The transport of coal from Moura commenced in October, 1959, with the railing of a trial shipment, and in August, 1961, regular coal trains commenced with an output of 20,000 tons per month. The coal was road hauled from the mine to a loading point in the Moura station yard a distance of approximately 7 mi les. (refer to Figure 1).
Garratt Locomotives were used as motive power, hauling small capacity wagons on the Dawson Valley Branch via Baralaba, Mt. Morgan to Kabra, thence on the Central Line to Port Curtis and the North Coast Line to the Port of Gladstone, a distance of 195 miles.
In January, 1963, a spur line connection was made from koura station to Moura Mine and enabled coal to be loaded directly into coal trains at the Moura Mine.
Early in 1964, a permanent way rehabilitation programme was undertaken on the line over which the coal was being hauled and crossing Loops extended in length, and on the completion of this work the motive power was changed to diesel electric locomotives.
In December, 1965, coal haulage commenced in multi-unit trans and by this time the haulage rate was 100,000 tons per month. The multi-unit trains were initially double headed locomotives hauling 34 V0 class wagons temporarily baffled to restrict their gross weight to 48 tons.
Or. completion of the Calliope River Bridge on the bin North coast Line, just north of Gladstone, in late 1966, the loading of the VO class wagons was increased to 62 tons gross, and in December, 1967, the trains were increased to 3 locomotives hauling 51 wagons.
Construction of the Moura Short Line, a distance of 113 miles was completed in January, 1968, using 94-lb. per yard rails, and from that time coal has been hauled over this line mainly in multiple unit trains, comprising 3 locomotives and 60 V0 &ass wagons loaded to 69 tons gross.
The present haulage rate of coal from Moura Mine to the Port of Gladstone is in excess of 4 million tons per annum.
The coal referred to above is coking coal for export to Japan, and following the commissioning of the Gladstone Alumina Ltd. Plant at Gladstone in March, 1967, steaming coal for this plant is railed at the rate of half a million tons per annum.
Although the prime purpose of the Moura Short Line is the hauling of coal from the open cut and underground mines at Moura Mine to Gladstone, general goods, grain and livestock are also carried.
Prior to the commissioning of the new Moura Short Line, I was responsible with two other officers, for the preparation of a planning study report on the operation of the new line. This report was presented to the Commissioner in October, 1966 and included a recommendation that Centralised Traffic Control, the, specific subject of tonight’s paper, was desirable as an economical proposition with ordinary staff and ticket working to be provided as a temporary safe working medium until CTC could be installed.
A specification was prepared and tenders called for a CTC system between Moura Mine and Gladstone on the short line, (113 miles), and Gladstone and Yarun on the North Coast Line, (12 miles).