Queensland Government Railway No. 812

Queensland Government Railway No. 812 is a class C17, 4-8-0 built in 1927 by the Armstrong Whitworth & Co. and was placed in Queensland Government Railways service in July 1927 and written off 42 years later in June 1969.  Following retirement it was placed in a park at Atherton (on the eponymous Atherton Tableland, inland from Cairns in tropical Far North Queensland) for the local Rotary Club.
In 1988, Queensland Rail closed the Atherton Tablelands railway line south from Atherton via Herberton to Ravenshoe.  Local community group RAILCO was formed to campaign for retention and reopening of the line, spawning separate tourist railways at both the Ravenshoe and Atherton ends of the line. No. 812 plinthed at Atherton was acquired and restored to operation at the RAILCO Atherton depot at Platypus Park, just south of the town (as Atherton Station and yard was still being used by Queensland Rail). A period video shows the hardy RAILCO volunteers overhauled the tender by laying it on its side, to gain access to the underframe! Trolley rides were offered on the line to help raise awareness and funds for repair of the permanent way. No. 812 subsequently operated over a restored section of the line towards Herberton, with the webmaster remembering a pleasant but short trip of about 3 km length enjoyed during the summer of 1996 in an interesting mix of rollingstock including a louvre-sided car ostensibly converted from a bogie goods wagon. A subsequent visit in July 2004 found the Atherton operations suspended due to deteriorating track condition, with RAILCO instead concentrating on their successful operation with D17 No. 268 at the other end of the line between Ravenshoe and Tumoulin. During this period No. 812 and its train remained in open storage at Platypus Park, hoping for funding to restore the railway up the 1:33 grades and Herberton Range tunnel through to Herberton.
As of today the locomotive is at Ravenshoe Railway Company but as of 2024, the locomotive is a static display.
== Trivia ==
*This was one of 227 units were constructed by a variety of builders between 1920 and 1953. No. 812 represents the original ‘1920 design’ of C17 which are identifiable by a smaller, straight-sided cutaway cab, tall steam dome, cast iron chimney and a low-sided bogie tender.
*It retains the original style of boiler with a tall steam dome. No. 812 is one of a batch of 25 additional C17-class engines imported from the UK manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth & Co in 1927 and unloaded at the Pinkenba wharf in Brisbane.
*It operated at Atherton from 2000 to 2004.
Category:Australian Locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Built in 1927
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:4-8-0 steam locomotives
Category:4-8-0 locomotives
Category:Red Livery Engines
Category:Australian Steam Locomotives
Category:Queensland Locomotives
Category:Preserved steam locomotives