Redbank Railway Workshops
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
Redbank Railway Workshops are workshops for the repair and heavy maintenance of locomotives and rolling stock for Aurizon, located in Redbank, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.
History
File:1208 recommissioning as 1225.jpg outside the workshops]]
With the North Ipswich Railway Workshops becoming increasingly cramped, in July 1958, Queensland Railways opened a new workshop facility in Redbank to maintain its new diesel locomotive fleet.[http://www.queenslandplaces.com.au/redbank Redbank] Centre for the Government of Queensland[http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/8262/redbank_then_-and-_now.pdf Redbank Then & Now] City of Ipswich{{cite journal|title=Behind the Tin Fence: A history of the Ipwich Railway Workshops|journal=Memoirs of the Queensland Museum|date=June 2011|volume=5|issue=1}} However, it would be 25 years before all the functions were transferred from Ipswich."Aurizon to close Redbank and Townsville Workshops" Railway Digest July 2014 page 18
The workshops perform heavy maintenance on Aurizon's locomotive and wagon fleet. It also has a contract to maintain rolling stock for Queensland Rail.
In May 2014, Aurizon announced that it would cease maintaining Queensland Rail rolling stock at Redbank, with the workshops to close by 2017.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-08/aurizon-job-cuts-hits-workers-at-townsville-and-redbank/5438500 Aurizon job cuts hit workers at Townsville and Redbank] ABC News 8 May 2014[http://www.qt.com.au/news/redbank-staff-will-be-affected-aurizon-plan-axe-jo/2252308/ End of the line for Redbank railway workshops] Queensland Times 9 May 2014 In November 2014, the site was sold to the Goodman Group who leased it back to Aurizon.{{Cite web |date=2015-02-05 |title=Media Releases Aurizon finalises sale of maintenance assets at Redbank |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205120639/http://www.aurizon.com.au/Media/MediaRelease/Pages/Aurizon-finalises-sale-of-maintenance-assets-at-Redbank.aspx |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Aurizon}}
In 2016, as part of a contract to outsource Aurizon's rolling stock maintenance to Progress Rail Services, it was announced that the workshops would remain open.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-27 |title=Aurizon to achieve new efficiency gains with long-term rollingstock maintenance deal {{!}} Aurizon |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327005321/https://www.aurizon.com.au/news/news/aurizon-to-achieve-new-efficiency-gains-with-long-term-rollingstock-maintenance-deal |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Aurizon}}{{Cite web |date=2016-03-24 |title=Aurizon and Progress Rail announce maintenance agreement - Railway Gazette |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324020632/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/business/single-view/view/aurizon-and-progress-rail-announce-maintenance-agreement.html |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Railway Gazette}}"Aurizon sign maintenance deal with Progress Rail - Redbank Workshops to be retained" Railway Digest May 2016 page 15
As of late 2018, Queensland Rail no longer maintains their city network there, having relocated to North Ipswich Railway Workshops{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}
Locomotive Museum
In February 1970 the Redbank Locomotive Museum opened as an open air museum with 13 members of the Queensland Rail Heritage Fleet (2, 6, 48, 106, 221A, 290, 444, 700, 771, 1000, 1009, 1051 and 1089) on display."Queensland museum project" The Railway Magazine issue 824 December 1969 page 708"Locomotives in Retirement" The Railway Magazine issue 837 January 1971 page 38{{cite book|last1=Bromby|first1=Robin|title=Rail Preservation in Australia|date=1983|publisher=Cromarty Press|location=Neutral Bay|isbn=0-949675-04-0|pages=37–39}} It closed in 1992 with the locomotives transferred to the North Ipswich Railway Workshops.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}
See also
{{Portal|Queensland|Railways}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{coord|-27.5949|152.8735|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|display=title}}