Wednesday 13 May 2015

Zig Zag: Australia's shortest railway platform


Not far from Lithgow on the Main Western Line across the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, lies a tiny railway station on the SydneyTrains network you may not have noticed, even from the window of a train. You see, even if the train does make a brief 'only if requested' stop at Zig Zag Railway Station, the tiny twin platforms situated 150 km west of Sydney have room only for the rear door of the train to pull up alongside. It seems that Zig Zag Railway Station serves one clear purpose, it is the perfect stepping off point to visit Lithgow's famous Zig Zag Railway.


An arriving V-set Intercity train from Sydney slows for the tiny platform at Zig Zag Station, 2010.

A station first opened on the bottom road of the original Zig Zag Railway in 1878, shortly after the line across the Blue Mountains opened in 1869. And after the original Zig Zag Station closed in 1910, a new station opened at the present site in 1959. The new um.... station, if you can call it that, boasts state-of-the-art facilities such as a seat, a light pole and even stairs to reach what surely must be the shortest railway platform in all of Australia. But all jokes aside, Intercity services to Lithgow will stop at the tiny station if you notify the guard before boarding the train in the last door of the last carriage, and a help phone on the station platform will connect you with a SydneyTrains assistant who will arrange for the next train to stop and collect you when you're ready to leave. So what is there to see at this tiny out of the way location? When it comes to trains, plenty!

A Kandos bound block cement train passes by Zig Zag Railway Station in 2010. This train no longer runs following the closure of the Kandos Cement Works in 2011.

Zig Zag Station is situated on the Main Western Line, and continues onward to Broken Hill, Port Pirie and across the Nullabor Plain to Perth on the other side of the country. Along with transcontinental freight trains, the Main Western Line still carries a large volume of freight from the wheat fields of the Central West, and coal from three nearby collieries that also fuel two giant power stations located near Lithgow. As for the above photo of the 80 class locomotive at the head of a block cement train headed for the town of Kandos, when I took it while visiting Zig Zag Station back in September 2010, I had no idea that less than 12 months later the century-old Kandos Cement Works would close. Which just goes to show that what we view as a commonplace today, can quickly become historic tomorrow.

Another Lithgow bound Intercity train whisks by Zig Zag Station located beneath Bottom Points Station on the Zig Zag Railway, 2010.

As another Intercity V-set express train passes by the odd little station at Zig Zag, I made my way back up the path towards Bottom Points Station on the Zig Zag tourist railway. With the Main Western Line below, and the Zig Zag tourist railway climbing above on the original 1869 sandstone viaducts, it seems these two stations in the middle of the Australian bush are intrinsically linked by one thing. A love of trains. And as for the rest of the famous Zig Zag Railway? It is just one of the many locations featured in my book 30 Years Chasing Trains.


Available now through my Books page

See also; Scenic World: The World's Steepest Railway

Monday 4 May 2015

Hawkesbury River: Sydney's Secret Riverside Escape


Just an hour north of Sydney by train lies the quiet Hawkesbury River town of Brooklyn. Situated 57 km from Sydney's Central Station, the town of just 744 people owes its existence to the Main North Railway Line that first passed by on the shores of the Hawkesbury River in 1887.


It's not easy to get a shot of the 1903 Hawkesbury River Station, this was my best effort on a visit back in 2010.

Stepping from the train at Hawkesbury River Railway Station you'll notice that the 1903 brick station building looks like it belongs more in a major Sydney suburb than the sleepy riverside locale. After the original Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge located just beyond view to the north of Long Island opened in 1889, the town of Brooklyn became popular with day trippers from Sydney. And so the original station building was replaced in 1903 by the over-sized brick building that has stood beside the Main North Line ever since.

The Hawkesbury River Marina is just a short walk from the railway station. Photo 2010.

Hawkesbury River today has become one of Sydney's best-kept secrets. Hop on a train at Central Station in the middle of a sea of skyscrapers, and just 1 hour later you are stepping from the train to see this.... A boaties paradise and home to a unique community that simply loves the idea of living a world away from Sydney. The Marina is just a short 100 metre walk from the railway station, and Australia's last Riverboat Postman still leaves daily from the wharf to deliver mail to the residents who live isolated from all road contact along the shores of the Hawkesbury River and on nearby Dangar Island.

