Bob the Railway Dog
Bob the Railway Dog travelled the South Australian Railways system in the latter part of the 19th century. He first experienced the railway life when, as a young dog, he took a fancy to the workers building the railway near Strathalbyn. Bob was known to venture to and from Petersburg often sitting in the front of the coal space in the locomotive tender.
About Bob the Railway Dog in brief
Bob the Railway Dog travelled the South Australian Railways system in the latter part of the 19th century. He first experienced the railway life when, as a young dog, he took a fancy to the workers building the railway near Strathalbyn. His true railway career appears to have commenced not long after being consigned from Adelaide, along with fifty other dogs, to be used to exterminate rabbits near Carrieton. Bob was known to venture to and from Petersburg often sitting in the front of the coal space in the locomotive tender, travelling many thousands of miles. He had no master, but was befriended and enabled by the engineers and trainmen, and permitted to ride for free, like a politician. Some sources suggest that Bob’s travels took him to all mainland states of Australia, being seen as far afield as Oodnadatta, Queensland, and even Western Australia.
During one of his visits to Port Augusta, Bob is said to have caught a steamship to Port Pirie after apparently confusing the ship’s whistle with that of a locomotive. On one occasion he is reported to have fallen from an engine travelling between Manoora and Saddleworth, and managed to walk two miles to Saddle Worth with an injured leg. In another incident, Bob lost an inch off his tail after slipping off, and on another journey, his coat caught fire. The following poem was published in The Advertiser on 17 August 1895: Home-keeping dogs have notions of tame and poor;I humbly scorn the dog who sits humbly at the cottage door, who sits weary and tired, and who follows those who keep vigils, or follow those who follow vigils. The poem was written by James Mott, the owner of the Macclesfield Hotel.
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This page is based on the article Bob the Railway Dog published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
