Ayr

Ayr is the largest town in the Burdekin district in north Queensland 1260 km north of Brisbane, the town is supported by the varied forms of agriculture with sugar production being the largest. There are four sugar mills in the region and all of them have their own private tramways to bring the harvested cane to the mills for crushing and all of the sugar is railed to the port of Townsville to the north for export.

The station is located on the southern side of the town and boasts a small yard and goods shed as well as a container crane.

It is also one of the few locations that Q.R interchanges wagons with customers for loading at its facilities via its own rails.

2195F + 2139 in front of a rake of loaded GOMB and GOMC gondolas crossing the flood plain on the southern approach to Ayr. This train originated on the Newlands Line to the south near Bowen and is carrying a load of steaming coal for the ore refinery just north of Townsville. 10.59 27/11/04

2189F and 2152D shunts the yard at Ayr and picks up some wagons to take south. In the middle left you can see the station building and the higher peaked roof is the goods shed. Before departing south this train crossed with 2194F pulling twenty-two empty molasses tankers. 09.45 27/11/04

The northbound Sunlander making its stop at Ayr station and because of the short platform it actually made three "stops". The first was to unload the baggage wagon behind the loco and the second as seen in this photo was to unload the passengers in the front section and the third was to unload the rear section of the train. On the right over the top of the beer kegs you can see the level crossings that indicate the location of the interchange with the Kalamia Mill. 06.44 27/11/04

Looking west from the mill end of the interchange yard, on the left are the mill bins loaded onto the tracks via trucks and on the right are empty Q.R mollasas wagons in two rakes of nine waiting to be taken by the mill locos to be loaded.

Looking north towards the mill from the NCL end of the yard from the road between the yard and the NCL. The tramway tracks only go as far as the road crossing to allow the tram locos to run around their trains.

The above and below photos showing the interchange wagon the tramway locos use to pull to the Q.R stock to the mill.

A few features you may notice are the off center position of the coupler on the tramway loco end shown below as well as the link for the old screw link couplers once the mainstay of Q.R.

The mill seen in the photo above is located at Pioneer about twelve kilometers away as the crow flys.

PN002 slows as it holds the main to cross with northbound PN008 at Ayr. 17.05 10/11/05

PN008 moves from side to side as it crosses the points as it continues north to Townsville.

Kalamia Mill loco shunting the yard about five kilometers south of Ayr in the early evening. In the background you can see the level crossing for the NCLfor the road as well as the tramway. You may notice the welded up Buffers on the loco but you may also notice the air hose used for the breaks on the "broad guage" Q.R stock.

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