Bob the Railway Dog

Lore & Background

Bob first experienced railway life as a young dog, following navvies building the line near Strathalbyn. He was returned to his owner, the publican of the Macclesfield Hotel, two or three times before disappearing at about nine months old. His railway career began after being consigned from Adelaide with fifty other dogs to Quorn for rabbit extermination near Carrieton. He was obtained by William Seth Ferry, a special guard at Petersburg (then Peterborough), who acquired him in Quorn and registered him on 24 September 1884. Ferry was promoted to Assistant Station Master in February 1885, by which time Bob was accustomed to train travel.

Bob traveled thousands of miles, often sitting in the front of the locomotive tender. According to the Petersburg Times, his favorite place was on a

Reader's Guide

Bob the Railway Dog is significant as a folk figure of the South Australian Railways, embodying the free-spirited, independent nature of railway life in the late 19th century. His story, preserved through newspaper accounts, a collar with a rhyming couplet, and later commemorations, reflects the affection railway workers had for him. He was eulogized around the world, including in Great Britain, and called 'the king of outcasts.' His legacy endures through his collar, displayed at the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide, and a statue unveiled in Peterborough in 2009. Information boards in Terowie mark the 'Bob the Railway Dog Trail.' His story has been romanticized in a fictional work published in 2011. Bob is often compared to other famous dogs like Owney the Postal Dog and Greyfriars Bobby, though his unique railway travels set him apart. The uncertainty about his travels to other states and the exact events of his life add to his folkloric quality.

Did You Know?

• Bob was registered by William Seth Ferry on 24 September 1884.
• He was present at the opening of the railway between Petersburg and Broken Hill.
• His collar bore the couplet: 'Stop me not, but let me jog, For I am Bob, the drivers dog.'
• Bob died on 29 July 1895 at age 17, reportedly after barking at a passing dog and dropping dead.

Origins & the Road to the Rails

Bob's story begins near Strathalbyn, where as a young dog of roughly nine months he took a liking to the navvies constructing the railway line. He followed them repeatedly, only to be retrieved two or three times by his owner, the publican of the Macclesfield Hotel, before vanishing for good. His true railway career, however, started under more utilitarian circumstances. He was among fifty dogs consigned from Adelaide to Quorn for rabbit extermination near Carrieton, having been picked up as a stray in the capital. William Seth Ferry, then serving as a special guard at Petersburg (then called Peterborough), acquired Bob—either through a swap or because the dog simply "broke pack" from the group. Ferry registered him immediately, recording the acquisition date as 24 September 1884. By February 1885, when Ferry was promoted to Assistant Station Master at Petersburg, Bob had already grown accustomed to the rhythm of train travel.

Life on the Rails

Bob's preferred perch was the front of the coal space in a locomotive tender, drawn irresistibly by the big whistle and belching smokestack of what the Petersburg Times called a "Yankee engine." He covered many thousands of miles along the South Australian system, living on the fat of the land and accepting meals from whomever offered them. He had a distinct dislike for suburban engines, finding their cramped cabs unsuitable, and was known to clear third-class compartments for his exclusive use by barking vigorously at every station until passengers believed the coach had been reserved for his benefit. His bark was robust enough to make strangers think he was aggressive, though his true intent was friendly. Bob had no single master; rather, he was befriended and enabled by engineers and trainmen, with whom he seemed to share a special affinity, and was permitted to ride for free, "like a politician." His travels reportedly took him to all mainland states, with sightings as far as Oodnadatta and Queensland, though a Western Australian appearance is considered unlikely given the absence of a rail link at the time. He was also noted making river trips up the Murray and along the coast.

Mishaps & Adventures

Bob's career was punctuated by a remarkable string of accidents that somehow never ended his rail life. In his early days he suffered several falls, after which he refined his ability to leap between moving locomotives. On one occasion he tumbled from an engine between Manoora and Saddleworth and walked two miles to the latter with an injured leg. In Port Pirie his tail became jammed in an unspecified location. On another journey he lost an inch of tail after slipping off, and on yet another his coat caught fire. During a stay in Adelaide he spent time at Goodwood Cabin, where after tripping down the stairs he began rolling under and out the other side of a passing train. In Port Augusta he reportedly boarded a steamship bound for Port Pirie after mistaking the vessel's whistle for a locomotive's. The Petersburg Times also recorded that during one winter Bob looked miserable after a probationary employee shaved all his hair except his neck and tail tip, making him resemble "a diminutive lion"—though his voice gave him away.

Final Days & Enduring Legacy

Bob's final chapter is surrounded by some uncertainty. The Advertiser reported he died on 29 July 1895, having retired to Adelaide where he dined regularly at a butcher's shop in Hindley Street run by a Mr. Evans. The Chronicle described his last moments: after his afternoon tea he barked at a passing dog, then let out a pitiful howl and dropped dead at the age of seventeen. Other accounts place his later years on the Silverton Tramway, which linked Broken Hill to the South Australian Railways and Petersburg. His eulogies reached as far as Great Britain, and he was lauded as "the king of outcasts." His body was preserved and displayed at the Exchange Hotel. A collar, purchased by a commercial traveller after Bob had been "dognapped" by a farmer, bore two brass plates inscribed with the couplet "Stop me not, but let me jog, / For I am Bob, the drivers dog" and "Presented by McLean Bros & Ricc." A poem in his honour appeared in The Advertiser on 17 August 1895, and the railwaymen of Terowie maintained his registration long after Ferry departed for Western Australia.

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