If you like trains, keep your camera handy when you order a cappuccino. Trains of all types pass by every 15 minutes along the NSW Main North Line, such as this Pacific National freight I shot in 2010.

Grabbing a seat on the outdoor deck of the Hawkesbury River Marina provides a fantastic location to enjoy a cappuccino and an hour or two of watching trains skirt along the edge of the Long Island causeway. The Main North Line is the rail gateway into Sydney from the north and north-west of New South Wales, and also doubles as the busy Central Coast and Newcastle commuter line. Barely 15 minutes will go by without seeing a train pass by in either direction.

Could this be the best train watching location in Australia? Sitting back on the deck of the Hawkesbury River Marina with a coffee while watching trains pass by, 2010.

A long lunch by the Hawkesbury River makes for a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of Australia's largest city. If like us, you are looking for an adventure right on Sydney's doorstep, then Hawkesbury River Station is one of the destinations in my 3 day railway adventure Train Tripping Around Sydney. Who knows? You may even discover some secrets of your own in this secret Sydney riverside escape.


Available now through my Books page

See also; Katoomba: Blue Mountains by train

Thursday 30 April 2015

Scenic World: The World's Steepest Railway


Scenic World is 2 hours west of Sydney by train and is home to a unique little railway that can lay claim to being the steepest railway in the world. But before the Scenic Railway became a must-do attraction for visitors to the Blue Mountains, this little railway that literally drops over the side of a cliff got its start by hauling coal from the mine at the bottom of the Jamison Valley back in 1882.


Scenic World's top station, with the tracks to the right of the crowd literally dropping over a cliff. Photo 2015.

By 1884, the mine employed 54 men and in that year alone, 20,000 tonnes of coal were hauled to the top on what was then a twin track funicular railway. The coal was then hauled over a 2 km long tramway that ended at a railway siding near Katoomba Railway Station where it was loaded onto trains bound for Sydney. In 1928 however, the mine began carrying passengers on the weekends. For sixpence a ride, the first tourists were treated to a ride in an open coal wagon while sitting on a folded chaff bag. Thankfully, today's version is a little more comfortable. And if you don't know what all the fuss is about, you can watch my YouTube clip below that I shot back in 2010. The railway descends 310 metres to the valley below on an incline of 52 degrees, along the way passing through a natural rock tunnel.


From it's early beginnings, the Scenic Railway has progressively been upgraded from open air carriages to today's Swiss-built glass enclosed 4 car train capable of seating 84 passengers. Five years after visiting Scenic World in 2010, I returned with my wife Denise to write my Train Tripping Around Sydney adventure. The amount of improvements and increased passenger numbers on the Scenic Railway was proof that this Blue Mountains tourist icon is now well-positioned to entertain a whole new generation of thrill-seekers.

The Scenic Railway train that I rode on above back in 2010, has since been replaced by a Swiss-built, glass enclosed train that now seats 84 passengers, (see below).

Arriving at bottom station, visitors to Scenic World can then follow the Scenic Walkway, an elevated boardwalk that takes you on a 2.4 km walk through the Australian rain forest and return to the top on the Scenic Cableway, the Southern Hemisphere's steepest aerial cable car.

The latest Swiss-built Scenic Railway train arriving at bottom station, photo 2015.

The Scenic Railway, combined with the Scenic Cableway and Scenic Skyway means there is plenty to see and do at Scenic World. We each bought an unlimited Discovery Pass for $35 and were able to do everything at the park, including lunch, within four-and-a-half hours before moving on to explore the nearby Three Sisters.

If like us you travel back down the Scenic Cableway to do the Scenic Walkway in reverse so that you can experience riding the Scenic Railway backwards to the top, the station makes for an amazing spot to photograph the Three Sisters which are visible on the other side of the Jamison Valley. And while you're standing on the platform high above the treetops waiting to ride the train back to the top, take a moment to look at the buffer stops at the end of the line. I can think of no other railway that I've ridden on that comes to such an abrupt end as this!

End of the line on Katoomba's Scenic Railway, Blue Mountains, Australia. 2015.

The Scenic Railway was just one of the places I visit in my book Train Tripping Around Sydney. My 3 day self guided railway adventure will show you how to visit Katoomba, the South Coast and the Hawkesbury River by train, and save yourself a fortune in the process.


Available now through my Books page