It all started with a locomotive, a dream and a new block....
Once B15 and Fred had become running concerns the next thing to build was a track, however the old "Mount Crosby" workshop would have only made for an industrial incline railway. So the search started for an new piece of land to build a house, workshop and a railway on. We hit gold when a property was found near the original Brisbane Valley Branchline.
The property had a nice clear gently sloping front section (perfect for house and "traditional QGR grass fields"), while in the middle section is a lovely creek with sandstone, and at the lower section of the property was a 6m waterfall and dense forest.
"The Waterfall Lagoon"
The property had a nice clear gently sloping front section (perfect for house and "traditional QGR grass fields"), while in the middle section is a lovely creek with sandstone, and at the lower section of the property was a 6m waterfall and dense forest.
"The Waterfall Lagoon"
So what are we doing?
The plan has been simple, make a real "Drivers Railway"... that means long steep grades, sharp curves, no running in circles, scenic bridge, prototypical railway safeworking and scale signalling.
We also liked the idea of having traditional branch line industry along the line, these could include steam powered saw mills, cattle and sheep sidings.
So far the route is progressing nicely; the upper balloon loop around the house is laid, ballasted and landscaped and the station and yards at Lamington are complete. (stations shown in green, below) Ahead, the difficult "out of ground" traverse to the next station, is open including the twin "Fairney View Bridges" (a 1:6 reproduction of the one linked below) and their associated embankments.
No 2 station, Aramac Junction, has a 25 metre passing loop, while the yards lead is the current unloading ramp. The road crossing, with cattle grids and signs, is poured, and the big rock which halted progress, has now yielded to a jackhammer assault. Mid July 2013 saw track laid through to Forsayth, with passing loop and resited turntable.
December 2013 saw track reach the next station, Laura. It has required a complete rethink of the original track alignment to avoid some saturated subgrade, but has allowed an extra station on the deviation, Mt Crosby. This work was successful and the triangle turnaround became operational. In March 2014, the jungle on the other side of the creek, was explored to find a way through to Chillagoe. Late 2014 saw track laid through to Chillagoe, but currently stops just short of the station. 2015 should see some progress at Canungra, the end of the line. This will require yet another bridge plus the turntable relocated from Forsayth. Any further expansion will be on a "suck it and see" basis.
October 2015 The track is now complete right through to Canungra, where it is neccesary to run round the train and turn on the turntable. Further expansion is not expected in the forseeable future. 1.9km round trip is enough!
As one commentator put it "Queensland Railways - Where flat and straight are dirty words".
We also liked the idea of having traditional branch line industry along the line, these could include steam powered saw mills, cattle and sheep sidings.
So far the route is progressing nicely; the upper balloon loop around the house is laid, ballasted and landscaped and the station and yards at Lamington are complete. (stations shown in green, below) Ahead, the difficult "out of ground" traverse to the next station, is open including the twin "Fairney View Bridges" (a 1:6 reproduction of the one linked below) and their associated embankments.
No 2 station, Aramac Junction, has a 25 metre passing loop, while the yards lead is the current unloading ramp. The road crossing, with cattle grids and signs, is poured, and the big rock which halted progress, has now yielded to a jackhammer assault. Mid July 2013 saw track laid through to Forsayth, with passing loop and resited turntable.
December 2013 saw track reach the next station, Laura. It has required a complete rethink of the original track alignment to avoid some saturated subgrade, but has allowed an extra station on the deviation, Mt Crosby. This work was successful and the triangle turnaround became operational. In March 2014, the jungle on the other side of the creek, was explored to find a way through to Chillagoe. Late 2014 saw track laid through to Chillagoe, but currently stops just short of the station. 2015 should see some progress at Canungra, the end of the line. This will require yet another bridge plus the turntable relocated from Forsayth. Any further expansion will be on a "suck it and see" basis.
October 2015 The track is now complete right through to Canungra, where it is neccesary to run round the train and turn on the turntable. Further expansion is not expected in the forseeable future. 1.9km round trip is enough!
As one commentator put it "Queensland Railways - Where flat and straight are dirty words".
What's in a name?
Tramway is the term for a railway built to QR standards but not built by QR.
Station names are chosen from some of Queenslands scenic tramways.
LAMINGTON. Beaudesert (Council)Tramway. Nr Mt Tamborine
ARAMAC. Aramac (Shire) Tramway. Nr Barcaldine
FORSAYTH Chillagoe Mining Co. Nr Georgetown.
CHILLAGOE " " " Cairns tableland
LAURA Cooktown (Shire) Tramway. Cooktown
MT CROSBY Ipswich to Mt Crosby waterworks
BARAKULA Government sawmill Chinchilla
BARGARA Seaside line from Bundaberg
BELMONT Brisbane City Council powerhouse line.
CANUNGRA Logging line for Laheys Sawmill, built to 3'6" gauge and ran geared locos
Tramway is the term for a railway built to QR standards but not built by QR.
Station names are chosen from some of Queenslands scenic tramways.
LAMINGTON. Beaudesert (Council)Tramway. Nr Mt Tamborine
ARAMAC. Aramac (Shire) Tramway. Nr Barcaldine
FORSAYTH Chillagoe Mining Co. Nr Georgetown.
CHILLAGOE " " " Cairns tableland
LAURA Cooktown (Shire) Tramway. Cooktown
MT CROSBY Ipswich to Mt Crosby waterworks
BARAKULA Government sawmill Chinchilla
BARGARA Seaside line from Bundaberg
BELMONT Brisbane City Council powerhouse line.
CANUNGRA Logging line for Laheys Sawmill, built to 3'6" gauge and ran geared locos
Track plan Solid red line = current track.(March 2015) Yellow = walking tracks
Normally staff and ticket working is used. Single line sections require you to obtain the staff (stored on the semphore signal posts). When more than a few trains are running, CTC (central traffic control) is substituted. See diagram below for controlled sections.
A video of the track to Laura as a cab ride.
The Original BVR
The Brisbane Valley Branch is one of the most lamented losses to Queensland Rail fans. The first of many branch lines in the state it boasted steep grades (up to 1:30), tight curves (5 chain) and some of the most idylic scenery in the state. However it was for these very reasons it was closed in 1989 (it is rather hard to justify a 2 hour 30km journey). Below is a video of some of the final services over the branch to give you an idea of what was there.