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44-519: Mackay Sugar Limited (MSL) was formed through the merger of the Farleigh , Marian , North Eton , Cattle Creek and Racecourse (where the company is now located) sugar mill co-operatives in 1988 and the acquisition of the Pleystowe Mill in the same year. Each has a history dating back to the late 19th century. Over the ensuing two decades following the merger, a number of the mills were closed while

88-450: A 4-6 tonne capacity, but some mills utilise bogie bins with a capacity of ~10 tonnes. Diesel mechanical and diesel hydraulic locomotives replaced steam locomotives in the 1950s and 1960s. Cane must be processed within 12 hours of harvest for maximum yield, so the transportation timing dictated the size of a cane tramway network when mills were first established. When diesel locomotives were introduced, their increased utilisation rates enabled

132-410: A 5 chains (100.58 metres) radius curve gives an equivalent grade of 1 in 41 (about 2.5%). Although the proposed railway could only manage a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), that was claimed to be sufficient for a hundred years. One of the main advantages of a narrow gauge railway is that the earthworks required do not have to be as extensive as on railways of larger gauge. It was estimated that

176-621: A 50-mile (80 km) tramway network had been established to service CSR Homebush and Victoria mills. The Herbert mill had an 8-mile (13 km) network by 1882, and further tram networks were established as the sugar industry expanded, all 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge with the exception of the Pioneer Mill system. In 1911 the Queensland Railway Department built a tramway from Chinchilla to Wongongera (now Barakula) to transport railway sleepers made from logs taken from

220-494: A Queensland Rail subsidiary, QR National). On the narrow gauge, Queensland Rail operates all passenger services. In 2005, the first non-QR narrow gauge commercial rail operation started in Queensland, with Pacific National commencing operation of container services between Brisbane and Cairns, followed in 2009 by their entry into the export coal market. Queensland Rail's subsidiary Australian Railroad Group have also entered

264-935: A combined trackage of 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) hauling approximately 36M tonnes of sugar cane each season. The average distance cane is hauled is 35 km, with the longest line being 119 km. Average speed is 40 km/h (due to the wagons not having brakes), and the maximum load is 2000 tonnes, being 1 km long. It is understood the Pioneer Mill is considering converting its network to 610 mm ( 2 ft ) gauge to enable it to more easily procure rolling stock and to facilitate greater efficiency of operations with two neighbouring mills, which currently share 25 km of dual gauge track. Contemporary sugar cane tramways are quite advanced technically, utilising relatively heavy rails cascaded second hand from other operators, remote-controlled brake vans, concrete sleepers (in places), ballast and tamping machines. The 19 separate tramways cooperate in research and development. In

308-603: A design fault for disability access. Due to the rejection of an exemption application to the Australian Human Rights Commission , rectification work was required involving the fitting of a second toilet that met the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 requirements. Long-distance services are operated by Traveltrain, a division of Queensland Rail. Traveltrain services mainly cater to a tourist market. Queensland's first premier passenger service

352-428: A locomotive hauled tramway for sugar cane transport in Queensland was at a plantation at Morayfield (now an outer suburb of Brisbane) in 1866 using 3 ft ( 914 mm ) gauge. The plantation was not a success, however another tramway built at Maryborough in the same year was successful. A 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge tramway was established at the Pioneer Mill near Ayr in 1875, and in 1881

396-518: A major refinery now capable of refining 450,000 tonnes was built at the Racecourse Mill in partnership with ED&F Man in 1993. Mackay Sugar is now a 25 per cent shareholder with Wilmar International (75 per cent) in both New Zealand Sugar Company and Sugar Australia Pty Ltd, Australia's largest refiner, purchaser and exporter of raw sugar. In 2012, Mackay Sugar acquired the Mossman Mill , one of

440-712: A return on capital of 3.2% before depreciation. Three significant electrification programs have been undertaken in Queensland which include the Brisbane suburban network, the Blackwater and Goonyella coal networks, and the Caboolture to Gladstone section of the North Coast line . On 2 June 2009, the Queensland Government announced the 'Renewing Queensland Plan', with Queensland Rail's commercial activities to be separated from

