causing unstable tracks. Floods The chosen route for the Central Australian Railway was heavily influenced by the need for water for steam locomotives. Since time immemorial, Aboriginal people had followed a chain of artesian springs and waterholes to sustain them when carrying ochre from the Far North of South Australia to trading places in the south. The explorer John McDouall Stuart followed a similar route during several expeditions between 1858 and 1862. The route taken by the Overland Telegraph ten years later, to which Stuart is believed to have given attention during his travels, was very similar. When the railway route was surveyed, it was hardly surprising that it followed the reliable sources of water. And as a consequence, the railway was intermittently subject to floods on a grand scale that washed away bridges, embankments and other earthworks. A selection during 50 years is in this table: World War II In 1944, it was reported that trains had increased on the line from the normal two a week to 56, whilst the North Australia Railway had increased from one a week to 147. Rolling stock, sidings, marshaling areas and water points for the steam engines were all key issues in increasing traffic on the line. Diesel locomotives The first diesel electric engine commenced service in June 1954. It was one of 14 engines ordered for both the Central and North Australia Railway. Built by the Birmingham Carriage and Wagon company, the engines were designed to haul loads of 330 imperial tons at 50 mph, with a maximum range of 700 miles. The Trans-Australian Railway and this line were the first two lines to be powered by diesel electric engines only in Australia. Film Shortly before the closure of the narrow gauge line in 1980, BBC Television filmed an episode of the television series Great Railway Journeys of the World featuring the original route of the Ghan (and the infamously slow speed of the train). Decline, conversion to standard gauge and closure After World War II, the railway line existence became questionable for a number of reasons: The railway had a history of extensive flood damage as the original steam engines required access to streams which were prone to floods. The track was narrow gauge and not ballasted and thus loads and speeds were both reduced, reducing the profitability of the line. Goyder's Line of rainfall (1865), excluding rains in 1865,