Queensland's Cane Trains - Mossman Mill Part 2

Queensland has a fascinating network of sugar cane railways stretching from Bundaberg in the South through to Mossman in the North. 17 sugar mills have railway networks with over 4000km of track across the state. All the mills use 2ft gauge track, except for Pioneer Mill which uses 3ft 6in gauge track.
Locomotives are diesel hydraulic, with ages ranging from 70 years old to brand new (2023 built). Some locomotives have been converted from former Queensland Rail 3ft 6in DH class, or New South Wales Government Railways 4ft 8 1/2in 47 class.
Wagons are unbraked and some trains operate with a remote controlled brake van at the rear of the train to provide additional braking force. Trains can be up to 1km long, consisting of up to 200 wagons with a weight of approximately 1000 tons.
Some trains require two crew members however many locomotives have been converted to driver only operating and can be switched to remote control operation for shunting.
This video contains footage taken in August 2023 of Mossman Mill. Mossman Mill is owned by Far Northern Milling and is the most Northern mill in Queensland. Mossman operates a fleet of Com-Eng and Baldwin locomotives. Several unique features of this mill include a lengthy section of street running as one of the tracks approaches the mill, and the wagons used by the mill. Mossman Mill is the only mill to run 'intermodal' style wagons - the cane bins are containers that run on skeletal flat wagons. The bins can be transferred to trucks for transport to the farms.
Trains in this video are as follows:
1. Com-Eng locomotives 'Faughty' (1965) and 'Douglas' (1963) shunt across the Captain Cook Highway to retrieve a rake of loaded bins from Tollentini Rd siding. The locos then shunt their train back to allow another train to pass.
2. Com-Eng locomotives 'Cook' (1965) and 'Ivy' (1964) cross the South Mossman River with a rake of empties for the Cassowary exchange yards.
3. 'Faughty' and 'Douglas' then depart for the mill, seen crossing the South Mossman River bridge.
4. 'Daintree' (1977 Baldwin loco) crosses the Mossman - Daintree road crossing with a rake of empties for Miallo.
5. A few shots of loco moves around the mill, taken the previous day when the mill wasn't crushing. 'Cook' and 'Ivy' shunt around the yard. 'Mossman' (1957 Com-Eng loco) is then seen shunting the weed spraying wagon around the yard.

[@FishplateFilms]

This is your best yet I think sir! The dual 060 combo's are my favourite, and I caught a few of them on my visit back in 2014. They look tough and cool and having the side rods gives them animation. Catching the wheelslips was great ...as you wouldn't get on other bogie style locos! Was that a heay train or grass on the rails? The bogie bins are cool as well...nice to see them catching on in the cane fields.
Thanks again for catching the "Cane Critters".
Gregg.

[@NR54trailerail]

Thanks Gregg! They're pretty cool units. I think the wheelslip was due to a heavy load and dew on the rails - the sun hadn't been up long enough to dry everything out. The locos had a bit of touble pulling the bins out of the siding initially as well. They certainly pile the cane up in the bins!