Australian Modern - Keith Murdoch Gallery - State Library of Victoria

A SPIRIT OF PROGRESS

The Spirit of Progress train is a potent symbol of 1930s Modernism and technological achievement in Australia. This enduring icon of Australian train transport ran the Melbourne to Albury section of the Melbourne-Sydney rail link in continuous service from 1937 to 1986, with the engines replaced by diesels in 1953-54.

Stephenson & Meldrum's input into the design of the Spirit began in 1935. In preparation for the task, and with no prior knowledge of such work, extensive overseas research on all facets of train design was undertaken. The firm's involvement was comprehensive, ranging from producing early exterior sketches of the train's shape, to consulting on every minute detail of interior finishings from furniture, fittings, blinds and curtains, to selection of crockery and table covers, right down to the numbering of the seats and carriages and the type and placement of lettering.

Innovations included air-conditioning, concealed lighting, stainless steel baggage racks with individual reading lights, and a modern galley kitchen modelled after the most up-to-date hospital kitchens of the period.

The train was given 'Australian character' through the use of Australian materials, with panelling of blackwood for the parlour car and Queensland brown beech for the dining car. According to an Argus newspaper report of the time, it made an impressive sight: 'The eye … sweeps down the long line of carriages, unbroken by any gap or join. The great gold lines that gleam at the sides of the locomotive wings sweep away, and the whole thing immediately assumes a grace that is difficult to reconcile with such huge size'.

The Spirit consisted of First and Second Class cars, a dining car with kitchen, and a parlour observation car with smoking saloon. The engines were each named after historical identities associated with Victoria: Matthew Flinders, Edward Henty, Sir Thomas Mitchell, and Charles Joseph La Trobe.

The entire train was designed and manufactured in Melbourne's Newport Railway Workshops.

		AUSTRALIAN MODERN THE ARCHITECTURE OF STEPHENSON & TURNER
For Health & Prosperity Birth of a Practice A Revolution for Health Simplicity & Scale Promise & Prosperity On the World Stage Australian Colossus A Spirit of Progress The Getting of Wisdom Keith Murdoch Gallery Friday 12 March - Sunday 6 June 2004 Exhibition details Book details	A SPIRIT OF PROGRESS The Spirit of Progress train is a potent symbol of 1930s Modernism and technological achievement in Australia. This enduring icon of Australian train transport ran the Melbourne to Albury section of the Melbourne-Sydney rail link in continuous service from 1937 to 1986, with the engines replaced by diesels in 1953-54. Stephenson & Meldrum's input into the design of the Spirit began in 1935. In preparation for the task, and with no prior knowledge of such work, extensive overseas research on all facets of train design was undertaken. The firm's involvement was comprehensive, ranging from producing early exterior sketches of the train's shape, to consulting on every minute detail of interior finishings from furniture, fittings, blinds and curtains, to selection of crockery and table covers, right down to the numbering of the seats and carriages and the type and placement of lettering. Innovations included air-conditioning, concealed lighting, stainless steel baggage racks with individual reading lights, and a modern galley kitchen modelled after the most up-to-date hospital kitchens of the period. The train was given 'Australian character' through the use of Australian materials, with panelling of blackwood for the parlour car and Queensland brown beech for the dining car. According to an Argus newspaper report of the time, it made an impressive sight: 'The eye … sweeps down the long line of carriages, unbroken by any gap or join. The great gold lines that gleam at the sides of the locomotive wings sweep away, and the whole thing immediately assumes a grace that is difficult to reconcile with such huge size'. The Spirit consisted of First and Second Class cars, a dining car with kitchen, and a parlour observation car with smoking saloon. The engines were each named after historical identities associated with Victoria: Matthew Flinders, Edward Henty, Sir Thomas Mitchell, and Charles Joseph La Trobe. The entire train was designed and manufactured in Melbourne's Newport Railway Workshops.