484-479: A sugar tram network until 2003, when the mill closed due to plantations being sold for urban development reducing the district crop harvest to an unviable size. The Rocky Point Mill situated about 50 km south of Brisbane had a 5-mile (8 km) tramway which opened in 1924 and closed following flood damage in 1951. Road transport has been used for that mill since then. In 2014 there were 19 sugar cane systems (18 of which use 2 ft or 610 mm gauge) with

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528-765: Is a 50/50 partnership between the two named companies, operating 9 coal mines in the Bowen Basin. BMA Rail was authorised to operate on the Goonyella coal network from 1 January 2014, and purchased 13 Siemens E40 AG-V1 electric locomotives, designated as the BMACC class, numbered BMACC001-BMACC013. It has the potential to operate its own trains if contract haulage rates from either Aurizon or Pacific National are unacceptable. Except where noted, this section relates to sugar cane lines in Queensland built to narrower than 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge, and in this section

572-588: Is a primary (P-6) school for boys and girls operated by the Queensland Government in Childlow Street. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 24 students with 3 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). St Brigid's Catholic Church is at 961 Bruce Highway ( 21°06′26″S 149°05′53″E  /  21.1073°S 149.09807°E  / -21.1073; 149.09807  ( St Brigid's Catholic Church ) ). It

616-416: Is freehold land used for cropping, principally sugarcane . Farleigh Mill was built in 1883 by Sir John Bennett Laws . For the first years, the mill had an associated sugar plantation. In 1900 the mill was sold to Farleigh Estate Sugar Co Ltd in 1900 and developed so that it could replace a number of the local mills: Ashburton, The Cedars, Coningsby, Pioneer, Richmond, Nindaroo, Habana and Dumbleton. In 1921

660-464: Is still sparsely populated (5.5 million in 2024), but many trains hauling coal are some of the longest and heaviest in the world, with Aurizon currently trialling coal trains of 25,000 tonne gross load that are ~4.5 km long. QR had one rack railway , with grades as steep as 1 in 16.5 (6%), which was on the branch to Mount Morgan . It was bypassed by a conventional line in 1951 with grades of 1 in 50 (2%). The bypass closed in 1987. The rack system

704-696: Is testament to the resilience and innovation of many generations of local farmers and the region's ideal growing conditions. In 2013, Mackay Sugar was inducted into the Queensland Business Leader's Hall of Fame . In February 2019, the German sugar producer Nordzucker announced the acquisition of a 70% stake in Mackay Sugar for A$ 60 million; Mackay Sugar will also receive an additional loan of up to $ A60 million. [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article incorporates text from Mackay Sugar (2018) published by

748-572: Is the hub of the Farleigh parish. Cane tramways The rail network in Queensland , Australia, was the first in the world to adopt 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow gauge for a main line, and, in 2013, was claimed to the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of: Passenger services are provided by: The Translink network consists of approximately 300 route km and 151 stations. Construction of

792-551: The 2016 census , the locality of Farleigh had a population of 815 people. In the 2021 census , the locality of Farleigh had a population of 814 people. Farleigh has two state primary schools located about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) apart. Coningsby State School is a primary (P-6) school for boys and girls operated by the Queensland Government at 1312 Bruce Highway. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 66 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). Farleigh State School

836-674: The CSR Company discontinued operations at the nearby Homebush Mill and the Farleigh Mill took over their crushing. After Farleigh Estate Sugar Co Ltd went bankrupt in 1926, the mill was purchased by a co-operative of local sugarcane growers. In November 1987 Farleigh Mill merged with other Mackay district mills to create the Mackay Sugar Co-operative Association Ltd. Coningsby State School opened on 24 November 1884. Farleigh State School opened on 1 March 1909. In

880-520: The State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence , accessed on 23 October 2018. Farleigh, Queensland Farleigh is a rural town and locality in the Mackay Region , Queensland , Australia. In the 2021 census , the locality of Farleigh had a population of 814 people. The town is located in the south-east of the locality. The Bruce Highway traverses through the locality from

924-534: The 12-hour ‘delivery from harvest’ timeframe. Queensland Railways sold a closed branchline in 1964 to the Gin Gin Cooperative Mill in Gin Gin which converted it to a 2 ft ( 610 mm ) sugar tramway. With the development of higher standard road networks, some mills have converted to road transport for some or (in a few cases) all cane delivery. Nambour, about 100 km north of Brisbane had

