No. 7 ‘Digger’

Ex-Proserpine Mill

 

Proserpine Mill No. 7 ‘Digger’ plinthed under a weather roof at Proserpine on 12 August 1992.

This photo was kindly contributed by Tom Badger.

No.7 ‘Digger’ has since moved indoors to the Proserpine Museum.

Builder

Hunslet Engine Company Ltd,
Leeds, England

Builder’s Number & Year

1317 of 1918

Wheel Arrangement

4-6-0T

 

No.7 ‘Digger’ was built for the British Army’s ‘War Department Light Railways’ for use on the network of 600mm gauge light lines supplying the front-line during World War 1. (For further information about the War Office Hunslet locomotives, refer to sister War Department No.306 which is preserved by the Australian War Memorial.)

At the end of hostilities the War Department had many surplus locomotives, both narrow and standard gauge. This locomotive was one of several 600mm gauge machines of several types purchased from war surplus for use in the Queensland Sugar industry. Following rebuilding and regauging by Hunslet, it was sold to the Engineering Supply Company of Australia (ESCO) for use on the 2’ gauge (610mm) tramways of the Queensland canefields, becoming No.7 on the roster of the Proserpine Mill. Here it received the name ‘Digger’, presumably in reference to its war-time connections.

No. 7 ‘Digger’ was plinthed at Proserpine following its retirement from service at Proserpine Mill in 1962. Around 2001 it was acquired by the Proserpine Historical Museum Society and received some cosmetic restoration prior to being placed on display within their museum building.

References

a

Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site
(retrieved 15 September 2018):

'Preserved Australian Sugar Cane Locomotives' list
by John Browning (www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRc.htm)

b

Wikipedia page for Hunslet Engine Company,

Leeds, England, retrieved 19 September 2018

c

Proserpine Historical Museum Society website,

retrieved 19 September 2018

Page updated: 14 October 2018

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