page_title: North Coast railway line, Queensland
section_title: Branch/connecting lines
hierarchical_section_title: North Coast railway line, Queensland / Branch/connecting lines
caption_attribution_description: English: RM 2017 at Greenvale Station about to depart on the fortnightly service to Townsville, ~1991
context_page_description: The North Coast railway line is a 1,681 kilometres 3-foot 6-inch gauge railway line in Queensland, Australia. It commences at Roma Street station, Brisbane, and largely parallels the Queensland coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The line is electrified between Brisbane and Rockhampton. Along the way, the 1680 km railway passes through the numerous towns and cities of eastern Queensland including Nambour, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville. The line though the centre of Rockhampton runs down the middle of Denison Street.
context_section_description: Many rural lines do or did branch off the North Coast Line. They are listed below from south to north.
  Caboolture - Kilcoy 56 km opened between 1909–13, closed 1964 when it was decided not to relocate the line for the raising of the Somerset Dam, except for the 11 km to Wamuran which remained for pineapple farmers to ship to a Brisbane cannery, that section closing in 1996.
  Buderim Tramway - an 11.5 km, 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge line was opened from Palmwoods station (33 m asl) to Buderim (185 m asl) by the Maroochy Shire Council in 1914, built at a cost of £34,000. The local community's enthusiasm for the line can be seen from the fact that 72% of the land required for the tramway (55 acres or 22 hectares) was donated. Two services a day were operated, plus additional runs during fruit harvesting season. The journey time was one hour, with a return fare being 5/- (five shillings) and freight costing 17/6 (17 shillings and sixpence) per long ton. Two locomotives were operated, a Shay locomotive, noted as out of service in 1932, and a Krauss tank locomotive, which has been preserved at Buderim. The line closed in 1935 due to the loss of fruit and timber traffic to road transport.
  Mapleton Tramway - The Moreton Central Sugar Mill at Nambour (~20 m asl) commenced operation in 1897 and constructed a series of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge tramways to carry sugar cane to the mill. Land at Dulong, (west of Nambour and ~240 m asl) was considered suitable for sugar cane cultivation so a 9 km line was constructed between 1897 and 1905 with 1 in 20 (5%) grades and 2 chain (~40 m) radius curves, initially horse operated, and featuring a ~15 m deep cutting through rock to avoid the need for two tunnels. A Shay locomotive was purchased in 1908, but despite the improved economics of locomotive hauled trains, sugar cane cultivation declined at Dulong in favour of fruit growing and dairy farming. The mill commenced public haulage of passengers and freight on the line in 1909, which led to calls by the residents of Mapleton (~360 m asl) for the line to be extended there. The sugar mill had no interest in doing so, and the Maroochy Shire Council purchased the line and rollingstock in 1914 and extended the line a further 9 km the following year, purchasing a second Shay locomotive at the same time. The journey time was two hours, and initially two services per day (Sunday excepted) were timetabled, with a fare of 2/- to Mapleton, 3d (three pennies) per case of fruit and freight at 7/6 per ton. In 1929 the service was reduced to one train per day. A sawmill at Mapleton was purchased by the Hornibrook construction company in the early 1930s, and the hardwood piles and girders for the Hornibrook Bridge were transported by the tramway, transferring to QR trains at Nambour. The line was closed in 1944 and purchased by the mill, which continued to operate the first 2 km section for seasonal sugar cane haulage until 1970. The mill closed in 2003. One of the Shay locomotives is preserved at Nambour.
  Monkland - Brooloo 44 km opened between 1914–15, the Mary Valley Railway branched off near Gympie. Closed between 1993–95, a heritage group operated the Valley Rattler as far as Imbil until 2012. A 1920 approved extension to Kenilworth was never constructed.
  Theebine - Murgon system The first section of a network of branches, opened 1886, now all closed.
  Monto Loop branched off at Mungar near Maryborough, and rejoined the NCL at Gladstone, closed 1 July 2012.
  Colton - Urangan opened between 1896-1913, initially to facilitate sugar exports. Closed 1993.
  Isis Junction - Dallarnal 81 km opened between 1887-1913, closed between 1955-64.
  Bundaberg - Pemberton 23 km opened between 1894-1912, closed between 1948-59 except for the first 3 km serving industries, which closed in 1995.
  North Bundaberg - Mount Perry 105 km opened between 1881-84 to serve a copper mine and smelter. Sugar cane later became the main traffic east of Gin Gin, and the section west of there closed in 1960. The remainder closed in 1993.
  Gladstone - Monto the northern junction of the Monto-Mungar Jun
caption: RM 2017 at Greenvale station about to depart on the fortnightly service to Townsville, ~1991
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