RM93 at Golden Gate near Croydon in August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Service type | Passenger train | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current operator(s) | Queensland Rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Start | Normanton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
End | Croydon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance travelled | 151 kilometres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Average journey time | 5 hours full trip 2 hour short trips | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service frequency | Weekly and daily | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) used | Normanton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On-board services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seating arrangements | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Catering facilities | Morning Tea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Entertainment facilities | Guided Commentary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Baggage facilities | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating speed | 40km/h | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track owner(s) | Queensland Rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Gulflander is a passenger train operated by Queensland Rail on the isolated Normanton to Croydon line in the Gulf Country of northern Queensland, Australia. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Steam locomotives were used until 1929. By that stage railmotors had been introduced since 1922. [5] By 1974 the line was under the threat of closure, earning just $3,000 in revenue but costing $64,000 to maintain. [6]
Today the line exists as a tourist attraction and is said to be more an adventure than a train ride. The crews are qualified guides and will stop the train and talk about points of interest. The present three-car railmotor set of RM93 Gardner diesel railmotor and carriages TP1809 and TP1811 is known as "the old Tin Hare". [7]
The service runs once per week to Croydon on Wednesdays, returning to Normanton on Thursdays. Shorter charter services on most other days are also available. [8]
Thirteen power units have been used on the line. It is unusual that of the 13 units, 12 survive in one form or another and most are still in the region due mainly to its remoteness. [2] They are as follows: [9]
A railcar, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach, with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the Great Western, termed such vehicles "railmotors".
Normanton is a small outback cattle town and coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria in Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Shire. In the 2016 census, Normanton had a population of 1,210 people, of whom 743 were Indigenous Australians. It has a tropical savanna climate.
The Lachlan Valley Railway Society is an Australian rail preservation society based in the New South Wales Central Western town of Cowra. It was established in 1974 to preserve and operate former New South Wales Government Railways locomotives and rolling stock. It operates regular heritage train tours to a variety of locations across New South Wales.
The Savannahlander is an Australian passenger train service that operates in Far North Queensland that travels on the Tablelands line from the coastal city of Cairns to Forsayth.
The South Gippsland Railway was a tourist railway located in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controlled a section of the former South Gippsland railway line between Nyora and Leongatha, and operated services from Leongatha to Nyora, via Korumburra, the journey taking about 65 minutes.
The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt 1,067 mm narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of:
Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it.
Jolimont Workshops was a railway workshop operated by the Victorian Railways beside Jolimont Yard, near the Melbourne CBD, Australia. Opened in 1917 and dedicated to the maintenance and repair of electric multiple units and locomotives, it was the first part of the yard to be closed and relocated, with demolition completed in 1994. The site is now part of the Melbourne Park tennis complex.
The Queensland Railways A10 Fairlie class locomotive was a class of 2-4-0 steam locomotives operated by the Queensland Railways.
The Queensland Railways B12 class locomotive was a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotives operated by the Queensland Railways.
The Queensland Railways B13 class locomotive was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives operated by the Queensland Railways.
The 2000 class railcars are a class of self-propelled railcars built by Commonwealth Engineering, Rocklea for the Queensland Railways between 1956 and 1971.
The 1800 class railcars were a class of self-propelled railcars built by Commonwealth Engineering, Granville for the Queensland Railways.
The South African Railways Clayton Railmotor of 1929 was a steam railmotor.
The Normanton to Croydon railway line is a heritage-listed railway line in the Gulf Country of northern Queensland, Australia. The railway line linking Normanton in the Shire of Carpentaria to Croydon in the Shire of Croydon was built between 1888 and 1891 and is the last isolated line of Queensland Rail still in use. It utilises an innovative system of submersible track with patented steel sleepers and retains buildings of considerable architectural and technical interest at its terminus in Normanton. The only train to operate on the line is the weekly Gulflander service operated by a Gardner diesel propelled railmotor and carriages TP1809 and TP1811.
Croydon railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Helen Street, Croydon, Shire of Croydon, Queensland, Australia. It was built from c. 1888 to c. 1891. It is on the Normanton to Croydon railway line. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Normanton railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Matilda Street, Normanton, Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1889. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. It serves as a tourist attraction and station for the Gulflander line.
Aramac Tramway Museum is a heritage-listed former tramway station and now a museum at Boundary Street, Aramac, Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1912 to 1913. It is also known as Aramac Tramway Station. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 26 November 1999.
Blackbull is a rural locality in the Shire of Croydon, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Blackbull had a population of 3 people.