History of RAVENSHOE RAILWAY

In the year nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, a group of steam railway enthusiasts formed RailCo to begin operating a 1925 D17 Ipswich-made Tank Engine they had restored on the 90 year old Ravenshoe to Tumoulin line.

Engine number 268 is named “Capella” after the town near Mackay where it had stood idle for 13 years.

Capella’s carriages, mostly made from cedar, are from the 1930’s “Sunshine Express” which ran on the main line from Brisbane to Cairns.

All during this time, the RailCo enthusiasts kept their eyes also on an English-built 1927 C17 slowly decaying as a gigantic children’s playground piece in Atherton.  In 1994, this engine was generously loaned to RailCo by the Atherton Rotary Club and the Atherton branch of RailCo was started.

Strong Company and Community support enabled this C17, named “Roger”, to also be returned to full operational condition, beginning the run from Atherton to Herberton.

As time went on, unfortunately at our AGM in 2005, our members had to make a hard decision to downsize the operations back to the Ravenshoe/Tumoulin service only, due to a lack of volunteers and sufficient funds to bring the Atherton/Herberton infrastructure up to Queensland Transport  requirements and standards.  It was at this time also that it was decided to change the company's name from RailCo to the Ravenshoe Railway Company Ltd. Inc.

Over the next twelve/eighteen months the small, but very dedicated band of Ravenshoe volunteers and many community members  bought  the Ravenshoe operation up to the required Queensland Transport standards and also in rearranging the operation it has allowed  the company to run a much more viable operation.

Unfortunately a wildfire just prior to Christmas 2005 took out three spans of one of our railway bridges and some 400 sleepers of our track and this put us some months behind with our recommencement date.

But with our great volunteers and the help of our Community Members, and the Gambling Community Benefit Fund, we were up and running by November 2006.  Whilst the bridge was being repaired, other volunteers got our Section Car and Section Car trolleys ready for service.