Tracking Back 3: Rail Scenes of the Newcastle Area
Australian History Local History Reference Adult Education Engineering & Technology Transportation Railway History
Tracking Back 3: Rail Scenes of the Newcastle Area is the 2021 first-edition hardcover that closes Ed Tonks’ celebrated trilogy on the Hunter Valley’s railways. Built for adult learners, railfans and collectors alike, this illustrated textbook delivers 224 heavy-stock pages of previously unpublished photographs, scale drawings and operational diagrams that chart Newcastle’s transition from steam-era powerhouse to modern diesel hub. Every chapter is anchored by meticulous captions keyed to today’s heritage sites, so readers can stand on the exact locations where 50-year-old locomotives once thundered past.
What makes this copy particularly appealing is its classroom-ready durability and the personal touch left by a prior owner: a neat name on the front endpaper and a tiny spine-top dent that keeps the price collector-friendly without affecting the block or gilt-stamped boards. The sewn binding is still tight, pages are crisp and unmarked, and the full-colour plate section remains vibrant—perfect for reference work or display on a transport bookshelf. First-edition print runs were small and most copies went straight to Australian TAFE libraries, so unjacketed hardcovers in this condition seldom surface on the secondary market.
Beyond rarity, the content itself is future-proof. Tonks layers local social history over pure motive-power data: you will learn how the Newcastle coal staithes influenced wages policy, why the 50-class tank engines were kept on after electrification, and where to spot remaining ash pits and coaling towers on weekend bike rides. For modellers, the book includes 1:87 scale elevations of 32-foot wheel-shops and 10-ton jib cranes—details unavailable in online archives. Whether you are a young adult researching state syllabus outcomes, a lifelong learner planning heritage rail trails, or a collector chasing the complete Newcastle rail trilogy, this inscribed first printing offers both a readable narrative and a tangible piece of Australian transport history.
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