Katoomba Scenic Railway c1959

A photo of the Katoomba Scenic Railway in New South Wales, Australia taken in about 1959.

The Katoomba Scenic Railway is famously one of the steepest passenger railways in the world with and incline of up to a 52°.  It began as a coal and shale mining incline in the late 19th century and became a tourist attraction in the 1920s with the equipment was gradually being adapted for passenger use.

At the time this photo was taken, the experience of riding the carriage was notably quite “rustic” with open carriages, minimal safety restraints, and dense bushland right up to the track edges.