Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania explained

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 note include the Mount Lyell rack railway which has an Abt rack system, the presence of the world's first Garratt locomotive and a Hagans articulated locomotive on the North East Dundas Tramway, and the collection of narrow-gauge lines as the only links to the outside world for a number of the communities for over fifty years.^[1]

The haulage railways at Mount Read, and the various ones in the area of the Mount Lyell mining lease, were also significant in their use in moving both people and metal ore. Also aerial ropeways were operating in the region well into the late twentieth century.

A number of railway lines were proposed in the late nineteenth century, and early twentieth century – but they never appeared – not all proposed lines are listed here.

The main mining towns during their boom times were connected with the outside world by railway as the main form of transport into their communities and also out to the outside world.

Railways, tramways and haulages

Most lines were track gauges.

See also Zeehan for tramways that centred on that locationThe following list is of most of the significant named lines but it is not a complete list. There have also been haulage lines, and other tramlines within small areas that existed in mining leases and forest areas.

• Comstock Tramway, Zeehan
  • Zeehan to Comstock – ^[2]
• Comstock Tramway, Mount Lyell
  • Queenstown to Comstock Mine – ^[3]
• Emu Bay Railway
  • Burnie to Zeehan –
• Lake Margaret Tram
  • Howards Plains to Lake Margaret power station and community –
• Macquarie Heads breakwater railway
  • The main access between Cape Sorell lighthouse and the local jetty and wharf
• Magnet Tramway
  • Magnet Junction to Magnet Mine – ^[4]
• Mount Dundas – Zeehan Railway
  • Zeehan to Maestris
• Mount Lyell Aerial Trams
  • Four aerial systems are shown on Mt Lyell Mining Field Map (1900–1901) in editions of The Peaks of Lyell
  • Lyell-Tharsis Aerial Tram – Lyell Tharsis Mine (just south of the North Lyell Mine) to Mt Lyell Aerial Tram ^[5]
  • Mount Lyell Aerial Tram – from Mount Lyell Mine on Philosophers Ridge to Queenstown Smelters ^[6]
  • North Lyell Aerial Tram – from North Lyell Tram to Linda Railway Station ^[7]
• Mount Lyell Haulage
  • Located on Philosophers Ridge down to Mt Lyell smelters^[8]
• Mount Lyell Quarry Railway
  • ^[9]
• Mount Lyell Underground Railway (also known as the North Lyell Tunnel)^{[10] [11]}
• Mount Read Haulage (also known as the Hercules Haulage)
  • Williamsford to Mount Read –
• North Mount Farrell Tramway
  • Farrell Siding to Tullah –
• North Mount Lyell Railway
  • Gormanston and Linda to Pillinger/Kelly Basin –
• North Lyell Tram
  • North Lyell Mine to Mount Lyell Haulage ^[12]
• North East Dundas Tramway
  • Zeehan to Williamsford – ^[13]
• Strahan–Zeehan Railway
  • Regatta Point to Zeehan – ^[14]
• Tasmanian Metals Extraction Company^[15]
  • Zeehan – Granville
• West Coast Wilderness Railway – Formerly Mount Lyell Railway
  • Queenstown to Regatta Point – (Abt)
• Williamsford to Rosebery (Hercules ropeway) Aerial ropeway^[16]

Proposed but not constructed

• Great Western Railway (Tasmania) discussed and spent money upon approximately in the era 1890–1908
• Chudleigh Zeehan Railway – debated in parliament in the 1890s, never commenced.^{[17] [18] [19]}

West Coast Railways timeline

• 04.02.1892 Strahan to Zeehan line opened^[20]
• 25.04.1892 Zeehan to Mount Dundas line opened^[20]
• 18.03.1897 Mount Lyell line to Teepookana opened^[21]
• 01.11.1899 Mount Lyell line to Regatta Point opened^[21]
• 15.12.1900 North Mount Lyell line opened^[20]
• 21.12.1900 Emu Bay line Guildford Junction to Zeehan opened^[21]
• 23.01.1902 Magnet Tramway opened^[22]
• 26.11.1902 North Mount Farrell tramway opened^[23]
• 05.07.1932 Mount Dundas and North East Dundas lines closed^[22]
• 08.10.1933 Comstock Tram closed^[20]
• 02.06.1960 Strahan–Zeehan line closed^[20]
• 22.12.1961 Tullah Tram closed^[22]
• 10.08.1963 Mount Lyell line closed^[21]
• 27.12.2002 First day of operation of rebuilt Mount Lyell line^[21]
• 03.04.2003 Official opening of Mount Lyell line as West Coast Wilderness Railway^[21]

Dispersal of rolling stock

Following closing of various lines, engines and carriages were often re-located on other working railways. Ex Mount Lyell passenger stock can be found on the Puffing Billy Railway in Victoria, while the West Coast Wilderness Railway has seen the return of reconditioned engines that used to work on the original Mount Lyell lines. A number of steam engines are held at the West Coast Pioneers Museum in Zeehan.

