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                                        History of RAVENSHOE RAILWAY
                                                                      Ravenshoe Railway Company Limited Inc.

                                 In 1990, a group of steam railway enthusiasts formed RailCo to begin operating a 1925 D17

                                  Ipswich-made Tank Engine they had restored on the 100 year old Ravenshoe to Tumoulin line.

                                   It was named “Capella” after the town near Brisbane where it had stood idle for 25 years.

                                    Capella’s carriages, mostly made from cedar, are from the 1930’s “Sunshine Express”

                                                       which ran on the main line from Brisbane to Cairns.

                                   All during this time, the RailCo enthusiasts kept their eyes also on an English-built 1927 C17

                                           slowly decaying as a gigantic children’s playground piece in Atherton. In 1994,

                    this engine was generously loaned to RailCo by the Atherton Rotary Club and the Atherton branch of RailCo was started.

                  Strong Company and Community support enabled this C17, named “Roger”, to also be returned to full operational condition,

                                                                   beginning the run from Atherton to Herberton.

                     As time went on, unfortunately at our AGM in 2005, our Members had to make a hard decision to downsize our operations back to the

Ravenshoe/ Tumoulin Service only, due to a lack of volunteers and sufficient funds to bring the Atherton/Herberton Infrastructure up to Queensland

Transport  requirements and standards. It was at this time also that it was decided to change the Company name from RailCo

                                                          to the Ravenshoe Railway Company Ltd. Inc.

                               Over the next twelve/eighteen months the small, but very dedicated band of Ravenshoe Volunteers

             and many community members  bought  the Ravenshoe Operation up to the required Queensland Transport standards,

                           and also in rearranging the operation it has allowed  the Company to run a much more viable operation.

                             Unfortunately a Wildfire just prior to Xmas 2005 took out three spans of one of our Railway Bridges

                                                                            and some 400 sleepers of our Track

                                               and this put us some months behind with our recommencement date.

                     but with our great volunteers and the help of our Community Members, and the Gambling Community Benefit Fund, we were up and running by November 2006.  Whilst the bridge was being repaired, other volunteers got our Section Car and Two Carriages ready for service.