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| Zig Zag Railway | |
|---|---|
 | |
 BB18¼ 1072 City of Lithgow at Top Points | |
| Locale | Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Terminus | Clarence, Bottom Points |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | New South Wales Government Railways Main Western |
| Built by | Patrick Higgins (contractor for NSWGR) |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Zig Zag Railway Cooperative |
| Stations | Clarence Mt Sinai Halt No1 Viaduct Top Points Cockerton Bottom Points |
| Length | 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) |
| Preserved gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 18 October 1869 |
| Closed | 16 October 1910 |
| Preserved era | 18 October 1975 – present |
| Preservation history | |
| 1975 | Bottom Points to Top Points section opened 18 October |
| 1987 | Top Points to Mt Sinai section opened 4 April |
| 1988 | Mt Sinai to Clarence section opened 29 October |
| 2012 | Operation suspended |
| 2013 | Badly damaged by bushfires |
| 2016 | Limited train movements resume (trackwork) |
| 2019 | Badly damaged by bushfires |
| 2020 | Limited movements recommence (Work trains) |
| 2023 | Operations resume |
| Website | |
| www.zigzagrailway.com.au | |
The Zig Zag Railway is an Australian heritage railway, situated near Lithgow, New South Wales. It was opened by the not-for-profit Zig Zag Railway Co-op as an unpaid volunteer-staffed heritage railway in October 1975, using the alignment of the Lithgow Zig Zag line that formed part of the Main Western line between 1869 and 1910. The line climbs the western flank of the Blue Mountains, using railway zig zags to gain height.
Operation of the heritage railway was suspended in 2012 following accreditation issues with the Government of New South Wales. The railway was aiming to resume services in October 2013, but was then severely damaged during the 2013 NSW bushfires and then subsequently by torrential rain. Repairs and trials of restored rail vehicles and track commenced in August 2016 and it was planned to re-commence limited heritage operations in 2019, until the 2019–2020 bushfires damaged key infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed restoration. Heritage train services resumed on 27 May 2023.