Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway

Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway We run steam train rides on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month from Herberton Station. The Atherton - Herberton Historic Railway Inc.

was formed in August 2003 with the intention of restoring the disused railway line between Atherton and Herberton a distance of 22klms. Our organisation is run and managed by volunteers and we are always on the lookout for new members.As we are not presently running train trips we are relying on external funding along with the generous support of a number of small business. We have been able to co

mmence sleeper replacement in earnest due to the generous contributions of a Mr Don Walker who served Herberton shire council for 28 years as well as owning and managing a tin mining and timber industries in the area. Our train rides will be operating from Herberton station to the Herberton Historic Village on a regular Sunday timetable. Train rides 10.00 am to 3.00 pm Sunday

Herberton station is the home of the only railway museum in far north Qld. Railway Museum open Saturday and Sunday 9.00 am to 3.00pm

Mark is doing a stocktake on the railmotor seat frames. We could be a bit short to complete both railmotors so it looks ...
17/02/2025

Mark is doing a stocktake on the railmotor seat frames. We could be a bit short to complete both railmotors so it looks like our talented volunteers have a job to do to make more. Last year all our volunteers put in 23,995 hours. They are amazing!!

Our railmotors were decommissioned by Queensland Rail on 26th January 2000. Our volunteers are working hard to restore t...
08/02/2025

Our railmotors were decommissioned by Queensland Rail on 26th January 2000. Our volunteers are working hard to restore them so that after 25 years of being idle they will live again on our track. The last time railmotors ran on the track was in 1988, the year QR closed the track to the daily service from Cairns.

We had a very busy weekend and it was lovely to see everyone out enjoying the great Australia Day weather. Our next runn...
26/01/2025

We had a very busy weekend and it was lovely to see everyone out enjoying the great Australia Day weather. Our next running weekend will be in March as February we spend attending to our annual maintenance on our rolling stock. Restoration work also continues on our railmotors and Mulgrave Mill No 2 loco. Bridge upgrades will continue as well so February will be a very busy month for our talented volunteers.

We are all set to celebrate Australia Day weekend. Driver Adrian and Fireman Murray have been here since 6am to get a he...
25/01/2025

We are all set to celebrate Australia Day weekend. Driver Adrian and Fireman Murray have been here since 6am to get a head of steam. A very hot job this time of year lucky they do it for the love and not the pay. Come and join us today or tomorrow for a ride on our 1905 steam locomotive. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

The worhshop has been a hive of activity again this morning. John has been undercoating panels for the interiors of the ...
21/01/2025

The worhshop has been a hive of activity again this morning. John has been undercoating panels for the interiors of the 2000 class railmotors. Looking good John.

We will running this weekend from Herberton Station. Join us for a ride on our 1905 Peckett which spent its working year...
19/01/2025

We will running this weekend from Herberton Station. Join us for a ride on our 1905 Peckett which spent its working years at Mount Morgan and later in Mount Isa. The carriage is a Queenslander having been built in Ipswich. Running Saturday and Sunday.

Moomin Station looking better all the time! A small crew of our volunteers have been going out on Saturday mornings to w...
12/01/2025

Moomin Station looking better all the time! A small crew of our volunteers have been going out on Saturday mornings to work on the Station building. It is such a lovely area and will be a great addition to our rail adventure..

Steam will be up again this coming weekend both Saturday and Sunday 11th/12th for rides from Herberton Station. 10am, 10...
08/01/2025

Steam will be up again this coming weekend both Saturday and Sunday 11th/12th for rides from Herberton Station. 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, 1pm. Book online at www.athrail.com or call in at Herberton Station, John Street. Meet our volunteers dedicating their time to build an amazing tourist railway for the Atherton Tablelands.

What a great day we had today. Lots of visitors. Ben our fireman taking a break for a coffee tries to tell us it's hard ...
04/01/2025

What a great day we had today. Lots of visitors. Ben our fireman taking a break for a coffee tries to tell us it's hard work being the fireman.
Come and meet the crew tomorrow when we do it all again. 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm and 1pm. Book online or just turn up at Herberton Station
www.athrail.com

Happy New Year! If you are considering doing something new this year why not consider volunteering at our Railway? You d...
01/01/2025

Happy New Year! If you are considering doing something new this year why not consider volunteering at our Railway? You don't have to be a train nerd but just like meeting people. There are diverse skills needed from workshop skills to helping out on train running days. Our current volunteers come from all over the area, from Port Douglas, Cairns and Tablelands regions. Be a part of establishing a wonderful tourist attraction for our Far North region. If interested email sec@athrail for more information or check us out online at www.athrail.com or come for a visit at Herberton Station this weekend. We will be running the train Saturday and Sunday and 11th/12th January.

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers who have worked hard on the Peckett to get it running again. We will now be running o...
30/12/2024

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers who have worked hard on the Peckett to get it running again. We will now be running on Saturday and Sunday 4th and 5th, 11th and 12th January. Bookings can be made on www.athrail.com Train times 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, 1pm from Herberton Station.

