Kalamunda Zig Zag

Kalamunda Zig Zag

The Kalamunda Zig Zag was completed in 1891, as part of the Upper Darling Range Railway line in Western Australia which was built by the Canning Jarrah Timber Company to supply railway sleepers to Perth's growing railway system.

The sections of the railway that make up the zig zag: -

# Ridge Hill (lower section of Zig Zag)
# Bottom Points
# Statham's Quarry [known also as Perth City Council Siding (from 1920) ]
# Number 3 Points
# Top Points (upper section of Zig Zag)

The line was so steep (1 in 30 grade), that the engine would alternate between pushing and pulling the load.

The Zig Zag has since been converted into a scenic, narrow bitumen road. The road is one-way for most of the Zig Zag, and is not recommended for hiking.

Every year the Shire of Kalamunda holds a Zig Zag Walk event, in which the Zig Zag is closed to all but pedestrians, providing people with the opportunity to admire the views and see the area's wildflowers; the Zig Zag is a part of the Darling Range Regional Park. The Zig Zag Walk occurs around early October every year. On the last Sunday of October each year, there is a community Arts Festival called the Zig Zag Festival held in Stirk Park Kalamunda.

There have been moves by enthusiasts to resurrect the rail line on the Zig Zag formation, and the Kalamunda council in principle does not object to the project. It would appear funds are lacking for the feasibility studies required.

See also

* Zig zag (railway)
* Spiral (railway)
* Hillclimbing (railway)
* Zig Zag Railway in New South Wales
* List of Australian heritage railways

References

* Steele, Ken.(1993) "Zig Zag to Kalamunda : the story of the Upper Darling Range Railway" Lesmurdie, W.A.: Drillmark Publications Division. ISBN 064616323X
* Watson, Lindsay "The Railway History Of Midland Junction : Commemorating The Centenary Of Midland Junction, 1895-1995" Swan View, W.A : L & S Drafting in association with the Shire of Swan and the Western Australian Light Railway Preservation Association, [1995]

External links

* [http://members.westnet.com.au/locoman/zigzag.html Kalamunda Zig-Zag Page]
* [http://www.railtrails.org.au/states/trails.php3?action=trail&trail=51 Kalamunda Zig Zag Trail - Trail Description]
* [http://www.zigzagfestival.org/ Zig Zag Community Arts Festival page]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Zig zag (railway) — A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance (corresponding to the middle leg of the letter Z ), the direction of travel is …   Wikipedia

  • Zig Zag Railway — The Zig Zag Railway is a heritage railway at Lithgow in New South Wales, Australia on the site of the famous Great or Lithgow Zig Zag which operated between 1869 and 1910. As built, the line formed part of the Main West line from Sydney across… …   Wikipedia

  • Kalamunda, Western Australia — Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb name = Kalamunda city = Perth state = wa caption = Kalamunda Road, Kalamunda lga = Shire of Kalamunda area = 9.9 postcode = 6076 pop = 6835 (2006 census)Census 2006 AUS|id=SSC51711|name=Kalamunda (State… …   Wikipedia

  • Upper Darling Range Railway — The Upper Darling Range Railway (also known as the Upper Darling Range Branch ) was a branch railway from Midland Junction, Western Australia, that rose up the southern side of the Helena Valley and on to the Darling Scarp via the Kalamunda Zig… …   Wikipedia

  • Gooseberry Hill, Western Australia — Gooseberry Hill Perth, Western Australia Gooseberry Hill viewed from the Kalamunda Zig Zag …   Wikipedia

  • Darling Scarp — Southwest Western Australia from space. The dark green is dense vegetation on and above the scarp, which has been retained for forest reserve and water catchment purposes. The sharp vegetation boundary on the coastal side coincides with the edge… …   Wikipedia

  • Darling Scarp — Südwestliches Western Australia aus dem Weltall betrachtet. Das dunkle Grün ist eine dichte Vegetation an und über der Scarp, die als Wälder und Wassereinzugsgebiet erhalten blieb. Die Grenze der Scarp Vegetation an der Küste stimmt mit der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gooseberry-Hill-Nationalpark — Perth vom Statham s Quarry gesehen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Statham's Quarry — Stathams Quarry from the top of the south wall looking north another quarry in the distance at the top of the picture is the old Government Quarry now known as the Hudman Road Quarry in Boya at the border with Darlington Statham s Quarry (also… …   Wikipedia

  • Statham’s Quarry — Der heute als Kletterfelsen genutzte Steinbruch Statham s Quarry, auch Darling Range Quarry und nach dem Jahre 1920 Perth City Council s Darling Range Quarry genannt, ist ein Steinbruch in Western Australia, in dem das Hartgestein Diabas gewonnen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”