The first of four new 26-tonne locos being constructed at our workshops has been delivered to its new home.
Alma was transported to Inkerman Mill last month, ready to begin service this production season.
Three more 26-tonne locos - modelled on the Brisbane, which was launched in the Herbert region last year - are in the final stages of construction.
Alma has the honour of being the first locomotive to feature the new Wilmar Sugar and Renewables logo.
Burdekin Cane Supply Manager John Tait said the Alma was an exciting new addition to Inkerman’s fleet and would have a positive impact on reliability.
“Inkerman Mill has an ageing fleet and, although our current locos do maintain reliability, Alma will be pivotal in improving the fleet’s overall cane-hauling capacity.”
Senior Project Engineer Chris Weight managed the final phase of the Alma project, shortly after starting his new role in the Mobile Project team.
“The Alma marked a significant milestone for me as the first official project in my new role,” Chris said.
“It was a 20-month project, from concept to delivery, and cost more than $2 million. I inherited the Alma in the last six months of its build, to execute and finalise its overall design and fit-out.”
Chris said it was a very rewarding feeling to see the end product be delivered successfully to Inkerman Mill.
Alma is the first new-model loco for Inkerman Mill since the Iyah was commissioned in 1976.
Inkerman Mill is receiving a second new 26-tonne loco ahead of the start of the season. The Kirknie will replace Inkerman's 52-year-old Baldwin locomotive, Iona.
The other two new 26-tonne locos - Leichhardt and Hinchinbrook - will be delivered to the Herbert region in May and July.
The Mobile Project team is also managing major upgrades of two 40-tonne RSU locos, which are on schedule to be completed in time for the production season. They are being sent to Pioneer and Plane Creek mills.
The new builds are part of a much larger program to upgrade our extensive loco fleet.
We operate 74 locos in our Herbert, Burdekin, Proserpine, and Sarina milling regions, across more than 1,600km of cane rail network.
