The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a reconstruction of the
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as ''Mount Lyell''. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in ...
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 ...
in
Western Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is mainly isolated rough country, associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history of Van Diemen's Land, and contrasts sharply with the mor ...
between
Queenstown and
Regatta Point, Strahan. The railway is significant because of its
Abt rack system
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
to conquer the mountainous terrain through rainforest, with original locomotives still operating on the railway today. Now operating as a tourist experience with a focus on sharing the history of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
's
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
, the original railway began operations in 1897 as the only link between Queenstown and the port of Strahan.
History
Original operation
The Mount Lyell Mining Co (reformed on 29 March 1893 as the
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as ''Mount Lyell''. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in ...
) began operations in November 1892. The railway officially opened in 1897, and again on 1 November 1899 when the line was extended from Teepookana to Regatta Point and Strahan.
The railway was the only way to get copper from the mine at
Queenstown to markets. Until 1932, when a
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
road link was completed, it was the only access through to Queenstown.The motto of Kelly and Orr was
Labor Omnia Vincit
''Labor omnia vincit'' or ''Labor omnia vincit improbus'' is a list of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning "Work conquers all". The phrase is adapted from Virgil's ''Georgics'', Book I, lines 145–6: ''...Labor omnia vicit / improbus'' ("Stead ...
, which shows the achievement of this railway because it ran, even though multiple surveyors said it was not possible, the weather was extreme, the trains had to climb 1m in 16m (6.25%), and the train had to carry many tonnes of copper and the rail line had to survive natural disasters (including floods in 1906).<-->
The railway utilised the
Abt rack and pinion system for steep sections. Because of the gradients, tonnages were always limited on the railway. The gauge is .
The original line continued into the Mount Lyell mining operations area in Queenstown, and at Regatta Point the line linked around the foreshore of
Strahan to link with the
Government Line 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 greater ...
.
The railway ceased operation on 10 August 1963 due to increasing maintenance costs and the improvement of road access to the West Coast from the north with 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 was ...
. The last train run was hauled by the same locomotive that ran the first service (no.1 in 1896 was the first engine to steam into Queenstown). The rail and other movable items were lifted taken off-site, leaving most of the bridges intact.
Following the closure of the railway, the rolling stock was dispersed with no. 5 and carriages going to the
Puffing Billy Railway
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway in the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, Australia. The railway was one of the five narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways which opened around the beg ...
in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
with the other locomotives put on static display or in museums. With the removal of the railtrack the formation from Regatta Point came to be used by road vehicles for access to Lette's Bay and Lowana to the east.
Most bridges remained intact but fell into disrepair, and the route was unsuitable for vehicle access beyond the Iron Bridge that crosses the
King River at the location of the early port of Teepookana.
Steepest gradient
The steepest gradient on the rack section was 1 in 12 (8.33%). The line includes the steepest gradient climbed by a regular train in the Southern Hemisphere, between Dubbil Barril and Rinadeena.
Reconstruction
Despite various proposals post 1963, it was not until the 1990s after the demise of the main Mount Lyell Company mining operations, and the downgrading of
Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) or The Hydro, is the trading name of the Hydro-Electric Corporation, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator i ...
's activities of dam building on the West Coast, that some very committed local West Coast people campaigned for the restoration of the Abt Railway as a heritage tourist attraction featuring the unique rail system and the community's mining history.
The restoration of the Abt Railway was made possible through the allocation of $20 million from the
Federal Government's Prime Minister's Federal Fund, with further funding from the
State Government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
and some private investment.
New railway
The restored railway commenced operations on 27 December 2002 as the Abt Wilderness Railway, and was officially re-opened by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
and the
State Premier Jim Bacon James or Jim Bacon may refer to:
*Jim Bacon (politician) (James Alexander Bacon, 1950–2004), Premier of Tasmania, 1998–2004
*Jim Bacon (rugby)
James Arthur Bacon (fourth ¼ 1896 – fourth ¼ 1968) was a Welsh rugby union, and professional ...
in 2003.
The new terminus in Queenstown is on the site of the original station yard. The station at Regatta Point terminus has been renovated.
The railway follows its original alignment except for the Quarter Mile Bridge near Teepookana. The old bridge was washed away in a flood in 1974, with the new bridge just south of the original.
Change in operations
On 4 February 2013 the
Federal Group
Federal Group is a privately owned family company which operates tourism, hospitality, retail, and a national sensitive freight company but are primarily known for their casino and gaming assets in Tasmania which is described as a "a licence to pr ...
announced that it would be terminating its lease of the railway in April 2013, the company citing a downturn in business and a need for investment in infrastructure had caused the railway to no longer be viable. The Tasmanian government responded by estimating that maintaining the railway would cost $15 to $20 million, and that the government alone could not fund it.
