West Coast Wilderness Railway

The Mount Lyell mine needed a way to move copper from Queenstown to the port, and between 1894 and 1897 workers built a railway through rainforest and gorge using the Abt rack-and-pinion system, in which a toothed rail between the running rails engages a cogwheel on the locomotive to climb gradients up to one in sixteen. The line closed in 1963 and was rebuilt at considerable cost, reopening in 2002 with restored Abt locomotives. Trains run partial journeys from Queenstown and Strahan through the King River gorge, crossing bridges and stopping at reconstructed stations where passengers pan for gold or walk into the rainforest.

History

The Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company built the line to carry copper from its mine at Queenstown, first to Teepookana and then, from 1 November 1899, to Strahan, using the Abt rack and pinion system on the steep sections, and until a road from Hobart was finished in 1932 it was the only way into Queenstown. The last passengers travelled on 29 June 1963 and the railway closed on 10 August 1963; after a local campaign in the 1990s and $20 million from the federal government it was rebuilt, opening from Queenstown to Lynchford on 4 November 2000 and in full on 27 December 2002, and Prime Minister John Howard and Premier Jim Bacon opened it officially on 3 April 2003 (Wikipedia, West Coast Wilderness Railway).

Highlights

• The Abt rack system - the toothed rail and cogwheel climbing the steep grades.
• The King River gorge - the line cut through rainforest above the river.
• The restored stations - stops at Dubbil Barril and Rinadeena with short walks.
• The steam locomotives - restored engines from the original line.

When to go

November to April for the fullest timetable; services reduce in winter and the railway has closed for periods in recent years for maintenance and funding reasons, so confirming operation before travelling matters. Rain is common in any season.

Practical notes

Services are partial journeys rather than the full line, and the timetable varies by season. Tickets are expensive for the distance covered. The railway has had operational interruptions, and steam is not guaranteed on every service.

Nearby

Queenstown and Strahan are the terminals; the King River gorge lies between.

Key facts