Australian Railwayman: From Cadet Engineer to Railways Commissioner [Paperback]

Ron Fitch (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1877058483 | ISBN-13: 978-1877058486 | Publication Date: October 2006

Ron Fitch was born in 1910 into a railway family. He began his career as a 16-year-old engineering cadet and completed it, 46 years later, having worked at various times for two state railways and the Commonwealth, as Commissioner of South Australian Railways. In this book Fitch gives a vivid account not only of his career but of the camaraderie of the greater railway community. This is a book for all train enthusiasts, celebrating the men, the machinery, the toil and the technology, that opened up a vast and sparsely populated continent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Roseberg Pub (October 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877058483
• ISBN-13: 978-1877058486
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,338,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely illustrated throughout with vintage black-and-white photography, May 11, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Australian Railwayman: From Cadet Engineer to Railways Commissioner (Paperback)

Nicely illustrated throughout with vintage black-and-white photography, "Australian Railwayman: From Cadet Engineer To Railways Commissioner" is the personal story of a railroading career that began when Ron Fitch was a 16-year-old engineering cadet in 1926 and concluded some 46 years later after his having worked for two Australian state railways and served as the Commissioner of South Australian Railways. Fitch's memoir includes his observations and experiences with the 'greater railway community' and having to deal from time to time with very difficult conditions, circumstances, and events. From the laying of track, to anecdotes of that very special breed of men who built and operated a nation's railways, to the advancing technologies of railroading, to natural disasters, to the politics of railways, "Australian Railwayman" presents a fascinating and informative account that will prove to be of immense interest to railroad buffs everywhere. Incidentally, Ron Fitch also holds the distinctive honor of being cited in the Guinness Book of World Records as becoming the oldest known recipient of a PhD. In 2002 at the age of 92. His thesis was on South Australian railways.