Adventures on Tasmania’s West Coast
Posted Saturday 6th November 2021
Contents
- West Coaster and Queenstown
- Racking it to Strachan
- A Journey to Remote Tasmania
- Tullah to Devonport — Back to Civilisation
- The Big Railway to Herrick
- Homeward Bound
This all started when we flew across Bass Strait in a TAA Viscount from Essendon direct to Wynyard. I assume we got a tram to Essendon but I have no record either way. Arrival at Wynyard was just before midday on Sunday 8th Jan 1961. We got ourselves to Burnie by bus, but quite whose bus has long been forgotten, although since airlines at the time provided land transport to/from airports it may well have been in a TAA bus. I am fairly certain that we slummed it (as was normal for us young and impecunious types at the time) so presumably spent the night in a suitable shed or box car somewhere in the railway part of Burnie.
West Coaster and Queenstown
Monday morning the railway came back to life — Emu Bay Railway ASG G18 had set off with the Zeehan goods, PVH 1 (0-8-0 diesel that was never duplicated, and didn’t always work) waited on the empty Primrose ore train, Q5 had arrived on a TGR goods, and just before we departed M2 arrived on the Devonport workers passenger train.
Our travels began with a run on the fairly newly instituted 08·00 West Coaster to Rosebery behind elderly Dubs 4-8-0 #6 “Murchison” all done up in its new blue finery. These Dubs locos had been laid aside many years earlier, but to meet a relatively short term need (until the road was completed) two were restored and colourfully decorated with a two tone blue livery that was also applied to the carriages – a mixed collection of three non matching cars that only shared blue in common.
No. 6 Murchison, and West Coaster train at Rosebery.
I seem to remember fairly lively running on the long slog up hill from Burnie. 4RM was ensconced at Guilford while ASG G17 was on the up Zeehan goods at Boko. From Guildford south to Rosebery there was no road, so the railway was the only way to travel. The most delightful part of this isolation was to be found at Farrell Siding, where Wee Georgie Wood was waiting patiently making its daily connection with the ‘big’ train. Wee Georgie was the motive power for a 6 mile 2ft gauge railway through the forested mountains of western Tasmania, providing the only connection between the small mining hamlet of Tullah and the outside world.
Wee Georgie Wood and train arrives at Farrell Siding to meet the big train.
From Rosebery, where we arrived at 11·30, a connecting bus took us to Queenstown, although with its own bit of adventure — at one point we rounded a corner to find bushfire both sides of the road. Our driver, in true West Coast style, surveyed to scene for a bit then drove on straight through it. This time I am sure we slummed it, sleeping in one of the G bogie wagons that had been permanently set up for passengers (even if a bit third class!).
Racking it to Strachan
Next day it was up early so we could get the 07·45 Regatta Point mixed – Abt loco #1 plus a few wagons and four cars (some of which are now at Puffing Billy in Victoria as dinner train cars). At Halls Ck we were overtaken by DP1 (rail motor) but far better we got Abt #4 on the back to push us up the rack section to Rinadeena — so we had a locomotive each end, both of which were relying on the between rail rack for adhesion.
After a rather noisy ascent lasting around 20 minutes we arrived at the latter, detached a wagon off the front as well as Abt #4 off the back, undoubtedly took water, and then proceeded down the King River Gorge back to something near sea level at Dubbil Barril where normal (non rack) working resumed. We overtook a diesel (small stuff – an 0-6-0 of around 150 hp) hauled goods at Teepookana and finally arrived at Regatta Point at 10·05 – a journey of 2h 20m but only 21 miles (34 km, but of course no one knew what a km was then).
This railway also survived because there was no direct road between Queenstown and Strachan other than the long way round via Zeehan. Return with the same loco and a similar sized train (but only two passenger cars) ran through unassisted, meeting Abt #3 at Dubbil Barril and Abt #2 at Queenstown. Journey time this way was around 20 minutes longer. From Queenstown we bussed back to Zeehan for the night.
A Journey to Remote Tasmania
Next day the 06·00 up goods from Zeehan had ASG G17 at the head, with a fairly timid load of 5 vehicles, including a car/van, but by the time we strode out of Primrose it had grown 16 vehicles and quite possibly somewhere near a full load.
G17 and short train waits for departure time from Zeehan.
We bailed out at Farrell Siding to join Wee Georgie and its miniscule train, but while we were waiting Beyer Garratt 14 came through with the southbound empty ore train. Being opportunists, we went back to Primrose on that train then got the West Coaster back to Farrell.
Wee Georgie Wood and train almost ready to head for Tullah.
Since the Wee one connected each way with the West Coaster this was a safe move – we arrived back at Farrell Siding at 12·24, and by 12·25 and a bit we had lurched into action on the really narrow gauge with the loco, a flat car loaded with supplies for the village and a windowless van that also did service for any passengers making up the train. Given the number of travellers on this occasion (there were two groups at this point), it is not surprising that many chose to travel on top of the freight loading.
The load on the flat car is a bit disproportionate, but the travellers preferred the fresh air.
