A fun song with a serious message is the flagship of our 2020 cane train safety campaign. 

The catchy Train Brain Song urges people to look out for cane trains and to use their train brains, or risk ending up ‘flat out like a toad’. 

The song was written and recorded by Bundaberg local Warren Wrangell, who uploaded an early version of the tune to his Facebook page last year. 

Wilmar partnered with Mr Wrangell to have the song professionally recorded and worked with Mak Media to develop an animation to go with it. 

Wilmar Sugar’s General Manager Cane Supply and Grower Relations Paul Giordani said he hoped the Train Brain Song connected with people of all ages and helped keep them safe this crushing season. 

“The lyrics are fun but it’s a serious message about using your train brain and staying safe around cane trains,” he said. 

“Using your train brain means to always be on the lookout for cane trains, to obey all signs and signals at cane railway crossings, and to always give way to oncoming cane trains.” 

With crushing about to commence in the Burdekin region, cane trains will be on the move from this week, transporting empty cane bins out to sidings in readiness for the start to harvesting. 

Wilmar operates more than 1600km of cane railway track across the Herbert, Burdekin, Proserpine and Plane Creek milling regions. That includes more than 460 crossings on public roads. 

“Our cane trains operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the crushing season,” Mr Giordani said. 

“Although cane trains travel at relatively low speeds they can haul loads in excess of 1,000 tonnes. 

“They can’t swerve and they can’t stop quickly. A cane train hauling full bins will take about one kilometre to stop after brakes are applied. 

“The last thing our locomotive drivers want to do is come to a road crossing and see motorists try to beat the train or, worse still, come into contact with a train, because it’s the motorist who will end up second best.” 

Mr Wrangell said he wrote the Train Brain Song after his own close encounter with a cane train last year, while on the job as a mower driver for Bundaberg Regional Council. 

“I was going along and then there was a cane train right in front of me and I thought ‘look out for those cane trains’,” he said. 

“Every time I came to a cane train track after that, those words popped in my head, so I thought I would put a bit of music to it to get the safety message out. 

“I hope the song wakes people up to the fact that they need to be safe around cane trains. Hopefully, it will save lives.” 

The Train Brain Song will feature in Wilmar’s television, radio and social media advertising campaign throughout the 2020 crushing season.