Zig Zag Railway

Zig Zag Railway
BB18 1/4 1072 in the "dead end" at Top Points station.
Locale	Lithgow, New South Wales.
Terminus	Clarence, Bottom Points.
Commercial operations
Name	New South Wales Government Railways Great Western Railway
Built by	Patrick Higgins (Contractor for NSWGR)
Original gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Operated by	Zig Zag Railway Cooperative (formed 1972)
Stations	Clarence, Mt Sinai Halt, No1 Viaduct, Top Points, Cockerton, Bottom Points.
Length	7km
Preserved gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Preserved era	1975-Present
Commercial history
Opened	18th October 1869
Closed	16th October 1910 (Bypassed by Ten Tunnel Deviation)
Preservation history
1975	Opened for tourist traffic between Bottom Points and Top Points.
1988	Top Points to Clarence section opened on the 29th of October.
Website
Official website

The Zig Zag Railway is a heritage railway at Lithgow in New South Wales, Australia on the site of the famous Great or Lithgow Zig Zag which operated between 1869 and 1910. As built, the line formed part of the Main West line from Sydney across the Blue Mountains and served to lower the line from its summit into the Lithgow valley on the western flank of the mountains. The Zig Zag railway run steam and diesel hauled trains over the Zig Zag for tourists. They are unique in NSW as being the only heritage operator to run everyday except Christmas Day. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays railmotors are operated. Every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday a steam loco with train will operate. Sunday has a two train timetable. Special events include a Day Out with Thomas and a Wizards express event held a couple of times per year. During most of the NSW school holidays steam services run every day.

Preservation History

Top Points Station

A historical view of the Zig Zag Railway line with top road on number 1 viaduct in the foreground and viaducts numbers 2 and 3 of middle road halfway down the valley.

Lithgow Zig Zag routes
Legend Bell Dargans Deviation Junction Newnes Junction (2nd) Newnes Junction (1st) Newnes railway line Clarence (1st) - part of ZZR Clarence (2nd) - closed Summit of Route Clarence Tunnel Ten Tunnels (x 10) Mt Sinai Halt No. 1 Viaduct Top Points (ZZR) No. 2 Viaduct No. 3 Viaduct Belmore Tunnel Bottom Points (ZZR) Zig Zag Bottom Points ZZR Depot Mileage 92.1 Junction Eskbank 156 Lithgow

In the 1967/68 a group of steam enthusiasts headed by Ian Thornton decided to restore the Lithgow Zig Zag as a heritage railway due to its fascinating history, the grand nature of the line and its proximity to Sydney. Negotiations with the Zig Zag Trust, the NSW Department of Lands and the Lithgow City Council began in March 1969. In 1972 the Lithgow Switchback Railway Co-op Ltd was born and this became the Zig Zag Railway Co-op Ltd in 1974. However, the New South Wales Government would not supply heritage locomotives and rolling stock to anyone but their own museum organisation. Rolling stock for the museum thus comes from states other than New South Wales – Queensland and South Australia in particular. During the early 1970s the track was restored although on a different gauge (3 ft 6 in/1,067 mm instead of the original 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in/1,435 mm) to accommodate the Queensland and South Australian Rolling stock. In 1975 the new track was complete between Bottom Points and Top Points. On 29th August 1975 DD 17 No. 1046 climbed from Bottom Points to top points. A further trial was carried out on the 18th and 19th of October, the 106th anniversary of the original opening. Since then the Zig Zag railway has expanded both its operations and the new narrow gauge network along the old route in several sections :

• Bottom Points (depot) to Top Points
• Top Points to the first Clarence railway station
• Clarence to Newnes Junction (currently under construction)

As of 2005 the railway is operated as the Zig Zag Railway Co-Operative Limited.

Locomotives and rollingstock

The locomotives and rollingstock on the Zig Zag Railway have been mainly sourced from Queensland Railways but there are also items from other Narrow Gauge networks in South Australia and Tasmania. The railway has a large collection of other rollingstock including Queensland Railways 2000 class rail motors, Queensland Railways Evans carriages, Tasmanian Diesel locos, South Australian end platform carriages and several older carriages.

The Queensland DD17 class locomotive no.1049 arrives at Clarence Station.

Steam locomotives

Number & Name	Description	Disposition	Livery
1072 "City of Lithgow"	QR 4-6-2 BB18¼	Undergoing major overhaul.	Black
934.	QR 4-8-0 Class C17	Static	Red
1049	QR 4-6-4T DD17	In service	Blue
218 "The Yank"	QR 2-8-2 AC16	In service. Zig Zag Railway's most recent restoration, returning to steam in 2008.	Black with silver smoke box.
1047	QR 4-6-4T DD17	Restoration Pending since mid 1990's, overhaul initially started but now halted.	Green
1046	QR 4-6-4T DD17	Restoration Pending since mid 1980's, fully dismantled with parts stored in various places around the railway. First locomotive to be run by the Zig Zag Railway in 1975.	N/A
966	QR 4-8-0 Class C17	Restoration In Progress, Boiler swap to occur with 934	Black
402	SAR 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt Class 400	Long Term Restoration In Progress	Green

Diesel locomotives

Emu Bay Bo-Bo Class 10 locomotive No.1004 at Bottom Points Station pulling\pushing the Thomas special event train with the DD17 steam locomotive at the other end.

Number & Name	Description	Status
1004	Emu Bay Railway Bo-Bo Class 10	Operational. Bought by ZZR in March 2001. In working order. Seen above in Tasrail livery. Its vacuum brake has been converted to air train brake and its auto coupling to hook and buffers. Zag Zag Railway has named it 'Emu Bay' in recognition of its Tasmanian heritage. It was repainted in 2002 in similar colours to the Tasrail livery.
1003	Emu Bay Railway Bo-Bo Class 10	Source of spare parts for 1004. Unable to be used as still fitted with Vacuum Brakes. Bought by ZZR in March 2001.
5802	Mount Isa Mines	In Service.
6	Mines engine, powered by Gardner engine, designed to haul low level flat wagons.	In Service, used for hauling works trains

2000 Class Railmotors

Number	Description	Status
2006,2011,2016,2051	QR Railmotor Multiple Unit Class 2000	Operational
2020,2055,2008	QR Railmotor Multiple Unit Class 2000	Awaiting Restoration

Wartime and film use

During World War II, the Glenbrook, Clarence, and Zig Zag tunnels were used to store chemical weapons for the Royal Australian Air Force, principally mustard gas and phosgene. The chemical agents were housed in a variety of weapons from bombs to cylinders. The cache was disposed of after the war.

In 2003, the railway was used in the production of the Hollywood film Stealth. The area stood in for mountainous regions in North Korea and locomotives were specially painted with Korean Chosongul (Hangul) characters.

See also

• Hillclimbing (railway)
• Kalamunda Zig Zag in Western Australia
• Lapstone Zig Zag (historic walking track)
• List of Australian heritage railways
• Spiral (railway)
• Zig Zag (railway)
• Switchback (magazine)

Further reading

• Full Steam Across The Mountains - Phil Belbin & David Burke - Methuen Australia 1981
• Blue Mountains Railways - William A. Bayley - Locomotion Productions 1980

External links

• Official website