On 5th May 1947, a train chartered by officers of the Department of Trade and
Customs departed Brisbane Central Station with an estimated 215 passengers,
bound for a picnic at Closeburn.
Disaster struck 49 minutes into the trip though, with the train derailing at Camp
Mountain, resulting in passengers, the driver and fireman losing their lives in the
worst railway disaster in Queensland’s history.
1997 saw the 50th anniversary of the disaster and in the lead up to that
anniversary, local railway historians Peter Burden and Graham Bailey set about
writing the story of this tragedy. The story was researched using the best
available resources, original files held by Queensland Rail’s Ipswich Heritage
Centre, Railway Department and Court files held by the Queensland State
Archives and newspapers from the John Oxley Library in Brisbane. Photographs
were sourced at that time from Queensland Newspapers. This story was
published in five parts in the South Pine Chronicle, one of the three local
newspapers circulating in the Samford District at that time.
During 2020, Peter Burden undertook a review of the original text and updated
and added information. His wife, Anna assisted with set out and design to create
a book with photographs and illustrations; sadly, Graham had passed away in
2006. The book tells the story of the event, a brief history of the Dayboro railway
and the findings of the Court of Inquiry.
The updated publication has been made available for sale through Samford
Museum.ISBN:978-0-959086-86-7

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