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The Gulflander is a passenger train operated by Queensland Rail on the isolated Normanton to Croydon line in the Gulf Country of Northern Queensland, Australia. Steam locomotives were used until 1929 by which time railmotors had been introduced, the first entring service in 1922. By 1974 the line was under threat of closure, earning just $3,000 in revenue but costing $64,000 to maintain. Today the line exists as a tourist attraction and is said to be more of an adventure than a train ride. The crews are qualified guides and will stop the train and talk about points of interest. The present three-car railmotor set is made up of a Gardner diesel railmotor and two carriages TP1809 and TP1811. This is Queensland Rail's own description of the Gulflander - “Take a journey through frontier country from Normanton to Croydon as you step aboard the iconic Gulflander. Also known as the ‘Tin Hare’, this legendary rail motor is one of the last great characters of the railway world. Affectionately said to go from ‘nowhere to nowhere’, the Heritage Listed Normanton to Croydon line was never connected to the state rail network and remains the only line in Queensland still measured in miles. From wetlands and grasslands to arid Savannah territory, the Gulflander travels through countryside that most people will never see. This nostalgic rail journey is the perfect way to discover an area steeped in pioneering history and heritage. As a working tribute to the Gulf of Carpentaria’s early pioneers, the Gulflander is a once in a lifetime experience“. Please join me on the weekly Normanton to Croydon train, consisting of RM93 and two carriages taking around 5 hours to complete the trip at a maximum operating speed of 40 km/h. Trip date - 17th October 2023 Track Gauge - 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Music - Track - Composer - Source 02:50 - ES_The Red Soil - Saira Ridley - 01:02:12 - ES_Outback Hunter - Jon Bjork - To learn more about the railway, please click on this link - To book your own Gulflander experience, please click on this link -
