Guide to the Papers of John Buckland
MS 8059
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- John L. Buckland
- Title
- Papers of John Buckland
- Date Range
- 1936-1989
- Collection Number
- MS 8059
- Extent
- 4.2 metres (30 boxes, 13 folio packages)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- NLA
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection contains papers relating to Buckland's lifelong interest in railways. The papers include correspondence, subject files, press cuttings, notebooks, typescripts written by Buckland and other authors on railway history, Australian rolling stock diagrams and railway maps.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1987062).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of John Buckland, National Library of Australia, MS 8059, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The papers were donated to the Library in 1989 by the executors of Buckland's estate in accordance with the terms of his will.
Separated Materials
Buckland's extensive railway photographic collection is housed in the Library's Pictures Collection. Printed maps have been transferred to the Map Collection and posters to the Pictures Collection.
Biographical Note
John Leonard Buckland was born in Camperdown, Victoria in 1915 and educated at Melbourne Grammar School.
In 1938-40 Buckland worked as a cadet journalist for the Victorian Railways Public Relations Department. During the Second World War he served in the RAAF as a photographer and radar operator. After the war, he worked as a journalist for various organisations: Shennan Publishing Co., Sydney (1946-47), Commonwealth Department of Labour and National Service, Melbourne (1948-50), Sydney and Melbourne Publishing Co., Robsons Publications and Pacific Publications (1953-54), Commonwealth Deparment of Trade (1954-70), and the Australian Conservation Foundation (1970-75). After his retirement in 1975 he devoted all his time to his railway interests.Buckland was a founding member of the Australian Railway Historical Society and served as President and Vice-President of the Victorian Division, before resigning to join the NSW Division in the 1960s. He became a life member in 1971. He was a regular contributor to the ARHS Bulletin and Light Railways (the journal of the Light Railway Research Society of Australia) and co-authored the first volume (1845-1904) of a history of Victorian Railways steam locomotives. He was also a keen railway photographer.
Buckland died in Melbourne in 1989.
Item Descriptions
Series 1. Correspondence, 1936-1989
This series contains letters written to Buckland from other railway enthusiasts, historians and railway organisations. There are also many carbon copies of Buckland's outward letters.
Some of the letters were kept in separate sequences. To keep this original order, the correspondence has been arranged into two groups: alphabetical according to the names of the major correspondents (files 1-23) and chronological (files 24-30).
1 file in this series is closed.
Some correspondence is also included in Series 2 and Series 4.
Series 2. Writings by John Buckland, 1936-1986
The papers in this series have been arranged into the following subseries:
Subseries 2a. Articles
This subseries contains typescripts and photocopies of published and unpublished articles written by Buckland and some correspondence and notes relating to the publication of the articles. The typescripts have been arranged in date order and alphabetically by title for undated material.
Some typescripts and drafts of articles by Buckland are included in his subject files. See also Series 4.
Articles, 1936-38 (File 31) - Box 4
With Pocono Pete on a trip to Echuca (1936); Christmas pudding (1937); The Perambulations of Pocono Pete (1936-38): The Maryboro' circuit, Off to Queenscliff, Noogee trip, Going west in 2 ways, Christmas pudding, Extra west, The wind & the rain
Articles, 1938-1940 (File 32) - Box 4
Being an account of the experiences of Bill the Boiler, Butcher on the trip to Walhalla (1938), New year evolutions (1938), Black diamonds galore (1939), Roundabout (1939), Timboon or bust (1940), Railway enterprise in South Australia (1940), Exploding some myths (1940)
Articles, 1944-47 (File 33) - Box 5
Observations in exile (1944), Apple cider and old iron (1945), There will be no trains ... (1946), Unattended crossing loops in single lines (1947), Alarms and excursions (1947), Chaos in the 'Golden era' (1947), Tests of third rail devices at Tocumwal (1947), The Goodwood timber tramway, Noojee (1947)
Articles, 1948-57 (File 34) - Box 5
Studies in late running, or, what price time without a time-table? (1948), Roundabout to Ararat (1948), Pressing on regardless ...(but not exactly as the crows fly) (1948), Locomotive load rating and depto identification, Victorian railways (1949), Victorian railways centenary, 1854-1954, Jubilee of the A2-class locomotive, Victorian railways by H Clark & J. Buckland (1957)
Articles, 1964-1972 (File 36) - Box 5
Canadian and American locomotives used for war service on Trans Australian line (1964), Railways and locomotives : talk to Seymour Historical Society (1964), Kate of the M.C. Davies Karri & Jarrah Co. (1966), Trailable points for unattended crossing loops, Victorian railways (1967), The AA-class 4-4-0 express locomotives of the Victorian railways by M.H. Clark and J. Buckland (1970-71), Journeys by day and night (1972)
Articles, 1973-76 (File 37) - Box 5
The 'Goods motors' of South Australia (1973), The heavy-duty industrial railway at Weipa, N.Q. (1974), The introduction of American-designed locomotives to the Victorian Railways,1877-1898 (1976)
Articles, 1984-85 (File 40) - Box 5
Crane tank locomotives in Australia (1984), North by west, the course on a solo (1985)
Articles, A-J (n.d.) (File 42) - Box 5
590 and all that, The Adelaide Cityand Port Railway Company, Afterthoughts on some aspects of Australian steam locomotion, BHP locomotives - additional notes, Black diamonds to burn, A brief outline of the railways of Tasmania, The Camden branch of the NSWGR, Early bogie goods wagons of the Victorian railways by J. Buckland & Frank Kelly, Explanatory remarks on locomotive classes and numbering, Factors affecting the progress and outlook for electric railways during 1927-1935, Footloose and far from home, In at the death (or rum goings on in the bush), The Jumbo's place in locomotive history.
