| The
Zig Zag Railway was built
between 1866 and 1869,
and acclaimed a major
engineering feat of its
time. It was constructed
to enable produce to
be taken to Sydney from
the prosperous farming
areas beyond the Blue
Mountains and to develop
the coal and iron ore
deposits found in the
Lithgow Valley.
The prodigious feat
of bringing the railway
from the top of the mountains
to the valley below was
accomplished by John
Whitton, Chief Engineer
of the NSW Government
Railways. At the time
The Great Zig Zag was
regarded as one of the
engineering wonders of
the Victorian age.
A by-product of such
construction was the
development of locomotive
boilers which could cope
with steep slopes and
this led to the construction
of mountain railways
in other parts of the
world, particularly the
Americas.
The Zig Zag consists
of a series of sloping
tracks forming the letter "Z" with
reversing stations at
Top and Bottom Points.
The Top part of the 'Z'
is Top Road, the middle
part is Middle Road.
Bottom Road is now only
a short section leading
to the Depot; the rest
remains part of NSW State
Rail network.
The track passes over
three magnificent sandstone
viaducts, through two
tunnels. There are striking
views over the surrounding
countryside.
Zig Zag Railway, Clarence
Station is 150 km west
of Sydney in the Blue
Mountains, 10 km East
of Lithgow on Chifley
Road. Travel time from
central Sydney is approximately
2.5 - 3 hours. The Railway
is signposted at Mount
Victoria on the Gt. Western
Highway and at Bell on
Chifley Road. There is
plenty of parking space
at Clarence.
The railway lies on
the western side of the
Blue Mountains and runs
between Clarence Station
at the highest point
and Bottom Points Station
at the lowest point.
Clarence Station has no main line railway connection; it is the access point
for passengers arriving by road.
Passengers arriving
by main line train
alight at the Zig
Zag platform beside
the Zig Zag Railway depot.
For more information
about The Zig Zag Railway
including schedules and
pricing please click
here.
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