Future project ....in the meantime.......

            The Mary Valley Railway, more well known as the Valley Rattler operates a preserved railway service on the former Brooloo Branch of Queensland Railways from the City of Gympie, Queensland to Amamoor (currently). It has recommenced operations in recent times after struggling and closing for a number of years.

The MVR has amassed a number of ex. Queensland Railways CI7 class 4-8-0 locomotives that originally ended up in parks at the end of steam. One of these was a product of Evans, Anderson Phelan and Co. EAP) of Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, QR no. 705 which entered service in February 1926. EAP was not connected to any railway siding so when they brought a locomotive into service, stretches of track were laid down Main Street Kangaroo Point in front of the loco and taken up from behind and placed in front in a rather slow and laborious operation to the railway yards at Woolloongabba. 

705 was formally written off the books in March 1970 although steam in Queensland finished in late 1969 at the end of the cane season and this loco would have been condemned and laid aside before this date. It was donated by QR to the Bedford Child Minding Playground in Spring Hill Brisbane, painted uncharacteristically green, given the incorrect number plates from loco 752 and plinthed inside a shed at the playground which no doubt reduced its deterioration over time.

In due course, as with many other locos in playgrounds which became a maintenance burden, it was disposed of and eventually ended up at Gympie amongst the fleet of other has beens, to be restored one day maybe.

Not long before I took my photo of it isolated and looking abandoned in the similarly abandoned but extant Gympie Railway Yard, 705 was wheeled out of the preservation compound and left in the open, well away from security and open for all and sundry vandals to attack. I hope by now, it has been secured again. And that one day enough money will be found to overhaul and restore it. Or give it to a group who will.

It is now on display in Imbil. Refer to later photos. 2021.

Taken on: March 9, 2019

Tags:

Mary Valley Railway

C17 class

steam loco preservation

unrestored steam loco

C17 steam locomotibe

Queensland railways « less

Sets appears in: • Queensland Trains And Trams (not Cane Railways)

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