1734D is a diesel electric QR 1720 class (1720-1775) locomotive used by the Kuranda Scenic Railway. 1734D is one of this series diesel-electric locomotives that were constructed by Clyde Engineering of Australia and put into service in 1966. The model number is GL18C, engine is an EMD8-645E, generating 745kW/ 1000HP. It is 13.4m long, weighs 62 tonnes and runs on the Queensland narrow gauge (3-ft, 6in or 1,067mm). The Kurands Scenic Railway was constructed between 1882 and 1891 to open up the gold fields on the tablelands. It is 34km long, was built in three sections and snakes through the Macalister Range to an elevation of 328m. . It required fifteen bridges, 37 tunnels and 97 curves through some of the oldest and most pristine tropical rain forest to complete the line. Hostile aborigines and diseases took their toll and resulted in many deaths and desertions. The first operation of a tourist train to Kuranda was in 1936. This picture was taken on 18 December 2011 and shows the train pulling into Cairns Railway Station, Sig...