional contexts, politics and society. Richard is a member of a team of astronomers, engineers and museum staff working on the restoration of the Great Melbourne Telescope and its return to its original site at Melbourne Observatory. Gillespie has written a book about the Telescope.

A design drawing for the Great Melbourne Telescope

To find out more go to: http://m useum victoria.com .au/about/books-and-journals/books/history-and-technology/ The erection of the Great Melbourne Telescope in 1869

Thursday 14th June — Robert la Nauze spoke on the Engineer to Marvellous Melbourne: The Life & Times of William Thwaites. About the Speaker: Robert La Nauze is a chemical engineer. After obtaining a PhD from the University of Melbourne, he undertook post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge. Returning to Australia in 1979 he joined the CSIRO and, in 1985, he was awarded the Senior Moulton Medal by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, London. From 1989 to 1997 he was Chief of the CSIRO Minerals Division. He then joined W MC Resources Ltd as General Manager Technology before establishing his own consultancy. La Nauze has published extensively on specialist engineering subjects. Now, well into his second career, he is an exhibiting artist and was President of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists from 2006 to 2009. The inspiration for his first venture into biography came from the Thwaites documents left to his wife. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 4

About the Subject: W illiam Thwaites was a great Australian engineer who, in triumphing over difficulties, left an enduring impact on Melbourne. It has long been reported that W illiam Thwaites, the first Engineer-in-Chief of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of W orks, built Melbourne’s sewerage to a modification of a plan proposed by James Mansergh. However, a careful analysis and new documents show that the truth is more complex and obscured by political practicalities and a sense of colonial inferiority. On appointment in 1891, Thwaites had discovered a flaw in Mansergh’s design. Thwaites then reverted to the design that he had submitted to the 1889 Sanitary Commission and engineered his own scheme with meticulous and untiring attention.

Above: William Thwaites MCE

Right: Spotswood Pumping Station Construction

He overcame technical challenges with such efficiency and foresight that his sewerage scheme served Melbourne unchanged for the next 60 years. During its construction, Thwaites responded to unremitting and unfounded criticism. Tragically, Thwaites died in 1907 while nearing the completion of this great colonial project and his remarkable achievements have been largely forgotten. In addition to discussion of Thwaites’ sewerage system, la Nauze’s talk covered Thwaites’s earlier career and family background. W illiam Thwaites was one of the first Australian engineers whose education was entirely within the colony. Thwaites’s family were Melbourne pioneers who engendered in W illiam a strong sense of public service.

Tuesday 10th April 2012 — Heritage Recognition Ceremonies were held at Geelong and , to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Geelong to Ballarat Railway. Engineers Australia, in association with a number of other stakeholders, conducted heritage recognition ceremonies at Geelong and Ballarat on the 10 April 2012 which was the 150th anniversary of the opening of the railway. The ceremonies continued the work of heritage recognition under the Engineers Australia national Heritage Recognition Program. Over 230 people attended the two ceremonies. Our major partner in arranging the ceremonies was V/Line, the operator of country rail services in Victoria. The Victorian Department of Transport took a key role in the planning of the event and there were significant contributions from local governments in the area - the City of Greater Geelong, Golden Plains Shire, Moorabool Shire and the Ballarat City. Member of National Council, Madeleine McManus was the senior Engineers Australia representative at the ceremonies. Madeleine made reference to the Moorabool Viaduct, the most significant engineering feat on the line and to the engineers who designed it and were involved in the construction of the railway. At the ceremonies, speeches were also made by the Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Edward O’Donahue, MLC, the mayors of Geelong and Ballarat and the CEO of V/Line, Rob Barnett. The official party unveiled interpretation panels at Geelong and Ballarat stations. The celebrations on the day included the running of a special heritage train to take the VIP’s from the Geelong ceremony to the Ballarat ceremony. The train stopped at the old railway stations at Lethbridge and Lal Lal for ribbon cutting ceremonies. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 5

