Thanks Anne for the information on John Warkman - it gives me the solid data for what I've been told. The big question seems to be whether John Warkman went to the goldfields prior to joining the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway or whether he joined the company very early on. It doesn't seem likely that he would have stayed in Melbourne in 1852 - it was all but emptied (of men) by the goldrush, but perhaps he came back when the railway was under construction in 1853/54. Looks like I will have to treat myself to a day in the PRO to see what I can dig up. Jeanette Heath