Robert and Bruce Wheatley

Brothers Robert (born 1947) and Bruce (born 1950) Wheatley grew up in north-western Sydney and spent their youth chasing steam trains all around the state of NSW. Their train photography was first published in the book, The Last Days of Steam on Australia, which appeared with Angus and Robertson in 1971. Their work has been featured at museums and fairs, and was most recently displayed in a stand-alone exhibition in the Lovett Gallery at Newcastle Library. Their popular Railway Portraits series began appearing in 2006.

1972

2016

A personal perspective – Robert

In 1971, I looked in the telephone book and found the number of the only publishing company I knew. A few days later I climbed the worn wooden steps to the Angus and Robertson office and presented a collection of 8 x 10 inch railway photographs contained in a cardboard box. Two weeks later I signed a book contract and the The Last Days of Steam was born. When I announced the joyous news to the family that night my father exclaimed—“It won’t sell.” He promptly arose and as he left the room parted with the quip—“tell‘em they’re wasting their money.” My father’s world was one of survival and the idea of publishing a book was beyond his comprehension.

Outside of mainstream interests such as sport and motor cars, more seemingly eccentric hobbies were viewed with suspicion and derision, a world away from today’s clime where individuality and creativity is prized. There was little understanding that an interest in railways was a worthy hobby. I remember distinctly an aunt asking my mother at a Christmas get-together—“are your boys still interested in trains?” which was code for—“have they grown up yet?” My mother’s shoulders sagged and with a downward tilt of the head replied yes in the meekest voice.

When our parents allowed us as school boys to roam the railway network we unwittingly absorbed railway culture. Immersion into this world shaped our photographic style. In those early years I witnessed men working in a fusion of light, smoke and steam and was overwhelmed with the photographic opportunities. My training in photography was limited to the booklet that accompanied the purchase of my first 35mm camera. I saw the camera as a painter’s brush—an intermediary between the image in the mind and the finished photographic print. In a strange way, without steam locomotives I would never have become a photographer and without photography my passion for railways could not have been sustained.

I am indebted to Bruce for being a brilliant record keeper. My method of recording numbers and dates was to write the information on a piece of scrap paper filed in the sock draw to inevitably be lost. On more than one occasion after returning from a trip I remember Bruce reading my notes and insisting that gaps in the record be filled while my memory was fresh. This documentation has been invaluable in providing an accurate record of time and place. His extensive knowledge of the NSW railways enhances the integrity of our books.

Often I have been walking at sunrise and have caught a whiff of coal smoke from a nearby chimney. For an instant I am transported, believing I am about to enter a locomotive depot. Here I could linger with living creatures and share their lair as a cap-in-hand guest. Our nostalgia for the days of steam is like the light cast from a fire—without form but its warmth sustains our days.

A personal perspective – Bruce

For as long as I can remember I have been interested in trains. As a toddler I would insist that my mother read my favourite train book to me every night, despite her best attempts to diversify my interests. The origin of this railway passion is inexplicable but it is something shared by many enthusiasts and lasts a lifetime.

Our father suffered from post traumatic stress from his service in New Guinea in World War Two. Our long suffering mother did all she could to keep the family functioning without placing undue stress on him. I recall as a young lad that steam engines were one of the few things that brought dad out of himself. Two instances come to mind. At Thornleigh my father lifted me onto the footplate of a 36 class held at the station due to an extensive delay. The experience was terrifying—the heat, the flames in the firebox and those demonic looking brass dials high above on the backplate. It was all too much for me and I burst into tears. I was quickly manhandled back into the safe arms of my beaming father. I also remember one night in the late 1950’s running up the ramp at Strathfield station behind my excited and enthusiastic father to witness the spectacle of a black streamlined 38 steaming defiantly into platform 3 on the Down Glen Innes Mail.

1962 was my last year at Thornleigh Public School and Mr Wilson was my teacher. One day he was undergoing a review by an inspector and commended to him his star students. To my great surprise I got an honourable mention, not for my academic achievements but for having a passionate interest in trains. This acknowledgment was a huge boost to my self esteem. Mr Woods, another highly regarded teacher at Thornleigh, made sure I received the school library’s copy of the ARHS Bulletin. I feel sure I gleaned from those pages the importance of documenting railway history. I was fortunate that Claude Haydon (1900-1984), one of Australia’s early railway photographers, lived across the street from our home. On Saturday afternoons I would visit ‘Uncle Claude’ and view with astonishment his vast collection of photographs taken in his younger days. He would rattle off the pre-1924 loco numbers from memory when discussing a particular locomotive. Claude was always gracious with his time and gave me a wonderful background and insight into the NSW railways of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

I was lucky to have an older brother who also liked trains. I am grateful that Rob and his school mate Graham Palmer allowed me, at the age of 13, to accompany them on their early photographic trips of 1963 and 1964. Our home life was subdued due to our father’s war time induced stress. His reclusiveness enabled us to develop our interest in railways and undertake extensive train trips unfettered by any parental expectations or restrictions.

Rob and I have different personalities. I have a penchant for remembering loco numbers, time and place and am inclined towards the technical, whereas Rob is an adventurer, romantic and consummate wordsmith. However we share one thing in common–our love of steam and a natural ability to frame a picture in the mind’s eye. I am of the view that artists are born, not created.

Rob’s energy and drive produced our first book The Last Days of Steam. His determination to find a publisher for Railway Portraits has borne fruit and resulted in the successful production of the various volumes. The hope, in publishing our photographs, is that we are providing a record of our rich railway history for future generations.

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