Urgent plea to help save Townsville Train Park’s star attractions

Townsville Train Park’s most popular attractions — two steam locomotives — are at risk of being out of action at their next highly anticipated run day. Find out why.

TOWNSVILLE Train Park’s most popular attractions — two steam locomotives — are at risk of being out of action at their next highly anticipated run day due to a coal shortage.

Townsville and District Society of Model Engineers president Aaron Courtney said the non-for-profit was in need of “urgent” help to secure a supply of thermal coal for their mini steam locos — Heidi and the Blue Lady — to keep operating at the Townsville railway.

He said the trains were down to just a few buckets of coal, which means they may not be operational for the railway’s next big run day on July 31.

“The steam locos are a crowd favourite here, sometimes we have to ask people to stop lining up for them at the end of the day,” he said.

Townsville and District Society of Model Engineers run the train park at Lou Litster Park on Boundary Street opposite the Civic Theatre.

“I know some families would be just devastated if they weren’t at the next run day.

“We get big numbers every month for those events and sold about 800 tickets at the last.”

Mr Courtney said after they put a call out on social media this week asking the public to help them secure some coal, the offers came pouring in.

“We’re so relieved to get such an amazing response, and a few different coal mines have gotten in touch to help us; some are even offering to donate it,” he said.

“We’re still ironing out the details of things, but I’m confident we’ll have something in time for the next run day.

“We’ll hopefully be able to organise regular supply with some of them, so we get in a situation like this again.”

Originally published as Urgent plea to help save Townsville Train Park’s star attractions