Cockington Green open for long weekend after train derailment

Cockington Green Gardens will be open for business this long weekend, despite an accident that sent four people to hospital on Thursday (28 September).

The popular tourist attraction in Gold Creek, Nicholls, is not only known for its intricately detailed miniature buildings and perfectly manicured gardens but also a miniature steam-train ride that circles the property.

Just after 9:30 am on Thursday, four people were injured when the train derailed.

In a statement posted to its website, the business said the passengers were transported to the hospital with “non-life-threatening” injuries.

“Cockington Green Gardens’ first thoughts are with those who were involved in the incident and deeply regrets this incident.”

In response to questions from Region, the Emergency Services Agency (ESA) and ACT Health cited privacy laws as the reason they could not confirm if the patients have since been discharged.

Police handed the matter over to Worksafe ACT to investigate, and “enquiries… are ongoing”.

Cockington Creek has confirmed they will remain open between 9:30 am and 5 pm every day, “although the miniature steam-train will not operate until further notice”.

The garden first opened on 3 November 1979, the dreamchild of Doug and Brenda Sarah, inspired by miniature villages the couple saw while on an extended family holiday in the UK.

The train is pulled by a gas-powered half-size replica of a ‘Fowler Cane’ locomotive, custom-made 36 years ago by Sydney-based model engineer Ross Bishop, and has carriage capacity for 35 passengers.

There are nine sessions a day, the first from 10 am and the last from 4:45 pm, lasting about five minutes. It covers about 3000 km per year around the 412-metre-long track.

According to the garden’s website, the train and the track were serviced last month ahead of spring.

“We regret this necessary inconvenience, however, it is important that the train is able to cope with the expected increase in demand with the upcoming Floriade and school holiday period,” a notice from 15 August read.

“The safety of visitors and staff is the most important consideration in the operation of our beloved miniature steam-train.”

A former train driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Region the train has derailed before.

“One was [when] a larger family all lent to one side causing it to tip and the carriage completely came off the tracks,” the former driver said.

“The wheels only sit on top of track. If everyone were to lean to one side, the wheels would pop off. I’ve had that happen to me.”

There is a sign at the entrance to the ride, and passengers also receive a safety briefing prior to mounting the train, but the former driver said some choose to ignore the rules.

“No one liked to listen and had to reach out and touch all the plants.”

The locomotive itself weighs about 300 kg, which the former driver said is heavy enough to flatten most things, but the carriages can “jump” and derail on “say, a lizard or snake”.

Cockington Green “advises that further comment is not possible at this stage”. Region also contacted the company that maintains the train, Ainsworth Engineering in Goulburn, for comment but had not received any reply by the time of publication.

Worksafe ACT is calling for anyone who witnessed the incident or may have mobile phone footage or photos of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or visit the Crime Stoppers ACT website (reference code P2196084).