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Qunaba Mill No.1 ‘Moreland’ Thought to have been scrapped |
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Photo required
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Builder |
John
Fowler & Co, Leeds |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
20284 of 1935 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-2T |
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Locomotive history ‘Moreland’
is one of many Fowler steam locomotives supplied to the sugar cane tramways of
Queensland. This particular example worked at the Qunaba Mill at Mon Repos, where
it was No.1 on the loco roster. Qunaba Mill is situated to the east of
Bundaberg and was one of several mills servicing cane growing in the
Bundaberg area. The intriguing name ‘Qunaba Mill’ is derived from Queensland
National Bank, who were the mortgagee and Mill’s owners at one stage. (Mon
Repos is also known as the site of an important turtle hatchery at the southern end of the Great Barrier
Reef, with an education centre providing guided tours to the beach where
visitors can see turtles hatching and making their way down to the sea.) I
don’t know much about the history of this locomotive, but apparently it was
acquired for private preservation at the end of its career hauling sugar cane.
By the 1970’s it had been relocated to NSW by its new owner. ‘Light
Railways’ magazine of July 1980 describes the Marsden Museum of Historic
Engines (also known as the Goulburn Steam Museum) and the fleet of 2’ gauge
steam locomotives that had assembled there in the 1970’s, including an entry for
Qunaba Mill No.1 ‘Moreland’ (Fowler 20284/35) as privately owned and intended
to be moved to Goulburn. In fact Moreland never arrived at Goulburn, instead
being transferred to the Illawarra Light Railway & Museum Society at
Albion Park. I believe Moreland subsequently departed Albion Park in the
early 1980’s for a private site in Sydney. According
to the Light Railway Research Society of Australia 'Preserved Australian
Sugar Cane Locomotives' list (referenced below), ‘Moreland’ is thought to
have been scrapped at the Sydney suburb of St Mary's NSW in about 1991. (Perhaps
by some miracle it survives in private ownership; it is hard to know the
status of privately owned and housed 2’ gauge locomotives unless the owner is
willing to share information.) Marsden Museum of
Historic Engines / Historic Goulburn Waterworks Museum The
Marsden Museum of Historic Engines (Goulburn Steam Museum) at Marsden Weir,
Goulburn NSW, boasted a 2’ gauge running line alongside the entrance road and
parallel to the Wollondilly River, terminating at the ornate park gates on
the Crookwell Rd. This wonderful industrial heritage site is centred on a
superb Appleby beam steam engine, pump house and Galloway boilers built in 1885
to supply potable water to the growing town of Goulburn. When the old beam
engine was at risk of being scrapped in the early 1950’s, the well-known
steam enthusiast Bruce Macdonald lobbied for its retention and subsequently
restored it to operation in 1956, forming the nucleus of the Marsden Museum
of Historic Engines. The 2’ gauge railway was later added, with a significant
collection of small steam locomotives on site by the early 1970’s. Most of
the locomotives had dispersed to other sites by 1980 and the railway was
removed from the Marsden Steam Museum circa 1989 – there never was a railway
there prior to preservation days, and hence it somewhat confused interpretation
of this State Heritage and National Trust Registered waterworks. The site is
now known as the Historic Goulburn Waterworks Museum and is well worth a
visit, with the Appleby beam engine steamed on operating days together with
pleasant picnic grounds alongside the Marsden Weir. Further Information
and Photos Wanted The
webmaster visited the Marsden Museum of Historic Engines several times as a young
child in the early 1970’s and I have fond memories of these visits, including
Bruce Macdonald starting the Appleby beam engine by giving the massive
flywheel a push! In addition to the beam engine and steam railway, I was fascinated
by the collection of unrestored 2’ gauge steam locomotives stored on sidings there
circa 1974. While
Moreland may be lost, I would greatly appreciate the contribution of
photographs for this locomotive, or information about its history and
reported demise, together with images of the steam operations at Goulburn
Steam Museum and the unrestored locos residing there in the early 1970’s. |
References
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a |
Light
Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site (retrieved 14 January 2021): 'Preserved Australian Sugar Cane Locomotives'
list by John
Browning (www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRc.htm) |
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b |
'Light
Railways', Number 69, July 1980. Published
by Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. |
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c |
Historic Goulburn Waterworks Museum website, Retrieved 14 January 2021. |
Page updated: 14 January 2020
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