On Sunday 10th of September 2000, I arrived in Sydney as part of the Olympic transport scheduling team. I had done all the necessary training to be a driver during the Olympics, however at the last minute I was offered…
A guide to hiring women in 1943
During World War Two, labour shortages saw the drafting of many women into occupations which had previously only performed by men. There were a wide range of such occupations – everything from bus driving to assembling fighter aircraft! The excerpt…
Buying a bus in 1971
The July edition of Truck & Bus Transportation from 1950 onwards carried a detailed “specification” section for trucks and buses. For buses, this was split into two groups – chassis and complete production buses. One of the interesting columns in…
Impressions of Europe – Germany
I have come to the conclusion that Germans have not changed that much since 1945. They still want to kill you but have just changed their methods. Gas chambers have been replaced by second hand cigarette smoke (the Quit campaign…
Impressions of Europe – Switzerland
he one problem with Switzerland is that once you have been there it tends to become a measuring stick for everything else, especially transport wise. It’s simple really – everything just WORKS! The Swiss railways (SBB/ CFF/ FFS) are the…
Impressions of Europe – Italy
A strange and wonderful country. Where else but in Rome can ancient ruins co-exist with modern office buildings and shops – sometimes in the same block! The food is plentiful and tasty (providing you do like pizza and pasta) and…
Impressions of Europe – France
My 1979 Eurailpass trip had begun with the crossing to Paris, some exploration of the Metro and bus system then visits to the trolleybus operating cities of St Etienne and Lyon on our way to Switzerland. 2014 saw Jeanette and…
Impressions of Europe – Austria
The country which gave us Weiner Schnitzels, the Von Trapp family and a rather unpleasant fellow called Hitler is one of the smaller European Countries. It is quite long east to west while being narrow in the west and broader…
Impressions of Europe – An Introduction
Introduction Since retiring from full time work in 2011, my wife and I have been fortunate enough to take three trips to Europe since 2013, the first time I had visited the continent since 1979. During this time numerous changes…
A peek at Dubai
Whilst travelling to Europe in May 2013, my wife and I took the opportunity to stop over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for two days. I took the opportunity to take a brief sample of the local public transport. Dubai…