Following track rehabilitation work, the railway re-opened between Queenstown and Dubbil Barril on 6 January 2014. It resumed operation along its full length on 14 December 2014. It is operated by the Abt Railway Ministerial Corporation, a State Government corporation.
Stopping places and named features
Most of the historical stopping places and named locations of the original railway line have been kept. The following list is made for the journey from Queenstown, and can be read in reverse for the trip from Regatta Point.
*
Queenstown (terminus)
** crosses the
Queen River
*
Lynchford
* Halls Creek
*
Rinadeena
Rinadeena is railway station and stopping place on the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania.
When the original Mount Lyell railway line was being built, it was the location of some significant landslips. In the time of operations of the Mo ...
** enters the western end of the
King River gorge
*
Dubbil Barril ("double barrel")
* "Quarter Mile Bridge" (original destroyed by floods in 1974, reconstruction much shorter)
** crosses the King River for the first time
*
Teepookana
Teepookana was a short lived port, community and railway stopping place on the southern bank of the King River, in Western Tasmania.
Port and railway station
It was important as a port during the construction of the railway between Regatta Poin ...
* "Iron Bridge"
** crosses the King River for the second time
** line closest to the King River between these points
** leaves the King River near its entry into
Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the ...
and moves north towards Regatta Point and Strahan
* Lowana
*
Regatta Point
Regatta Point is the location of a port and rail terminus on Macquarie Harbour (West Coast, Tasmania).
Port
Regatta Point is often assumed into the name of the locality across the bay in Macquarie Harbour, Strahan, Tasmania. The other ports ...
(terminus)
The former owners and operators of the railway were the
Federal Hotels
Federal Group is a privately owned family company which operates tourism, hospitality, retail, and a national sensitive freight company but are primarily known for their casino and gaming assets in Tasmania which is described as a "a licence to pr ...
group which also owns and operates other tourist operations in
Strahan.
Rolling stock
The West Coast Wilderness Railway has three of the five former Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company locomotives (1, 3 and 5) preserved in operational condition. Loco 2 is expected to get back to service in 2021 after completion of general repair.
It also has two
diesel locomotives
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...
. The passenger carriages were newly built when the line reopened in 2002, providing passenger comfort for year-round operation.
Engineering heritage award
The railway received an Engineering Heritage International Marker from
Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...
as part of its
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.
Current Operations
Prior to COVID, the WCWR was operating four itineraries from both Strahan and Queenstown either running the full length of the railway or sections of it. All tours include a number of stops to detrain and experience the forest floor, views etc. Two classes are offered - standard and heritage.
COVID lockdowns saw service suspended. Operations are now restarting.
Further information
Federal Hotels
Federal Group is a privately owned family company which operates tourism, hospitality, retail, and a national sensitive freight company but are primarily known for their casino and gaming assets in Tasmania which is described as a "a licence to pr ...
produced unattributed materials about the railway and its history for travellers on the line.
The most accessible recent writer regarding this railway is
Lou Rae, as he has written a number of books about
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
railways.
*
In its latest edition:
*
*
Some other works on the Mount Lyell Railway are :—
*
*
*
:1949 edition—Hobart: Davies Brothers. ;
ASIN
Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She beg ...
br>
B000FMPZ80:1924 edition—Queenstown: Mount Lyell Tourist Association. ;
ASIN
Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She beg ...
br>
B0008BM4XC
*
*
*
*
See also
*
North Mount Lyell Railway
The North Mount Lyell Railway was built to operate between the North Mount Lyell mine in West Coast, Tasmania, West Coast Tasmania and Pillinger, Tasmania, Pillinger in the Kelly Basin of Macquarie Harbour.
History
At the start of the Twenti ...
*
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 ...
References
External links
*
*http://www.wcwr.com.au/ - Official site for the West Coast Wilderness Railway
*http://www.facebook.com/WestCoastWildernessRailway/ - Facebook Site
*http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g504331-d612040-Reviews-West_Coast_Wilderness_Railway-Strahan_Tasmania.html - Trip Advisor
*http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/wha/wherein/detail.html - Position in relation to World Heritage Area
{{Coord, -42.153, 145.496, display=title
3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia
Mountain railways
Heritage railways in Australia
Tourist railways in Tasmania
Rack railways in Australia
Tourist attractions in Tasmania
Queenstown, Tasmania
Railway lines opened in 1897
Railway lines in Western Tasmania
1897 establishments in Australia
1963 disestablishments in Australia
2002 establishments in Australia
Government-owned companies of Tasmania
Recipients of Engineers Australia engineering heritage markers