Saturday & Sunday 14th & 15th April – Further events held at Geelong and Ballarat to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Geelong to Ballarat Railway. Further community events took place on the following weekend, 14 and 15 April under the leadership of the Geelong & South W estern Rail Heritage Society at most of the small settlements along the route of the railway. The Geelong Regional Group of Engineers Australia conducted a bus tour of the significant engineering heritage features of the line on Saturday 14 April and in the evening the Ballarat Regional Group of Engineers Australia re-enacted the official dinner held 150 years earlier at the Mechanics Institute in Ballarat. The Geelong to Ballarat Railway was one of the two Goldfields Railways built at the very beginning of the between 1856 and 1862. The railway was built to serve the mining town of Ballarat which, along with Bendigo, produced a large proportion of the great wealth with which Victoria was blessed during the second half of the nineteenth century. Owen Peake Engineering Heritage Victoria

[Owen Peake wrote a brief history of the beginnings of the Geelong to Ballarat (Goldfields) Railway, which was published as a brochure to accompany the heritage Recognition Ceremonies on Tuesday 10th April. The following is a shortened version of the brochure – Ed.]

The Beginning of the Goldfield Railways The railway line from Geelong to Ballarat was one of the two Goldfields Railways built at the very beginning of the Victorian Railways era between 1858 and 1862. The railway was built to serve the gold mining town of Ballarat which, along with Bendigo, produced a large proportion of the great wealth with which Victoria was blessed during the second half of the nineteenth century. A privately owned railway already existed between Melbourne and Geelong and the decision to build the line to Ballarat from Geelong rather than direct from Melbourne was made because the terrain was more accommodating between Geelong and Ballarat than between Melbourne and Ballarat. The only major hurdle on the Geelong to Ballarat route was the Moorabool River valley close to Geelong. Bridging this required a major viaduct which was the outstanding engineering feature of the line. These early lines, built by an expert design and construction team which had been established within the Victorian Railways, were of the highest standards for mainline railway working and have stood the test of time. The engineering features of the project were perhaps overshadowed by the superb architectural details of the railway station complexes, particularly those at Geelong and Ballarat. These remain in service today, much as they were built in the nineteenth century, and are elegant and functional in an era when railway building construction has generally declined to mediocrity. Because of the great care with which this railway was constructed and the powerful engineering view of functionality which was deeply etched in the code of the old railway engineers most of its fabric has survived. The only serious casualties are some of the intermediate stations which are no longer in railway service. Recognition of the heritage significance of this railway must be reinforced at all cost and over the long run. Marking under the Engineering Heritage Australia Heritage Recognition Program is a small but important step in this process.

An Epic Era starts - Victorian Railways formed

The Government owned Victorian Railways was formed in 1856, at the same time as the government purchased the Melbourne, Mount Alexander & Murray River Railway Company. The first task was to build railways from Melbourne to Bendigo and from Geelong to Ballarat. The existing private railway from Melbourne to Geelong was taken over by Victorian Railways in 1860. Engineer-in-Chief George Darbyshire quickly built up a competent design and construction team and Victorian Railways had access to London capital markets. This proved to be the beginning of a long period of expansion for Victorian Railways which built a comprehensive railway network throughout the state over the next 83 years. Tenders for extensive railway works closed in March 1858. A contract was awarded to Evans, Merry & Co. for the Geelong to Ballarat line. W ork commenced in June 1858 and the railway was opened by the Victorian Governor on 10 April 1862. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 6

The Early Railway Engineers

Captain Andrew Clarke (1824-1902) was a Royal Engineer and public servant who started his career in Tasmania in 1847. He replaced Robert Hoddle in 1853 as Surveyor- General of Victoria. Clarke was involved in selecting routes for railways and in the formation of Victorian Railways. He returned to Britain in 1858.

Captain Andrew Clarke Image: National Library of Australia

George Christian Darbyshire (1820-1898) came to Melbourne in 1853, having gained extensive railway experience in England. He took up a post as engineer for the Melbourne and Mount Alexander Railway in 1855, was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the Victorian Railways from 1856 until 1860 when he was replaced by Thomas Higginbotham.