Articles, L-M (n.d.) (File 43) - Box 6
Lever locking and track control signalling on single lines, Looking for deserts, Lost railways in Victoria, Mad with the Mulga, The Maroochyshire tramways, South Queensland
Articles, M (n.d.) (File 44) - Box 6
Metamorphosis of an ugly duckling, the D3-class, locomotives of the Victorian railways
Articles, M-S (n.d.) (File 45) - Box 6
Mixed gauge medley, Modern Australian locomotives : Victorian Railways K-class 2-8-0 type, The numbers game - an exercise in futility, Puffing billy runs again - for the last time?, Reflections on some aspects of Australian steam locomotion design, Some journeys of another sticky beak
Articles, T-Z (n.d.) (File 46) - Box 6
Trial runs and delivery of foreign-owned diesel-electric locomotives, Unification - administration and rail gauges, Victorian railways centenary, 1854-1954, The Wangaratta derailment, West to north the course, A wild weekend in the woolly West, The Woods hydraulic continuous brake
Series 3. Writings by others
This series contains typescripts, carbon copies and photocopies of articles, poems and talks by other authors which Buckland collected. They have been arranged by author, or title where the author is unknown. Authors include Ray Ellis, C.D. Gavan Duffy, M. Schrader and C.S. Small.
E.H. Brownbill. The economic problems facing Australian rail transport in the next decade (1960) (File 48) - Box 6
W. Chynoweth. Historical summary of the locomotives used in the logging tramways of the Huon timber industry (1985) (File 50) - Box 7
J.W. Delaney. Brief history of the railway now known as South Maitland railways (1962) (File 51) - Box 7
Ray Ellis. The North Mount Lyell Copper Company and its railway Preserved steam locomotives in Australia (File 51) - Box 7
C.D. Gavan Duffy. The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold Easter, 1955, Go west, young man, go west, Gone with the wind, On time, all the time, or was it? : trip to Central Queensland (1939) (File 52) - Box 7
C.D. Gavan Duffy. Ross Town Junction Railway, Round the big Baldoun, Single line block on the VR, Some journey's of a sticky beak (1934), A trip amongst the apples (1938?), Trip to New South Wales (1933), Two branch lines (File 53) - Box 7
C.D. Gavan Duffy. Two cross country lines (1945), Under five flags (1938), A wedding and after (1936) (File 54) - Box 7
S.F. Keane. Engine utilization and running shed practices of the Victorian railways (1962) (File 56) - Box 7
M. Schrader. Tasmania revisted, Travel in the Soviet Union: from the Atlantic to the Pacific by train (1965) (File 58) - Box 8
C.S. Small. Locomotives of the sugar mills and timber lines of Queensland (1963-65), Privately owned loco lists of Western Australia, (1965), The private railroads of Japan (1962) (File 59-60) - Box 8
Author unknown, California here I come back to where I started from; The darky trip; Easter Monday without tears; Good-bye - Bayles; It will all be the same in 100 years; Just a wee bittie trip; Looping the loop on an Olympic circle; Myensa; North East passage - and then some ; A roundabout; She will be coming round the mountain when she comes; Timboon once more; A trainy day; Trip notes - North America - 1986; Up hill and down dale (File 61) - Box 8
Series 4. Subject files
This series comprises files created by Buckland. They contain press clippings, brochures, photographs, typescripts, notes, diagrams, maps and some correspondence relating to Buckland's research interests. The files have been arranged alphabetically by title. There are also a number of miscellaneous untitled files.
BHP/AIS (Port Kembla, NSW), BHP - Coffin Bay tramway (SA), BHP Whyalla (SA), BHP Whyalla & Newcastle (File 76) - Box 10
NSW SRA rules for working 'WB' trains, NSW GR - tests of eng. 3508 fitted with ACFI feed water heater (File 101) - Box 12
Private line locos, South Australia, Privately owned loco lists of Western Australia (File 113) - Box 14
Series 5. Press cuttings and printed material
This series includes brochures and booklets on railways and various publications of the Australian Railway Historical Society, the Light Railway Research Society of Australia, the State Transport Authority of Victoria and other railway organisations and societies.
The press cuttings include a scrapbook of cuttings on the Southern Aurora crash at Violet Town, Victoria on 7 February 1969.
Series 6. Rolling stock diagrams
This series contains locomotive, cars, vans, trucks and wagon diagrams for the Government Railways of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland. Some of the diagrams date back to the late 19th century and there is a set of Victorian rolling stock diagrams for 1904-61.
There are 462 large folio items of rolling stock diagrams kept in eight folio packages.
Series 7. Maps, signalling diagrams, etc
This series contains railways maps for various regions in Australia, including a number of maps for the Yallourn/Morwell State Electricity Commission of Victoria railway. There are also Victorian Railways signalling diagrams and some gradient and curve diagrams for South Australia.
There are also 70 large folio items kept in 5 folio packages.