Lapstone Zig Zag

Lapstone Zig Zag
View from Emu Plains, New South Wales
Overview
StatusMain Western Line subsequently diverted; this section closed
OwnerNSW Government Railways
LocaleWestern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33°45′52″S 150°38′22″E / 33.764569°S 150.639411°E / -33.764569; 150.639411 (Zig Zag middle road)
Termini
  • Knapsack Viaduct (east)
  • Glenbrook Station (west)
StationsLucasville
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemNSW Government Railways
History
Opened1867 (1867)
Closed18 December 1892 (1892-12-18)
Technical
Number of tracksSingle
Character
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Highest elevationc. 167 metres (548 ft) (Glenbrook (1st))
Map
New South Wales Heritage Database
(Local Government Register)
Official name
  • Lapstone Zig Zag;
  • Lapstone Zig Zag Railway;
  • Skarratt Park
TypeLocal heritage (built)
Designated27 December 1991
Reference no.G024
Type
  • Walking track and park;
  • Former railway line
CategoryTransport – Land
BuilderWilliam Watkins

The Lapstone Zig Zag[1] was a zig zag railway built between Emu Plains and Blaxland stations on the Main Western Line of New South Wales in Australia. Constructed between 1863 and 1865 to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb up the eastern side of the Blue Mountains,[2][3] the zig zag and associated Knapsack Viaduct, a sandstone arch viaduct, were designed by John Whitton, Engineer-in-Charge of New South Wales Government Railways, and were built by William Watkins. The zig zag was listed on the Blue Mountains local government heritage register on 27 December 1991;[4] while the adjacent Knapsack Viaduct was listed on the New South Wales Heritage Database on 2 April 1999.[5] The Lapstone Zig Zag was the world-first Zig Zag constructed on any main-line railway.[4]

The ruling grade was already very steep at 1 in 33 (3%).[6] Another of the early plans had been to build the whole line across the Blue Mountains on a completely different route through the Grose Valley with a 3-kilometre-long (1.9 mi) tunnel, but this was beyond the resources of the colony of New South Wales at the time.[6] The track included the Knapsack Viaduct and the subsequently abandoned Lucasville station, opened in 1877.[7]

The zig zag closed in 1892 when the Main Western line was diverted via the Glenbrook Deviation and subsequently sections of the line were repurposed as the Great Western Highway, and later use as a walking track.

  1. ^ Singleton, C. C. (September 1956). "The Ascents of Lapstone Hill". Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin: 117–131.
  2. ^ Low, John (1991). Pictorial Memories Blue Mountains. Kingsclear Books.
  3. ^ "Glenbrook Blue Mountains". Glenbrook Blue Mountains. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NSWHD 1170821 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NSWHD 4301012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Bayley 1980.
  7. ^ "Glenbrook Blue Mountains". Glenbrook Blue Mountains. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2011.