Photographic Views: The Railways of NSW

A forgotten piece of our rail past, the album ‘Photographic Views: The Railways of New South Wales (1875’), has been rediscovered and digitised by the State Library of NSW on behalf of Transport for NSW.

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Photographic Views: Picton viaduct over Stonequarry Creek

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The photo album documents John Rae’s efforts as NSW Railway Commissioner, to record and preserve the legacy of his ‘esteemed friend’, John Whitton, NSW Railways first Engineer-in Chief who became known as ‘Father of the Railways’. It provides a rare and important insight into the establishment and construction of NSW railways in the initial period from first opening in 1855 to 1875. It is part of the extensive John Rae archives and one of the many records of Australia's railway history that are held in the State Library's collection.

Rarely accessed in recent times, the album was rediscovered in 2023 as part of historical research at the State Library of NSW by Steven Barry from the Transport Heritage team. The album contains 84 high quality images, including a four-page report containing historical data such as mileage of track and passenger numbers over the first 20 years of operation. While some of the images from the album had been reproduced in the past the quality of these copies had deteriorated over time. This is the first time the public has been available to view the entire series of photographs online.
 
There is limited documentation of the Whitton period of the railways, compared to the work of other notable railway engineers such as John Bradfield. Because of this, the work of Whitton, which is rarer due to its age and replacement in the network, is not as well understood.

The digital preservation of ‘Photographic Views’ ensures that this historical record and Rae’s efforts to preserve the legacy of Whitton continue.

_{Image credit: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales}