Railway Profile: Queensland Canefields Steam Era 1955-1980 (ATHB-17)

Product No.: ATHB-17
Title: Railway Profile: Queensland Canefields Steam Era 1955-1980 
Author(s): Sargent, John & Crow, Lindsay
Publisher: Train Hobby Publications
ISBN: 1876249196
Condition: New
Binding: Softcover
Dust Jacket: No Jacket
Edition: 1st Edition
Publication Year: 1999

Features: 48 Pages with Colour Photos.

- Queensland Canefields Steam Era is a special profile covering this unique railway and it's extensive sugar cane networks. Approximately 34 mills of the Australian Sugar Industry, dotted the coast from northern N.S.W. to far north Queensland, operated some 200 steam locomotives on over 200km of tramways, mostly 2' (60.9cm) gauge, the remainder being 3'6" (106.7cm) gauge.

- In the mid 1950s diesels began making inroads amongst the steam fleet, gradually ousting them, until their final appearance in the late 70s at Qunaba Mill near Bundaberg. One Perry 0-6-2T lasted at the Marian Mill as a yard shunter until late 1982. As with the current diesel locos, these steam locos worked daily shifts during the cane harvest, sometimes up to 36km from the mill and not always through Canefields but often through natural bushland as they travelled from one canefield to the next.

- During the non-harvest months the locos were serviced, repaired and stored. the fascinating and colourful little steam locos have gone but the tramways have expanded and their operations modernised; even the earlier 'rod' diesels are now being superseded by bigger, more powerful bogie locomotives. Many of the old steam locos still exist in varying states of repair. Some ended up in coastal parks and literally rusted away. Fortunately many have been saved and preserved by individuals, groups and societies throughout Australia, a number are in working order.