Nambour Cane Trains

["David Brown" <davidgbrown@optusnet.com.au>]

On this wet bleak old weekend in the so called Great South East, I thought
readers might be interested to know of the status of the cane workings on
the Nambour mill system this year. Well as can be expected they have had
quite a few derailments and innumerable wet spots this year in the track and
I believe right now they have stopped crushing for a week or so due to the
rains.

The ex QR 1958 vintage DUNETHIN has been working the Punt line out from Bli
Bli towards Marcoola mostly on a daily basis, and a similar arrangement has
worked on the Eudlo Creek and Paynter Creek lines worked by PETRIE, the 1968
EMB (not the prettiest loco in the fleet). BLI BLI has been working up the
line to River Bridge and the little branches as well in between.

At River Bridge where there is a small depot by the Maroochy River
accessible by road from the Yandina to Bli Bli Road, JAMAICA (the ex QR loco
and probably the system's nicest looking loco) has been doing the collection
of bins from little branches in the area, with MORETON being used on the
longer hauls down from Valdora and Yandina Creek and other like lines. There
are two small multi unit locos, VALDORA and MAROOCHY, that multi couple work
some of the lighter lines round River Bridge (it is amazing that there are
still sections of 30 lb rail in the area). A few weekends ago I watched
about six bins come off the Barracks line as VALDORA and MAROOCHY moved
along it at a sedate pace.

COOLUM has been virtually restricted to the Nambour Rosemount area and seems
to be somewhat of a white elephant. As the biggest loco in the fleet (the
only bogie EMB) you would think she would be doing the big long hauls on the
main line.

The crews are frustrated by the poor condition of much of the track and the
investment in the railway tracks is nothing compared to a mill like Tully
where concrete sleepers and metal ballast abound. I suspect that it is being
let run down for the long term future for the mill at Nambour is not bright.
Increasing urbanisation, the endless wet Dry seasons of the last few years
impacting on sugar quality, flooding of Brazilian sugar imports and the poor
quality of prices mean that mills like this are going to have an
increasingly hard time. I would be doubtful if it lasts longer than 2008 and
so the photographers should target it. As one of the last of the old style
60s tramways with no ballast, timber sleepers and light rail, it is worth a
visit when the weather eventually comes good.

Rod Milne