Factors Impeding Developments

1. The need by private enterprise to build low cost local railways.


2. The lack of vision by governments of the day which, in the establishment years of the 1850s, could not visualise the need for either inter-city passenger or freight services. This lack of vision and independent attitudes of governments were responsible for three different gauges (1067 mm, 1435 mm & 1600 mm) being adopted in different parts of the country. This not only resulted in confusion, inconvenience, and high operating costs, but ultimately very high costs of conversion to the standard gauge trans-national system.


3. Australia's remoteness from the fabricating shops of Europe.


4. The rugged nature of the country, with difficult grades, significant chasms and wide rivers.


5. The limited availability of skilled labour which, particularly in the middle of last century, was attracted more by the lure of gold than the back-breaking work of track laying.


6. Following the failure of some of the private companies with low cost, low quality systems, governments took over and the pendulum of quality swung completely. Indeed on some of the lower volume lines, there was often a situation of overcapitalisation.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering