Notes of an Excursion to the Blue Mountains and the Great Zig-Zag.
The material reproduced below is the content of a small booklet (anonymous) describing a visit to the Blue Mountains and the Great Zig Zag at Lithgow in May 1869, shortly before the railway was opened to Bowenfels (October 19, 1869). If you can set your computer to read the text aloud, the effect will be greater than just reading it yourself.
I have tried to correct all the errors introduced by converting the files from pdf to Word, but I have probably missed a few.
The writer had an opportunity recently of paying a visit,
under very favourable circumstances, to the imposing scenery of the Great
Barrier range which divides the seaboard of New South Wales from the western
interior, and the following jottings are intended not only as a memento of a most agreeable trip, but as
recording some particulars of the greatest work in railway engineering which
has yet been attempted in these colonies. The excursionists were a party of
Victorians then on a visit to the sister colony on public business. The public
men of the city were lavishing their hospitalities on the Victorian visitors,
and amongst the invitations which the latter received was one from the Hon. the
Commissioner of Public Works for an excursion by special train to the far-famed
zig-zag and the scenery of the Blue Mountains. The day which had been fixed for
the event was preceded by a week’s continuous rain, and the flood which it
occasioned in the valleys of the Nepean and Hawkesbury, as well as the injury
done to several public works, suggested as a matter of prudence the
postponement of the intention for a couple of days. This change we had no
reason to regret. The rains had ceased, and a genial sunny day, with just a
little crispness in the mountain
air, contributed in the utmost degree to our enjoyment. Our start from the Redfern
Station, at Sydney, was made at eight a.m. The party consisted of ten Victorians,
accompanied by the Hon. the Treasurer and some other well-known citizens of
Sydney. The train was composed of a lone saloon carriage, and merely a guard’s
box with breaks. The saloon carriage was fitted with wheels on the Bogie
principle, to adapt it to the sharp curves which are met with in the mountains.
These carriages are of lighter build than those on the Victorian lines, and the
amplitude of glass on either side affords every facility for seeing the country
right and left of the railway. The first few miles out of Sydney are not particularly
interesting. The country is slightly undulating, with belts of timber here and
there, and' occasionally a substantial country residence or a fertile patch
under cultivation. The line as far as Parramatta (fourteen miles) has been open
for some fourteen years, and thus far one line serves for both the Western and
Southern Railways, the Parramatta station forming the junction ; there is also
a branch northerly to Windsor and Richmond. Pursuing the course of the Great Western
line, the next station of any importance is that of Penrith, about twenty miles
distant. The larger portion of the line for this distance was constructed by
Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Betts, and the last section was completed about seven
years ago. The scenery improves after leaving Parramatta station. The town of Parramatta,
as seen from the railway, is remarkably pretty, and the valley of the Parramatta
River above the town has a fertile and English look about it. Travellers always
look out for the avenue of oaks—the oldest in the colonies—in the “ domain,”
once the gubernatorial residence of Sir Charles Fitzroy, and memorable for the
grievous accident which deprived Sir Charles of an affectionate help meet, and
the colony of a most estimable lady. The sad occurrence arose from the horses
in His Excellency’s carriage becoming unmanageable, and bolting. At a short
distance beyond Parramatta a succession of orange groves are passed, lying in
immediate proximity to the line, so that at this season the traveller enjoys
the sight of acres upon acres of these beautiful trees, the rich deep green of
their shining leaves contrasting finely with the golden fruit with which they
are laden. There are no engineering difficulties between Sydney and Penrith. Beyond
that point that the line becomes interesting in its engineering aspect. The
town of Penrith has evidently sprung into existence from its becoming the
halting-place of the numerous drays and wagons travelling into the interior.
Here they rested before making the ascent of the Blue Mountains, or after
having on their return trip accomplished the descent. At this point, then,
commences that portion of the railway works which are certainly the most
remarkable of any in the Australian colonies. From the Penrith station the line
runs direct towards the ascent of the Blue Mountains, but it has to cross the
River Nepean and the Emu Plains in its way. Our train pulled up at the river to
enable us to descend, and view the works of the great viaduct across it. This magnificent
bridge is of the iron tubular kind, the girders resting upon four massive piers
of freestone, of a bright yellow, but about 180ft. apart. The base of the two
centre piers in the bed of the river is about 60ft. by 18ft., tapering upwards.
When visited by our party, the contractors were engaged in fixing large iron
cylinders at the west end of the bridge, which are to serve instead of stone
piers, and to carry another girder of 125ft. span, in the place of the timber
approaches hitherto used. The bridge has cost already over £100,000. Both it
and its approaches for a long distance had to be carried to some 40ft. above
the water level on account of the destructive floods which sweep down this
valley, one of which was only subsiding when we visited it. As there is no
other way of crossing this valley, the bridge carries the cart road as well as
the railroad. Across the Emu Plains the line is carried over embank-ments and timber viaducts until it
commences the ascent of the mountains at a gradient of one in thirty. It would
be impossible to take the line up the face of the hill without a considerable
detour, in doing which it crosses a precipitous gully called Knapsack Gully,
spanned by an enormous viaduct built of light freestone. This viaduct is nearly
400 feet in length. It has five openings of 50ft. span, besides smaller ones,
and its height above the bed of the gully is more than 120 ft. It is a very
handsome structure as seen from the incline and the plains below it. One
peculiarity of it is, that the top of the viaduct is inclined, like the rest of
the road, at a gradient of 1 in 30. At a short distance beyond this viaduct the
train arrives at the first reversing station—that is to say, after coming to a
dead stop, the train is pushed backwards up another steep incline, overhanging
the line which has just been ascended; and at the end of a mile there is
another dead stop, and then the engine goes forward in the opposite direction
up another ascent, from which you look down over the other two portions of the
“ zig-zag” with a thrill of wonder and amazement, mingled with awe. On goes the
iron horse, however, clambering up the face of the mountain, and presently you
come upon the track of the Main Western-road, laid out by Sir Thos. Mitchell,
an old inn, known as Wascoe’s, being on the side of both road and railway. From
near this point you get a fine view of the valley of the Nepean, lying 700ft.
