SDSR Downs Explorer Goondiwindi Weekender: The Toobeah Shuttles May 2018.

This is a video of the Goondiwindi Weekender heritage train tour that was operated by Southern Downs Steam Railway (SDSR) in May 2018. This video focuses on the Toobeah Shuttles that ran from Goondiwindi to Toobeah on the Sunday.
The Toobeah Shuttles consisted of two return trips from Goondiwindi to Toobeah about 50km west of Goondiwindi on the Sunday of the Goondiwindi Weekender tour. The Toobeah Shuttles were hauled exclusively by steam locomotive C 17 971.
The Goondiwindi Weekender tour ran over 3 days from Saturday to Monday and was hauled by steam locomotive C 17 971 and diesel locomotive DH 45. The tour train operated along the South Western Railway from Warwick to Goondiwindi and onto Toobeah.
The Goondiwindi Weekender tour itinerary was as follows:
On the Saturday the tour train departed from Warwick and travelled to Inglewood. Where the passengers had a BBQ lunch while the steam locomotive C17 971 was serviced. After lunch the journey continued to Goondiwindi where the train arrived in the late afternoon and stabled for the night and passengers were transferred by bus to hotels.
On the Sunday while in Goondiwindi the tour train operated a couple of shuttle trips from Goondiwindi to Toobeah for locals. Also some passengers from the Saturday also rode on the Toobeah shuttles while others took part in a bus tour to Dirranbandi.
On the Monday the tour train departed from Goondiwindi and travelled to Inglewood. Where the passengers had a BBQ lunch while the steam locomotive C17 971 was serviced. After lunch the tour train continued on its journey back to Warwick arriving around sunset.
The Goondiwindi Weekender heritage train tour was well worth doing and a great way to spend a long weekend. I certainly would recommend traveling on tour like this in the future.
A little background into the railway, locomotives and SDSR is outlined below:
Queensland's South Western Railway is a narrow gauge railway that opened in 1913 and originally ran from Warwick to Dirranbandi in Western Queensland. The section from Dirranbandi to Thallon closed in 2010 after significant flood damage and poor freight traffic volumes.
The South Western Railway essentially runs parallel to the NSW border and traditionally competed for traffic with railways in northern NSW. However today it still provides a useful role moving large amounts of grain and some containerised cotton. There are no regular passenger trains on the South Western Railway.
C 17 971 is a C 17 class 4-8-0 steam locomotive built for Queensland Rail in 1950 by Walkers Limited of Maryborough Queensland. A total of 227 C 17 locomotives were built between 1920 and 1953. They proved very successful being able to operate on most lines due to their lower weight and powerful design.
DH 45 is a DH class diesel hydraulic locomotive built for Queensland Rail in 1969 by Walkers Limited of Maryborough Queensland. A total of DH 73 locomotives were built between 1966 and 1974. They were built mostly for use as yard shunters but they also saw use on freight trains on lightweight lines.
The Southern Downs Steam Railway (SDSR) now known as Downs Explorer was founded in 1996 with the main purpose to restore the railway workshops at Warwick Queensland. However in 2000 the steam locomotive C 17 971 was purchased and restored over the next 10 years thus allowing SDSR to operate heritage train tours from 2009 onwards. Today SDSR is largest operator of regular mainline heritage train tours in Queensland.
The footage in this video was produced in May 2018.
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