September 1971 is touted as the first major gig for the band with Carol taking centre stage as lead vocalist. At an open air concert presented as part of Brisbane's Warana Festival, Carol, in her own words was 'petrified'.
          By the end of the following year the band was really showing signs of developing some direction. They had won the finals of the University Bands Contest at Festival Hall with a selection of songs which included the Rita Coolidge hit "Superstar"; they'd also taken up a performing residency at "Quentins"; played at the opening of the luxurious new Pacesetters Club at Lennons Plaza Hotel and more importantly gotten a taste of what they were capable of in a recording studio.
          Definitely one of the great triumphs in Railroad Gin's career is the incredible Rock Mass they performed with the Queensland Youth Orchestra in 1973 in front of 7000 people at St. John's Cathedral in Brisbane. Some weeks later they performed an interdenominational church service which packed a city fringe church in Brisbane's West End.
          Other memorable moments for the band would have to include the occasion of their support gig for rocker Suzi Quatro at Festival Hall in 1974. Suzi, as expected, performed in black leathers but allegedly made certain stipulations as to where and how Carol was to sing. Carol, suitably offended and very much the individual defiantly marched on stage clad in Chinese brocade knickerbockers, silver tights and platform shoes, topped off by some strategically placed sequins and an old red fox cape leaving a fuming Quatro to watch from the wings. Co-incidentally this particular evening was the public debut of the Gin song "Don't Rile Me" and given the imposing atmosphere was probably never a more appropriate inclusion.
          It was during that same year the band suffered some incredible humiliation whilst taking part in a concert for the annual Stanthorpe Apple And Grape Festival. The organiser, who was planning an evening of mature age entertainment booked the band under the misaprehension that they were some type of old style brass band and they dutifully appeared on stage straight after the Papuan Fife & Tambourine Band. As the story goes, when they started to play and it was obvious they were nothing like anyone expected the organiser pulled the plug on them in mid performance and rang the curtain down, effectively stranding Carol and half of the group members on stage in front of a hostile audience.