WORTHINGTON'S WORKSHOP

Tasmanian Railways - Government Railways

NAVIGATION
TOP of Page
MAIN Page
HOME Page

GOVERNMENT RAIL
About Gov't Rail
Government Lines
Government Steam
Government Diesel
Government Stations
North East Dundas
The Tasmanian Government Railways originally included the 2 foot (610mm) gauge North East Dundas Tramway. It became part of Australian National after Federal takeover, then Tasrail in the privatised era. Modern traffic is logging, cement, coal and acid, although now with no passenger transport.

The Government Railways consist of the 3'6"; gauge operational main lines of the Tasmanian Government Railways/Australian National Railways/Tasrail and the historic 2 foot gauge North East Dundas Tramway.

The network is a freight railway concentrating on container and logging operations using mainly high powered locomotives as bulk carriers between the shipping ports on the North Coast and Hobart. Note the various freight handling modes and the scenic countryside through which the railway passes.

TOP MAIN HOME

Government Railway Lines

Line Branch Section Opened Closed Notes
North Main Line Hobart to Evandale 1876 Tas Main Line Co.
Evandale - Launc 1876
Parattah - Oatlands 1885 1949
Hobart - Launc 1890 to Govt 1890
Fingal Conara Jn - Fingal 1886 1988
Derwent Bridgwtr Jn - New Norf 1887
New Norf - Glenora 1888 1952
Glenora - Russell 1909 1952
Russell - Nat Pk 1916 1952
Nat Pk - Maydena 1917 1952
Fitzgerald - Kallista 1936 1950
Apsley Brighton Jn - Apsley 1891 1947
Sorell Hobart - Sorell 1892 1926
Cadburys Claremont - Cadburys 1921 1983
West Main Line Launceston to Relbiah 1869 Launc & West Rail
Relbiah to Deloraine 1871 5'3" gauge
Deloraine - Devonport 1885 3'6"; gauge
Launceston - Deloraine 1888 Last Broad Gauge
Devonport - Ulverstone 1890
Ulverstone - Burnie 1901
Burnie - Wynyard 1913
Wynyard - Myalla 1913
Stanley - Trowutta- 1919 1990
Irishtown - Marrawah Jn 1921 1963
Myalla to Wiltshire Jn 1922 1990
Chudleigh Lemana Jn - Mole Ck 1890 1992
Staverton Railton - Staverton 1914
Nietta Ulverstone - Nietta 1915
Melrose Don Jn - Paloona 1916 1963
Paloona - Barrington 1923 1928
Preolenna Flowerdale to Preolenna 1917 1931
Preolenna - Maweena 1924 1931
Marrawah Smithton - Marrawah 1919 1939 to Govt 1929
Marrawah - Mella 1935 1945
Ulverstone Ulverstone Wharf 1921 1964
East Scottsdale Launceston - Scottsdale 1889
Scottsdale - Branxholm 1911
Branxholm - Herrick 1919 1992

TOP MAIN HOME

Government Steam Locomotives


C1 Loco at Zeehan Museum

CCS23 in steam at Don River

E1 in Meander Park at Deloraine

H7 Freight Loco at Don River

Q5 Freight Loco at Glenorchy

Ma2 Express Passenger Loco

Class Wheel Builder Built Numbers Line Notes
A 4-4-0T R.Stephenson 1868-1870 4 West Roundtop
A 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart 1873 1 West Narrow G Al
A+ 4-4-0T Hunslet 1878 1 TML To tender
B+ 4-4-0 Hunslet 1884 3 TML
C+ 4-6-0 Dubs 1889-1890 4 TML
D+ 4-4-2T Dubs 1886-1887 2 TML
E+ 4-4-0 Hunslet 1873-1875 5 TML Orig 4-6-OT
F 4-4-0 Neilson 1878 1 TML Orig 0-4-2
A 4-2-2 TGR 1891 1 TGR ex Brd Gge A5
A 4-4-0 Beyer, Peacock 1892-1902 8 TGR To Ab class
Ab 4-4-0 TGR 1907-1945 8 TGR Ex A class
B 4-4-0 Beyer, Peacock 1885-1890 15 TGR
C 2-6-0 Beyer, Peacock 1885-1937 28 TGR To CC, CCS
CC 2-6-0 TGR 1912-1916 6 TGR Mod C class
CCS 2-6-0 TGR 1924-1928 4 TGR Mod C class
D 2-4-2T Beyer, Peacock 1891-1908 5 TGR Tank & loco
DS 2-6-4T NZR, Price 1939-1944 8 TGR Ex NZR Wf
E 4-6-0 Beyer, Peacock 1907 2 TGR
F 2-6-0 James Martin 1949 4 TGR Ex CR NFB
G 4-8-2+2-8-4 VR, SAR, Clyde 1944-1950 14 TGR ASG ex QR
H 4-8-2 Vulcan Foundry 1951 8 TGR
L 2-6-2+2-6-2 Beyer, Garrett 1912 2 TGR
M 4-4-2+2-4-4 Beyer, Garrett 1912 2 TGR
M 4-6-2 Stephenson 1952 10 TGR Some to Ma
Ma 4-6-2 TGR 1957-1958 4 TGR ex M class
P 2-6-2T Clyde 1921 1 TGR Ex NSW
Q 4-8-2 Perry, Clyde 1922-1945 19 TGR
R 4-6-2 Perry 1923 4 TGR 2 strmln 1937
T 4-8-0 Walkers Bros 1921 6 TGR Ex SAR T

