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Encyclopedia > Zig Zag Railway
The steam train at the Top Point Station switch track
The steam train at the Top Point Station switch track

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 1870 and 1910. As built, the line formed part of the main line railway westward 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... A scene on a heritage railway. ... Lithgow is a city of approximately 12000 persons situated in central-west New South Wales, Australia. ... “NSW” redirects here. ... Lithgow is a city of approximately 12000 persons situated in central-west New South Wales, Australia. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... Lithgow is a city of approximately 18750 persons situated in central-west New South Wales, Australia and is also a Local Government Area. ...

Contents

Overview

The original plan, by the newly-appointed Engineer-in-Charge, John Whitton, had been to build a 3 km tunnel, but this was beyond the resources of the state of New South Wales at the time. The zig zag alternative still required several short tunnels and some viaducts. John Whitton was appointed Engineer-in-Charge for the New South Wales Railways in January 1867. ... A railway zig zag is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. ...


On the eastern side of the range, the first Blue Mountains Zig Zag (known as the Lapstone Zig Zag) opened near Glenbrook in 1867. It ascended Lapstone Hill on a gradient of 1:30 to 1:33 (~ 3 - 3.3%), which contoured up the side of the range with comparatively light earthwork. The Lapstone Zig Zag was a switchback built on the Great Western Railway of New South Wales in Australia around 1872, to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb. ... Glenbrook, New South Wales () is a suburb of the Lower Blue Mountains. ...


By contrast, the Lithgow Zig Zag railway, built between 1866 and 1869, required much heavier engineering, including four large rock cuttings, three fine stone viaducts with 30-foot semi-circular arches (originally four were planned, but one was built as an embankment instead) and a short tunnel (three tunnels were planned, but two were daylighted during construction due to leaks, becoming two of the four cuttings mentioned above). In the descent of the middle road, the line dropped 101 feet between the reversing points, being part of the 550 foot descent from Clarence, then the highest spot on the western line. The whole route had a ruling grade of 1:42 (~2.38%).


On Monday October 19, 1869 the Lithgow Zig Zag opened to traffic, completing the route over the Blue Mountains. A panoramic view of the Blue Mountains The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney. ...


The Lithgow Zig Zag operated between 1870 and 1910. By then it had become an increasingly inefficient bottleneck owing to the growing traffic on the line between Lithgow and Sydney. It was eventually abandoned in 1910, replaced by the so-called Ten-Tunnel Deviation, a double tracked route with a ruling grade of 1:90. This is still in heavy use as the main line to western NSW and ultimately the trans-Australia line to Perth today. The ruling gradient of a section of railway line, is the steepest section. ... Location of Perth within Australia This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ...


For the next 65 years the tunnels and viaducts of the Great Zig Zag remained abandoned and silent except for some use as a tourist road and a walking track. In 1975 it was decided to restore the rails as a heritage railway, albeit on a different gauge (3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) instead of the original 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)). Rolling stock for the museum thus comes from states other than New South Wales – Queensland and South Australia in particular. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  1,558,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ...


As of 2005 the railway is operated as the Zig Zag Steam and Diesel Tourist Railway.

Top Points Station
Top Points Station

The line has gradually been extended: Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (864 × 648 pixel, file size: 145 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author: Dylerpillar Uploaded by: JRG Source: http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (864 × 648 pixel, file size: 145 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author: Dylerpillar Uploaded by: JRG Source: http://www. ...

// Categories: | ... ruins of the original industrial Newnes Newnes located in the Wolgan Valley and part of the Wolemi National Park. ...

References

  • 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

See also

v • d • e
Railway Lines in New South Wales

Main lines
Broken Hill Line · Main North Line · Main South Line · Main West Line · North Coast Line · South Coast Line A railway zig zag is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. ... A schematic of a simple spiral A spiral (sometimes called a spiral loop) is a technique employed by railways to ascend steep hills. ... While railways have a great ability to haul very heavy loads, this advantage only really applies when the tracks are fairly level. ... This is a list of heritage railways in Australia. ... An XPT train, used on CountryLink services, at Central railway station, Sydney. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_South_Wales. ... The Broken Hill railway line is now part of the transcontinental railway from Sydney to Perth. ... An abandoned section of the Main North Line near Armidale, New South Wales. ... As originally New South Wales and Victoria had different railway gauges, this meant that all travellers in either direction had to change trains at Albury. ... The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. ... The North Coast Line is a primary rail route on the North Coast of New South Wales, and forms a major part of the route between Sydney and Brisbane. ... The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydneys CityRail services. ...

Country Branch lines 
Sydney Suburban lines 
InterCity and Regional Passenger Services 
Proposed or Under Construction 
Tourist railways 
Sydney goods lines 

  Results from FactBites:
 
Videotrip - interesting videos, trips, travels, expeditions and more (358 words)
The Zig Zag Railway near Lithgow in Australia
Zig Zag Railway, bottom points the yards and storage sheds for the steam engines of the zig zag railway.
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 1870 and 1910.
Sydney Day Trips. Zig Zag Railway (595 words)
The original Bottom Road of the Zig Zag is mostly still in use as the current main line, with the present locomotive depot located on what used to be the connexion between the Bottom Road and the Zig Zag.
Zig Zag services start from the Bottom Points at an altitude of 993 metres, originally the first switchback, and proceed uphill along Middle Road, through a short tunnel and over two viaducts to the Top Points, originally the second switchback.
One of the odd features of the Zig Zag Railway is that although it was originally standard gauge, as the main line is now, it has been rebuilt as a narrow (3 feet 6 inches) gauge line, since available rolling stock was of that gauge.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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