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Millaquin Mill No.9 Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society |
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Today it operates over a 100m stretch of track at the
Gisborne steam club, as seen in this photo of 26 March 2005.
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Builder |
Mile
End, Adelaide |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
9737.45.1 of 1945 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-2T |
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Most
of the 19 steam locomotives built for various Australian sugar mills by
Adelaide company Perry Engineering Co. Ltd were of the 16 tonne 0-6-2T configuration,
whereas this example was of the smaller 14 tonne 0-4-2T configuration. It was
originally supplied to South Johnstone Sugar Mill where it operated as No.6. It
later became No.9 at the Bundaberg Sugar Company's Millaquin Mill, being
re-numbered to ‘9’ by the simple expedient of turning the brass cabside number
'6' upside-down. Millaquin Mill was one of the last Australian sugar mills to
retain steam locomotives, with No.9 retired from sugar cane haulage as late
as 1974. In 1975 it was transported to Victoria for use as a stationary
boiler at a Geelong salt works, subsequently being displayed in a park in the
Melbourne suburb of Niddrie. In 1981 it was sold to the Essendon Steam &
Oil Engine Society. In 1990 it was donated to the Gisborne Vintage Machinery
Society, where members completed its restoration to operation in 1994. Millaquin Mill No.9 now operates over a 100m stretch of track at the Gisborne Steam Park, the running base of the Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society in Webb Crescent, New Gisborne. The photographs on this page date from the webmaster’s visit to the Gisborne Steam Park on 26 March 2005. On this visit I was informed that the club were planning to extend their 2’ railway around a nearby wetland to provide a longer running circuit. |
No.9 warming up outside
the loco shed at the Gisborne Steam Park on 26 March 2005.
The webmaster and editorial team are on the footplate!
Detail of No.9’s brass
number and builder’s plate, mounted on the cabside. 26 March 2005.
The mounting hole
can be seen from when this loco was No.6 at South Johnson Mill.
References
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a |
Light
Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site 'Preserved
Australian Sugar Cane Locomotives' list |
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b |
Wikipedia
page for Perry Engineering Co Ltd, |
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c |
Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society website, retrieved 29 July 2018 |
Page updated: 29 July 2018
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