TOP MAIN HOME

Government Diesel Locomotives


ANR U3 Diesel-Mechanical Shunter

ANR V4 Diesel-Hydraulic Shunter

DP2, PT3 Trailer at Don River

Freight Train on St Marys branch

X2 Diesel Loco at Launceston

Za1 Diesel Loco at Launceston

Class Wheel Builder Built No's Line Notes
U -B- Moore, TGR 1958-60 6 TGR D-Mech ex NG
V -C- Vulcan, TGR 1948-68 13 TGR 1st Tas Dies
Va -C- Vulcan, TGR 1962-72 3 TGR Re-eng V
W -C- Tulloch 1959 2 TGR 1st Aust DH
X Bo-Bo EE 1950-52 32 TGR some to XA
Xa Bo-Bo TGR 1961-1970 5 TGR Mod X class
Y Bo-Bo TGR, EE 1961-1971 8 TGR 1st Tas Dies
Z Co-Co GEC 1972-73 4 TGR 3000HP loco
Za Co-Co GEC 1973-1976 6 TGR Last TGR locos
Zb Co-Co GEC 1987-1988 16 ANR Ex QR
Zc Co-Co EE 1988-89 33 ANR Ex QR
830 Co-Co A.E.Goodwin 1980-86 20 ANR Ex SAR
DP Bo-Bo TGR 30 TGR Railcar

TOP MAIN HOME

Government Stations and Rolling Stock


St Marys Station After Closure

TMLRCo West Coast Carriage

Cement Loader at Hobart

Goods Wagons at Hobart

Loading Logs at Avoca

Coal Wagons at Fingal

HOME MAIN TOP

North East Dundas Tramway (1897-1932)


Williamsford Haulage

The Two Foot Gauge (610mm) North East Dundas Tramway was worked by Tasmanian Government locomotives. It went from railway yards in Zeehan travelling north-east, past Montezuma Falls (104m) on a 49 metre bridge, to the Ore Bins at Williamsford. Williamsford featured a twin 1.6km cable haulage railway (1899), from the Hercules Mine on top of Mt Read. There was also an aerial bucketway from Williamsford to Rosebery, remnants of which can be sighted on the approach road.

The track was pulled up in the 1940's, however there is an interesting walking track of approx four hours return from the site of Williamsford station to Montezuma falls. The line had some interesting engines to travel on the light track, which had curves of 1.5 chains radius and a ruling gradient 1 in 27.5. The first five miles were opened in 1897, Montezuma Falls Station to Williamsford were opened in 1898. The line was closed in 1932.

Locomotives
No Wheel Builder Build Built Scrap Notes
G1 0-4-2T Sharp Stewart 4198 1896 1899 Explode 16/5/1899
G1B 0-4-2T Sharp Stewart 4619 1898 Nth Richmond
G2 0-4-2T Sharp Stewart 4432 1900 Nth Richmond
H1 0-4-0WT Krauss 2180 1896 1951 ex TGR
H2 0-4-0WT Krauss 2589 1898 Hillwood, VIC
H3 0-4-0WT Krauss 2459 1899 1906 VIC
H4 0-4-0WT Krauss 4080 1899 Catamrn Coll
J1 2-6-4-OT Hagans 436 1900 1949 unused 1928
K1 0-4-0+0-4-0 Beyer Garrett 5292 1909 WHR, Wales
K2 0-4-0+0-4-0 Beyer Garrett 5293 1909 1932 Broke Zeehan

TOP MAIN HOME

J Class Hagans Lokomotivfabrik of Erfurt (Hagans Patent) (0-6-4-0)

This locomotive came about because of a 1890 requirement for a high powered locomotive to work the steeply graded sections of the line. The TGR Chief Mechanical Engineer was sent to Germany with a design concept for a locomtive based on a patent by Hagans, which involved coupling the two rear driven axles to the three front driven axles via a flexible linkage.

The loco arrived in parts in June 1900, and when assembled could haul a failed Beyer Garrett plus full load. It became the heaviest 2 foot gauge locomotive in the southern hemisphere at 41.5 tonnes. The loco was found to be too heavy for the tracks, and spent most of it's life shunting Zeehan yards and doing the short trips up the Comstock Mine branch line.

It remained derelict in Zeehan yards after 1928 and had the boiler removed before scrapping. With a boiler pressure of 180psi the locomotive could haul 100 ton trains up 1 in 25 gradients and around the 1.5 chain curves that existed on the line. For further reading go to The Light Railway Research Society of Australia. There is also a book called "Tasmania's Hagans" by Geoff Murdoch, priced at $15.50 plus postage.


J model in Zeehan Museum

J model in Zeehan Museum
K Class Beyer Garrett (0-4-0 + 0-4-0)

The first two Beyer Garrett locomotives in the world, K1 and K2, arrived in January 1910. After the units were decommissioned in 1932, both were left for scrap in Zeehan yard. In 1947 K1 and parts of K2 were returned to the Beyer Peacock company museum at Manchester in England for restoration. The British National Rail Museum Railmotorsat York inherited the loco after Beyer Peacock closed. It has now been regauged to 1'11.5" and is working on the Welsh Highland Railway.


K1 Loco at Welsh Highland

K1 Loco in steam at Zeehan
TOP MAIN HOME