December 19, 2019
The major tourist attraction in Queenstown is undoubtedly the WCWR; constructed (or re-constructed) between 1998 and 2002 this was a work in progress when we left Tasmania. Now operating 7 days a week with mostly original locomotives recovered from around Tasmania and Victoria (one was at Puffing Billy in the Dandenongs) and perfectly restored.
Travel on the trains can be taken as an all day trip from Strahan to Queenstown and return, or as we chose, in two half days from each end. This we found after this first half day (about 5 hours of actual train time after boarding and waiting) was a more relaxing proposition than an all day event.
The Queenstown half uses the steam ABT locomotives which use the rack and pinion centre rail system which can be seen in some of the images. The first section out of Queenstown to Lynchford is a flat stretch along the Queen River and then the rack system starts to take you over the hill through Rinadeena and down again to Dubbil Barril, the centre point of the track. The origin of “Dubbil Barril” is still a mystery today with several rumours of how it was named.
A history of the railway can be found here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Wilderness_Railway
Our train for the day was drawn by Mount Lyell No. 3, the loco which owns the record for the fastest journey along the line when it brought rescue equipment and specialists from the Strahan Wharf during the catastrophic mining fire of 1912.
The Journey: First past the WCWR Workshops and alongside the Queen River to Lynchford where we do not alight the first time through; then past some surplus rolling stock at the small siding of Halls Creek…From here along the first ABT section of line through a section of dense bushland to the first stop at Rinadeena. Here you can stroll around and look down at the train from a pedestrian bridge as well as buy snacks and coffee.
After the stop, the track descends again and emerges alongside the King River leading into the second stop which is the end of the half-day run at Dubbil Barril . Here the loco is brought back past the train and turned around by the crew on a turntable before re-coupling for the return journey.
This time we stopped briefly again at Rinadeena where the loco is once again refilled with water. This time we stop at Lynchford alongside the Queen River. The Orange colouration of the river here is the result of many years of very unenvironmental practices at the mines upstream. At Lynchford passengers can pan for gold at a specially constructed table with the local water and gravel flowing through. You can also stroll onto a footbridge for a better view of the river.
Finally, the journey ends back at Queenstown where the loco is again rotated on a turntable to be readied for the next day’s passengers.
