Far North Queensland 20 October 2014

South Johnstone Mil's Silkwood depot with its Clyde locomotives. 14 is refuelling while 15 is spare.

Clyde 14 prepares to haul full bins from a siding at Nyleta on the Number 4 branch.

14 heading with empties towards Japoon as it crosses the Liverpool Creek bridge at Silkwood.

EM Baldwin 24 stymied at Cowley by a banana plantation forklift stuck on the line.

At the north end of the Sandy Pocket loop near Moresby, double header 6 and 7 MORRISON head towards Mourilyan with fulls while 1 JOSEPHINE and 10 RUSSELL wait to proceed light towards Cowley

At the south end of Sandy Pocket loop, number 39 waits to proceed south with empties as Baldwin 24 arrives from Cowley with fulls.

In the South Johnstone system at Dinner Creek Road, north of Garradunga, Mulgrave Mill 5, still equipped with a Gardner diesel engine and mechanical transmission, is parked in the loop with a maintenance train.

Mulgrave Mill's Com-Eng MEERAWA heading towards the mill with fulls at Cucania. The red headstocks look good with the yellow and green livery.

EM Baldwin 4wDH MULGRAVE 10 parked at the Mulgrave Settlers' Museum showing its old blue livery underneath the yellow.

Far North Queensland 19 October 2014

A quick trip to Cairns allowed viewing some action at Mulgrave and South Johnstone mills.

With Walsh's Pyramid in the background, Mulgrave Mill's Clyde 0-6-0DH REDLYNCH is dropping off empties on the Bump Line.

Mulgrave Mill's Com-Eng 0-6-0DH CHARRINGA heading south with empties at Harvey's Creek.

South Johnstone Mill's double header Com-Eng locos 1 JOSEPHINE and 10 RUSSELL cross the North Johnstone River bridge on dusk, heading north with empties.

Nauru - October 16-18 2014

I was fortunate enough to make a brief visit to Nauru last week and managed to see a few traces of its former railways. Phosphate mining commenced in 1907 with 2ft gauge railways. In 1937 the main line from the central mining plant to the processing plant was relaid as a double-track 3ft gauge line with oil-burning steam locomotives. It seems unlikely that the 2ft gauge lines survived for long (if at all) after the Japanese occupation but the main line continued, with Clyde diesels arriving from Australia from 1956 and later two Thomas Hill diesels. One 2ft gauge Orenstein & Koppel has been dragged out of the bush and is displayed at the port in poor condition.

It seems that the railway was last in operation about 5 years ago but some traces can still be found. Given that discarded machinery is everywhere, it is quite likely that a number of locomotive survive beneath the flourishing undergrowth.

This is a 2ft gauge railway cutting built through the coral pinnacles.

This part of the cutting was adapted by the Japanese as a makeshift gaol during their occupation in World War II..

A 2ft gauge Orenstein & Koppel locomotive on display near the port.

Abandoned 3ft gauge phosphate trucks are scattered around

The 3ft gauge double track lines are still clearly visible

The disused tipping facility at the processing plant

A brand new pair of wheelsets for a Thomas Hill diesel that never made it past the port facility

Herbert River District Monday October 13

My last day in the Herbert River District looking at the locomotives at Victoria and Macknade mills.

At the Victoria Mill yard control office. Rebuilt Baldwin RYNNE (L) with rebuilt Walkers VICTORIA (R). Both locomotives are coupled to remote controlled brake wagons.

Walkers CLEM H. McCOMISKIE handles empty sugar boxes at Victoria Mill.

Clyde 0-6-0DH LUCINDA with full bins at the Victoria 3-mile. 

The first Clyde cane loco - Macknade Mill's 16 with empties near Brae Meadows

Heading towards the Macknade triangle, Macknade Mill's Baldwin 19 returning light engine from Victoria Mill with Clyde 12 following on.

Victoria Mill's EM Baldwin GOWRIE heads with fulls towards the mill from Blackrock

A rather shabby CENTENARY, the Victoria Mill Clyde empty yard shunter, makes a foray from the mill yard to place empties in the first loop on the Bambaroo line.

Herbert River District 12 October 2014

The morning involved a tour of the district with Chris Hart.

Victoria Mill's Walkers sugar loco CLEM H McCOMISKIE brings a load of raw sugar into Lucinda

Sugarworld Shuttle, a EM Baldwin 4wDH on loan to the sugar terminal from Victoria Mill, hauls 23 sugar boxes from CLEM's load into the terminal facility

Macknade Mill's Baldwin DARWIN brings a load across Ripple Creek

Clyde in the bush - PERTH on the Lannercost Extension

Old horse line bridge in the Upper Stone

What remains of the old horse line bridge on the opposite bank

Remote control shunting. the driver on the ground with his control unit. Loco is Victoria Mill's EM Baldwin B-B DH HOMEBUSH II. at Kirkwood's Road Junction, Black Rock

40-tonne Walkers HERBERT II heads south from Victoria Mill with empties near Tokalon

The end of HERBERT II's train passes by as JOURAMA prepares to head in towards the mill at Toobanna

Herbert River District 11 October 2014

Saturday morning was the occasion of the launch of the book, followed by the Centenary Celebration of Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 HOMEBUSH and free train rides for the public.

Ian Stocks presents Paul Giordani (Wilmar) with a copy of the book

Centenary celebration at Victoria Mill

There were big crowds to ride the train

The Macknade desk in the traffic control office

Christopher Hart having a great day

ALBANY - the EM Baldwin depot shunter at Victoria Mill

EM Baldwin WALLAMAN with its Clyde brake truck at the Victoria Mill locoshed

Clyde HG-3R PERTH brings in fulls to Victoria Mill from the Lucinda line.

Macknade Mill's EM Baldwin 0-6-0DH 14 hauling the raw sugar train back to the mill. The brake wagon has come from RYNNE, a Victoria Mill locomotive

. . . and here is RYNNE, a rebuilt EM Baldwin, hauling a train towards Victoria Mill at Trebonne.

The Herbert River district, Queensland 10 October 2014

A trip to Ingham with David Mewes and Ian Stocks to launch our new book 'Salute to the Hudswells'

The launch will take place tomorrow in connection with the centenary celebrations of Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 HOMEBUSH during the annual Maraka Festival.

On arriving in Ingham, there was a chance to look for some cane trains at Victoria and Macknade Mills.

Victoria Mill's 40-tonne Walkers B-B DH VICTORIA picking up fulls at Toobanna

VICTORIA's remotely controlled brake wagons at the rear of the train

Mackande Mill's EM Baldwin B-B DH 19 waiting to return to the mill from the Central line

Macknade loco shed - one Clyde DHI and two Clyde HG-3R 0-6-0DH locos

From this side the Macknade shed looks little changed from steam days - with EM Baldwin 0-6-0DH HOBART and bogie Baldwin 20

At Victoria Mill, Clyde CENTENARY is the empty shunter