Light Railways
Encyclopedia
Light Railways is a magazine
produced by the Light Railway Research Society of Australia (LRRSA). The subtitle is "Australia's Magazine of Industrial and Narrow Gauge Railways".
Light Railways aims to document the history of Australia's industrial and private railways and also the government lines that were built to a narrower gauge than that adopted as "standard" in each state. Thus the 2ft 6ins gauge lines of Victoria, the 2ft gauge Innisfail Tramway in Queensland, and Zeehan & NE Dundas line in Tasmania have all featured. Articles and photographs constitute a comprehensive archive of Australia's industrial and narrow gauge railway history. Production, editorial and research standards are high.
Coverage extends to lines in surrounding countries where Australian economic and political influence prevailed, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the phosphate islands of the Pacific.
A range of well-researched articles remains the core content of the magazine. Industrial Railway News reports cover Australia's still existing industrial railways and feature Queensland sugar cane railways and the Pilbara iron ore railways as well as other remaining lines. Heritage and Tourist reports at the end of each issue constitute a running record of details that are otherwise difficult to locate. Topics include museums, railways and heritage issues. Research assists readers with historical research projects and features site visits and tours. Letters to the Editor are a lively source of information and discussion while Book Reviews aim to cover all significant relevant publications from Australia or overseas.
The LRRSA also has its meetings in Adelaide
, Brisbane
, Melbourne
, and Sydney
notified in the magazine, as well as a range of coming events on tourist and heritage railways.
The genesis of Light Railways magazine dates from 1960 when the founder of LRRSA, Frank Stamford, began printing and distributing among a small group of friends a duplicated "Shenley Valley Railway Quarterly Review". It gradually began to specialise in light railways, and became the "VLRRS Quarterly Review" in 1961. In 1963, it became "Light Railways", appearing in magazine format, but still using duplicated printing. Offset printing came in 1968 and from 1973 it appeared as a 6.5 x 9 inch magazine with photographs on the front cover, continuing as a quarterly.
Up until 1977, Light Railways contained brief news items as well as historical articles. In November 1977, a bi-monthly news publication, Light Railway News, was launched, containing research and site notes and news of industrial, heritage and tourist railways. This settled down into a simple folded A4 format and continued for 120 issues as a companion publication to "Light Railways" until 1997.
At this point, LRRSA Council decided upon a bold new departure to reinvigorate the Society. It would involve combining "Light Railways" and "Light Railway News" into a new bi-monthly "Light Railways" magazine, in A4 format and with ample use of colour. This magazine would not only be available on subscription but would also be distributed through newsagencies throughout Australia. A new editorial team of Bruce Belbin, Bob McKillop and John Browning was put together and the new format magazine began with No.139 in February 1998.
It has continued in this format and with this editorial team ever since. It is distributed to LRRSA members by a Society team based in Melbourne and to newsagents by Gordon & Gotch.
Subscription forms for "Light Railways" are available at http://www.lrrsa.org.au/Memform.htm
A listing of past articles can be found by following the link from "Publications" at http://www.lrrsa.org.au/Publications.html
All past issues can be purchased in either hard copy or as downloadable .pdf files from
http://www.lrrsa.org.au/cgi-bin/oscommerce/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=b1cc0c1f99b1cb3cb460f182a6f9796a
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
produced by the Light Railway Research Society of Australia (LRRSA). The subtitle is "Australia's Magazine of Industrial and Narrow Gauge Railways".
Light Railways aims to document the history of Australia's industrial and private railways and also the government lines that were built to a narrower gauge than that adopted as "standard" in each state. Thus the 2ft 6ins gauge lines of Victoria, the 2ft gauge Innisfail Tramway in Queensland, and Zeehan & NE Dundas line in Tasmania have all featured. Articles and photographs constitute a comprehensive archive of Australia's industrial and narrow gauge railway history. Production, editorial and research standards are high.
Coverage extends to lines in surrounding countries where Australian economic and political influence prevailed, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the phosphate islands of the Pacific.
A range of well-researched articles remains the core content of the magazine. Industrial Railway News reports cover Australia's still existing industrial railways and feature Queensland sugar cane railways and the Pilbara iron ore railways as well as other remaining lines. Heritage and Tourist reports at the end of each issue constitute a running record of details that are otherwise difficult to locate. Topics include museums, railways and heritage issues. Research assists readers with historical research projects and features site visits and tours. Letters to the Editor are a lively source of information and discussion while Book Reviews aim to cover all significant relevant publications from Australia or overseas.
The LRRSA also has its meetings in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
notified in the magazine, as well as a range of coming events on tourist and heritage railways.
History
The LRRSA started in the 1961 to foster interest in specialty railways such as for industry and tourism. As it originated in Victoria, much of its focus was at first on the timber tramways and other industrial railways of that state.The genesis of Light Railways magazine dates from 1960 when the founder of LRRSA, Frank Stamford, began printing and distributing among a small group of friends a duplicated "Shenley Valley Railway Quarterly Review". It gradually began to specialise in light railways, and became the "VLRRS Quarterly Review" in 1961. In 1963, it became "Light Railways", appearing in magazine format, but still using duplicated printing. Offset printing came in 1968 and from 1973 it appeared as a 6.5 x 9 inch magazine with photographs on the front cover, continuing as a quarterly.
Up until 1977, Light Railways contained brief news items as well as historical articles. In November 1977, a bi-monthly news publication, Light Railway News, was launched, containing research and site notes and news of industrial, heritage and tourist railways. This settled down into a simple folded A4 format and continued for 120 issues as a companion publication to "Light Railways" until 1997.
At this point, LRRSA Council decided upon a bold new departure to reinvigorate the Society. It would involve combining "Light Railways" and "Light Railway News" into a new bi-monthly "Light Railways" magazine, in A4 format and with ample use of colour. This magazine would not only be available on subscription but would also be distributed through newsagencies throughout Australia. A new editorial team of Bruce Belbin, Bob McKillop and John Browning was put together and the new format magazine began with No.139 in February 1998.
It has continued in this format and with this editorial team ever since. It is distributed to LRRSA members by a Society team based in Melbourne and to newsagents by Gordon & Gotch.
Subscription forms for "Light Railways" are available at http://www.lrrsa.org.au/Memform.htm
A listing of past articles can be found by following the link from "Publications" at http://www.lrrsa.org.au/Publications.html
All past issues can be purchased in either hard copy or as downloadable .pdf files from
http://www.lrrsa.org.au/cgi-bin/oscommerce/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=b1cc0c1f99b1cb3cb460f182a6f9796a
See also
- History of rail transport in AustraliaHistory of rail transport in AustraliaFollowing the British model, Australians generally assumed in the 1850s that railways would be built by the private sector . Private companies built railways in the then colonies of Victoria, opened in 1854, and New South Wales, where the company was taken-over by the government before completion...
- List of railroad-related periodicals