Railways and Tramways of Australia

Railway dog

 

Bob the railway dog died on 29 July 1895.

 

A dog named Bob became famous in South Australia for his travels by train during the 1880s and 1890s. He was well-known to railway employees and the public.

 

Bob was born around 1882 and was owned by railway guard William Ferry from 1884. Ferry lived in Terowie and was working on wheat trains, and on one occasion he decided to take Bob with him. Since Bob appeared to enjoy it, Ferry took him on more trips. During one trip Bob was put on the locomotive and was then called back to the brake van over the wagons loaded with wheat. From that time onwards Bob was inseparable from the railways.

 

William Ferry moved to Western Australia in 1888, and Bob then had no master. He rode on locomotives, frequently on top of the coal stack in the tender. His friendly temperament was welcomed by train crews. He befriended many drivers and at night he often followed them home.

 

At one time Bob was stolen by a sheep farmer and put to work. He was recognised by a locomotive crew and released. Following this incident a special collar was made with the inscription: “Stop me not but let me jog for I am Bob the drivers’ dog.”

 

On one occasion Bob was given a meal by an employee of a butcher shop in Adelaide. Shortly afterwards, Bob barked at another dog, let out a whine, then fell down dead.

 

Bob’s collar is displayed at the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide. A life-size bronze statue of him is located in the town of Peterborough. Bob is commemorated as a unique dog, and his railway adventures are recalled.

 

‘Bob, the railway dog’ has become part of Australian folklore.

 

Read more

https://www.railtram.com.au/bob-the-railway-dog

 

Bibliography

‘Bob, the dog who was the friend of all’, The Chronicle, 27 April 1939 p 65.

‘Bob, the railway dog’, The Adelaide Observer, 17 August 1895, p 30.

‘Bob, the railway dog’, The Southern Argus, 22 August 1895, p 3.

‘Stop me not, but let me jog; for I am Bob the driver’s dog’, State Library of South Australia, www.slsa.sa.gov.au/stop-me-not-but-let-me-jog-for-i-am-bob-drivers-dog, accessed 26 July 2026.

‘Death of “Bob”, the railway dog’, The South Australian Register, 30 July 1895, p 6.

‘More about “Bob”’, The Petersburgh Times, 30 August 1895, p 4.

‘Owned Bob, the railway dog’, The Advertiser, 13 November 1936, p 31.