Queensland has a fascinating network of sugar cane railways stretching from Bundaberg in the South through to Mossman in the North. 17 sugar mills have railway networks with over 4000km of track across the state. All the mills use 2ft gauge track, except for Pioneer Mill which uses 3ft 6in gauge track.
Locomotives are diesel hydraulic, with ages ranging from 70 years old to brand new (2023 built). Some locomotives have been converted from former Queensland Rail 3ft 6in DH class, or New South Wales Government Railways 4ft 8 1/2in 47 class.
Wagons are unbraked and some trains operate with a remote controlled brake van at the rear of the train to provide additional braking force. Trains can be up to 1km long, consisting of up to 200 wagons with a weight of approximately 1000 tons.
Some trains require two crew members however many locomotives have been converted to driver only operating and can be switched to remote control operation for shunting.
This video contains footage taken in August 2023 of Kalamia Mill's network. Kalamia Mill is near Ayr in Queensland's Burdekin Region, one of the few areas that still burns sugar cane prior to harvesting. Kalamia Mill (as well as the other three mills in the Burdekin Region) are owned by Wilmar Sugar. Invicta, Pioneer and Kalamia Mills all share the same rail network. As Pioneer Mill uses 3ft 6in gauge track, there are lengthy sections of dual gauge 2ft/3ft 6in gauge track in this region.
All four mills in the region are serviced by 3ft 6in bulk sugar trains, operated by Pacific National. These trains unload at Townsville. Whilst the other three mills have dedicated tracks for these trains, a unique feature of Kalamia Mill is a shared 3ft 6in and 2ft dual gauge track between 'Town Siding' in Ayr and the mill. Both cane trains and Pacific National bulk sugar trains share this track for several kilometres to the mill. The bulk sugar trains can be seen in my upcoming series on Queensland Mainline Trains.
In my final video from Kalamia Mill, we see 'Northcote' (1965 Com-Eng loco) departing 'Town Siding' with a rake of loaded bins for the mill. This section of track is the dual gauge section shared by 2ft gauge cane trains and 3ft 6in gauge Pacific National sugar trains.
At twilight we see 'Delta' (1965 Com-Eng loco) running light engine across Burstall Rd after dropping a rake of empty bins into the siding. After coupling back onto the it's train, it departs towards Airdmillan Rd. The train is then seen further along Airdmillan Rd as it heads towards the end of the line.
