2016 Cane Pt 13 Mossman Mill

The final installment in the Queensland Sugar Cane series, Mossman Mill is now part of Mackay Sugar, so some locos are in the green/yellow/red of that company while some still remain in Mossman's traditional blue/yellow scheme. The most unique feature of this line is the absence of traditional cane "bins", the mill having switched to an intermodal system back in the late 1960's. The cars are actually small bogie skeleton flats and the cane bins can be transferred to trucks for loading in the field. The cars with panel slides are the older style and are generally used now like conventional bins being loaded at outlying points by cane tippers, while the newer mesh side bins are used in the slide-on/slide-off manner, chiefly at the large bin transfer station at Cassowarys. The various branches are very scenic with a number of road/rail bridges, some of them wooden decked. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the street running down Mill St. in downtown Mossman. This line funnels most of the traffic from the north of town into the mill. The line is also notable for currently having the northernmost rail line in Queensland at the terminus at Bamboo. (There were other rail lines north of here but they are now abandoned.)

[@MLIW265-FAN]

That’s pretty cool the sugar cane railway has a slug

[@BruceBoschek]

I really liked that little cabless calf running ahead or behind the loco. Some of the scenery is very impressive, too, especially where the sun was shining in the front and the dark clouds hung over the hills in the background. This has been a wonderful series! Thank you so much. I've watched some of the installments twice.

[@fmnut]

You're welcome. I did the same route in 2014 in 10 days, but this year I devoted 3 weeks to it. Fortunately, we were blessed with good weather, only a few cloudy periods and brilliant sun most days. The Mossman area is especially atmospheric. And I barely scratched the surface on some of the mills, Proserpine for example. I hope to be able to go back again soon.

[@MiG21aholic]

A really great series, thank you

[@cgtower8860]

The level crossings with the other rail lines are fantastic sequences...don't see that here in the states!

[@eurotrucktrenscaminhoesmaquina]

Curtindo seu vídeo aqui no Brasil

[@russellanderson3298]

Great videos mate.... very good photography ... and I have worked on the locos in the north too.

[@stevespatrol]

What’s the pay like?

[@Wedget]

How would I land a job operating one of these? I am a roadtrain operator (in Qld at the moment) and would be interested in a new challenge, awesome video series👍👍

[@Nathanrailfan]

The loco Daintree gets around more than the 0-6-0 locos. Must be the mills favorite loco, maybe the only EM Baldwan the mill has.

[@fmnut]

Nathanrailfan they tend to use it on the longer runs as it has a bit higher top speed. Prior to being bought out by Mackay, Mossman only had 0-6-0 Commonwealth units.

[@bmhcjs]

Hi. Daintree was always at Mossman. Mossman had 1 single ComEng (Mossman), 2 double header ComEng (Cook/Ivy & Douglas Faugh-a-Balaugh) and Daintree before Mackay Sugar brought up the Clydes.

[@fmnut]

Corey S OK thanks for the correction

[@bmhcjs]

All good. Just for your reference, Daintree's builder number is 7303-1-7-77 and she was delivered new to Mossman in 1977.

[@TheBlazinJedi]

How do you know when the cane trains will be at specific places? They don’t seem to have any timetable that I’m aware of. And how long were you there for? I’m wondering because I love cane trains and Mossman Mill’s cane trains look awesome.

[@fmnut]

You are correct, there are no timetables. I generally wait on one of the main lines coming out of a mill until a rake of empties emerges, then follow it out into the cane fields. Alternatively I will prowl the fields until I catch one dropping and picking up bins, then follow it back to the mill. Openrailwaymaps.com has all of the lines well located on the road grid, as long as I have data service I can follow the lines on my mobile.

[@TheBlazinJedi]

@@fmnut thanks for the help. This will certainly come in handy when I visit some of the mills around Queensland.

[@jasonking2943]

Here in the states we call that small or unmanned unit s slug. In this case how is it controlled ...is it linked to the locomotive

[@eurotrucktrenscaminhoesmaquina]

Muito bom

[@christopherlovelock9104]

@fmnut ..Great series - only just come across these - really enjoyed them all. Can you tell me 2 things, - how are those bins slid across from the trucks at the 'Cassowary Sidings', and what is the 'frame' for that sticks out forwards on the top of the drivers cab on most loco's. Oh yes and greetings from the UK.

[@fmnut]

The bin hauling trucks have hydraulic push-pull devices to slide the bins to/from the wagons. They are down within the trailer frame. The framework on the cab of loco Daintree holds a rear view mirror so the driver can look back over the tops of the bins to monitor train integrity since the wagons are unbraked.

[@christopherlovelock9104]

@@fmnut Thank-you, I wondered if that was a mirror as one caught the sun in one of your shots, but then I thought none of the other mills appear to have them on their loco's, so I thought that must be one of the other man in the cabs many jobs he appears to have. Out of interest do other mills still run trains as I know a number have gone over to 'road haulage' completely.

[@fmnut]

@@christopherlovelock9104 as far as I know all of the mills shown in this series are still using their rail networks. There are several mills in NSW and Queensland that never had rail and are exclusively truck. Studies were done a few years back that came out in favor of retaining rail on an economic basis alone without considering environmental impact. Most mills are further reducing costs by going to single man operation using chest pack remote control.

[@christopherlovelock9104]

@@fmnut Thanks again. Personally I would have thought a long haul with the amount of cane wagons a lot of these trains pull with 1 large or even 2 smaller engines would have been less 'damaging' to the environment than a fleet of trucks carrying the same amount over the same distance. I must say I think those 'crossings' of the main rail line look a bit "hairy" especially with the faster speeds now on the main lines.

[@fmnut]

@@christopherlovelock9104 The rail haul from Cassowaries to the mill is only 4 Km but it saves hundreds of truck trips per week. The crossings of QR by the cane lines above Rockhampton are all 40KPH on the QR side due to the flange bearing diamonds.

[@eurotrucktrenscaminhoesmaquina]

De onde é esse lugar?

[@fmnut]

Mossman, Queensland, Australia

[@eurotrucktrenscaminhoesmaquina]

HELLO I AM BO BRASIL, MY NAME IS CHRISTIAN, I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE A VIDEO EXCHANGE THAT WAS NOT POSTED ON MY COUNTRY'S RAILWAYS AND TRAINS WITH YOURS, ARE YOU INTERESTED? IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, IT GIVEN YOU THE DETAILS.

[@andersonpereira3287]

Tem vagas sera pra gente do brasil

[@ronhill5118]

Do these trains still run.

[@fmnut]

I don't know for sure. As of the end of March, it was announced the mill was closing but there's still hope something can be worked out.

[@Nathanrailfan]

I was wondering if that cab less loco is a wreck rebuild or factory as is?

[@fmnut]

Neither. Both locos had cabs as built, when they were semi permanently coupled one cab was removed.

[@diamondglass7442]

im guessing this is australian

[@fmnut]

You are guessing correctly. Far north Queensland to be exact.