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Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway

The Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway was a private tram line from Cairns to the Mulgrave River in Queensland, Australia. It was built until 1897 to serve the Mulgrave Central Sugar Mill, built in 1895. The line, which led through difficult terrain including dense jungle, was built by the Cairns Divisional Board, later renamed Cairns Shire Council, at a cost of £15,319. The line originally ran from Cairns to Nelson, later renamed Gordonvale. In 1898 it was extended to Aloomba, and in 1910 it was finally extended to Babinda, over a length of 50 kilometres (31 mi). The end point in Cairns was between Spence and Bunda Street, adjacent to the Queensland Government's Cairns railway station, with which the line was connected by a short distance.

History
Planning The formation of the Mulgrave Central Mill Company Ltd in November 1893 under the provisions of the Sugar Works Guarantee Act 1893 gave rise to the idea that a fourteen miles long tramway with a gauge of 2 ft should be constructed by the board from Cairns to the Mulgrave River. The mill company was registered on 20 April 1895. In May, Mr O. Phillips, at the request of the board, inspected the proposed route and reported upon the proposal. His recommendation that the normal railway gauge of the colony should be adopted was agreed to, and it was decided to retain his services as consulting engineer for the purposes of the tramway. Towards the end of May the survey was commenced, following, wherever practicable, existing roads of the division. In July the survey was completed to the Mulgrave, the minimum curve being 10 chains (201 m) radius, and the steepest gradient 1 in 82½. The train only stopped by signal to take on passengers or parcels, with the passengers wishing to alight giving notice to the guard at the preceding station. A small B11 Baldwin Class engine was initially ordered for the Great Northern Railway. It had a remarkable career with numerous changes in ownership. It was assembled in Townsville and then sold to a contractor before it had even entered service. It was later repurchased only to be again resold to the same contractor. Repurchased again it was then sold to Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway only to be returned when tramway assets were acquired under the North Coast Railway Act 1910. Second extension A proposal was under consideration in December 1899 for the extension of the tramway from Aloomba into the heart of the Russell River district, which is embraced in the Cairns division, and for which the port of Cairns is the natural outlet. In conjunction with this proposal there is a scheme for the establishment of a central mill at Babinda Creek, which would serve and be served by the extension. The distance from Aloomba to Babinda Creek is twenty miles. The Government has placed £65,000 on the estimates for the purpose of equipping the mill under the Sugar Works Guarantee Act, and there would probably be 10,000 tons of sugar to be conveyed from this mill to port each season, as almost the whole of the country along the line is agricultural land. ==See also==
Source: Wikipedia ↗
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