{"id":335582,"date":"2023-08-09T21:06:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T11:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=335582"},"modified":"2023-08-10T19:40:19","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T09:40:19","slug":"its-full-steam-ahead-at-murgon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2023\/08\/09\/its-full-steam-ahead-at-murgon\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Full Steam Ahead At Murgon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Murgon Men’s Shed vice-president Rudy Broers says the locomotive will become a permanent, static display<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 9, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

The volunteers at the Murgon Men’s Shed are building up a head of steam for what could be one of the biggest projects they’ve tackled … the restoration of a 96-year-old locomotive.<\/p>\n

The 37 tonne C17 steam locomotive and 17 tonne tender were transported from an Australian Railway Historical Society storage area at Rosewood on Wednesday by two semi-trailers.<\/p>\n

They were craned into position on rails at the Murgon Men’s Shed in Macalister Street on Friday.<\/p>\n

The locomotive is believed to be No 763, which was built at Walkers Limited in Maryborough and entered service with Queensland Rail in 1927.<\/p>\n

It was written off by QR in 1969 and placed in a Brisbane park where it was repeatedly targeted with graffiti, before being put into storage at the Rosewood Railway Museum.<\/p>\n

The Murgon Men’s Shed has been negotiating with the museum for four years to organise a loan – and then eventually the purchase for $5000 – of a steam locomotive to place alongside the wooden 1918 passenger car and steel goods wagon which the group has already restored.<\/p>\n

Men’s Shed president Dave Mollenhauer said the negotiations had involved a lot of trips back and forwards from Murgon to Rosewood.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The engine was covered in vines which had to be removed before it could be transported to Murgon.<\/p>\n

Another problem was the heavy steel connecting rod between the locomotive and the coal tender which had to be cut through using oxy acetylene.<\/p>\n

Dave said a generous donation of $25,000 to the Murgon Men’s Shed by one of its members, Col Pearen, had helped to cover the cost of crane hire at Rosewood ($12,000) and Murgon ($9000) as well as the $5000 for the two semi-trailers.<\/p>\n

Men’s Shed vice-president Rudy Broers said the aim was to clean up the locomotive and tender, kill the rust and “make it look nice”.<\/p>\n

The locomotive and tender will form a static display under cover near the two restored railway carriages.<\/p>\n

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