Railway Remembered In Song

20170606 Tony Foran — Singer/guitarist Tony Foran will team up with Nanango historian Mary Green to create a new song about the former South Burnett railway line

June 6, 2017

The former South Burnett railway which connected Nanango to Theebine will soon be remembered in a new song that also recalls the Proston branch line.

Nanango historian Mary Green and Brisbane Valley singer/guitarist Tony Foran plan to record the song in remembrance of the railway line, and the many towns and villages the railway served.

Both are members of the Brisbane Valley Heritage Trails Inc, which promotes the history of the Brisbane Valley.

Tony has already composed several songs about sights that can be viewed along the BVRT, and last August his work was featured on ABC Radio 612 in Brisbane.

With the South Burnett Rail Trail (SBRT) nearing completion, Mary suggested to Tony they jointly develop a song about the SBRT, and he agreed.

The pair hope to record the song in the near future, and perhaps create a video that can be shared on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Mary has now written a first draft of the lyrics, which has two choruses in order to list all the stations that used to exist on the South Burnett line.

The song outlines the start of design work for the new line (1886) and the struggle railway builders had bringing the line over the Kinbombi Range between Kilkivan and Goomeri.

It also recalls the main cargoes the railway handled and the extensions to Nanango and Proston, as well as the line’s final closure in 2009.

*** * ***

The Old South Burnett Railway Line

by Mary Green and Tony ForanIn eighteen hundred and eighty-six
With goods and services to fix
Work began on the new design
Of the old South Burnett railway lineThe workers showed a frantic skill
As they slowly fought their way uphill
Conquering the steep incline
Of the old South Burnett railway line

Soon the trains began to rattle
With timber, cream, nuts and cattle
People and goods were consigned
On the old South Burnett railway line

Over 20 years the line extended
And finally – at Nanango – ended
A Proston branch became just fine
On the old South Burnett railway line

But the line fell silent then, at last
And the very final service passed
With a goods train in 2009
On the old South Burnett railway lineSo let us toast before we part
Those who travelled, stout of heart
Day or night time, rain or shine
On the old South Burnett railway lineChorus #1:
Kilkivan, Kingaroy, Goomeri
Theebine, Oakview, Memerambi
Murgon, Crawford, Woolooga
Wooroolin, Wondai, Tingoora

Chorus #2:
Kilkivan, Kingaroy, Goomeri
Theebine, Miva, Memerambi
Cinnabar, Murgon, Woolooga
Wooroolin, Wondai, Tingoora

One Response to "Railway Remembered In Song"

Keith Kratzmann says:

June 7, 2017 at 9:08 am

What a great idea to remember the days when the trains ran from Brisbane via Gympie and Theebine on their daily runs to Kingaroy, as well as the branch lines to Nanango every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and to Tarong on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus the connection from Murgon to Proston.

The smoke from the steam engines was always a welcome sight at the various sidings when the goods trains with two passenger carriages arrived at their destinations.

I had the fortune for my late elder brother to pay my way on the 5:00pm train from Kingaroy to Roma Street in 1948, so I could walk to the Brisbane Cricket ground and see the star-studded Don Bradman side demolish the visiting England side.

Congratulations Mary Green on creating a song for all of the memories of yesteryears — and brickbats to former Queensland Liberal and Labor political leaders in beefing up road transport freight, which led to the demise of our precious rail freight and passenger connections.