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968-410: The 2020s, railway enthusiast volunteers are making efforts to preserve Queensland's sugar cane tramway history. However, they are few in number, have limited resources, and many of the tramway relics have already disappeared. When a sugar mill closes, the owner or operator is often obliged to remove everything, and another difficulty is that tramway lines often run through privately owned farms. In 2024

1012-642: The Government's core passenger service responsibilities. The commercial activities were formed into a new company called QR National Limited. The new structure was announced by the Queensland Government on 2 December 2009, and took place from 1 July 2010. The nascent Queensland Railways was persuaded that the way to reduce the cost of railway construction was to use a narrower gauge than the standard gauge of 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ). A prototype existed in Norway, but Queensland became

1056-583: The Queensland narrow-gauge freight market, operating trains between Townsville and Mount Isa in its own right. Standard-gauge passenger services are provided by the New South Wales Government's NSW TrainLink using its XPT . The Airport railway line opened to passengers in May 2001. Under a BOOT scheme – build, own, operate and transfer – the Queensland Government licensed Airtrain Citylink to build

1100-631: The Queensland rail network began in 1864 with the first section of the Main Line railway from Ipswich to Grandchester being built. This was the first narrow-gauge main line constructed in the world and, in 2013, was claimed to be the second largest narrow-gauge railway network in the world. At its maximum extent in 1932, the system totalled ~10,500 km of routes open for traffic. In 1925, QR employed ~18,000 people, 713 locomotives, 930 passenger carriages, ~16,000 goods wagons, hauled ~five million tons of goods and ~30 million passengers, and made

1144-617: The coast of Queensland. In 2018 they became responsible for sugar haulage in Central and North Queensland. On 16 August 2019, Watco Australia announced that the first two of eight WRA Class locomotives units were being delivered to Australia. The company have stated that they would begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2019. WRA001 and 002 arrived at the Port of Brisbane on the vessel Tarago on 9 October 2019 and were transferred to Warwick behind QR locomotive 1724. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA)

1188-445: The cost of this standard of railway would be 25% of the cost of a standard gauge line built to the minimum standard considered possible with that gauge at the time. This was a vital consideration since the colony of Queensland had a non-indigenous population of about 30,000 at the time. Standard gauge branch lines were later constructed in NSW with 5 chains (100.58 metres) radius curves and had

1232-489: The end of World War I surplus equipment that had been used to rail supplies to the trenches was used to expand the sugar cane networks. Originally cane was harvested by hand, and the ‘standard’ 4 wheel wagon was loaded by stacking the ~2 m lengths of cane between upright stakes. In the 1950s mechanical harvesting was introduced, and cane ‘bins’ were required to hold the ~200 mm lengths (‘billets’) of cane produced by that harvesting process. Most cane bins are 4 wheel with

1276-451: The exception of EMU60 through to EMU79 (now all withdrawn) which had a driver's cab at one end, and guard only cab at the other end. These units also had only 3 powered bogies (per 3 car set) compared to the 4 powered bogie arrangement for the remaining EMUs. The 1X0 and 2X0 series units consist of three cars each, while the 700 series are 6 car units. The 700 series, built in India, suffered from

1320-432: The first rail operator in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line. The proposed 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge railway involved a 5 long tons (5.1 t; 5.6 short tons) axle load and very sharp curves of 5 chains (100.58 metres) radius on the long climb to Toowoomba at about 610 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level. The maximum gradient was 1 in 50 (2%) uncompensated, which combined with

1364-497: The four sites on which it is currently milling cane. The merger and subsequent consolidation of the local industry into a successful modern and progressive company owes much to the vision and leadership of Graham Davies AM who became the company's founding chairman. Significantly, during the merger process, the company honoured its promise that no worker would lose their job. Mackay Sugar, which produces around 800,000 tonnes of raw sugar and 200,000 tonnes of molasses each year, now has

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1408-545: The line. From 1994, National Rail took over the operation of virtually all standard-gauge freight services to and from Brisbane, as part of a reorganisation of interstate freight in Australia. In 2002, QR entered the standard-gauge market through subsidiary Interail , by 2004, it was running freight services from Brisbane through to Melbourne . Today, standard-gauge freight services are operated by Pacific National after its acquisition of National Rail, and Aurizon (formerly

