Botanical Gardens Railway
Bundaberg Steam Tramway Preservation Society Incorporated (BSTPS) trading as Botanical Gardens Railway (BGR) isolated in the Botanical Gardens North Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. The society is a non-profit organisation operated and maintained by volunteers.
The aim of the society is to Restore, Maintain and Operate Steam Locomotives that were utilised in the Bundaberg district to haul Sugar Cane to the areas Juice and Sugar Mills. While doing this it is also to bring awareness to present and future generations of the machinery used by our pioneering families.
The Steam Locomotives are fired on coal and operate on a 1km long 610mm gauge railway, constructed in 1986 and now maintained by BSTPS.
BSTPS owns 3 Locomotives, a 1952 Bundaberg Fowler (No3 0-4-2T), a 1914 Orenstein and Koppel (No 6805 0-4-OT) and a 1911 Leeds Fowler (Invicta 0-6-2T). The carriages are ex 3 ton chop stick carriage bogies that have been modified to accommodate passengers.
FACTS: The Loco most commonly used is the Bundaberg Fowler
No.3 (Local product) built by the Bundaberg Foundry
Engineers in 1952. (There were 8 built all for service
within the Queensland Sugar Industry) This engine is of 042T design, which means it has no
front wheels but has 4 driving wheels & 2 trailing or
back wheels. The T stands for Tank meaning that it is
has 2 side tanks for storing the water. They hold
approx. 300gals (1364 litres) each.
This Loco weighs approx. 18 tonnes with coal & water
on board.
Loco No.3 is designed to burn coal which comes from
Blair Athol Qld . However it will run on wood but not
efficiently.
No.3 Engine will consume in a day approx. 300 to 400
kg of coal & use between 4000 to 5000 litres of water
In one year our Engines will use approx. 25 tonnes
of coal & will travel in the vicinity of 3000
kilometres
The second Engine we use is (Germany) built in 1914.
It is much smaller weighing in at only 12 tonnes and
was built by Orenstein & Koppel in Germany. These
locos were built for the Sugar Industry and some are
still in service working in Indonesia.
This engine is of 040T design (Has no front or
trailing wheels which make it a very rough loco to
ride on.)
Time to light up these engines is approx. 3&1/2
hours. Normal start time is 6.30am and involves the
laying of timber in the firebox with rags soaked in
diesel. This is then lit and & when steam is
eventually raised the coal is added. It is possible to
force the fire & speed up the light up.
Other jobs in the light up include cleaning the engine
& all the carriages, lubrication of all the running
gear, filling of water tanks, filling of the coal
bunker & thorough inspection of the whole train so it
is safe for operation.
When all this has been done the days running can
begin.
The width of the track is 2 foot gauge or 610mm
(This is the distance between the inside of the two
rails)
It takes approx. 10 to 15 mins to do 2 circuits of
the gardens. (We leave whenever required)
4 members are required to operate the system on a
running day Driver, Fireman, Guard & Ticket Seller
The Driver is in charge of the days operation
Items
Steam Train
Germany No 6805 0-4-OT

Steam Train
Bundaberg Fowler No 3 0-4-2T

Steam Train
Bundaberg Fowler No 3 0-4-2T