George Christian Darbyshire Image: Public Records Office Victoria Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 7

Thomas Higginbotham (1819-1880) was an experienced railway engineer before he moved to Melbourne in 1857. He was Engineer-in-Chief of Victorian Railways almost continuously from 1860 until his death. Higginbotham was one of a select band of English railway engineers who exercised a profound influence on the development of Australian railways.

Many other competent railway engineers were recruited into the team under both Darbyshire and Higginbotham. Most had come from England where a massive expansion of railways had recently occurred and high standards of construction were the norm. These skills are evident in the work which remains in railway service to this day designed and built by this team.

Thomas Higginbotham Image: Public Records Office Victoria

The Moorabool Viaduct

The Moorabool Viaduct, 12 km North W est of Geelong, is the most important engineering feature of the Geelong to Ballarat Railway. It was the largest in Australia until the construction of the Hawkesbury River Bridge in 1889 and remains in railway service today.

Moorabool Viaduct today carries a national standard gauge track Image: Owen Peake Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 8

The viaduct was built between 1858 and 1862 to the design of Victorian Railways engineers. It has a total length 1299 feet (396m) consisting of 10 spans resting on 9 bluestone piers up to 110 feet (33.5m) high above the valley floor. The deck was supported on bluestone piers with 120 foot (36.9m) wrought iron W arren truss girders. These were replaced in 1918 by steel plate girders. At the same time intermediate steel support trestles were added.

Moorabool Viaduct as it was originally built with wrought iron truss girders Image: Museum Victoria

Geelong Railway Station

Geelong Railway Station stands on the site of the former Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company terminus and is noteworthy as the largest complex of polychrome brick buildings constructed by the Victorian Railways. It was built between 1877 and 1882.

Geelong Railway Station in 1883. Image: State Library of Victoria Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 9

The first Geelong Station was a dead ended terminus located somewhere near the present Law Courts Complex. In 1876 the railway was extended south to Colac, and the station was altered considerably. The present station has three platforms and is one of the three nineteenth century Victorian stations to have a train shed (the others being Ballarat and St Kilda).

Geelong Railway Station today with its train shed covering the platforms Image: Panoramio

Ballarat Railway Station

Originally called Ballarat W est the bluestone station was constructed in 1862. An engine shed and goods shed were added 1863. In 1877 a footbridge between the platforms was added. W hen the direct Melbourne to Ballarat line was completed in 1889 patronage increased and the station was upgraded. A grand portico was built with a station masters office and clocktower in 1891. In 1981 fire badly damaged the interiors however the damage was subsequently repaired. The two platform station is one of the three nineteenth century Victorian stations to have a train shed (the others being Geelong and St Kilda).

Ballarat Railway Station in the days of horse transport Image: Museum Victoria Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 10

2. Proposed Engineering Heritage Recognition Program – 2013

Four projects have been proposed for heritage recognition ceremonies in 2013. These are: the Great Ocean Road; the Newport Railway Workshops, together with the 1860 Kirkstall Forge Steam Hammer and associated Billet Crane within the W orkshops; a collection of Monash Bridges in Bendigo, and/or Wheeler's Bridge near Creswick and; the Melbourne Sewerage Scheme circa 1895. These projects are all in various stages of completion, with all the work undertaken by a very small group of people who would greatly appreciate any help you can give. If any of you have an interest in any of these historic places and think you could contribute in any way, please get in touch with Owen Peake on T. 03 9419 0820 or email [email protected] .

