Moreton Bay Rail Link

This post emanates from our recent trip to Mango Hill to visit our daughter K. Mainly for the purposes of running (barefoot) I had in advance prepared a map for my OruxMaps app using MOBAC and there are screenshots of some of the resulting tracks in my recent post where I draw attention to the cycle/pedestrian way that accompanies the rail link.

Coming from Ireland where such infrastructure is sadly lacking, I remain pleasantly gobsmacked by the proliferation of cycle/pedestrian ways throughout Brisbane.  This one that follows the railway is great but leaves me wondering - why would I cycle, run or walk when I could take a train or, alternatively, why would I pay to take a train when I could cycle, run or walk?

The housing estate K's house is on is still being built but I had not realised until today that the nearby rail link joining Petrie to Kippa Ring is also new, being first opened in October 2016.  Doubtless this has in turn spawned the housing developments. The YouTube clip below is a time lapse of the construction of Mango Hill station.

The track is of course the usual Queensland narrow gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) as is evident from my picture below.  Traction is obtained from the overhead catenary at 25kV. As I could not figure where the rail-side transformers get their power from I took a picture of one so that I could research later. But although I found the manufacturer I am still in the dark about how the units are connected.

Narrow gauge steam in the garden

What if...?  What if money were no object? And I had time? And the others who live here were in accord?

For many years I have toyed with the idea of a narrow gauge garden railway. We have strips of woodland which are not well used for other purposes and the route is almost ready made:

It would start at the wood pile...

... and then meander along the path in the wooded border on the north side of the property...

...past the front gates and then between the trees that line the field alongside the road...

...around the perimeter of the property and then entering the wooded area on the south side...

...behind the chalet...

... beside the "bog garden" with its little summer house...

... and finally ending at the front of the house and not too far from the wood pile where it started.  The route is about 0.9 km in length, involves no steep gradients and would require minimal clearing.  The gauge would be no more than 15", enough to take a few passengers. Of course we would open it to the public on occasions. What better way to spend a summer's Sunday afternoon than driving a steam locomotive back and forth?

Railways in Australia

In Britain the gauge wars resolved with an Act of Parliament in 1846 establishing the universal adoption of the "standard gauge" of 4' 8½". No such resolution occurred in Australia so there are three main gauges in use. Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania use the narrow gauge of 3' 6", standard gauge in New South Wales and a broad gauge of 5' 3" elsewhere see here.

I snapped the following examples of the Queensland narrow gauge.

Entering Roma Street station from the east

Goods train near Glasshouse mountains

Landsborough Station

Amphibious vehicle

Double tyres on back axle provide traction for both rail and road