"Calloway", a Roundhouse Bundaberg Fowler Rebuild

[GAP]

Hi all,

just found this thread whilst searching for a second-hand Roundhouse Bundy Fowler - I have to say if I do manage to find one I would have to detail it as " Speedy". it (none of them ever had a nameplate on it as far as I know)

I have fired for Russell Francis on many occasions down at The Bellarine Railway and I understand from Russ that he was the one who nicknamed some of the Qunaba locos and the names have stuck.

"Speedy" (because it was quicker than the rest?) - same loco also known as "Dobbin" (because it was a reliable workhorse), Skipper (because it was slippery on its feet) and "Thumpa"(because its big ends did just that).

Russ ("I'm getting old you know") is still driving at Walhalla and occasionally at Bellarine....

And as an aside I have a particular fondness for Bundy Fowlers as I got my Worksafe engine driver's ticket on " Count Strzelecki" at Coal Creek (ex Bingera Mill " Kolan" -Bundaburg Foundry #7 of 1953) - all eight of the Bundy Fowlers have survived, albeit some still in bits!

No3 is still running in Bundaberg at the Australian Sugar Cane Railway (ASCR) while No1 is in the shed at the ASCR with plans for it to be preserved as an under cover static display next to the ASCR office as it has been deemed far to expensive to bring back to a running condition.

[Mitch stack]

Hi all,

just found this thread whilst searching for a second-hand Roundhouse Bundy Fowler - I have to say if I do manage to find one I would have to detail it as " Speedy". it (none of them ever had a nameplate on it as far as I know)

I have fired for Russell Francis on many occasions down at The Bellarine Railway and I understand from Russ that he was the one who nicknamed some of the Qunaba locos and the names have stuck.

"Speedy" (because it was quicker than the rest?) - same loco also known as "Dobbin" (because it was a reliable workhorse), Skipper (because it was slippery on its feet) and "Thumpa"(because its big ends did just that).

Russ ("I'm getting old you know") is still driving at Walhalla and occasionally at Bellarine....

And as an aside I have a particular fondness for Bundy Fowlers as I got my Worksafe engine driver's ticket on " Count Strzelecki" at Coal Creek (ex Bingera Mill " Kolan" -Bundaburg Foundry #7 of 1953) - all eight of the Bundy Fowlers have survived, albeit some still in bits!

No3 is still running in Bundaberg at the Australian Sugar Cane Railway (ASCR) while No1 is in the shed at the ASCR with plans for it to be preserved as an under cover static display next to the ASCR office as it has been deemed far to expensive to bring back to a running condition.

Good to Hear there is plans to cosmetically restore Bundy number 1, shame it wont be able to steam again but i think it'll be a suitable homage to the Bundaberg Foundry who built these lovely locomotives.

[GAP]

Hi all,

just found this thread whilst searching for a second-hand Roundhouse Bundy Fowler - I have to say if I do manage to find one I would have to detail it as " Speedy". it (none of them ever had a nameplate on it as far as I know)

I have fired for Russell Francis on many occasions down at The Bellarine Railway and I understand from Russ that he was the one who nicknamed some of the Qunaba locos and the names have stuck.

"Speedy" (because it was quicker than the rest?) - same loco also known as "Dobbin" (because it was a reliable workhorse), Skipper (because it was slippery on its feet) and "Thumpa"(because its big ends did just that).

Russ ("I'm getting old you know") is still driving at Walhalla and occasionally at Bellarine....

And as an aside I have a particular fondness for Bundy Fowlers as I got my Worksafe engine driver's ticket on " Count Strzelecki" at Coal Creek (ex Bingera Mill " Kolan" -Bundaburg Foundry #7 of 1953) - all eight of the Bundy Fowlers have survived, albeit some still in bits!

No3 is still running in Bundaberg at the Australian Sugar Cane Railway (ASCR) while No1 is in the shed at the ASCR with plans for it to be preserved as an under cover static display next to the ASCR office as it has been deemed far to expensive to bring back to a running condition.

Good to Hear there is plans to cosmetically restore Bundy number 1, shame it wont be able to steam again but i think it'll be a suitable homage to the Bundaberg Foundry who built these lovely locomotives.

It is estimated that there are over 50,000 reasons why it won't steam again as well as lack of manpower.
Most of the maintainers worked on or drove them at the sugar mills but their numbers are dwindling.

[GTB]

Hi all,

just found this thread whilst searching for a second-hand Roundhouse Bundy Fowler - I have to say if I do manage to find one I would have to detail it as " Speedy". it (none of them ever had a nameplate fitted as far as I know)

Cast nameplates weren't common on any cane locos., although a few mills used painted names and/or numbers on their locos.

One of the few exceptions would appear to have been BF2 at Mossman Mill. There are published photos of it running in the '50s with cast 'Bundy' nameplates. It was the original carrier of the name, but would appear to have lost the plates and the name in preservation.

The best photos I've seen of the original 'Bundy' are in the Train Hobby profile 'Queensland Canefields Steam Era'. The book was published 25 years ago, but there still seem to be copies around. A good reference for what working cane locos looked like, as most of the photos are from the '50s and '60s.

Graeme

[GAP]

A couple of photos.
This is Bundaberg Fowler One

Bundaberg-Fowler-One.jpg (34.6 KiB) Viewed 27827 times

This one is of No3 as it is today along with "Invicta" a Fowler built in Leeds

locos.jpg (650.35 KiB) Viewed 27827 times

Link to the source site the Australian Sugar Cane Railway Bundaberg
https://www.bundabergcanetrains.org.au/

[David P]

Hi all,

just found this thread whilst searching for a second-hand Roundhouse Bundy Fowler - I have to say if I do manage to find one I would have to detail it as " Speedy". it (none of them ever had a nameplate fitted as far as I know)

Cast nameplates weren't common on any cane locos., although a few mills used painted names and/or numbers on their locos.

One of the few exceptions would appear to have been BF2 at Mossman Mill. There are published photos of it running in the '50s with cast 'Bundy' nameplates. It was the original carrier of the name, but would appear to have lost the plates and the name in preservation.

The best photos I've seen of the original 'Bundy' are in the Train Hobby profile 'Queensland Canefields Steam Era'. The book was published 25 years ago, but there still seem to be copies around. A good reference for what working cane locos looked like, as most of the photos are from the '50s and '60s.

Graeme

No cast name plate but Marion Mill's 2' gauge Dick, Kerr & Co.'s was initially known as "Gresham":

Dick Kerr Gresham-1.jpg (1.89 MiB) Viewed 27636 times

The locomotive, which was the third of its type according to historian John Browning, still exists (albeit in pieces) and is owned by a colleague of mine - some details can be found here: http://australiansteam.com/MarianMill3.htm

It received a new boiler in 1951 built by Walkers of Maryborough with a copper firebox and brass tubes - the boiler inspector's report a number of years ago was most favorable - which is no surprise as the engine only ran for twelve years until it was retired in 1963 & placed in a park the following year!

(According to Russel Francis, regular driver at Qunaba, it was the locomotive used by the navvies for track maintenance before its retirement)

Note that the cab and sandbox in the second image on this web page do not belong to the Dick Kerr but are from Stella (Krauss 3423 of 1897 - http://australiansteam.com/Stella.htm) which is now at the Cambelltown Steam and Machinery Museum (http://www.csmm.com.au/) - the webmaster is aware that the parts belong to Stella but has not managed to update the page yet.

The only other surviving Dick, Kerr & Co. 2' gauge locomotive in Australia is Valdora - an 0-4-0T of 1893 which is stuffed and plinthed at Nambour.