M V Tronson, who writes the monthly Footplate Padre article for the 'On Track' E-railway magazine, was a train driver for 10 years prior to entering theological college in 1977 and has since written 16 books of train drivers' anecdotes.
"I've been an avid writer and reader of Australian railways since I was a boy. I still have somewhere in my archive newspaper clippings of stories about New South Wales diesel locomotives from the early 60's," M V Tronson noted.
His passion for diesel locomotives came from an experience as a small lad when standing on the Mackay railway station platform, he watched in utter amazement as the grand blue Queensland diesel majestically brought the Sunlander to a stand still.
"From that moment I was drawn into the railways and specifically the beautiful blue and white colour scheme of the Queensland diesel locomotives," M V Tronson explained.
His one disappointment is that although he has read the documentation, he still cannot find the identity of the person who approved this colour scheme of the Queensland diesels and the matching Sunlander, Inlander, Weslander and Midlander trains.
"I'm aware the Queensland Railways' original decision was maroon and white and somehow they got wind that the Commonwealth Railways (Port Pirie to Kalgoorlie, Port Augusta to Alice Springs) had chosen similar colours, but to my knowledge there is no document that explains who then made the decision to change it to the magnificent blue and white," M V Tronson said enquiringly.
Australia Day, in M V Tronson's view, means more than celebrating the nation's original British birth, rather it also celebrates great achievements within the nation, such as the expansion of rail.
"For decades rail was the only realistic and economic means of quick inland travel and it is really only recently that air travel has been both available and financially viable," M V Tronson noted.
When he started on the railways in the late 60's the fabulous intercity trains featured on travel advertisements. These 'name' trains were pictured in school text books and adults talked of their train journeys with nostalgia. When the Southern Aurora (overnight sleeper from Sydney to Melbourne) came on line, it was an international news item.
"For me, Australia Day is a time when I acknowledge the astonishing role these 'name' trains had in the national psyche. As the Footplate Padre, I can recall a story on the Trans-Continental when after a conversation, the carriage coachman accepted a copy of the New Testament," M V Tronson said.
At that time Mark Tronson, had completed his first year at Morling theological college in Sydney and had returned to the footplate for the three months' summer break at the end of the leave of absence he had taken to study.
"There was also a full month of annual leave due to me in that summer," M V Tronson further explained. "So I took my bride of one year to Perth on some of the great 'name' trains of the nation: the Southern Aurora, The Overland and the Trans-Continental."
On the return journey, the train waited at Port Augusta for an hour while the carriage coachmen did a clean out and I noticed the New Testament I had given him had been thrown out into the platform bin opposite our carriage.
"To my joy, a young man was passing by and spied that New Testament and picked it up and sat down and read it. Afterwards he put it into his pocket. I decided not to say anything, rather to leave this to the Holy Spirit. As a young minister it taught me in invaluable lesson about the providence of God," M V Tronson mused.