Any old iron, any old iron, any old iron will do.
On our journey, it was not uncommon to come across farm or pastoral properties where not one iota of metal or machinery had ever been thrown away. Nostalgia, parts, too busy, perhaps all of the above. Every now and then we would come across a roadside property where the equipment, unrestored was at least lined up so you could have a good look and even better, a good think about what each of these venerable units saw and did during its working lifetime. Bottomless stories no doubt. And in spite of age and the ravages of harsh environments, sometimes helped by those harsh conditions, they live on and we can admire and give thanks. I often give road transport a kicking because I think it has taken over many roles where rail would be far more efficient and environmentally friendly, but we could no doubt not live or exist and enjoy our way of life without them in the transport chain somewhere.
But change is coming, heading in from several directions. Significant progress is being made overseas with development of driverless heavy transport vehicles and in Western Australia, Rio Rinto is already operating massive iron ore trains without drivers. Now the computer operator takes the throttle! So you take the human from the driver’s seat.
So let’s give a thumbs up and more than a passing thought to these old trucks and the important part they no doubt played in a different world.
Wedderburn, Victoria
Any old iron, any old iron, any old iron will do.
On our journey, it was not uncommon to come across farm or pastoral properties where not one iota of metal or machinery had ever been thrown away. Nostalgia, parts, too busy, perhaps all of the above. Every now and then we would come across a roadside property where the equipment, unrestored was at least lined up so you could have a good look and even better, a good think about what each of these venerable units saw and did during its working lifetime. Bottomless stories no doubt. And in spite of age and the ravages of harsh environments, sometimes helped by those harsh conditions, they live on and we can admire and give thanks. I often give road transport a kicking because I think it has taken over many roles where rail would be far more efficient and environmentally friendly, but we could no doubt not live or exist and enjoy our way of life without them in the transport chain somewhere.
But change is coming, heading in from several directions. Significant progress is being made overseas with development of driverless heavy transport vehicles and in Western Australia, Rio Rinto is already operating massive iron ore trains without drivers. Now the computer operator takes the throttle! So you take the human from the driver’s seat.
So let’s give a thumbs up and more than a passing thought to these old trucks and the important part they no doubt played in a different world.
Wedderburn, Victoria