3. EHA — Some Notes from the EHA News Bulletin No.40

WA Standard Gauge Railway Engineering Heritage Recognition Ceremony -- from Don Young, member of EHWA Committee In a ceremony at the Public Transport Centre in East Perth on 26th March an interpretation panel entitled ONE RAILW AY GAUGE COAST TO COAST, was jointly unveiled by Lady Doris Brand and the Hon Richard Court AC, commemorating the award by Engineering Heritage Australia of an Engineering Heritage National Landmark to the W estern Australian Standard Gauge Railway project. The panel was accepted, on behalf of the Public Transport Authority, successor to the W estern Australian Government Railways, by Mr. Reece W aldock, Chief Executive Officer of the Authority. The ceremony, presided over by EHW A Chairman, Professor Mark Bush, was attended by over 60 invitees, most of whom were former employees of the W AGR and the project’s consulting civil and structural engineers, Maunsell and Partners. The construction of the $160 million W estern Australian section of the standard gauge railway in the 1960s set in motion a considerable stream of economic and social benefits for W estern Australia. The elimination of the break of gauge at Kalgoorlie resulted in considerable reductions in interstate freight costs and journey times between Kalgoorlie and Perth. In addition the railway network in the Perth metropolitan area was re-designed to allow rail traffic to the Fremantle and Kwinana industrial areas to bypass central Perth and its inner suburbs. At the time of negotiating a funding agreement with the Federal Government and during most of the construction period the Premier of W estern Australia was the Hon (later Sir) David Brand and the State Minister for Railways was the Hon (later Sir) Charles Court. It was therefore fitting that Lady Brand, wife of Sir David, and Richard Court, also a former State Premier and son of Sir Charles, unveiled the panel.

Digital Delights: An Engineering Romp across the internet. -- from Ian Bowie, member of EHSydney Committee Those three letters “www” have become in modern times the equivalent of “Open Sesame” of legend. The following sources of information have become available over the last couple of years. The 1916 report: “Proposed Electric Railways for the City of Sydney” by J.J.C. Bradfield was the backbone of the final campaign for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It includes information from a Bradfield world tour and his proposals for a metropolitan rail network with the clear necessity for a harbour crossing. This report is 88 megabytes in magnitude – with a proportionate time to load – and it has been digitised by the National Library of Australia: http://nla.gov.au/nla.aus-vn4670519 Many would already be aware of the NSW Board of Studies website: www.sydney-harbour-bridge.com.au which continues in development. But particular attention is drawn to the inclusion therein of the complete digitisation of the very readable “Report on Tenders” by Bradfield. Two of the organisations that amalgamated to form the Institution of Engineers, Australia, were the Engineering Association of New South W ales and Sydney University Engineering Society. After initiatives by the Australian Society for the History of Engineering and Technology, the University of Sydney Library digitised the “Minutes of Proceedings” (1885-1920) of the former and the “Journal and Abstract of Proceedings” of SUES (1896- 1917) which are to be found in: http://escholarship.usyd.edu.au/journals/index.php/EANSW /issue/archive and http://escholarship.usyd.edu.au/journals/index.php/SUES/issue/archive . After its foundation in 1919, the new Institution of Engineers, Australia published nine volumes of “Transactions” (1920-28) before a change of format. These have now been digitised and are available to members via the usual access system of the Engineers Australia Library in Canberra. Network Rail (now led by Australian Sir David Higgins) is again a state-owned body which is responsible for Britain’s rail infrastructure. Its archives section has placed on the web some eye-popping material from a golden era of rail: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive There are some big names here. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 11

4. We STILL Need an Oral History Program in EHV: – from the Editor

You may remember that, in the February Newsletter, we made an appeal for assistance to develop such a program. I would like to report that our appeal met with a queue of enthusiastic volunteers, or at least a list of potential candidates -- but no! The appeal has been met with a deafening silence! Here is February's article again. Let's hope it produces some response this time: In our heritage conservation work Carl and I have often used oral history techniques to research and record the history of sites we have worked on, and these processes have proved extremely valuable. The most difficult (and least fun) part was always transcribing the sound files – but there are even easy ways to do that these days. We need to set up an Oral History Program in EHV. Oral history is important to an organisation like ours. We should be recording the lives and memories of the leaders and managers and teachers and designers and researchers and innovators of our profession, before it’s too late. Sydney Division Engineering Heritage Committee has had an operating Oral History program since the early 1980s, when your Editor was a member of the Committee. For many years now Michael Clarke, a former NSW Public Works Engineer, has been managing that program for EHSydney. A few weeks ago, through the Engineering Heritage Australia Chat Group, he was advertising an Oral History Training Workshop, run by the RAHS(NSW) and the Oral History Association of Australia NSW. There is a branch of the latter organisation in Victoria which also runs oral history workshops. If we can find some interested people, maybe such a workshop could be organised through EHV. What we want now from you members is someone who is willing to take on the initiation and running of an oral history program for the EHV Committee. We are calling for a volunteer for this important job! We need other volunteers who would be willing to participate in the program – ie. people who would like to do some interviewing and recording and maybe undertake some training. We also need to start by putting together a list of potential candidates for interviewing. I am sure many of you out there can think of at least one person – maybe more – whose lifetime experiences would be worth recording. Please help us to get this list going. I have just been checking out the EHSydney home page at http://www.engheritage-sydney.org.au/ . This has an extensive section on their Oral History Program. The list of engineers who have been interviewed hasn't been updated for 9 years, but it still contains 172 names -- with some very distinguished engineers included. W e are missing something here! I say again If you think you can help – contact the Editor on (03) 5729 7668 or email [email protected]

