North East Dundas Tramway

Tasmanian Government Railways G class locomotive crosses the Montezuma Bridge on the North East Dundas Tramway with a mixed train to Zeehan around 1899

The North East Dundas Tramway was a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge tramway, that ran between Zeehan and Deep Lead (now Williamsford) on the West Coast of Tasmania. Opening in 1896 and closing in 1932, it was part of the Tasmanian Government Railways network. The world's first Garratt locomotives, the K class, were used on the line.

History

Construction of the line to carry ore from the Williamsford mines to Zeehan, where it was loaded onto another train for shipment to Burnie commenced in January 1896, with the first section opened in December 1896.[1] It opened in full on 18 June 1898.[2][3]

The narrow-gauge (2 ft) was chosen because of the extremely difficult terrain that the railway crossed, requiring several big trestle bridges, including one at the foot of Montezuma Falls. After some rain the engine and carriages would get soaked by spray from the falls. A detailed description of conditions along the line is included in a report of a journey undertaken in 1900 by the Fitzroy Australian Rules football team. During their journey down the mountain to Zeehan, one of the carriages left the rails on a tight bend and the players lifted it back on the rails.[4] There was a break-of-gauge with the mainline 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) system at Zeehan. The tramway was closed on 5 July 1932, although regular services had ceased three years earlier.[5]

Locomotives

J class 2-6-4-0T

Several tight-radius curves required careful consideration of the locomotives that were suitable to run on them. Operations commenced with two G class 0-4-2T locomotives. Shortly after entering service, G1 was destroyed in May 1899 after the boiler exploded. The crew were killed and the boiler flung 30 metres into the air landing 230 metres away. A replacement arrived in 1900, assuming G1's identity. After the tramway closed, both were sold to the Isis Sugar Mill in Cordalba, Queensland and converted to tender locomotives'.[6][7][8]

In 1901, a J class 2-6-4-0T was delivered.[9][10] It was the first articulated locomotive to run on the line and was, at the time, the heaviest 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge locomotive in the southern hemisphere, weighing 42 tonnes. It was more powerful than its 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge counterparts.[11] Its weight played havoc with the light rails it ran over and in 1910 it was replaced by the K class 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt locomotives.[8][12] The J class languished in the Zeehan locomotive shed until 1949, when it was scrapped.

K1 was presented back to its manufacturer, Beyer, Peacock & Company of Manchester and repatriated to England in 1947.[13] After the closure of Beyer, Peacock & Company, K1 was sold in 1966 to the Ffestiniog Railway.[14] Since 2020, it has been based at the Statfold Barn Railway.[15]

Stopping places

Picnic with Dunkley Brothers Orenstein & Koppel (BN 2748) at Kapia

(distances from Walch's Tasmanian Almanac 1915 p. 237)

  • Zeehan
  • Wilson Street
  • Zeehan Racecourse[16]
  • King's
  • Hastings
  • Nickel Junction – also known as Nickel Show (4.5 miles)[17]
  • North Dundas Road[18]
  • Melba Flats
  • Commonwealth
  • Japi
  • Confidence Saddle[19]
  • Good Intent
  • Great Northern
  • Fraser's—also known as Fraser's Mine
  • Montezuma (14.5 miles)
  • Fahl Ore
  • Conliffe
  • Williamsford—opened as Deep Lead—renamed by 1898 (18 miles)
  • Connected to Hercules Mine on Mount Read by a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge Hercules Haulage incline

Accidents

In May 1899, a locomotive boiler exploded in the Zeehan yard, killing the driver and fireman. The G class locomotive was destroyed.[20]

References

  1. ^ "North-East Dundas Tramway". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Tas.: National Library of Australia. 3 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  2. ^ The Construction of the North-East Tramway Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 190 August 1953 page 92
  3. ^ Railway of the Zeehan District Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 312 October 1963 pages 153-155
  4. ^ "The Fitzroy Football Team in Tasmania". Fitzroy City Press. 22 June 1900. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  5. ^ Early days of Mount Read, Willamsford and Rosebery Light Railways issue 261 June 2018 pages 9-14
  6. ^ Turner, Jim (1997). Australian Steam Locomotives 1896-1958. Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press. p. 13. ISBN 086417778X.
  7. ^ Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 103–104. ISBN 9781921719011.
  8. ^ a b Steam Locomotives of the Tasmanian Government Railways and its Constituents Australian Railway History issue 917 March 2014 pages 18, 19
  9. ^ Douglas Self. "Hagans' Heros-The Hagans Oscillating-Lever System".
  10. ^ Murdoch, Geoff (1998), Tasmania's Hagans : the North East Dundas tramway : articulated 'J' class (1st ed.), Geoff Murdoch, ISBN 978-0-646-33442-4 see also: 2nd Edition: Murdoch, Geoff (2004), Tasmania's hagans : the North East Dundas tramway articulated 'J' class, G Murdoch, ISBN 978-0-646-44264-8
  11. ^ "NORTH-EAST DUNDAS TRAM". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Vol. XXIII, no. 238. Tasmania, Australia. 22 July 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ The Railways of Tasmania Locomotive, Railway Carriage & Wagon Review issue 363 November 1922 page 326
  13. ^ Largest Beyer-Garratt Locomotives on View Railway Gazette 12 September 1952 page 301
  14. ^ Festiniog acquires first Garratt Modern Railways issue 216 September 1966 page 508
  15. ^ Pioneer Garratt set for steam return in 2020 Narrow Gauge World issue 146 March 2020 page 13
  16. ^ "SPORTING". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Vol. XXII, no. 160. Tasmania, Australia. 24 April 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "LEAD AND NICKEL PROSPECTUS". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 31, 338. Victoria, Australia. 7 February 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "The North Dundas Road". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Vol. 1, no. 131. Tasmania, Australia. 17 August 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "GOVERNMENT SURVEY". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Vol. XXI, no. 240. Tasmania, Australia. 25 July 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "A Boiler Explosion". The West Australian. 17 May 1899. p. 6.

Further reading

Further literature

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