Airdmillan

Stored at ANGRMS Woodford

 

Airdmillan in storage at ANGRMS Woodford on 12 April 2003.

It can be seen that the bottoms of the side tanks have rusted though and been cut out above the rivet lines.

This rather low-resolution image was taken on my first generation digital camera.

 

Builder

John Fowler & Co, Leeds

Builder’s Number & Year

20763 of 1935

Wheel Arrangement

0-6-2T

 

This modern 0-6-2T locomotive was among the last steam locomotives built by John Fowler & Co. before their strategic decision to switch to manufacturing internal combustion locomotives. It worked at Kalamia Mill, Ayr, receiving the name ‘Airdmillan’ in reference to a local cane growing area supplying the mill.

In time dieselisation came to Kalamia Mill and in 1962 Airdmillan was retired from cane haulage duties. That year it was plinthed at the mill, but the tropical environment of north Queensland is not favourable to open display, and it seems Airdmillan deteriorated rapidly. By 1975 the loco was in poor condition, and the Australian Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Society (ANGRMS) stepped in to purchase Airdmillan for continued preservation. The loco was transported to Rocklea, Brisbane in 1975 for an initial period of storage, before arriving at their Woodford site in 1979.

ANGRMS is based at Woodford station on the former QR Kilcoy branch, a portion of which has been re-laid to 2’ gauge for heritage train operations and is known as the Woodford Railway. A series of storage sidings at Woodford house Airdmillan and other steam locomotives saved for posterity by ANGRMS, but alas many have not yet received any rehabilitation. ANGRMS has recently constructed a new storage and restoration shed at Woodford, and perhaps Airdmillan will be a beneficiary of this investment.

The ANGRMS collections page for Airdmillan provides some useful technical information for this loco.

References

a

Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site

(retrieved 18 January 2021):

'Preserved Australian Sugar Cane Locomotives' list by John Browning

(www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRc.htm)

b

ANGRMS website, collections page,

retrieved 18 January 2021

Page updated: 28 January 2021

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