5. Proposal for a Manchester Engineering Heritage Tour in July 2013:

This idea was first canvassed in the February newsletter. Since then Owen Peake and Miles Pierce have been conducting an email discussion with Michael Bailey (see Item 1 above), Paul Salter and Bill Barksfield in the UK. Here are Owen's latest ideas and information: The tour proposal is still in the planning phase. It is now likely to be in July 2013. Discussions with Michael Bailey, when he was in Melbourne recently, revealed that his plans are for a trip staying fairly close to Manchester of about 5 to 7 days duration. The sites visited would likely include all disciplines of engineering heritage and range in time from early Industrial Revolution sites to fairly modern sites. The centrepiece would be the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Engineering Heritage Victoria needs to hear from anyone likely to be travelling on this tour for several reasons. First we need input about "must see" sites which attendees might have in their minds. Secondly it would be very helpful to know how many people are interested. This might make the difference between a minibus and a convoy of a few cars. A previous suggestion of coupling the proposed tour with an optional conference has been passed on and at least one prospective major conference has been suggested.. (Coupling the proposed tour with an appropriate conference could facilitate justification for some people). If you are interested, contact either Owen Peake (Secretary of EHV) at: [email protected] or Miles Pierce (Chair of EHV) at: [email protected] Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 12

6. A Visit to the Tamworth Powerhouse Museum in NSW --- from Miles Pierce In 1888, Tamworth, situated in the New England region of New South W ales, became the first municipality* in Australia to implement electric street lighting. Gas street lighting had been operating in Tamworth since 1882, but dissatisfaction with both the cost and performance of this system led the then Borough Council in 1887 to make the bold resolution to move to the new electric lighting option. A contract was subsequently awarded to Harrison & W hiffen who were the Sydney representatives of Crompton & Co. of Chelmsford, England. The contractors duly installed two 18kW Crompton dynamos, each driven by a Fowler under-type compound steam engine and wood fired boiler assembly, in a corrugated iron building in Peel Street. Only one boiler/engine/dynamo operated at a time and initially powered 200 twenty candlepower incandescent lamps arranged in groups of 2 and 3 and installed within the existing post mounted gas street lighting lanterns. Three arc lights were also arranged to illuminate major road intersections in the town. The works were completed within ten months and the street lighting was officially inaugurated on the 9th of November, 1888. The electric street lighting was very successful and by 1907 the Council constructed a new building adjacent to the original powerhouse to accommodate higher capacity generating plant and later a showroom to promote electricity for commercial and private premises lighting that was made available from that time. By 1922 electricity load growth predicated the establishment of an entirely new power station in East Tamworth and a changeover to high- voltage (3.3kV) AC generators. To celebrate the centenary of the first electric street lighting, the Council arranged for a reconstruction of the original 1888 power station, complete with two rare Fowler under-type compound steam engines, one salvaged Fowler boiler and another similar design locomotive style boiler. W orking replicas of the original Crompton dynamos were locally manufactured and by using the younger boiler, either under-type engine can be steamed and arranged to drive its associated dynamo via a flat belt from the flywheel. The whole is housed in a replica building that inwardly and outwardly replicates the original corrugated iron powerhouse, whilst the construction meets modern fire and building code requirements. The rebuilt powerhouse, connected to several nearby street lighting standards, was officially opened as a museum in November 1988. The nearby 1907 building that had in the interim seen other uses and owners, was also re-acquired by the Council and now houses a large collection of electrical appliances, lamps and other electrical equipment. The various rooms and the exhibits are well presented and interpreted with the museum itself run by a group of enthusiastic volunteers. The author spent a day at the Tamworth Powerhouse Museum in May this year and unreservedly recommends that anyone who is touring in this part of the country reserve a few hours to visit the museum and ‘soak up’ the electricity supply industry and electricity utilization heritage. * Melbourne in 1882 was the first place in Australasia to venture into electric street lighting when the private enterprise Australian Electric Company established its small central generating station in Russell Place and supplied a number of arc lights in parts of nearby Bourke and Swanston Streets. Tamworth was the first local government owned and operated electric street lighting in Australia.

