Author Topic: Queensland Sugar Railways  (Read 6212 times)

Wayne Laepple

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Queensland Sugar Railways
« on: July 20, 2020, 12:38:08 PM »
Here's an interesting chart detailing the sugar-hauling two-foot gauge railways in Queensland, Australia.

Translations:
3688 kilometers of line equals 2,298 miles
27 million tonnes of raw cane equals 29.7 million tons
119 kilometers equals 74 miles
2000 tonnes equals 2200 tons
40 kilometers per hour is 25 mph

Roger Cole

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2020, 05:04:32 PM »
And here is an interesting video clip of a grade crossing accident on one of the two-foot sugar cane railroads.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/australia-train-collision-sugarcane-video

John Kokas

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2020, 05:46:12 PM »
I see it was on one of the Wilmar sugar lines, shame - nice people.  Just goes to show we (US) don't have a monopoly on stupid drivers when it comes to grade crossings. 
Moxie Bootlegger

Wayne Laepple

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2020, 07:15:59 PM »
That may have been one of the sugar company's own cane cutters. It runs along the rows of cane and cuts the stalks, Tractors towing large trailers drive alongside the cutter and receive the cane via the conveyor. They drive to a loading site and dump into a similar machine that travels alongside a string of cane cars and loads them. Looks like the impact turned the locomotive almost completely around.

Rick Rowlands

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2020, 08:13:08 PM »
More than likely 58 would have stayed on the rails!   ;D
Rick Rowlands
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Benjamin Richards

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2020, 08:33:02 PM »
That may have been one of the sugar company's own cane cutters. It runs along the rows of cane and cuts the stalks, Tractors towing large trailers drive alongside the cutter and receive the cane via the conveyor. They drive to a loading site and dump into a similar machine that travels alongside a string of cane cars and loads them. Looks like the impact turned the locomotive almost completely around.
Somehow the tone of the article doesn't match up. Unless they're trying make an example out of an internal incident. Or maybe the harvesters are contracted.

Train always wins.

John Kokas

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2020, 08:58:23 PM »
#58 would have made scrap metal out of that harvester.
Moxie Bootlegger

Roger Cole

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2020, 05:52:19 PM »
I poked around the different Queensland Sugar Railways threads and did not see where the link to this video had been posted.  Here's a very interesting 42 minute video of a steam trip on many of the 2-foot lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jb4o8cstGs

John Kokas

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2020, 06:00:25 PM »
I've watched this a couple of times and just loved it.  It is a very well done documentary, I encourage all to see what a BIG 2ft railroad looks like.  WOW
Moxie Bootlegger

John McNamara

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2020, 10:04:22 PM »
Wow, indeed! Perhaps there is a good reason to visit Australia!

John Kokas

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2020, 06:28:52 PM »
If we could put a members trip together and take in narrow gauge RR in Hawaii, Japan, and Australia, I would be all in for that.  I'm rather surprised that with the extensive network and good condition of the trackage that someone has not put together excursion packages that could run during the off-peak (from harvest/crush) season.
Moxie Bootlegger

Wayne Laepple

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2020, 07:23:49 PM »
It's my understanding that the sugar railways do not have any accommodations for passengers, and during the off season, the majority of the employees are either rebuilding track or maintaining equipment or go elsewhere for employment.

John Browning

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Re: Queensland Sugar Railways
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2021, 07:21:41 PM »
Just for the record, the cane harvester involved in the collision was owned by a contractor. There is not a great deal of cane grown on mill estates in Queensland. Most cane is grown by independent farmers and most (but not all) harvesting is done by contractors.