Community & Business
3 December, 2025
Funding boost for tourist rail operators
DownsSteam Toowoomba based at Drayton, and Southern Downs Steam Railway in Warwick have received community grant funding.
Eight Queensland not-for-profit rail heritage organisations are receiving a combined $160,000 to celebrate 160 years of rail in Queensland.
The funding, up to $20,000 for each application, goes towards refurbishing heritage trains, carriages, tracks and other initiatives.
DownsSteam Toowoomba will install a new roof on its restoration shed to protect valuable rollingstock and Southern Downs Steam Railway will overhaul a heritage diesel hydraulic locomotive.
Member for Condamine Pat Weir said DownsSteam Toowoomba was a treasured part of the region’s history.
“This funding will help ensure this important part of our community can continue operating, attracting visitors, and sharing the rich stories of our rail past,” Mr Weir said.
“Preserving our rail heritage is about more than restoring locomotives, it’s about keeping our stories alive for future generations.”
DownsSteam Chair Ros Scotney said the new shed roof would make a major difference to volunteer-run restoration works.
“Our volunteers have been battling the elements while restoring our heritage rollingstock and the new roof will mean that important work can continue, no matter the weather,” Ms Scotney said.
“At its core, DownsSteam exists to preserve the past to inspire the future, and this grant helps us do exactly that.”