22/12/2024

At the end of a busy day we were disappointed to find we have a technical problem with our Peckett locomotive. It will need to be addressed so we have made the decision to suspend operations until the problem is fixed. For those people who have booked please keep a watch on our Facebook and website pages for updates. We apologise for any inconvenience but working with machines 120 years old has its drawbacks. We'll keep you posted.

22/12/2024

It's toe tapping time in the Museum. The wonderful Tableland band, the Hot Shots, are playing today keeping our guests entertained. Thanks Hot Shots.

The crew are running the train today for the last time before Christmas. Our volunteers and members wish everyone a safe...
22/12/2024

The crew are running the train today for the last time before Christmas. Our volunteers and members wish everyone a safe and joyous Christmas. Next running day will be 27th December.

Thanks go out to our hard working volunteers who go out on our track in the tropical heat on Saturdays to replace sleepe...
17/12/2024

Thanks go out to our hard working volunteers who go out on our track in the tropical heat on Saturdays to replace sleepers. They do a fantastic job. This Saturday notching up 50 sleepers.

Our 1905 Peckett steam locomotive will be out on the track again this weekend for scenic trips along the Wild River. Lea...
16/12/2024

Our 1905 Peckett steam locomotive will be out on the track again this weekend for scenic trips along the Wild River. Leaving from Herberton Station at 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm and 1pm. Tickets can be booked online at www.athrail.com

We are running our award winning steam Peckett locomotive on Sunday. 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, and 1pm. Join us at Herbert...
06/12/2024

We are running our award winning steam Peckett locomotive on Sunday. 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, and 1pm. Join us at Herberton Station for the scenic ride along the Wild River. Book online www.athrail.com

Bridge 20 is finished. This is another big step forward towards Moomin. The contractors are starting Bridge 19 next week...
05/12/2024

Bridge 20 is finished. This is another big step forward towards Moomin. The contractors are starting Bridge 19 next week. Exciting times for AHHR.

Address

End Of John Street
Herberton, QLD
4887

Opening Hours

Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

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Videos

It's toe tapping time in the Museum. The wonderful Tableland band, the Hot Shots, are playing today keeping our guests entertained. Thanks Hot Shots.

RM2031 running too. #2000classrailmotors #herbertonstation #herbertonworkshop #athertontablelands

Beautiful morning in Herberton today. We have started the railmotors just to keep them ticking along. #2000classrailmotors #herbertonstation #herbertonworkshop #athertontablelands

The train is a comin'... running today 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, 1pm. Lovely weather in Herberton. Fine and cool! #peckettsteamlicomotive #herbertonstation #heritagerailway #fantasticvolunteers #athertontablelands

Fathers' Day this Sunday the Peckett will be running. Bring Dad along to do something different for his special day. There will be a delicious piece of cake waiting for him as well as a workshop tour. #fathersday #peckettsteamlicomotive #fantasticvolunteers #herbertonstation #athertontablelands

Today Steve with the help of Chris started the Gardner engine from Mulgrave Mill Loco No 2. It has been stripped down and reconditioned after having sat idle for many years. Just another milestone for the loco.

Look at that steam! Come and see it for yourself. We are running again tomorrow 10am, 10.30am, 12.30pm, 1pm Book on line www.athrail.com or just come down to Herberton Station. If you can't make it tomorrow, we will be running again on 8th and 9th June. #peckettsteamlicomotive #herbertonworkshop #herbertonstation #athertontablelands #fantasticvolunteers

How sweet is the sound of RM2031. Adrian, Bob Bill and Craig have been working this morning on the 31's engine. Like RM2024 it hasn't run for over 20 years. #2000classrailmotors #herbertonworkshop #fantasticvolunteers #athertontablelands

UPDATE Sooooo exciting! After a few tweaks the Rolls Royce engine in RM2024 started. Amazing! We think it is at least 23 years since it ran.

This morning was a step forward on RM2024. The starter motor started but unfortunately there just wasn't enough power in the batteries to get the engine fully turning over. To get it that far is an achievement as it has been a lot of years since it was last started. #2000classrailmotors #herbertonworkshop #fantasticvolunteers #athertontablelands

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Our Story

The Atherton - Herberton Historic Railway Inc. was formed in August 2003 with the intention of restoring the disused railway line between Atherton and Herberton a distance of 22klms. Our organisation is run and managed by volunteers and we are always on the lookout for new members. Our Herbrton Workshop is open on Tuesday (7am-2pm) and Thursday (7am-12noon) where the restoration of a 1905 Peckett steam lomotive and 1913 wooden carriage is underway.

We have been able to commence sleeper replacement in earnest due to the generous contributions by Sims Metal and, in the early years, by Mr Don Walker who served Herberton Shire Council for 28 years as well as owning and managing a tin mining and timber industries in the area. Our Tinlander train rides operate from Herberton station to the Historic Village Herberton on a regular Sunday timetable. Starting at 10am from the Herberton Station the Tinlander leaves on the hour until 2pm and returns from the Village on the half hour until 2.30pm. Herberton station is the home of the only railway museum in Far North Queensland. Railway Museum open Saturday and Sunday 9.00 am to 3.00pm

At the Atherton end of the line at Platypus Park Station a cafe serving great food and coffee is open from Wednesday to Sunday.