Left: Fowler set

Right: Dynamo

Below: Early Radiator Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 13

7. A Story From The Regions -- and an historical memoir.

Kyneton Stiff-leg Derrick Crane -- Highly Commended at the 2005 Colin Crisp Awards I was fossicking through the EHSydney website and found this 2005 announcement about the Award: The stiff-leg derrick crane is located at Wm Thos Jones & Sons, Stonemasons, 11 Piper Street, Kyneton, Victoria. The crane dates from 1897, marked HW Mould Clyde Forge, South Melbourne. It is hand winched and is used for lifting and moving blocks of granite and basalt for general stonework operations such as cutting and polishing.Richard Fooks, Engineer and Building Practitioner, was engaged by Stonemason Huntly Barton in late 2003 to inspect and assess the structure and mechanical components of the crane and make recommendations for repair and replacement of specific elements.The crane restoration has ensured that future generations will be able to see it working in context in a precinct dating from the Victorian gold rush. This award was made to Mr Richard Fooks for his restoration on this crane, of the type traditionally used in building sites and in factory storage yards.

No news to most of you I suppose, but I missed it. And I have always had a soft spot for these cranes since working on construction of the Earth Sciences Building at Melbourne University, where we had a hybrid stiff-legged derrick crane on a 3-legged tower. This amazing piece of technology was a left-over from the 1930s. It worked brilliantly, and having been sitting in pieces in the builder's yard for eons, cost us nothing compared to a gee whiz up-to-date tower crane.

One of my lecturers and a mentor at RMIT used to tell us how his first lectures in Structures were all about how to build your own stiff-leg derrick from scratch, in a paddock, as part of his architecture studies (architects had to get their hands dirty in those days), and how they used stiff-legged derricks to build the spires on St Patrick's Cathedral before he went off to the war in a regiment of engineers. Those structures lectures would have come in handy if he was one of those engineers trying to bridge the Litani River in the Lebanon in 1941.

(above) Here is an old photo, from their website, of Wm. Thos. Jones & Sons yard at Kyneton -- complete with their crane.

(right) This is one of my photos of the 'modern' derrick crane on the Melbourne University Earth Sciences site in 1974. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 14

8. Engineer Receives Heritage Award -- from EA Civil Engineers Magazine, May 2012, p35

Retired consulting engineer Roy Hardcastle has been presented with the Ray Tonkin Award for volunteer services to heritage in Melbourne during National Heritage Week in April.The award was created by the Heritage Council of Victoria in recognition of the significant role volunteers play in the maintenance and preservation of the state's cultural heritage. Hardcastle has been recognised for more than 40 years of voluntary service to industrial and engineering heritage. Hardcastle had been a member of the Government Building Advisory Council from 1972 and a founding member of the Historic Buildings Preservation Council in 1974, representing Engineers Australia until 1985. "Mr Hardcastle joined the Industrial Engineering Advisory Committee of the Heritage Council when it was formed in 2002/3" said committee chair Helen Lardner. "His profound knowledge of the origins, history and significance of industrial heritage in Victoria added greatly to the business of the committee" Hardcastle was a consultant at Hardcastle & Richards.

[Roy Hardcastle would be a perfect subject for an Oral History project! Any offers? -- Ed.]