Following the closures of most railways in the early 1960s, rolling stock was dispersed but engines were fortuitously retained on the west coast, in most cases at the museum in Zeehan. Some of these have returned to service on the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

References

• Book: Aubrey, Ronald K.. A pictorial history of the railways & tramways of Western Tasmania. OBM Bookshop. Hobart. 1975. 0-9599034-1-0.
• Book: Blainey, Geoffrey. Geoffrey Blainey. . 6th . St. David's Park Publishing . Hobart. 2000. 0-7246-2265-9.
• Book: Branagan, J.G. . Bush Tram-Ways and Private Railways of Tasmania c 1850 to c 1960 . Regal Publications. Launceston . 1996. 978-0-949457-87-5 .
• Book: Whitham, Charles. Charles Whitham. Western Tasmania – A land of riches and beauty. Reprint 2003. Municipality of Queenstown. Queenstown. 2003.
• Book: Whitham, Lindsay. Railways, Mines, Pubs and People and other historical research. Tasmanian Historical Research Association. Sandy Bay. 2002. 0-909479-21-6.

External links

• Listen to Michael Cannon's song '100 Miles (Emu Bay)' about the building of the Emu Bay Railway on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's YouTube Channel

Notes and References

1. Poole, L.G. (1943) March 1943 p 42 and issue August 1943 p 19. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin and Thomas, C.B. Railways of the West Coast February to June 1943 pp 15–18; pp 33–34; pp 48–50; pp 64–67; pp 74–76;July to December 1943 pp 5–6; pp 22–25; pp 40–42; p 53; pp 69–70, January 1944 pp 7–9. in Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin
2. News: COMSTOCK TRAM. . . 8 . 436 . Tasmania, Australia . 10 August 1901 . 6 November 2016 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
3. News: LYELL. . . Hobart, Tas. . 22 November 1918 . 28 June 2012 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
4. News: MAGNET . . XXXVII . 272 . Tasmania, Australia . 14 November 1917 . 6 November 2016 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
5. News: LYELL THARSIS AERIAL ROPEWAY. . . XIX . 75 . Tasmania, Australia . 29 March 1899 . 6 November 2016 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: MOUNT LYELL MINES. . . 14,265 . Victoria, Australia . 23 November 1900 . 6 November 2016 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: LYELL. . . XX . 182 . Tasmania, Australia . 17 May 1909 . 6 November 2016 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
8. News: THE HAULAGE. . . XVI . 243 . Tasmania, Australia . 27 July 1905 . 6 November 2016 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
9. Not to be confused with the Aerial Tram between flux quarries and smelter – News: MOUNT LYELL MINING NOTES. . . LXXII . 8922 . Tasmania, Australia . 5 October 1898 . 6 November 2016 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
10. News: MOUNT LYELL OPERATIONS. . . 22,820 . Victoria, Australia . 28 May 1928 . 6 November 2016 . 13 . National Library of Australia.
11. News: Underground Workings . . CXL . 20,774 . Tasmania. 8 March 1934 . 6 November 2016 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
12. shown on Mt Lyell Mining Field Map in editions of The Peaks of Lyell
13. • Book: Murdoch, Geoff. Tasmania's Hagans: the North East Dundas Tramway articulated J class. . The author. Redbank Plaza, Qld . 1998. 0-646-33442-5 .
14. News: STRAHAN-ZEEHAN RAILWAY. . . LVIII . 6,802 . Tasmania, Australia . 11 December 1891 . 6 November 2016 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
15. Web site: 09 Jan 1915 – UNEMPLOYED AT ZEEHAN. – Trove. Mercury . 9 January 1915 .
16. News: AERIAL ROPEWAY. . . Tasmania, Australia . 6 February 1930 . 6 November 2016 . 6 (DAILY) . National Library of Australia.
17. News: CHUDLEIGH-ZEEHAN RAILWAY. . . LI . 254 . Tasmania, Australia . 26 October 1891 . 26 October 2022 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
18. News: TASMANIA. . . 11,860 . New South Wales, Australia . 31 October 1891 . 26 October 2022 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
19. News: The Chudleigh Railway . Colonist . . II . VI . Tasmania, Australia . 9 February 1889 . 26 October 2022 . 24 . National Library of Australia.
20. Book: Quinlan, Howard . Newland, John R. . amp . Australian Railway Routes 1854–2000. Australian Railway Historical Society New South Wales Division. Sydney. 2000. 0-909650-49-7.
21. Book: Rae, Lou. The Abt Railway Tasmania's West Coast Wilderness Railway . . Sandy Bay. 2005. 0-9592098-8-3.
22. Australian Railway Atlas Quail Map Company 2004
23. Book: Rae, Lou. A History of Railways and Tramways on Tasmania's West Coast . . Sandy Bay. 1984. 0-9592098-0-8.