DIG:
The sugar cane industry is huge Oily they have their own network of rail engines and rail cars which i understand are capable of hauling 1000ton loads and Bundaberg is the home of the rum distillery so your relations were pioneers in that industry.
There is a tv program about the operation of growing cutting hauling and processing the cane Discovery channel I think a very interesting show.
Cheers Dig
The front of that train is only just missing the ground and a very narrow guage Dig. Nice pic chap.
It might seem a tiny little vehicle for pulling so much weight, but have you seen the size of the engine, and imagined that tucked under a truck cab?
I worked in the Queensland cane fields, though not in the gangs but with the testing station where we had to cut raw cane (before it is burnt) for the lab, and I did see those little motors chugging along. Not sure how far they went though, and I can’t remember any hills.
Any idea of what engine might be in that thing Dig?
I’ve got a couple of pics of the railmotors that were used for passenger transport in the Queensland back country, I’ll try and dig them out. They were UK buses of the era, lifted from their axles and placed on railway running gear. The driver sat there just like a country bus driver but with the steering wheel removed. He looked a bit lost I thought with nowhere to put his hands.
The one I rode to work in was a Crossley, infamous as Black and Tans transport during the Irish war of independence, but I couldn’t find a picture. I think the ones I have are AECs.
DIG:
The sugar cane industry is huge Oily they have their own network of rail engines and rail cars which i understand are capable of hauling 1000ton loads and Bundaberg is the home of the rum distillery so your relations were pioneers in that industry.
There is a tv program about the operation of growing cutting hauling and processing the cane Discovery channel I think a very interesting show.
Cheers Dig
The front of that train is only just missing the ground and a very narrow guage Dig. Nice pic chap.
It might seem a tiny little vehicle for pulling so much weight, but have you seen the size of the engine, and imagined that tucked under a truck cab?
I worked in the Queensland cane fields, though not in the gangs but with the testing station where we had to cut raw cane (before it is burnt) for the lab, and I did see those little motors chugging along. Not sure how far they went though, and I can’t remember any hills.
Any idea of what engine might be in that thing Dig?
I’ve got a couple of pics of the railmotors that were used for passenger transport in the Queensland back country, I’ll try and dig them out. They were UK buses of the era, lifted from their axles and placed on railway running gear. The driver sat there just like a country bus driver but with the steering wheel removed. He looked a bit lost I thought with nowhere to put his hands.
The one I rode to work in was a Crossley, infamous as Black and Tans transport during the Irish war of independence, but I couldn’t find a picture. I think the ones I have are AECs.
I only know pretty much what I have heard or read about the cane fields train that is there is approx 4000kms of tracks some are as you said Froggy 2foot grade and the other grade is about a metre can’t help you with the engines David but I reckon they are probably the same as most large trucks say 600hp probably diesel electric these days.
The season goes for about 20 weeks a year and I know the cane has to be crushed within 24 hours of it being cut so its a pretty intense sort of freight industry also it takes 8 tons of unprocessed cane to make one ton of raw sugar.
Best I can do men
Cheers Dig
Best I could find at short notice, this AEC, but the ones I rode were singles, no 2nd carriage and no platforms. Just a sign alongside the track but you could flag them down anywhere as I recall.
Sorry for a bit of thread drift, but all connected, one way or the other.
DIG:
The sugar cane industry is huge Oily they have their own network of rail engines and rail cars which i understand are capable of hauling 1000ton loads and Bundaberg is the home of the rum distillery so your relations were pioneers in that industry.
There is a tv program about the operation of growing cutting hauling and processing the cane Discovery channel I think a very interesting show.
Cheers Dig
combi89:
The oldest picture I found about the history of NICOLAS …. wood wheels manufacture then build … planes before the second war …. and heavy trailers at the beginning of 1950’s … the old truck is a LATIL
3
Thats a cracking pic “combi89”.
Out of intrest would you have any photos of ERF Europeans that operated in France on heavy haulage ?
We know P.Brame,Cauvas and Loste all operated them.I believe that Loste were bought by Stsi.
Strangely, during my career, I never seen ERF trucks at Nicolas plant … perhaps I am to young ….
DIG:
The sugar cane industry is huge Oily they have their own network of rail engines and rail cars which i understand are capable of hauling 1000ton loads and Bundaberg is the home of the rum distillery so your relations were pioneers in that industry.
There is a tv program about the operation of growing cutting hauling and processing the cane Discovery channel I think a very interesting show.
Cheers Dig
combi89:
The oldest picture I found about the history of NICOLAS …. wood wheels manufacture then build … planes before the second war …. and heavy trailers at the beginning of 1950’s … the old truck is a LATIL
3
Thats a cracking pic “combi89”.
Out of intrest would you have any photos of ERF Europeans that operated in France on heavy haulage ?
We know P.Brame,Cauvas and Loste all operated them.I believe that Loste were bought by Stsi.
Strangely, during my career, I never seen ERF trucks at Nicolas plant … perhaps I am to young ….
And I didn’t find any pictures of them …sorry
Don’t pay too much attention to these ERF fans combi89, they’re quite harmless, but please try to ignore them when they’re on about the ERF European model…
Spardo:
Best I could find at short notice, this AEC, but the ones I rode were singles, no 2nd carriage and no platforms. Just a sign alongside the track but you could flag them down anywhere as I recall.
Sorry for a bit of thread drift, but all connected, one way or the other.
No worries Spardo, quite interesting to drift off topic from time to time
However, if I may I want to steer this… train back on track
They’ve got quite some kit, in 2015 I was delivering generators to a windturbine site in Holland, was a project for 20+ turbines, and these lads did all the transport on site, were a couple of MAN’s IIRC.
