A SPATE of cane train collisions and near misses has prompted Wilmar Sugar to issue a warning for people to take care around its railway network.
The sugar company released footage of a crash between a harvester and cane train that happened at Ingham in July to drill home the safety message.
The footage, recorded on the locomotive’s camera, shows the harvester crossing on to the cane railway track in front of the oncoming cane train.
Despite the loco driver applying brakes and sounding the horn repeatedly, the collision could not be avoided.
No one was injured in the crash but both the locomotive and harvester sustained substantial damage.
Wilmar general manager cane supply and grower relations Paul Giordani said locomotives can haul over 1000 tonnes of rolling weight and can take up to one kilometre to stop.
Cane train and harvester collide… See article to view video.
“Cane trains can’t swerve and they can’t stop quickly,” Mr Giordani said.
“As this incident proves, even if a loco driver sees you on the track, he or she may not be able to stop in time to avoid hitting you.”
“We’ve had a disappointing run of incidents across our four milling regions since crushing started in June.
“There have been a number of collisions, including three in the Herbert region, and several near hits.”
The incidents included a cane train which collided with vehicle on a private road at Ingham in June.
Children were seen playing on a cane railway bridge at Sarina during the June-July school holidays, while more kids were seen playing between cane bins at the Inkerman Mill bin yard at Home Hill, also during the holidays.
A woman was seen lying beside a cane railway track at Ingham in early July and only got up when a cane train approached.
Another group of children were seen on a quad bike racing a cane train around cane sidings at Proserpine in late July.
A locomotive collided with the front of a utility parked too close to the cane railway line at Proserpine in late July.https://eaf5e29f78ec5ca067836a8de02919b2.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
A cane train had a minor collision with a harvester in the Toobana area, south of Ingham, in late July.
“Any one of those incidents had potential for someone to be seriously injured or worse,” Mr Giordani said.
With more than three months of crushing left to go, Mr Giordani appealed to all members of the public to keep clear of Wilmar’s cane rail infrastructure and to stay safe around cane trains.
“Please approach all cane railway crossings with caution, obey all signs and signals, and always give way to oncoming cane trains,” he said.