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The Emu Bay Railway was a
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the
Tasmanian Government Railways The Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) was the former operator of the Rail transport in Tasmania, mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia. Formed in 1872, the railway company was managed by the Government of Tasmania, and existed until absorp ...
system at
Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...
with that at
Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greate ...
that further linked to the
Mount Lyell railway The term Mount Lyell Railway was one of the terms used for the railway operated by the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company between 1899 and 1963. Many name variations were used for identifying the line, the most common being the ''Abt railw ...
allowing connection through to Queenstown. It was listed on the
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metrop ...
Stock Exchange. Following the closure of the Tasmanian government
line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Art ...
at Zeehan railway station in 1960, until 1965, it operated the Melba Line on the West Coast of
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
following the closure of the Zeehan section until 1998.


History

The origins of the Emu Bay Railway can be traced back to February 1878 when the Van Diemen's Land Company opened a 71 kilometre, horse drawn wooden tramway line from Emu Bay (
Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...
) to Rouse's Camp, near
Waratah Waratah (''Telopea'') is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania). The best-known species in this genus is ''Telopea spec ...
, to serve the
Mount Bischoff Mount Bischoff is a mountain and former tin mine in the north-western region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated adjacent to Savage River National Park near the town of Waratah. Location and features Tin was discovered at Mount ...
tin mines. The line was surveyed by John C Climie. In 1887, the line was taken over by the Emu Bay to Mount Bischoff Railway Company and relaid with steel rails as a gauge railway line to allow
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s to operate. In 1897 the Emu Bay Railway Company took over the line, extending it a further 60 kilometres to
Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greate ...
on 21 December 1900. Following the opening of the
Murchison Highway The Murchison Highway is a highway located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The highway runs generally north–south, with Somerset, near Burnie, as its northern terminus and Zeehan as its southern terminus. The highway ...
, the line was closed between Rosebery and Zeehan in August 1965. In October 1966
EZ Industries EZ Industries, formerly the Electrolytic Zinc Company, was a zinc miner and refiner in Australia. History EZ Industries was established in 1916 by Amalgamated Zinc as the Electrolytic Zinc Company to operate the Risdon Zinc Works on the banks ...
, who were now responsible for 90% of traffic on the line, launched a
takeover bid In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...
for the company. Although rejected by the directors, it was accepted by the shareholders in early 1967. In the late 1960s the line was upgraded to carry heavier trains and in January 1970 reopened from Rosebery to
Melba Flats Melba Flats is a railway siding on the Emu Bay Railway east of Zeehan that served as a terminus for trains carrying copper ore from the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company in west coast Tasmania, once the Emu Bay Railway ceased services into ...
. In December 1976, the company was relieved of its
common carrier A common carrier in common law countries (corresponding to a public carrier in some civil law systems,Encyclopædia Britannica CD 2000 "Civil-law public carrier" from "carriage of goods" usually called simply a ''carrier'') is a person or compan ...
obligations. Thereafter the line was basically freight only except for a twice weekly
mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...
which lasted until 1977, using '' West Coaster'' carriages ABL1 and 2, which retained their two-tone blue livery. During the construction of the Pieman River hydro electric scheme in the late 1970s the line was diverted in places and new bridges were built. The Emu Bay Railway was included in the October 1984 sale of EZ Industries to North Broken Hill Peko, which in 1988 merged with CRA Limited to form Pasminco. In 1989, an 11 kilometre branch from Moorey Junction opened to serve Aberfoyle's Hellyer Mine. On 22 May 1998, the company was purchased from Pasminco by the Australian Transport Network and integrated into its
Tasrail TasRail is the trading name of Tasmanian Railway Proprietary Limited, a Tasmanian Government state-owned enterprise that has operated the mainline railways in Tasmania since September 2009. It operates only freight services. History Establis ...
business.


Passenger services

The Emu Bay Railway operated passenger services for its employees and, later, tourists. In 1921, it began operating two
railmotor Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it. Steam railcars Overview In t ...
s, a 12-seat
Berliet Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into ' ...
and a 16-seat Argyle, between
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildfo ...
and Waratah. In 1940, a double bogie
railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
was delivered by Walker Brothers of
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
. Due to an increase in tourist traffic, a service named '' The West Coaster'' was introduced between Burnie and Rosebery in October 1960. It was operated by two previously-stored
Dübs and Company Dübs & Co. was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Henry Dübs in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie. In 1903 it amalgamated with two other Glasgow locomotive manufacturers to create the North British Lo ...
-built
4-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, usually in a leading truck or bogie, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no traili ...
steam locomotives, given the names '' Murchison'' and '' Heemskirk''. They were converted to oil burners and repainted in two-tone blue livery, along with three former
Tasmanian Government Railways The Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) was the former operator of the Rail transport in Tasmania, mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia. Formed in 1872, the railway company was managed by the Government of Tasmania, and existed until absorp ...
carriages. Following the opening of the
Murchison Highway The Murchison Highway is a highway located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The highway runs generally north–south, with Somerset, near Burnie, as its northern terminus and Zeehan as its southern terminus. The highway ...
, the ''West Coaster'' last ran on 2 January 1964.


Rolling stock

The Emu Bay Railway operated steam locomotives built by British manufacturers. Notable were three
Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...
built
Garratt A Garratt (often referred to as a Beyer Garratt) is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bri ...
s delivered in 1930, that were augmented in the 1950s by five Australian Standard Garratts purchased from the
Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...
ways and Tasmanian Government Railways. In 1953, a
North British Locomotive Company The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park W ...
0-8-0 diesel-hydraulic locomotive entered service. In 1963 the remaining steam locomotives were withdrawn after three 10 class diesel-hydraulics were delivered by
Walkers Limited Walkers Limited was an Australian engineering company, based in Maryborough, Queensland. It built ships and railway locomotives. The Walkers factory still produces railway locomotives and rolling stock as part of Downer Rail. History In ...
. A fourth was later assembled by the Tasmanian Government Railways' Launceston workshops. With a large increase in traffic forecast, in 1970/71 seven 11 class diesel-hydraulics entered service. The latter two classes operated in multiples of up to eight.


In preservation

The two steam locomotives that operated the ''West Coaster'' in the 1960s have been preserved; no.6 ''Murchison'' at the West Coast Pioneers Museum, Zeehan and no.8 ''Heemskirk'' by the Don River Railway, the latter being restored to service in October 1997. The North British Locomotive Company diesel has been preserved by the Derwent Valley Railway, while the 10 class have been preserved by the Don River, Walhalla Goldfields (Victoria) and
Zig Zag Railway The Zig Zag Railway is an Australian heritage railway, situated near Lithgow, New South Wales. It was opened by the not-for-profit Zig Zag Railway Co-op as an unpaid volunteer-staffed heritage railway in October 1975, using the alignment of th ...
s (New South Wales). The 11 class were all sold to
Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...
.11 Class
Rail Tasmania


See also

*
Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania The history of the Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines. Points of ...


Notes


References

* * * * Manny, L.B. (1961) The Emu Bay Railway.
Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin ''Australian Railway History'' is a monthly magazine covering railway history in Australia, published by the New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society on behalf of its state and territory Divisions.''100 Miles (Emu Bay)''
about the building of the Emu Bay Railway on the
National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...
of Australia'
YouTube ChannelFlickr gallery
{{Authority control Companies based in Tasmania Companies formerly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange Defunct railway companies of Australia Railway companies established in 1897 Railway companies disestablished in 1998 Zeehan Australian companies established in 1897 Australian companies disestablished in 1998