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A & D Munro – Shay No.1 Statically displayed at Ravensbourne |
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Munro Shay No.1 displayed at Palmtree, Qld on 16 March
2019, as newly restored by the Munro Tramway Historical Group Inc.
My thanks go to Chris Tait for
contributing this & other views (below) of Munro Shay No.1 at Palmtree.
Comparison with earlier photographs of the jumble of
smashed and corroded parts shows the extraordinary transformation that has been
achieved.
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Builder |
Lima
Locomotive Works, |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
906 of 1904 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
A-Type (2 trucks, 2 cylinders) |
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This small
A-type Shay locomotive was built by Lima Locomotive Works, Ohio as the first
of two Shays purchased a timber line known as Munro's Hampton Tramway, which
was built to 2' 6" gauge and very steep gradients of up to 1:9. The line
followed Perseverance Creek for part of its length and is sometimes referred to
as Munro's Hampton-Perseverance Tram. Munro's
Hampton Tramway closed in 1936 and the two Shay
locomotives remained at the Palmtree mill site, slowly slipping into
dereliction. At some stage they were scavenged for scrap metal, with damage
to the boilers showing that explosives were used to smash the cylinder
assemblies. It seems the scrap collectors were perhaps only interested in the
non-ferrous metals, as the smashed cylinder assemblies and most other components
remained on site. The remaining components of the two Shay locomotives were
donated to the Illawarra Light Railway Museum Society in 1974 and transported
to their Albion Park museum in New South Wales. The
Illawarra Light Railway Museum Society (ILRMS) is slowly rebuilding the
salvaged components of the two Shay locomotives into a single operable
exhibit, based on Munro Shay No.2 Lima
B/N 2097. After many years of storage at Albion Park, a Shay boiler, tender
tank, 2' 6" bogies and other components deemed surplus to the ILRMS Shay
locomotive rebuild were sold in 2006 to Sketches Mountain Resort at
Ravensbourne, Queensland. Sketches Mountain Resort is apparently situated
near the route of Munro's Hampton Tramway and the resort was planning a
static display of a Shay locomotive in a replica engine shed. The Shay
components departed the ILRMS at Albion Park for Ravensbourne on 14 February
2006. In 2017 I received updated
information that the Sketches Mountain Resort had been sold and a new group
‘Munro Tramway Historical Group Inc.’ had taken over preserving the Shay
locomotive parts, with plans to mount the locomotive at Ravensbourne (Sports
Grounds) beside the former Tramway route. This group has established a website
providing history of Munro’s Hampton Tramway, the Shay locomotives and their
rebuild project. Static restoration of
Munro Shay No.1 was finally completed on Saturday 30 March 2019 with a
ceremony at Ravensbourne Sports Grounds to mark the achievement. Certainly
the restored Munro Shay No.1 is an amazing transformation from the jumble of
smashed and decayed components that had remained. Munro Shay No.1 is
displayed under a suitable weather roof to prevent further exposure, and one
side of the locomotive has been left partially unrestored to provide some
interpretation of what remnants the preservationists had started with. Fact
sheets for the two Munro Shays (Lima B/Nos. 906
& 2097) can be found at the excellent Shaylocomotives.com
website. |
This interpretive sign is displayed alongside Munro Shay
No.1 at Ravensbourne.
The photo sequence shows No.1 in
operation, and the two Shays derelict in the early 1970’s.
The third of the three B&W at the
bottom say “S/N 906 remains in the 1970’s. Restoration began in 2017”
In fact that
photo was taken by the webmaster at Albion Park on 13 October 2002; the
original appears below.
None-the-less, this photo provides an insight into the
extraordinary achievement of the Munro Tramway Historical Group!
Front view of A & D Munro Shay No.1 at Ravensbourne on
16 March 2019.
Two silver-painted stanchions provide
support for the elderly loco frames.
This photo was kindly contributed by Chris Tait.
Rear view of A & D Munro Shay No.1 at Ravensbourne on
16 March 2019.
Two silver-painted stanchions at rear
provide support for the elderly loco frames.
This photo was kindly contributed by Chris Tait.
Front view of A & D Munro Shay No.1 under restoration
at Ravensbourne on 9 February 2019; photo courtesy of Chris Tait.
Cylinders & footplate of A & D Munro Shay No.1 at Ravensbourne
on 9 February 2019; photo courtesy of Chris Tait.
Rear view of A & D Munro Shay No.1 under restoration at
Ravensbourne on 9 February 2019; photo courtesy of Chris Tait.
The original bunker of A & D Munro No.1 in storage
among other bric-a-brac at Albion Park on 13 October 2002.
The faded black paint & lettering probably relates to
the 1978-79 period when No.2 was reassembled for static display.
The boiler of Munro Shay No.1 in storage at Albion Park on
13 October 2002.
This photo provides an insight into the
achievement of the Munro Tramway Historical Group Inc!
(This rather poor photograph was taken by the webmaster
with a first generation 2MP digital camera.)
A second view of the boiler of Munro Shay No.1 in storage
at Albion Park on 13 October 2002.
Visible on the firebox sheets are indents where the
cylinder castings have been blasted off.
References
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a |
http://www.shaylocomotives.com/
website, viewed 13 April 2019. |
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b |
'Light
Railways - Australia's Magazine of Industrial & Narrow Gauge Railways', Number
188, April 2006. Published
by Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. |
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c |
Information
provided via email by Chris Tait on 18 March 2019. |
Page updated: 10 August 2026
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