Nambour Museum restores 'The Flyer' historic railcar

Nambour Museum President Clive Plater aboard the Flyer with volunteer Gary Deane who works on the timber body. 

Nambour Museum Volunteers have recently completed the cosmetic restoration of the Moreton Sugar Mill’s historic railcar ‘Flyer’.

The Flyer was constructed at the mill in 1933 from a kit of parts. It was used to transport maintenance crews as well as members of the staff on tours of inspection around the cane areas east of Nambour. It earned its name due to its high speed. On the downside, its speed resulted in many derailments during its working life.

The Flyer was retired from active service around 1960 and rested on the mill’s dead line until the 1970s when it left the district for ‘preservation’. In 1987 it was tracked down, purchased and returned to the district in a very dilapidated condition by my family. 

The frame was rebuilt, and the wheels received some welding repairs courtesy of the sugar mill’s workshop. What existed at that time was reassembled in 1989 and stored until being donated to the Nambour Museum in 2019.

The recent cosmetic restoration mainly involved the construction of a new timber body and repainting. It was funded by a Heritage Grant from the Sunshine Coast Council. The project also made good use of the museum’s new battery power tools purchased with funding from the Palmwoods Heritage Community Bank.

– Clive Plater, President Nambour Museum