Railways and Trams, Published 19 April 2026
Railway Pumping Station No. 3: Caboolture’s Steam-Era Water Supply
If you cross the Caboolture River and head to the end of Wallace Street North, you’ll find one of Queensland’s rare surviving railway water facilities. Built in 1913, Railway Pumping Station No. 3 drew water from Lagoon Creek (a tributary of the Caboolture River) to supply steam locomotives on the North Coast line.
Steam engines were heavy drinkers. A loaded freight train could consume 2,000–3,000 gallons (9,000–13,600 litres) of water per stop. Caboolture was a key refilling point. The station used a Worthington steam pump (powered initially by a salvaged B15-class locomotive boiler) to lift creek water, settle the silt, and pipe it to elevated tanks at Caboolture railway station.
The pumps were converted to electric motors in 1939, with steam retained as backup. By the 1960s diesel locomotives had replaced steam. The station closed in February 1968, the tanks were removed, and most similar pump houses were demolished.
This one survived. The land was transferred to council in 1984, the site was restored by local volunteers, and the historic A10-class boiler (from an earlier pump station) was recovered from the creek in 2000 and placed on display. Added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2003, it now stands in William G Buckle Heritage Reserve as a preserved reminder of the steam railway era.
A small but important piece of Queensland’s rail heritage, easily visited from the Bruce Highway.
Address: Wallace Street North, Caboolture QLD 4510 (William G Buckle Heritage Reserve)
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