History of the development of the railway carriage in New South Wales. Discusses changes in structure and design in railcars from the 1850s to the present day. Gives thorough, comprehensive discussions of American sleeping and suburban cars, other truss-sided cars, steel country cars, miscellaneous vehicles, Indian Pacific cars and carriages and other carriage miscellanea. Appendices include overviews of Victorian railways standard gauge cars, the East Greta Coal mining Co./South Maitland railways, roofs and lighting, accounting terms and an alphabetical listing of carriages. Features original black and white and contemporary colour photos, sketches, tables, bibliography and index. Compiled by members of the Australian Railway Historical Society.

Prepared under instructions from the Right Honorable the Treasurer by K.M. Archer, Commonwealth Statistician.

Rare and previously unpublished images illustrate the story of the last commercial steam working in Australia, which was active until 1987.

The second volume of the popular Railway Portraits includes evocative photographs of the people and locomotives in NSW in the 1960's, and captures the moods, beauty and essence of the steam locomotive.