Lapstone Zig Zag

[faulcon1]

Here's a video done by two blokes of the Lapstone ZigZag bypassed many years ago and now a walking track. The history is fascinating however the steam train sound effects are American as you can here a bell ringing and we never had bells on locos in New South Wales government service. The B&W photo of a 60 class Garratt is also incorrect as Garratts never traveled on this line which had fallen into disuse many years before the Garratts even entered service. At the time of the Lapstone Zig Zag was all locos in New South Wales were of English design and many were built in England namely by Beyer Peacock. 

 

 

[faulcon1]

Here's part two,

 

 

[faulcon1]

After the Lapstone ZigZag was rendered obsolete the first deviation was the construction of a single bore tunnel without air shafts on the false assumption that the smoke would be blown by natural wind out of the tunnel mouths. It was on a continuous uphill 1 in 33 gradient curving it's entire length. It was notorious in service when steam crews would lie on the cab floor with the fall plate up desperate for some fresh air. Assistant engines would be used on the rear and their crews not only had to deal with the smoke and fumes from the train engine but their engine too. There was one accident where the assistant engine finding the task too much stopped and reversed out of the tunnel coming to a halt outside the tunnel mouth. The train engine had stalled and the train engine crew overcome by smoke and fumes had passed out. The train then free wheeled out of the tunnel to smash into the assistant engine.