One of our Proserpine Mill locomotives is making its way home after a complete upgrade at our Burdekin centralised workshop.

The 40 tonne locomotive and its associated brake wagon are undergoing a major driveline and electrical upgrade at a cost of $1.8 million.
It includes a new cabin, Mercedes Benz engine, Renk Mag reverse box and cooling module.

Proserpine Mill’s Loco 12 is one of three locos undergoing a complete rebuild this year, as a part of a long-term strategy to increase reliability and fuel efficiency, create safer operation, and lower carbon emissions across the entire loco fleet.

Plane Creek Mill’s Karloo and Proserpine Mill’s Loco 14 are also being rebuilt at our Pioneer Mill. Karloo is receiving the same loco and brake wagon upgrades as Loco 12, while Loco 14 will undergo upgrades and receive a new brake wagon.

Having begun upgrades during the 2021 crushing season, Loco 12 is set to be back on the tracks, ready for the start of the 2022 crush in June.

This time-lapse video, captured by our Burdekin mechanical diesel fitter Kieran Koppen, shows Loco 12 being loaded onto a truck, having completed its upgrades at our Burdekin workshop, to be road transported back to Proserpine where it will have its bogies put on.

Kieran said it was satisfying to watch the rebuilt loco being lifted onto truck at the end of a major upgrade.

“I’ve been involved with 14 loco upgrades since this program began and I love seeing them get transformed into a virtually new loco, from the chassis up.

“I thought it would be nice to capture the departure on video, after so many people in the workshop spent time working on Loco 12, since it was delivered to the garage in November last year,” he said.