Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - Part 8 - With Commentary – Kuranda to Cairns

#Timsvideochannel1 #Trains
Please sit back and enjoy the ride accompanied by an informative commentary delivered with typical Australian humour by our driver/guides Will and Hamish. An alternative version of this trip for people who prefer an uninterrupted experience without commentary using video footage from an external camera will be available shortly.
The first time I travelled the 33 kilometres from Cairns to Kuranda on one of Queensland Rails Kuranda Scenic Trains, I had no idea that the railway continued for another 391 kilometres to Forsayth and at one time connected Cairns with a network of branch lines serving the needs of the mining, agricultural and lumber industries as well as carrying all manner of goods required by the towns and villages served by the Tablelands Railways.
In this video we pass through a deserted Kuranda station long after the crowds had caught the last tourist train back to the coastal resort town of Cairns. Please get comfortable and join me for trip along one of Australia's most scenic stretches of railway line accompanied by an informative commentary covering the construction and history of this line, built through some of the most hostile terrain imaginable. I could have spent ages waxing lyrical about the tunnels, bridges, waterfalls, history and the amazing views, but to be honest our guides Will and Hamish do a much better job describing the journey as it happens.

Here is a little information about the train, mostly courtesy of Wikipedia -

The service was introduced on 3 April 1995 by Queensland Rail to replace the Forsayth Mixed (marketed as the 'Last Great Train Ride'). The line was closed from Mareeba to Mount Surprise at the same time. It was initially run with a 2000 class railmotor set that was refurbished at Townsville Workshops. Initially this service only ran on the Mount Surprise to Forsayth section of the Etheridge line. However, after an upgrade of the line for sugar syrup trains from Cairns to Arriga, and a limited restoration of the rest of the line, the railmotor started travelling from Cairns to Forsayth in September 1998. In 2004 it was decided to put the running of the train out to tender and the winning bid was submitted by “Cairns Kuranda Steam Pty Ltd”. Please listen to the commentary to hear more about “Cairns Kuranda Steam” and how it came to be running the Savannahlander.

Music - Track - Composer – Source
00:00 - ES_Acoustic Dreams 19 - Örjan Karlsson – epidemicsound.com
01:29:28 - ES_Lower Down The Bridge (Instrumental Version) - Tommy Ljungberg - epidemicsound.com

Map at 00:38 - Google Earth
Map at 00:46 - Google Maps

To learn more about the “Savannahlander” or to book your own outback adventure, please click on this link - https://savannahlander.com.au/ Savannahlander

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/Savannahland...

For information about the Tablelands railway - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablela...

This trip was filmed - 20.10.2023

Track Gauge - 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)

To see the first 6 Parts of this trip, please click on any of the links below –

Driver's Eye View (Australia) - Savannahlander - Part 2 - With Commentary - Forsayth to Cafe Bloodwood -    • Driver's Eye View Plus - Savannahlander - ...  

Driver's Eye View (Australia) - Savannahlander - Part 3 - With Commentary - Cafe Bloodwood to Einasleigh -    • Driver's Eye View Plus - Savannahlander - ...  

Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - Part 4 - with commentary - Einasleigh to
Mount Surprise -    • Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - ...  

Driver's Eye View (Plus) - Savannahlander - Part 5 - With Commentary – Mount Surprise to Almaden -    • Driver's Eye View (Plus) - Savannahlander ...  

Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - Part 6 - With Commentary - Almaden to Dimbulah -    • Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - ...  

Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - Part 7 - With Commentary – Dimbulah to Kuranda -    • Driver's Eye View Plus – Savannahlander - ...