Reconstruction of Tasmania's ABT Railway
Abstract
Tasmania's Abt Railway Project involves the reconstruction of an abandoned mining railway, as a tourist railway. The railway is situated on Tasmania's west coast and extends from the port of Strahan in Macquarie Harbour, to Queenstown, some 35km inland.
The original Abt Railway ran from Queenstown to Teepookana, a small settlement at the mouth of the King River. It was completed in 1897 by the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Limited and was used to transport copper from Mt Lyell to sea transport. The railway was subsequently extended by 11 km from Teepookana to Regatta Point, Strahan to provide better access to larger draft vessels. The route is shown below.
Construction of the railway was a major engineering feat due to the rugged terrain that the line had to traverse, the high local rainfall and the flood-prone rivers. The steepness of the terrain led to the installation of a special rail track that allowed trains to travel up steep inclines; known as the Abt system after its Swiss inventor, Dr Roman Abt. The Abt system has a toothed rack mounted centrally between the rails of a conventional track, which is engaged by the pinion drive wheel of a purpose built locomotive.
With the construction of road links via the Lyell Highway to Hobart, the Murchison Highway to Burnie and finally a road to Strahan, the economics of haulage by train gradually declined, leading to closure of the line in 1963.
Since closure of the railway, there have been many calls for it to be reconstructed as a tourist attraction. Combining the unique steam Abt railway, the rugged terrain of the west coast, and the mining history of the area, the Project created immense interest as a possible tourist railway. In 1998 the Commonwealth Government approved the allocation of $20.45M from the Prime Minister's Federation Fund for re-establishment of the Abt Railway.
The Tasmanian Government established a steering committee for the project, chaired by a member of the Government. The Committee appointed Sinclair Knight Merz to manage the project, with Sinclair Knight Merz Principal Bill Lawson as the nominated Project Manager. The Committee also included senior government officials from key Government departments (State Development, Primary Industry Water and Environment, Infrastructure Energy and Resources).