1452-579: The local community and the environment. The first clean, green, renewable energy project of the plan includes, construction of cogeneration plants the first of which, recently completed at the Racecourse Mill , now supplies 30 per cent of Mackay's electricity consumption from processing bagasse ( sugarcane waste). Other elements of the plan include construction of ethanol plants and a yeast plant. The successful production of sugar in Mackay for nearly 150 years through challenging weather and market conditions,

1496-424: The narrow gauge freight haulage and all standard gauge components of Queensland National. In 2012, the organisation renamed itself Aurizon . In March 2005, Pacific National Queensland became the first non- Queensland Rail narrow gauge commercial rail operation in Queensland, with the commencement of container services between Brisbane and Cairns . They now operate intermodal services to various destinations along

1540-410: The rail line, to own and operate it, and hand the entire infrastructure over to the Queensland Government after 35 years when the company will then cease to exist. Airtrain Citylink contracted Transfield Services to build, operate and maintain the line and finally Airtrain Citylink contracted Queensland Rail to provide rolling stock for the rail line. In 2010, the Queensland government privatised

1584-514: The same low maximum speed. The choice of the non-standard 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge, approved very narrowly by parliament, was and still is controversial. Thus the die was cast for a large narrow-gauge system, which was copied by three other Australian states as well as a number of other countries. Queensland's decision to use narrow gauge was influential on New Zealand 's decision to adopt narrow gauge as its uniform gauge in 1870. A hundred and fifty years later, Queensland

1628-413: The scale to be globally competitive and resilient. It has turnover of approximately $ 400 million annually, employs over 600 people permanently and up to 1000 seasonally, thus contributing significantly to the economy of Queensland and of the Mackay Region in particular. The company has begun implementing a 20 year diversification plan which, while enhancing its own business sustainability, also benefits

1672-433: The size of a potential network to grow, resulting in the rationalisation of both the tramways and a reduction in the number of mills. Today some of the ‘main lines’ of tramways are of a standard equivalent to a 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge main line, with (in some cases) concrete sleepers, ballast and heavy rail allowing relatively high speed transport of the cane from further distances whilst still meeting

1716-420: The so-called Inland Railway from Melbourne to Brisbane is under construction which will provide a dual gauge replacement for the sharp curved and steeply graded narrow gauge line from Helidon to Toowoomba . For Translink services as far as Gympie North , Queensland Rail's rolling stock is electric and air-conditioned . All trains are electric multiple units with a driver cabin at both ends, with

1760-400: The south-east to the west, passing through the town. The North Coast railway line also passes through the locality from the south-east to the west but further north and east than the highway. The Farleigh railway station is located beside the Farleigh sugar mill which has an associated sugarcane tramway network. The land in the locality is mostly flat at 30–40 metres above sea level. It

1804-520: The state forest at Barakula and milled at the Barakula sawmill (approx 26°25′40″S 150°30′16″E  /  26.4279°S 150.5044°E  / -26.4279; 150.5044  ( Barakula sawmill (former) ) ). The route of the Barakula tramway was based on an earlier plan to construct a railway line from Chinchilla to Taroom that was subsequently abandoned in favour of a railway line from Miles to Taroom. The tramway operated until 1970. At

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1848-624: The term ‘narrow gauge’ means a gauge less than 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ). Non sugar cane tramways covered by their own entries are: Sugar cane tramways were usually developed in conjunction with sugar mills as the major transport system for conveying harvested sugar cane for processing. As this is a seasonal traffic, minimising cost was a significant consideration, and the adoption of 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge enabled lines to be laid with minimal earthworks, sharp curves, and sometimes temporarily in cane fields so cut cane can be loaded directly onto wagons. The first recorded use of

1892-654: Was the Abt rack system , the same type used by the Mount Lyell Railway in Tasmania . Historically, the government-owned Queensland Rail has been the main rail operator in Queensland. The exception has been the standard-gauge link from New South Wales into Brisbane. When opened in 1930, it was operationally a part of the New South Wales system and run by that government-owned railway, under agreement with Queensland which owned

1936-591: Was the Sydney Mail , introduced in 1888 when the New South Wales line opened to Wallangarra . From 1923 it included a Parlour Car, which was transferred to the Townsville Mail in 1930 following the opening of the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge line to Brisbane from Sydney. In 1935 the Sunshine Express was introduced on the Brisbane – Cairns service, being

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