Zeehan railway station, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Zeehan railway station, Tasmania was a major junction and railway yard for numerous different railway and tramway systems in western Tasmania
in the town of Zeehan
. Its peak of operations was between the 1890s and the late 1920s - reflecting the general fate of the town and the industries that were located there.
from the south, the Emu Bay Railway
from the north and a number of narrow gauge tram systems that utilised the railway yard and radiated out in all directions from the station.
The narrow gauge North-East Dundas Tram line proceeded separately out of the station and yard following the Emu Bay before it turned toward its easterly route.
The Zeehan railway station yard was extensive with numerable small tram lines connecting with the yard in the peak of the activity at the station from before the First World War until the beginning of the depression - when most smaller tramways and mines and smelter operations had ceased to operate.
Tramways mentioned here specifically utilised the Zeehan railway station as their terminus.
occurred on 7.15 am on the 17th of May 1899 in the Zeehan railway station yard The North-East Dundas tram approached the Wilson Street waiting room at the end of the station yard, the engine exploded. The fireman Thomas Marra was killed instantly and the driver David Biddeph died soon after
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
in the town of Zeehan
Zeehan, Tasmania
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies southwest of Burnie. At the 2006 census, Zeehan had a population of 845. It is part of the Municipality of West Coast....
. Its peak of operations was between the 1890s and the late 1920s - reflecting the general fate of the town and the industries that were located there.
Terminus
It was the terminus of the Strahan-Zeehan RailwayStrahan-Zeehan Railway
The Strahan–Zeehan Railway, also known as the 'Government Railway', was a railway from Strahan to Zeehan on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia...
from the south, the Emu Bay Railway
Emu Bay Railway
The Melba Line is a narrow gauge railway on the west coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest lasting and successful private railway companies in Australia...
from the north and a number of narrow gauge tram systems that utilised the railway yard and radiated out in all directions from the station.
The narrow gauge North-East Dundas Tram line proceeded separately out of the station and yard following the Emu Bay before it turned toward its easterly route.
Yard
In 1913 the railway workshops were moved from West Strahan to Zeehan and the yard, over half a mile long, with two gauges and many sidings, was one of the biggest in the state
The Zeehan railway station yard was extensive with numerable small tram lines connecting with the yard in the peak of the activity at the station from before the First World War until the beginning of the depression - when most smaller tramways and mines and smelter operations had ceased to operate.
Tramways
- See also Railways on the West Coast of TasmaniaRailways on the West Coast of TasmaniaThe history of the Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines...
Tramways mentioned here specifically utilised the Zeehan railway station as their terminus.
- Comstock Tram
- Dunkleys Tram
- Federation Tram
- Florence Tram
- Grubbs Tram
- Howards Tram
- New Dundas Tramway commenced in 1891, absorbed into the Mariposa Tramway, and later again into Howard's tramway system
- Mariposa Tramway
- North East Dundas TramwayNorth East Dundas TramwayThe North East Dundas Tramway was a gauge tramway on West Coast Tasmania that ran between Zeehan and Deep Lead . It was part of Tasmanian Government Railways...
was a 2' line leaving Zeehan to the Mount Read area. - Oonah Tram
- Zeehan Tramway Company
Accidents
A spectacular boiler explosionBoiler explosion
A boiler explosion is a catastrophic failure of a boiler. As seen today, boiler explosions are of two kinds. One kind is over-pressure in the pressure parts of the steam and water sides. The second kind is explosion in the furnace. Boiler explosions of pressure parts are particularly associated...
occurred on 7.15 am on the 17th of May 1899 in the Zeehan railway station yard The North-East Dundas tram approached the Wilson Street waiting room at the end of the station yard, the engine exploded. The fireman Thomas Marra was killed instantly and the driver David Biddeph died soon after
Decline
- In 1905 Zeehan Tramway Company ceased daily passenger service
- In 1926 Dundas line regular services traffic ceased and line pulled up in 1940.
- In 1929 NE Dundas and Comstock lines traffic ceased and all line up by 1943.
- In 1948 the last year of heavy traffic between Rosebery and Zeehan
- In 1960 the Emu Bay Railway passenger service ceased in February
- In 1960 the Strahan-Zeehan Railway line closed in June.
- On 14 August 1965 the Emu Bay Railway goods services ceased.
Post closure status
In 1971 Frank Stamford of The Light Railway Research Society of Australia wrote in Light Railways:A visit on 12th April 1971 showed that the station building has gone, and most of the track has been rather half-heartedly removed. A length of 2 ft gauge track can still be found near where the station building used to be. The various engine sheds and carriage sheds remain, and are still being used by local timber millers, transport contractors, etc..