Historic trains begin the long ride to Longreach
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
The Queensland Rail Ipswich workshop farewells two of its favourite items today, historic 2000 class rail motors that have found a new home in the outback.
Rail motors are self-propelled railway cars, fondly remembered by train enthusiasts as silver bullets.
They were built by Commonwealth Engineering at Rocklea for the Queensland Railways between 1956 and 1971.
Rail motors were a common sight on Brisbane’s southside and the Corinda-Yeerongpilly shuttle.
They also operated on the north coast line to Gympie and Bundaberg, and were used for special tours to Toowoomba for the Carnival of Flowers.
These rail motors were removed from service in 2000 but have been retained by Queensland Rail for charter and departmental work.
Today, the rail motors begin a long truck ride to their new home in Longreach at Outback Aussie Tours.
Owners, Alan and Sue Smith, have been building a new maintenance facility and rail siding that will become the Outback Rail Adventure.
Alan said he’s excited to bring the iconic rail motors to the outback and share them with locals and tourists.
“Whether you like trains or like the outback, or both, this is going to be a new and entertaining experience in Longreach.
“We have such a great number of attractions here in Longreach and surrounding localities for visitors to come and enjoy.
“It’s going to be great to add another unique attraction to outback Queensland’s tourism offerings.
“Phase one includes the Great Darr River Run, the Silver Tail Sunset, the historic Ilfracombe Excursion, and the Old Bluey’s Flyer.
“Future phases will include Barcaldine, Emerald, and Winton.
“All going according to plan, we hope to have the refurbished rail motors operational in Longreach by early 2023, with train experiences commencing in May 2023.”
The 22-tonne railmotors are just over 17 metres long. They’ll be transported to Longreach on a specialised flatbed tilt truck, travelling over 1100km to their new home.
