Large Scale Central

I need a little help from you Aussies

Prototypes
#1

I’ve become very interested in the 2’ gauge sugar cane railroads and am looking for any drawings, dimensions and other data I can get my hands on for the Clyde and Baldwin (and any other manufacturer) locomotives used by the industry. Information on the cane cars would also be appreciated. I’ve decided to turn one of my cheapie GE center cabs into a reasonable representation in 7/8 scale of one of those locomotives. I’ve got a fair number of pictures of the various locomotives but it’s just difficult to figure sizes without some basic information.

Thanks in advance.

#2

Hello Warren.

You could always start here.

http://www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRz.htm

The society is very helpful and can probably steer you better than I could, to where you want to go.

#3

http://zelmeroz.com/archives/1998/ng_cane/QCane99.pdf has a schematic of a cane line. There’s a bibliography at the end of the PDF that might help you.

#4

Thanks for your help! I think I’ve found what I need…:slight_smile:

#5

Back in 1980 I saw a small shay, probably 2’ gauge, that had a cab with porthole windows. I can’t remember exactly where it was and alas, I can’t find the photo. But it stuck in my mind. Some day I might even do that to a Bachmann shay.

#6

Kevin, Do you mean this 2 ft gauge one that used to be running near Denver.

It didn’t run too well, so it was pushed around the loop by the German made Krauss behind it. :wink:

#7

There’ve been a couple good articles in the last several issues of NG&SL Gazzette about sugar cane railways. They were in Louisiana, but lots of good pictures.

#8
TonyWalsham said:
Kevin, Do you mean this 2 ft gauge one that used to be running near Denver.
I was referring to one I saw in Queensland. It was unusual because it had porthole windows.
#9
Kevin Morris said:
TonyWalsham said:
Kevin, Do you mean this 2 ft gauge one that used to be running near Denver.
I was referring to one I saw in Queensland. It was unusual because it had porthole windows.
Were you in Australia when you saw the porthole Shay?

I could of course be wrong, but, as far as I know we never had any 2ft gauge Shays in Australia. We did have some 3 ft gauge ones that came down from NSW and ran on the Powelltown timber tramway until 1940 ish.
We also had the last Climax ever built, # 1694, which is still in existence and running on the 30" gauge Puffing Billy line near where I live.

#10
TonyWalsham said:
Were you in Australia when you saw the porthole Shay?

I could of course be wrong, but, as far as I know we never had any 2ft gauge Shays in Australia. We did have some 3 ft gauge ones that came down from NSW and ran on the Powelltown timber tramway until 1940 ish.
We also had the last Climax ever built, # 1694, which is still in existence and running on the 30" gauge Puffing Billy line near where I live.


Well, it was 1980, and Queensland was under the rule of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, so some would argue that it wasn’t Australia :wink:

I’m only guessing that it was 2’ gauge, but it was in sugar cane country so I made that assumption. It may have been in the Bundaberg area but I can’t remember precisely. It wasn’t operating, but on display in a park or maybe company grounds. I took a photo but I’m buggered if I can find it. A lot of things got lost when I moved to Canada.

A friend in Newcastle told me about the porthole shay long before I saw it, so I’m not the only one.

#11

A little information that I am able to dig up. In 1908 Lima built a locomotive (build #2091) with a wheel arrangement B-B for Moreton Central Mill. This would indicate that it was a geared locomotive (2 truck). It was originally named Dulong but shortly after WWII it was rebuilt and renamed “Shay”. Last I can currently find on the locomotive for location is that it was on display in Mapleton in 1988. No pictures…yet. It is still listed as “On Static Display” but doesn’t say where.

#12

Thanks Warren.

Kevin,

I stand corrected.

Here is a link to the mapleton Tramway where the Shay ran.

http://www.starfieldobservatory.com/MapletonTram.htm

Be sure and navigate by the index.
There are a number of pix of the Shays.

