page_title: Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway / History / Construction
caption_attribution_description: English: Staff of the Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway, ca. 1905. The tram was built and operated by the Cairns Shire Council in 1896. Later after it had been purchased by the Queensland government in 1911, it became part of the Brisbane-Cairns railway. Back row: P. King; M. Gilshennan; B. Connors; W. Mills; J. Davies; M. Carey; E. Mawby; J. McCool; J. Anderson; W. Catling; A. Hill. Middle row: D. Dean; J. Cleary; E. Cummings; JK. Simpson; H. R. Smith; T. P. Smith; H. Coombes; A. Wyer;W. France; E. Strutter; C. P. Richardson; C. E. Wood; Laycock; A. F. Carpenter; H. Fenwick. Front Row, left to right, G. Sparks (Loco Foreman); H. Manners (Accountant); J. J. O'Leary (Superintendent) A. Orchard (Maintenance Inspector) J. C.&#160;? (Cairns Station Master).
context_page_description: The Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway was a private tram line from Cairns to the Mulgrave River in Queensland, Australia. It was built until 1897 to serve the Mulgrave Central Sugar Mill, built in 1895. The line, which led through difficult terrain including dense jungle, was built by the Cairns Divisional Board, later renamed Cairns Shire Council, at a cost of £15,319. The line originally ran from Cairns to Nelson, later renamed Gordonvale. In 1898 it was extended to Aloomba, and in 1910 it was finally extended to Babinda, over a length of 50 kilometres. The end point in Cairns was between Spence and Bunda Street, adjacent to the Queensland Government's Cairns railway station, with which the line was connected by a short distance.
  The line was officially opened on 3 May 1897 with an excursion from Cairns to Nelson. Initially, the Cairns Divisional Board had only one small locomotive, built in 1879 in Philadelphia, USA, and a second locomotive was added in 1898. In the beginning, passenger coaches and good carriages were rented from the Queensland Government until the company acquired its own stock from Phoenix Engineering Co and Shillito & Sons, both based in Ipswich.
context_section_description: The board having complied with the regulations and provisions of the various Local Government Acts, and having arranged for a loan from the Government, tenders were invited for the construction of the line to the Mulgrave, and that of Messrs. Kirk Brothers and Frew (£15,319 13s.) was accepted by the board, and the work was satisfactorily completed towards the end of April 1897. The line was entirely unfenced, but in other respects, the usual railway practice of the colony has been followed, except that the formation is only 12 ft. wide, whilst soil ballast has been chiefly used. Several of the bridges also were low-level.
  The average cost per mile open, for construction only, to 30 June 1898. including two miles of mixed gauge, was £1827. In order to facilitate the operations of the Mulgrave Central Mill Company, the board consented to lay two miles of mixed gauge, thus enabling the mill company's narrow gauge locomotives to haul cane and firewood over the board's tramway from 11¾ miles to the mill. A similar arrangement was made for about 1½ miles on the Aloomba extension.
caption: Staff of the Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway, ca. 1905
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