I have a recollection that we had a couple of those long defunct canvas ice cream containers aboard and sparks from Wee George set fire to one as well as one of us (travelling on the flat car was a more comfortable but inflammable option than in the van). We had a short stop in the bush to take water from a convenient water barrel and terminated at the town stop at a bit before 13·10. The quite substantial Macintosh River bridge on the line had been burnt in early December, but was restored to traffic within a week and two trains were run to clear the accumulated supplies, or so we were told. We had a photo stop at this bridge on the way in.
We had an afternoon to fill in. It was a lovely sunny day, the sort of weather that is declared a drought if it lasts more than three days, so we borrowed a trolley that we had noted near the track and did an excursion back to the bridge to have a closer look. While there a rather sudden and violent thunderstorm came over – maybe we were lucky there was a galvanised iron lean to left over from the bridge work where we had some shelter. With hindsight I am not sure galvanised iron shelters are the ideal shelter in thunderstorms, although in this case nothing untoward happened. At least there was no drought on this occasion. In the fullness the sun returned, as did the trolley. By some means we had rented a miner’s cabin to stay in overnight and I have a vague recollection of having some sort of a repast in the local multi-tiered pub. Whatever we ate that night possibly accompanied us in on the train. Breakfast next day was a different matter — recollections of those travelling is of dry Weetbix or similar.
Tullah to Devonport — Back to Civilisation
The load next day was the same as the day before but with two log bogies trailing along behind – the portent of doom. Once again, we bettered the scheduled 60-minute time by some margin, despite stopping at two water barrels along the way.
Wee Georgie is a well tank so takes its water supplies through its nose in a manner of speaking.
Back at Farrell Siding the local Emu Bay Railway goods had delivered two 75 ft girders (8 ton each) and it was the log bogies that were to carry these in turn to Tullah to construct a road bridge that would remove the dependency of the village on the miniature train. Talk about planting the seeds of your own destruction.
These 75ft girders were carried in succession to Tullah. Note the van (left side) and its relative size beside the girders.
The southbound West Coaster arrived around an hour later so we took that to Rosebery and then back to Burnie.
ASG G17 was on the southbound goods at Rosebery while the West Coaster did its reversal there.
By the time we arrived back at Farrell siding (90 minutes later) one girder had been loaded, and I seem to remember it was on the move, probably as the most unlikely object that the little narrow gauge line ever had to carry. Quite how the thing ever got around some of the curves is beyond imagination but it obviously did get there. The northbound West Coaster (“Murchison” again) had a Pioneer bus aboard from Rosebery to Guildford – another quaint aspect of West Coast railroading that would disappear when the road went through.
West Coaster with the Pioneer bus aboard for the journey to Guildford.
Arrival back at Burnie was at 15·30, in time to see the Tasman Limited heading west with X24 and X30, before we caught the 17·07 Devonport passenger train – two formers Sentinel steam railcars behind pacific M2. The 30 mile journey took just under 90 minutes. perhaps highlighting a problem for traditional trains in an increasingly modern society.
M2 and the Devonport worker’s train.
No less than four Q class locos were on shed at Devonport, along with two M’s, one CCS and a T (ex SAR). H4 was seen earlier on a goods train heading west. Another bus (Green Line?) took us onwards to Launceston.
The Big Railway to Herrick
Next morning (Friday by now) involved another early (07·30) start – this time on the Herrick mixed for the 85 mile (136 km) journey to the end of the now defunct North East line.
MA4 stands ready at Launceston with its mixed train for Herrick.
We set off with 9 assorted wagons for Scottsdale and beyond, although they added up to a trailing load of just 90 tons. At Mowbray (outer Launceston) retired locos B4, Q7,8,9,16,17,18, T222,237, C6,8,14,28 and CC17 lay rotting while at Karoola ASG’s 37 and 61 lay waiting the same fate. In terms of live trains, we had to wait until Scottsdale where we met MA1 on the up Herrick morning goods. We progressively shed our wagons until only one four-wheeler and the car van remained for the arrival at Herrick.
Just over an hour at Herrick was more than adequate, so we set off towards the afternoon sun at 14·10 to repeat the journey backwards. We started with three wagons and the car van, but by the time we left Scottsdale it had grown to 10 wagons up front – very branch line but not sustainable. MA3 appeared at Ledgerwood on the down goods, perhaps highlighting that the MA locos (all four of them) were more or less dedicated to the Herrick line. Arrival back at Launceston was at 19·36 after a long and I suspect hungry day.
Homeward Bound
The next day apparently had little of active railway interest, apart from a tour of the loco depot where something like 34 intact locos plus a number of tenders and boilers were on display. I have a cryptic note that we hitched a ride from Nth East Jn to Loco in V7 but I have no recall of that.
Our return flight to the North Island was at 15·30 – another TAA Viscount. Arrival into Essendon, after an intermediate stop at Devonport, was on time at 17·20 from where a tram did the last lap back to the city.
Within a year or two most of what we did and saw was history. The idea that a railway of whatever gauge could be the only link with the outside world would be regarded as preposterous these days but in the early 1960’s it was a fact of life. We were fortunate that we travelled there when we did — within a year it was starting to fall apart and in little more than two years it had all gone apart from the ore trains.
Tasmania now has no passenger rail at all apart from heritage stuff. Among these are the rebuilt (tourist) rack railway between Queenstown and Regatta Point, while Wee Georgie still runs over a short section in the Tullah town area, neither of which really deliver the frontier atmosphere of 1961.
