West Coast Wilderness Railway
No 1 in March 2013
Locale	West Coast, Tasmania
Terminus	Queenstown Regatta Point
Commercial operations
Original gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Original rack system	Abt rack system
Preserved operations
Owned by	Government of Tasmania
Operated by	Abt Railway Ministerial Corporation
Stations	Regatta Point Teepookana Dubbil Barril Rinadeena Lynchford Queenstown
Length	34.5 kilometres
Preserved gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Preserved rack system	Abt rack system
Preservation history
4 November 2000	First stage opened
27 December 2002	Opened in full
Website
www.wcwr.com.au
Route map Legend Zeehan line toZeehan Regatta Point Lowana King River Teepookana King River Camp Spur Dubbill Barrill Rinadeena Halls Creek Lynchford Queen River Norton Street Braddon Street Brown Street Urquhart Street Driffield Street Queenstown

TheWest Coast Wilderness Railway is a 34.5 kilometre heritage railway line that runs fromQueenstown toRegatta Point inTasmania, Australia.

The first section of theMount Lyell railway line opened betweenQueenstown andTeepookana. It was extended toStrahan on 1 November 1899.^[1]

The railway was built by theMount Lyell Mining & Railway Company to carry copper from its mine in Queenstown. Until 1932, when aHobart road link was completed, it was the only access through to Queenstown.

The railway utilised theAbt rack and pinion system for steep sections. Because of the gradients, tonnages were always limited on the railway. The gauge is3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm).^[2]

The original line continued into the Mount Lyell mining operations area in Queenstown, and atRegatta Point the line linked around the foreshore ofStrahan to link with theTasmanian Government Railways'Zeehan to Strahan line.

At its peak in 1936, the company owned six locomotives, three railcars, eight coaches and 131 goods wagons.^[3]

The last passenger service ran on 29 June 1963, with the railway closed on 10 August 1963 due to increasing maintenance costs and the improvement of road access to the West Coast from the north with the opening of theMurchison Highway.^[4][5][6]

With the removal of the track the formation from Regatta Point was used by road vehicles for access to Lette's Bay and Lowana to the east.

Most bridges remained intact but fell into disrepair, and the route was unsuitable for vehicle access beyond the Iron Bridge that crosses theKing River at the location of the early port ofTeepookana.

Despite various proposals post 1963, it was not until the 1990s after the demise of the main Mount Lyell Company mining operations, and the downgrading ofHydro Tasmania's activities of dam building on the West Coast, that some local West Coast people campaigned for the restoration of the Abt Railway as a heritage tourist attraction featuring the unique rail system and the community's mining history.

The restoration of the Abt Railway was made possible through the allocation of $20 million from theFederal Government, with further funding from theState Government and some private investment.^[7][8][9]Sinclair Knight Merz managed the project withHazell Bros the main contractor.^[10]

The first 5.5 kilometre section between Queenstown andLynchford opened on 4 November 2000.^[9][11] It was opened in full on 27 December 2002.^[12][13] It was officially opened byPrime MinisterJohn Howard andState PremierJim Bacon on 3 April 2003.^[14]

The new terminus in Queenstown is on the site of the original station yard. The station at Regatta Point terminus has been renovated.

The railway follows its original alignment except for the Quarter Mile Bridge near Teepookana. The old bridge was washed away in a flood in 1974, with the new bridge just south of the original.

In February 2013 theFederal Group announced that it would be terminating its lease of the railway in April 2013, citing a downturn in business and a need for investment in infrastructure had made the railway no longer viable.^[9][15] The Tasmanian government responded by estimating that maintaining the railway would cost $15 to $20 million, and that the government alone could not fund it.^[16]

Following track rehabilitation work, the railway re-opened between Queenstown and Dubbil Barril on 6 January 2014.^[17][18][19] It resumed operation along its full length on 14 December 2014.^[20] It is operated by the Abt Railway Ministerial Corporation, a Government of Tasmania corporation.^[21]

For the commencement of operations, three of the five formerMount Lyell Mining & Railway Company locomotives were purchased.^[22] A fourth was purchased from theTasmanian Transport Museum in 2019.^[23] The only former Mount Lyell locomotive not preserved was scrapped in the 1960s.^[24]

Two former Mount Lyell Mining & Railway CompanyDrewry Car Company diesel locomotives that had seen further service with theEmu Bay Railway andTasmanian Government Railways were purchased.^[25]

Twelve frames for carriages were built by Saunders & Ward,Kingston with 10 fitted with carriage bodies as at January 2006.^[29]

The railway received an Engineering Heritage International Marker fromEngineers Australia as part of itsEngineering Heritage Recognition Program.^[30]

Media related toWest Coast Wilderness Railway at Wikimedia Commons

42°09′11″S145°29′46″E / 42.153°S 145.496°E /-42.153; 145.496

• Government-owned companies of Tasmania
• Mountain railways
• Queenstown, Tasmania
• Rack railways in Australia
• Railway lines opened in 1897
• Railway lines in Western Tasmania
• Recipients of Engineers Australia engineering heritage markers
• Tourist railways in Tasmania
• West Coast Wilderness Railway
• 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia
• 2002 establishments in Australia

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