In the late nineteenth century, railway mania overtook Queensland, with every community seeking to replace the coach or horse-and-buggy with the train. The demand for a rail service was especially strong in the south-east corner of the Colony for two main reasons: firstly, the coastal strip was rapidly gaining popularity as a holiday resort, and a faster, more comfortable means of travel was needed to replace the journey by coach; and secondly, the hinterland river flats and lower valleys of the McPherson Range were proving to be very productive agricultural and dairying districts, and farmers needed the railway to transport their produce to city markets.