Queensland Rail's only blacksmith is keeping the profession alive, despite a national skills shortage declared on the ancient trade.
Fabrication Blacksmith, Wade Daniel, said he's a jack of all trades and loves bending his skills across the railways.
“I'm an industrial Blacksmith so I make sledgehammers, crow bars, turning bars, track tools and I harden and temper parts for the railway. I love working with fire every day," Mr Daniel said.
“I take huge pride in my work but you do have to be versatile. I'm not just a blacksmith, I'm also a boilermaker, I drive heavy machinery and hook loads up to the cranes. No two days are the same in this job, which I really enjoy.
“We're working on some great projects at the moment including bogie refurbishment (bogies help support a train's wheels), foundation bolts and track tools to keep the heritage services going.
“I got into blacksmithing back in 2001 when I finished school and I did my apprenticeship here at the Ipswich workshops working with machinery that dates back to the 1800s."
Blacksmithing is a skilled occupation listed in the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, meaning incentives are offered by the Federal Government to study the ancient craft.
“I can see why the career is fading, there is very little exposure as to what we actually do and, make no bones about it, it's not an easy job to do! It's hard on the body, its hot, dusty and loud," he said.
Wade is supported by his striker, Barry Dallinger (Chucky), who has been with Queensland Rail for more than 40 years.
“I'm a striker, driller, roustabout – anything they need doing, I do. I just roll up my sleeves and get into it. But my role as a striker is doing work that involves bending, joggling or straightening metal using air or sledgehammers," Mr Dallinger said
“Today I'm working on refurbished press steel bogies, that means putting wings on the side and marking out and then the drilling holes that need to be done, I love it. I'm 67 and I'm still here because I love my job.
“The shop is more than 100 years old, so all the old tools are here that you can't get anymore. The machines date back to the 1800s and came over on a boat from England with and all the old machines outlast the new ones."
You can catch Wade and Chucky in action when The Ipswich Workshop will be open to the public during the Trains, Planes and Automobile Festival in April.
ENDS