Importing to Australia

Would anybody have any comments about the best way (to keep freight costs to a min) to import a 4in burrell DCC road loco into Australia and any comments about obtaining certification in Queensland?
Regards

Never done it. But I think have a word with Steve and Dean at Steam Traction World. They do have experience with sending to Auz and NZ

After a bit of research back in Queensland I have found out that the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee has issued a guide for steel boilers up to 50 litres capacity and 100psi max. pressure, so the 4 in burrell DCC can not comply and must be certified to AS 1228- 2006. My quest continues.
Regards
Ross

In NZ we have had to contact a professional boiler inspector with regards to testing and certificating. The boiler design, assembly, welding, and testing is covered by Royal Sun Alliance in the UK, which is recognised by both NZ and Australian authorities.

Each boiler supplied by STW comes with a complete set of required documentation. We have been asked by our inspector to complete a chemical wash of the boiler to remove all internal contamination. Then all that is required as far as we know is an accumulation test once the engine is assembled and ready for steaming. The inspector will then let you know the type and frequency of further testing required. So basically the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee rules don’t apply in this instant.

There is only one testing authority in NZ, but I am not sure about Australia. The inspector that we have been involved with has been most helpful. One tip that might be useful is to try and find your local inspector without going directly to the regulating authority, the guy on the ground probably understands more of what's required than the pen pushers on the administration side. Try talking to the maintenance department of a company in your area that uses a lot of steam in there everyday process, they should know the local boiler inspector.

We’ve been trying to get our steel boilers accepted by the Australian authorities for the last four years or so. At long last there may be ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. As in the UK there are basically two ways of certifying and insuring the boilers, that is either through a club or with professional input.

The Australian clubs are covered by the AMBSC code (Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee). One of the major restrictions with this code is that any boiler is limited to a maximum of 100psi. Quite a problem when you consider that our compound engines run at 180psi.

The professional route has some issues because every State seems to have different requirements. However the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ recently came from one of our Irish customers. I’ve copied his email below:

"Hi Steve
I have been very busy up here in Darwin and can now get my Burrell sorted out. I had a great result with boiler inspection .I tried the club route and just got so much hassle and then I went with the boiler inspector that does the full size engines. He gave me full pressure, a four year cert for the model and was very impressed with the boiler build. All the paperwork you gave me with the engine made it hassle free. What I do need for his records is a drawing of the boiler showing dimensions etc and also just the weld prep details. He is not looking for certs or anything like that as he said there is no problem with these boilers to work at full pressure in Australia. Give yourselves a pat on the back as all other full size and miniatures in Queensland are restricted to 100 psi. So if you have a drawing you could email me I would be very grateful. Thanks"

Since we received the email we have again raised the matter with our Notified Body namely RSA. We have now agreed with RSA for them to assess our boiler design and construction against AS1210 for our 6” scale Foden. If this proves successful and it’s economical to do so then we may well ask for this to be done to some or all of our other designs.

It’s still early days but at least there does appear to be some progress being made. I’ll post further updates as and when they become available.

Regards

Steve