Article: Tramway has Coast town going loco

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Tramway has Coast town going loco

Tramway has Coast town going loco
Megan Mackander 2nd Jun 2013 6:10 AM

NAMBOUR'S proud past will come back to life when a cane train again steams through the heart of town.

Bundaberg Sugar has reignited the sugar mill town's identity with a gift of a fully functional locomotive. It spent its working life hauling cane through Nambour.

The gesture came thanks to the passion of the community, councillors and the Nambour and District Museum, to bring a working cane train back to Howard St.

Ten years after the closure of the Moreton Mill, final planning is under way to run either the "Bli Bli" or "Petrie" locos between Aldi and Coles supermarkets.

Nambour Alliance, the peak forum for businesses and community groups in the town, said the arrival of the locomotive would be a giant step towards making a regular tramway through Nambour a reality.

"The locomotive's arrival will give a much-needed boost to have a regular, permanent tram connection servicing both ends of town and delivering shoppers into the main CBD," board member Peter Clark said.

"The committee has its sights set on a similar design to that of the famous Brisbane Tram 47, an elegant, historic shape with some open seating."

The committee hoped the loco would be ready to roll in time for the opening of the new Coles supermarket.

"I don't think the sugar mill will ever be forgotten by the people of Nambour ... people moved closer to where they worked and so the sugar mill was the essence of Nambour," Mr Clark said. "This will bring back a piece of Nambour's identity and really give the place a point of difference.

"We hope the loco will bring a new sense of pride and soul into Nambour."

Mr Clark said the existing lines from the Curry St intersection towards Howard St at the old marshalling yard would enable a relatively easy introduction.

For the past 12 months, divisional councillor Greg Rogerson has campaigned for the working locomotive and a long-term vision of seven-day tram services.

"It is unbelievable that it's now coming to Nambour," Mr Rogerson said.

"With the closure of the mill, it took away some of the area's identity and hopefully this will bring back that sense of identify and point of difference."