9. Restoration of Some Cast-Iron Pieces of the Princes Bridge Balustrade

This story, by Miki Perkins, City Reporter, appeared in The Age on 17th July 2012 AS THE last-minute building works reach fever pitch at the new-look Hamer Hall, one man's detective work means the venerable Princes Bridge alongside will also undergo a facelift. More than a decade ago a chunk of the heritage-listed bridge was torn out as part of renovations to the hall, and the cast-iron pieces were put into storage and forgotten about. But with the hall undergoing a $135.8 million, two-year redesign, one of construction company Baulderstone's site managers -- Dennis Deveson -- decided to hunt out and replace the missing bridge sections. With help from ARM Architecture, Mr Deveson tracked the sections down to the City of Melbourne's storage depot in Thomastown. In this warehouse, which holds a trove of defunct city fittings and fixtures -- including old Christmas trees and the green information booths that used to dot the CBD -- Mr Deveson found the bridge segments, in cardboard boxes. "We had a scrummage around with the forklift and found what we thought was the bridge," said Mr Deveson. After two days spent trying to piece the 15 bits together -- about six tonnes of cast iron in all -- it was clear that four new sections would have to be made before the balustrades and facing panels, replete with green rosettes, could be installed. Yesterday the final sections of the bridge were being soldered into place -- and Mr Deveson said they would be painted in the same heritage colours. "It's good to see the original section back in place, it's much easier for us to find the old ones than try to get a whole new lot cast," he said. The Princes Bridge opened in 1888, and used bluestone and cast-iron construction, unlike the sandstone- based bridges that were popular in Sydney.

[Princes Bridge will be on itinerary of the Engineering Heritage Walks around the CBD in Engineers Week. The Bridge is on the State Heritage Register, No.1447. Sorry, I have no images to go with this story, but there's some good ones in the next. -- Ed.] Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — July 2012 Page 15

10. The Restoration of Wallace's Hut on the Bogong High Plains This story from the W eekly Times of March 28th 2012, is not strictly engineering heritage, but it's an excellent example of how to go about a restoration project. It has a personal aspect for me. In the 1930s my Mum and Dad and Aunt Vera used that hut many times as a staging post on their winter crossings, on ski, from Hotham Heights to the Cope Hut on the Bogong High Plains. I am delighted to see Parks Victoria are now restoring these huts instead of proposing demolition, as they used to. W allace's Hut is on the State Heritage Register No.1616.

Log on for an enduring High Country experience by Phil Skeggs WALLACE'S Hut -- the oldest mountain cattleman's hut on the Bogong High Plains -- is nearing full restoration to its rustic glory. The hut was built in 1889 by the Wallace brothers -- Arthur, William and Stewart -- using snowgum and alpine ash. A restoration team from the Victorian High Country Huts Association, overseen by Parks Victoria heritage architect Chris Smith, worked hard to replace rotted slabs, posts and wall plates and rebuild the chimney over the recent Labour Day long weekend. Ross Grant, ranger in charge at Parks Victoria's Mt Beauty office, said the project should be completed after Easter. Volunteers have been meticulous, using old- style methods and tools such as an adze and mortising axe to cut and shape snowgum slabs, and posts have been branded with the year 2012. "We are also required to photo document each stage of the work for archival records for Heritage Victoria so that in the future people will understand what work has gone on and when," he said. There are fewer than 100 huts scattered across Victoria's Alpine National Park, including about 40 in the Bogong area. Wallace's Hut is the most visited on the high plains. The huts association· was founded after the 2003 high country bushfires. It says more than 90 huts have been lost to fires since 2003.

All photos taken by Lachie Gales, professional builder and volunteer on the site -- and an old friend of the Editor.

This newsletter has been prepared on behalf of Engineering Heritage Victoria which is a Special Interest Group of the Victoria Division of Engineers Australia. The Editor is Margret Doring, who can be contacted on 03 5729 7668 or [email protected] . Contributions for the next Newsletter will be gratefully received. UNSUBSCRIBE: If you do not wish to receive further material from Engineering Heritage Victoria, please inform the Editor.