Bush Mill Railway Explained

The Bush Mill Railway was a gauge miniature railway, situated 21NaN1 from Port Arthur, Tasmania. It opened in 1986.^[1]

Route

The Bush Mill Railway climbed steeply through a series of loops and zig zags up a hillside, then across a spectacular Serpentine Bridge. A half-size replica of locomotive K1, the world's first Garratt locomotive built for the North East Dundas Tramway, was constructed to operate on the line in 1990.^[2]

Settlement

A replica settlement was established which featured a 19th-century sawmill and a number of items which were directly related to the logging tramways which once dotted much of Tasmania.^[3]

It closed on 30 June 2004.

Locomotives

Name	Built	Year	Wheel Arrangement	Current railway	Notes
K3	Bush Mill Railway	1990		Unknown	model of the first Garratt locomotive. In the summer of 1993 it visited the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
Mountaineer	W.van der heiden	1972	+ tender	Windmill Animal Farm
DA1	Bush Mill Railway	1986		Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway	Diesel locomotive

The railway also had five semi-open coaches and two coal wagons, these became part of the collection at the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and the coaches have now moved on to the Sherwood Forest Railway.

Notes and References

1. The Railway News Vol.53 No.2 July 2004 p. 46
2. The Railway News Vol.45 No. 6 December 1993 p. 147
3. The Railway News Vol.49 No.2 June/July, 1997 p. 50