Alice Springs 37 years ago

More from that memorable holiday. As far as I can see, the road trains were run under contract to Commonwealth Railways (or even CR ownership), and all lettering is 'CoOrd', not an operator name. Unscanned are photos at the Larrimah end of the journey, taken in 1974. Here the road train is carrying railway wagons. Have it in two sizes: one showing the road train, the other closing in on the prime movers, which I can't identify.

770513F Alice Springs (NT). Truck with railway wagons. (Roderick Smith)

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

The two trucks in the picture look to be Kenworths
they are a good truck
and it seems your a ghan fan like me

Cood B BedPhidz
LOL

Knocked off from the internet (for educational purposes of course!) ...

CO-ORD was short for Coordinated Road Rail Service which originally traded under the name of Territory Transport Association and was based in Alice Springs. CO-ORD was the road bridge between the end of the line at Alice Springs and the Larrimah terminus of the North Australia Railway. From 1950 under contract to the Commonwealth Railways the red and white CO-ORD road trains not only carried all of the rail freight but the very trains themselves as and when required. Loco's, railcars, rolling stock and the huge amount of rails which were used to upgrade the line from Darwin to Francis Creek for the iron ore trains.

After the closure of the North Australia Railway in 1976, CO-ORD took over the old Darwin Goods shed and yards and was the ANR agent in Darwin. All of the loco's, rolling stock and huge amounts of sundry equipment were all returned to Alice Springs by C0-ORD.

The sealing of the Stuart Highway South to Port Augusta and the Highway through Western Queensland allowed even greater competition. With the big changes in national freight forwarding companies and the formation of National Rail Corp the winds of change were upon this unique transport group, with the Alice to Darwin line imminent, the owners finally decided to call it a day.

...thanks for the very interesting info Bugly

...also the men who initiated the origins of the whole co-operative, being the shareholders in the newly named Co Ord Transport, eventually were bought out by the O'Neil family interests.....

I worked in the Isa early 60's and Co-Ord would come to the rail there and load QR containers (about 8 ft. square), they were red and white Fodens then.

This just has to be a Bedford, but I don't know the models by memory, and still feel worried that vehicles which I viewed on showroom and Showgrounds floors are now in the historic thread. IIRC, the Heron was VH-CLX. I was flying in it to Ayers Rock.

770512Th Alice Springs (NT) airport. Shell fuel truck; Connair Heron. (Roderick Smith)

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor