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Tully
Mill No.5 is typical of the many small steam locomotives which worked the 2’
gauge sugar tramways of Queensland. It is one of a batch of five locos
ordered for Tully Central Sugar Mill, arriving in early 1925 and numbered 1
- 5. At that time Tully Mill was under construction by the Queensland state
government, and in 1931 the mill was sold to local growers to become the
Tully Co-operative Sugar Milling Association Ltd. Loco No.5 received a
number of modifications from its original Fowler design during its years of
sugar haulage at Tully Mill, including extended water tanks, the addition
of a rear coal bunker and a modified smokebox door.
Tully
Mill No.5 was withdrawn from service in 1961 and placed in a local park. Tully
is situated in Queensland’s tropical north and is known as the wettest town
in Australia – fittingly celebrated by ‘big thing’ attraction The Golden
Gumboot! Presumably the wet climate caused rapid deterioration of this
little loco, or perhaps it became a maintenance burden. In any case, in 1972
it was sold to Bruce Macdonald and departed Tully for the growing
collection of 2’ gauge steam locomotives at the Museum of Historic Engines,
Goulburn, NSW, based at the historic pump house at
Marsden Weir.
After
a brief stay at Goulburn, a further change of ownership came in 1973 when
Tully Mill No.5 moved to the Lachlan Vintage Village at Forbes, NSW, where
it re-joined sister loco Tully Mill No.4. The Lachlan
Vintage Village was an interesting working museum featuring relocated
historical buildings, a recreated Aboriginal encampment and other displays
relevant to the region. A 2’ gauge railway provided tourist trips around
the village, and a standard gauge railway also ringed the site.
Unfortunately the Lachlan Vintage Village did not succeed as an ongoing
concern, passing to Forbes Shire Council in 1981 and then to the O’Keefe
Family Trust in 1984. While Tully Mill No.4 was operational at the Lachlan
Vintage Village, it seems that No.5 was only used for spare parts. During
this time it lost its water tanks and chimney.
The
Lachlan Vintage Village railway assets (including Beyer-Garratt 6042) were
sold at auction in 1986, with Tully Mill No.5 being purchased privately.
After a short stay at Swan Hill it joined the owner’s interesting
collection of steam machinery on a rural site outside Echuca, Victoria. The
owner kindly permitted me to view his collection on 23 March 2005 and the
photos of Tully Mill No.5 on this page date from that visit. Here the loco
remained in open storage for 32 years, but the climate at Echuca is
relatively favourable to outdoor storage of vintage machinery, and no
further parts were lost.
Unfortunately
the owner passed away in 2016, and in 2018 his estate sold Tully Mill No.5
to a UK enthusiast for his Richmond Valley Light Railway, Kent. The loco
returned to the UK in 2019, and after a further change of ownership, it
arrived at The
Steam Workshops, Leeds on 9th December 2019 where a full restoration to
operation is now underway. I understand the intention is to remove the
modifications made at Tully Mill, returning the loco to as-built Fowler
design.
While
I am always sorry to see Australian steam locos departing these shores,
none-the-less it is good to see a capable and well-resourced team
rebuilding and restoring this machine – which has otherwise been static
since 1961! The Steam Workshop website provides a detailed and
well-illustrated history for Tully Mill No.5, together with restoration progress.
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