Edited 11 Sep 2019 11:45, 2 years ago, edited by Sulla1

With the fires around Stanthorpe, Q and the old main line, still available for use AFAIK... that's possibly where the rail assets will be potentially hit the hardest.

Stanthorpe will be looking for tourism to help get back on its feet with the recurring drought. It would be good for ARHS to cobble together a Winelander train if the rolling stock is available.

Mike.

The skinny gauge section is a bit different to its long retired wider cousin south of the border, and significant loss from fire will more than likely see it permanently closed or "services suspended" and yes loss of a potential HR operation.

An infrequent HR operation isn't really a major tourist job generating draw card but it does help and it would be nice to see the Toowoomba - Warwick - Stanthorpe NG section remain active beyond the opening of the Inland after which I think most expect the SW NG line to longer be used by rail freight.

I thought ARHS ceased the Wine-train because of the older lander rollingstock being retired by QR?

SDSR runs regular heritage trains between Warwick and Wallangarra and is now the only regular operator on the line other than very occasional QR maintenance trains. The last regular freight on the line ended in the mid-2000s with the Golden Circle apple traffic.

There's an outside chance that Watco might find some business on the line, such as container traffic too and from the proposed Guyra Meatworks - the previous and now closed meatworks provided the bulk of the traffic on the QR line during the 1990s. I wouldn't hold my breath for freight returning, but Watco is probably the only company in Queensland that will look into it.