Zig Zag Railway, Heritage railway near Lithgow, Australia
Zig Zag Railway is a heritage railway line on the western slopes of the Blue Mountains near Lithgow in New South Wales, navigating a steep mountainside through tunnels, viaducts, and switchbacks. The route passes through dense forest and rocky terrain, with tracks changing direction at several points to manage the elevation difference.
The line opened in 1869 as part of the Main Western railway to enable connections from Sydney to inland areas. Construction required extensive earthworks and tunnelling to overcome the gradient through the mountains, and the route remained operational until 1910 when a new alignment opened.
The name refers to the zigzag layout where trains had to reverse direction multiple times to manage the steep climb. Today, steam locomotives and period carriages operate on this route, giving visitors insight into nineteenth-century railway engineering.
Trains typically run every second weekend, and tickets should be booked in advance as they are not available on site. The journey takes around one and a half hours and includes open viewing platforms, so weather-appropriate clothing is advisable.
Volunteers operate the entire facility, from maintaining locomotives to assisting passengers during journeys. The line is now the only preserved mountain railway in Australia still running on its original route.
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