Steam Trains Of Australia

**disco man** · 15th June 2014, 07:16 PM

That's the title of another good gem of a dvd the local library had.It's a collection of small features from the ABC archives from the 70's and 80's.

Part 1 starts in SA in 1978 with a loco noW933 and a good story on the Quaron to Woolshed flat and the Flinders ranges line and the awesome people that have brought it back to life.

Part 2 starts in Queenstown, Tasmania in 1983 with a very interesting loco called Mount Lyell no 3 and it's rebuild.And tells the story of the ABT railway and how when rail got overtaken by road transport in the mining industry.The ABT railway has some very steep grades and the effort of the locos to operate in those conditions is very impressive.

Part 3 starts in NSW in 1973 with the "The Honeymoon Express" that ran from Sydney to Katoomba pulled by loco no 3526.Then we move onto a film called Puff Puffs with a 38 class no 3808 chugging along the Hawksbury river.Then a 32 class loco no 3203 built in 1892 has a story told about it and a look around the Enfield rail sheds.Then loco no 78 built at Redfern rail sheds in 1877 has it's story told.Then another 38 class no 3820 is the first loco to go from west coast to east coast in 1970.And a couple of 35 class locos and a little shunting loco close out part 3.

Part 4 called "Sugar and Steam" starts in North Queensland in 1983 and follows the change from steam to diesel on the northern tramways.It takes a look at the very last cane train pulled by a steam loco to the Bundaberg sugar mill.I had no idea that all the steam locos used by the sugar industry were all built overseas i wonder why that is?Then we meet a very interesting fellow in Maryborough called Peter Olds who started a small gauge steam railway in his front front yard in 1978 with 250 meters of track!!! The model that is the most special is the "Jupiter" that ran in the USA in 1860.And a model of the "Rocket".

Part 5 called "Thanks for the memories" starts in NSW in 1984 and is based around a Sydney train station gift shop selling some very cool items from the steam era and when NSW rail had refreshment rooms.Things for sale include old menus,cups,plates,oil lamps,etc.Then we move onto a very good film called "Rag Tag Railway" from 1984.With the opening scene the "Duchess" a 50 class no 5069 built in 1902 in the UK.I must admit the film about the rag tag railway is the highlight for me as it follows a group of people trying to reopen this line and the crews that ran the steam locos on this line when it was still open.People that give up so much of their time and effort so people like me that were born to late to enjoy the steam era just blow me away and i wish i could be apart of such a project.

This is a must see dvd for railway fans. I also have another called "Chasing the chariots of fire" the last steam trains in the universe. If anyone is keen i will write about it during the week. Cheers guys

**JDNSW** · 15th June 2014, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by disco man

..............I had no idea that all the steam locos used by the sugar industry were all built overseas i wonder why that is?......

Probably because they were all bought in ones and twos by small outfits so that any local locomotive builder would not have any economies of scale - but some of the overseas manufacturers did. It is also likely that quite a few were bought on the second hand market.

Few (if any) parts would have been interchangeable with full size locomotives, and in any case, most, if not all, locomotives built in Australia were built by government owned factories that would rarely have the slightest interest in this sort of business.

A few narrow gauge engines seem to have been built as one-offs by or for various timber lines in Australia, but were clearly built by people who had never done it before, and were rarely very successful.

John

**disco man** · 15th June 2014, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Probably because they were all bought in ones and twos by small outfits so that any local locomotive builder would not have any economies of scale - but some of the overseas manufacturers did. It is also likely that quite a few were bought on the second hand market.

Few (if any) parts would have been interchangeable with full size locomotives, and in any case, most, if not all, locomotives built in Australia were built by government owned factories that would rarely have the slightest interest in this sort of business.

A few narrow gauge engines seem to have been built as one-offs by or for various timber lines in Australia, but were clearly built by people who had never done it before, and were rarely very successful.

John

Thanks for that John good info,makes sense when you put it that way.

**Bigbjorn** · 15th June 2014, 08:25 PM

Bundaberg Foundry built eight under licence from John Fowler of Leeds after Fowlers stopped making steam locos. Their serial numbers started with BF for Bundaberg Fowler. Perry Engineering of Adelaide built quite a number. I think Walkers of Maryborough built some also as did Evans Anderson Phelan in Brisbane. Others were built in France, Germany, USA. All the Bundys still exist as do most of the Perrys.

**JDNSW** · 15th June 2014, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Bundaberg Foundry built eight under licence from John Fowler of Leeds after Fowlers stopped making steam locos. Their serial numbers started with BF for Bundaberg Fowler. Perry Engineering of Adelaide built quite a number. I think Walkers of Maryborough built some also as did Evans Anderson Phelan in Brisbane. Others were built in France, Germany, USA. All the Bundys still exist as do most of the Perrys.

That does cast some doubt on the accuracy of the statement "all the steam locos used by the sugar industry were all built overseas".

John

**disco man** · 16th June 2014, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by JDNSW

That does cast some doubt on the accuracy of the statement "all the steam locos used by the sugar industry were all built overseas".

John

That was a quote from the film not something i made up.If the info is wrong don't blame me.

**Ausfree** · 16th June 2014, 06:43 PM

Several weeks ago I found this book in a second hand shop. It's 1983 vintage so it is old.

Only paid a couple of bucks for it, but it is a good read.

On page 162 it refers to the Perry 0-4-2/0-6-2 Plantation loco's that were built in South Australia by Perry Engineering. They are a 610mm gauge loco and 19 of them were built for use in Queensland for sugar cane transportation.

**Bigbjorn** · 16th June 2014, 07:20 PM

I did some more digging. Bundaberg Foundry built a swag more than the eight licence built Fowlers. Malcolm Moore in Melbourne built quite a few. Walkers only built one as did Pleystowe Mill, Clyde, and Comeng. Evans Anderson Phelan never built a 2' gauge loco but built a number of 3'6" gauge locos to run cane trains on QR branch lines. There were a number of other one-offs. Even one from a works in Leederville, WA.

**bob10** · 2nd July 2014, 04:46 PM

All you closet train spotters, sit back & enjoy, Bob

[ame="http://youtu.be/bdtojwvCCrQ"]Steam Trains of Australia (1985 ABC Documentry) - YouTube[/ame]

**V8Ian** · 2nd July 2014, 05:16 PM

Thanks Bob, another interesting CTRL + V but it really belongs here,

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/railway-fans/

and will probably end up there. If you're interested in (steam) trains you'll like it too.

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