The Savannahlander
The Savannahlander is a railmotor service that operates in Queensland, Australia. The train travels from the coastal town of Cairns to Forsayth. The service was once operated by Queensland Rail TravelTrain but is now run under contract by a private operator.
Route and Timetable
The Savannahlander departs Cairns 6.30 Wednesday morning and travels up the scenic Kuranda Range. It then travels to the south-west on the Chillagoe-Mungana branch line. The train travels through the towns of Mareeba and Dimbulah before arriving in Almaden where it stays for the night. On Thursday morning at 8 the Savannahlander continues south-west on the Etheridge branch. The rail motors pass through Mount Surprise and Einasleigh before arriving at the terminus of the line, Forsayth. On Friday the train makes the short run from Forsayth back to Mount Surprise. The train then travels back to Cairns on Saturday.
Railmotor units
The Savannahlander rollingstock comprises three ex-Queensland Rail 2000 class railmotor units.
2026 and 2028 and are 2000 class "PD" (Passenger / Driving) cars. These units have the classic 1960s era streamlined front ends and were built for QR in 1963. Originally they had 160 HP Rolls Royce Diesel Engines fitted but these were removed in 2005 and replaced with a 250 HP Cummins diesel and Allison Auto gear box combination.
2053, technically a 2051 class rail motor, is known as a "PLDT" (Passenger & Luggage / Driving / Trailing) car. These cars have access doors at each end at the expense of the streamlined front. This allows the cars to be placed in the middle of the usual sets and sets of three or four cars can be made up to operate together. There were only four of this style of car built, and they were originally fitted with an AEC engine. 2053 was built in 1971 and re-powered along with the other Savannahlander units in 2005.
