Other Railways

Railways in Queensland extended well beyond the government rail network.

Individuals, companies and local authorities built railways for various uses: to haul logs of timber out of forests, to carry minerals, and to take sugar cane to the mill.

Most private lines were built cheaply, hauling a single commodity on a very narrow gauge (610 mm or two foot).

Queensland today has an extensive network of private railways hauling millions of tonnes each year.

Learn about the Cane tramways of Queensland and the Local government lines in this interesting display.

Cane tramways of Queensland

Tramways have been a vital part of the sugar industry in Queensland for more than 120 years.

An efficient transport system has always been important in the sugar industry. During the crushing season, crushed cane must be carted to the mill quickly to prevent the sugar content deteriorating.

There are 26 sugar mills in Queensland. All but three mills operate their own private railway systems to carry cane to the crushing mills.

Today there are more than 4100 kilometres of privately owned railways using over 250 diesel locomotives and some 50 000 cane trucks.

All except one of these railway systems is of 610 mm (2 foot) gauge - Pioneer Mill, Brandon.

No.3 Flash - on display at The Workshops Rail Museum

This locomotive was built in 1948 for the Proserpine Co-operative Sugar Milling Association's Proserpine Mill. It was made by the South Australia firm of Perry Engineering, who made 19 steam locomotives for the sugar industry in Queensland.

The locomotive was sold in 1964 to the Fairymead Sugar Company and worked at the Fairymead Mill in the Bundaberg districts for six years. The Millaquin Sugar Company then purchased it for use at its Qunaba Mill, also in the Bundaberg district.

Qunaba Mill was the last sugar mill in Queensland to exclusively use the steam locomotive to haul sugar cane. All its steam locomotives were withdrawn from service in 1978.

Local government lines

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Queensland government was building railway lines as fast as possible. The government could not always satisfy the demand. Some shire councils built their own lines.

Several lines were built in north Queensland by local councils: Proserpine to Bowen, Ayr to Townsville and Cairns to Babinda. These lines were later taken over by the state government and became part of the North Coast line.

Some lines, such as the Aramac Tramway, from Barcaldine to Aramac in central-west Queensland, never became part of the government railway network. The Aramac Shire Council constructed this line in 1913. Queensland Railways assisted the Council in many ways, from training staff to lending locomotives. The line closed in 1975.