Railway Digest Magazine September 2020 Back Issue

Isis mill’s new railway taking shape
The Isis Central Sugar Mill, located near Childers, 50 kilometres south west of Bundaberg, has been looking at ways to reduce the cost of hauling cane from the Wallaville area, the mill’s second largest area of cane supply but currently served only by road transport. In 2018 the mill’s Board voted to proceed with the construction of a $17 million, 39 kilometre long railway to serve the area, expected to provide cost savings of $1.5 million per annum and help secure additional sugar cane volumes from the region. John Hoyle reports.

In search of the Piping Shrike – Part 2
As discussed in Part 1, in the August RD, the former South Australian Railways (SAR) diesel locomotive fleet is now in its commercial service twilight. In Part 2, Chris Walters puts the spotlight on the last remnants of the Goodwin/ALCo 830 Class, including those modified to become the ‘new’ 900 class, as they continue to represent the SAR well into the 21st century. The current disposition of the 830 Class, and the entirety of the former SAR diesel fleet, is also listed in an accompanying status table.

A nostalgic journey from Parkes to Menindee
Back in the 1970s and 80s, Mark Zanker was a frequent traveller on the legendary Silver City Comet, the ground-breaking diesel train that provided an air-conditioned passenger service between Parkes and Broken Hill for 52 years. In 2019, the 30th anniversary of the Comet’s retirement, Mark decided to take a nostalgic journey on its present-day replacement, the Outback Xplorer. However, as he now mainly relies on a small electric scooter to move around, this was not as easy as it sounds.