#13

UPDATE There seems to have been 3 shays that existed in the sugar cane region (that I can find record of). They were Dulong and Mapleton which were 2’ gauge Limas and belonged to Moreton Central Mill. The 3rd shay was also a Lima but it was 42" gauge and used by the Buderim Tramway. As far as I’ve been able to determine, it wasn’t used for sugar transport. Back to Dulong and Mapleton. Dulong was rebuilt in 1948 using donor parts from Mapleton and became the locomotive known as “Shay”. I’ve found drawings of all 3 locomotives and none had portholes. Below I will post elevations of Dulong/Mapleton and Shay. Though I have not posted the elevations showing the front windows, I do have them and as I said they are rectangular. The Buderim locomotive looks like Dulong/Mapleton prior to rebuild but somewhat larger and with a straight stack. Mapleton/Dulong prior to rebuild

Shay

#14

An update to the update…:smiley: Here is a pic of Shay in sugar cane use. She’s seen with a rake of full whole stick trucks.

#15
Warren Mumpower said:
An update to the update....:D

Here is a pic of Shay in sugar cane use. She’s seen with a rake of full whole stick trucks.


I guess that was the one I saw. Strange how memory plays tricks.

Hmm. I wonder if Melissa was as gorgeous as I remember??

#16

Most likely that was the one you saw. You mentioned Bundaburg, and Moreton Mill was a Bundaburg mill. There was a big yellow Bundaburg sign almost next to the locomotive. Moreton Mill was located virtually downtown Nambour. The mill closed in 2003.

#17

Gotta hand it 2 U, lads - there has been some serious research going on here. As a history lover, I find this thread fascinating!

#18

The lil Moreton Shay sat next to the Nambour Mill Carpark for many years…in a fenced off area next to a school. About 50ft away sat a Fowler 0-6-0T, ‘Eudelo’, a sister to identical loco ‘Coolum’, which sat at the Big Pineapple for many years…now gone too. The Shay was the last of several, and may infact be all of them in one. After the Mill closed in 2003, the entire Mill structure was demolised. I visited most recently in Nov 2006 and there was no sign of the mill or Shay at Nambour…no sign of the Nambour Heritage at all. The town had a small 0-4-0T further up the hill called ‘Valdora’, but she was long gone aslo.

The Shay did indeed have Porthole windows and was called ‘Shay’. I saw it many times through the 1980s, it had always been well looked after and kept painted. Today the Shay is awaiting cosmetic restoration at the ‘Workshops Museum’ at Ipswitch Queensland (a satelite city next to Brisbane). I have some photos of the loco taken in Nov 2006 - still strapped to the Flat car. I’ll need to scan them…are you interested?

As to what became of Euedelo, Valdora and Coolum, I know not. I read someplace that Valdora is privately owned now. The Moreton Mill also had a Kraus 0-6-0 called ‘Moreton’…this one I found dieselised at the Ginger Museum and plantation near Noosa last year. (The loco looks OK, but is pushed by a Diesel powered tender).

David.

#19

Thanks David. I’d love to see the photos.

It’s a sign of the wonders of the information highway when Warren, in Spokane, Washington, can providie information on Oz railways to Aussies.

#20

It’s strange that you also say “Shay” had porthole windows. I have a number of pictures of it but none show it with portholes. I’m wondering, since 2 people say they have seen her with portholes, if there were temporary mods made to the cab to make it appear with portholes while it was on display at the school or in Mapleton. Both displays occurred during the 80’s. Shay with rectangular windows in the 50’s

Shay with rectangular windows in retirement

Back to more historical information. Here’s a builder’s photo of Mapleton at Lima ready to ship to Australia in 1914. The stack was replaced with a diamond stack upon arrival in Australia and the bell was sold to a school in the early 20’s.

Also, David mentioned several other Moreton locomotives. Below I’ve included pictures of them too for those that are not familiar with them. Coolum

Valdora and Eudlo

Moreton (Who now has a motorized tender for power)

David, I would appreciate any other pictures of Shay you are willing to share. Any pix of the other Moreton locomotives would be appreciated too.