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Chiverton Cobdogla Irrigation & Steam Museum |
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‘Chiverton’ (sans side tanks) stored in the front yard of
the owner’s home at Loftus on 8 January 2006.
Conservation and static restoration were slowly proceeding
at the time of my visit.
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Builder |
Mile
End, Adelaide |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
6671.38.1
of 1938 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-6-2T |
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This locomotive was originally ‘Chiverton’ on the roster
at Kalamia Mill, north of Ayr in the Townsville region of Queensland. Chiverton was acquired for private preservation on 31
January 1975 and transported to the owner’s home in the Sydney suburb of
Loftus, where it arrived on 7 August 1975. The side tanks were apparently in
poor condition and were removed to provide access to the boiler shell for
inspection. The owner kindly permitted the webmaster to view and photograph
his collection at Loftus on 8 January 2006 and the photo on this page dates
from that visit. The owner relocated from Loftus to Junee in 2015 and has
established a private line known as ‘Pete’s Hobby Railway’ on his property
there. Chiverton now sits on an isolated section of track and continues to
slowly receive attention for conservation and display purposes. The Pete’s Hobby
Railway website includes further details for Chiverton and their other
locomotives, together with updates on railway developments on site. A 2018 news item on the Pete’s Hobby Railway website
indicated that Chiverton had recently received a preliminary boiler
inspection which revealed a damaged firebox crown sheet due to the fusible
plug having melted; this damage had presumably led to the loco’s withdrawal
back in 1958. Apparently Chiverton also requires broader curves than those
laid out at Pete’s hobby railway, and hence it is likely to remain on static
display for the foreseeable future. (I previously had this loco listed as 6776.38.1 of 1938 –
as per John Browning’s ‘Australian Sugar Cane locomotives’ list - however the
Pete’s Hobby Railway website lists it as 6671.38.1 and I assume that the
owner has the correct details.) Update: The Cobdogla Irrigation & Steam Museum, South Australia
have now purchased Chiverton, which arrived at their site on 6 October 2024
as announced on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Q9rS4zGDPi8wHbR3/ Their GoFundMe fundraiser states the loco will be returned
to operation. |
Chiverton’s side tanks stored in the front yard of the
owner’s home at Loftus. 8 January 2006.
‘Chiverton’ newly arrived at the Cobdogla Irrigation &
Steam Museum on 8 October 2024 and about to be backed into their Loveday
Workshop,
where it is undergoing a full restoration
to steam operation. This was the first time Chiverton had been undercover in
over 60 years!
This view was kindly contributed by Damien Osborne.
References
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a |
Light
Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site 'Preserved Australian
Sugar Cane Locomotives' list |
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b |
Wikipedia
page for Perry Engineering Co Ltd, |
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c |
Pete’s Hobby Railway website, retrieved 3 September 2018 |
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d |
Cobdogla Irrigation & Steam Museum, Facebook page, retrieved 26
December 2024. |
Page updated: 15 May 2025
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