below, and the country stretching far away to the north and south. The course
of the railway is now along the mountain ridges, but still ascending at the
rate generally of from 1 in 30 to 1 in 40, with perpetual curves, some of which
are very sharp—eight chains radius. There are numerous cuttings through hard
sandstone rock, and some rather heavy embankments. An idea may be formed of
them from the fact that several of the cuttings involved the removal of over
30,000 yards of stone, and one was over 50,000 yards. Beyond Wascoe’s we came
to several stations, including the Blue Mountain Inn, the Weatherboard,
Blackheath, and ultimately to Mount Victoria, which is the present terminus,
and which is distant seventy-six miles from Sydney. At this point the line is
about 3000 ft. above the level of Sydney Harbour. Thus much it has been thought
necessary to say about the railway and its construction, but it must not be
supposed that the forty miles or so between Penrith and Mount Victoria were
passed over by our party of Victorians in merely jotting down in a matter of
fact way such notes as these. From Wascoe’s for a few miles it is true that
there was nothing in the scenery to attract very particular notice, and time
was therefore found for becoming better acquainted with a plethoric hamper,
which stood by one of the doors of the carriage, and which was found to be of
so generous a nature that it improved on acquaintance immensely. This agreeable
intercourse, however, was soon broken in upon by several loud exclamations, and a rush to the windows
followed, whereupon ensued a complete chorus of similar cries. The occasion was
a passing glimpse of a mountain gorge, stretching away for many a mile clothed
with impenetrable forest, over which the eye travelled with eager delight, but
before the field glasses could be well brought to bear upon the view a mural
rock would interpose between us and the prospect. After the first glimpse,
however, others followed in rapid succession, as the road wound about in
serpentine fashion along the mountain ridges. The curves are so sharp that we
seemed to be frequently running abreast of points in the line which we had
passed a few minutes previously. All the mountain scenery and the glens and
gorges that are passed to within a short distance of the Weatherboard are
similar to what may be seen in most Australian ranges but at this point commences
that striking and wonderful scenery which is peculiar to the Blue Mountains. On
catching the first glimpse of the great Weatherboard valley (where the famous “
Weatherboard Falls” are to be seen) there was a more eager rush than before to
the carriage windows, and the notes of admiration would have to be multiplied
exceedingly if all the exclamations were recorded. The breaks in the view from
this point become less frequent, or of much shorter duration, although as the
train winds rapidly —the sun shining first into one side of the carriage and
immediately afterwards into the other—different aspects of the same
farstretching views are presented, like the changes of a kaleidoscope. The
remarkable valley, or series of valleys, seen from the tops of the craggy
eminences over which the line passes, have no counterpart probably in the
world. The physical causes which have produced the result before us can only be
conjectured ; but the one which suggests itself to the observer is, that after
this mountain chain had been upheaved by subterraneous agency, a large portion
of the country—an irregular mass extending over many miles in something
approaching a horse-shoe form—has undergone a sudden depression, leaving walls
of solid red sandstone in almost horizontal strata, towering up hundreds of
feet perpendicularly on either side of the enormous gorges, with here and there
outlying and broken crags and pinnacles, looking like the ruins of fortresses
of some Titanic race. The majestic grandeur of the whole scene fills the
beholder with a sense of his own littleness, and as one looks into the depths
beneath, where forest trees appear but as twigs, one is tempted to exclaim with
Edgar in " King Lear,” “ How fearful And dizzy ’tis to cast one’s eyes so
low.” It is here, too, that we see that beautiful phenomenon which has given to
this range the name of the “ Blue Mountains.” No artist can exaggerate—indeed,
no artist can approach—that lovely blue that pervades the whole valley,
deepening as the view recedes, and changing with the hour or the state of the
atmosphere into different forms of loveliness, but always inexpressibly
beautiful. On this enchanting scene the memory lingers with delight. But we must
hasten on our journey. At the Victoria station—a very comfortable one, built
of light freestone—we were met by a Victorian friend—Mr. P. Higgins, the
well-known contractor—who has had the execution of the works at the further
zig-zag, which constitute the descent from the mountain on its western side
into the Lithgow valley. By a pre-arrangement between the Hon. the Minister of
Works and Mr. Higgins, the line, then approaching completion beyond Mount
Victoria, had been cleared for us, and with Mr. Higgins on the engine to pilot
us, we proceeded at a good pace on to the Clarence tunnel. For the greater part
of the distance the line here runs along a narrow spur of the mountain with the
most picturesque views on either side. The valleys still bear the mural craggy
character of the great horseshoe, bat more broken and irregular, with not
single outliers, but extensive groups of rocks rising at short distances from
each other like ruined cities with castles, temples, and stupendous buildings
all gone to desolation and decay. Before reaching the Clarence hill the
greatest elevation is reached, namely, 3,000 ft. above the sea -level. This
tunnel is 540 yards long. It is lined with freestone set in cement, although
cut through solid rock. Beyond the tunnel the line begins to descend, and the
section containing the heaviest work of all (Mr. Higgins’s) commences. After a
small piece of level line comes a cutting, through very hard rock ; then a long
and deep embankment; then a cutting, in which between forty and fifty thousand
tons of rock had to be removed. Here commences the descending zig-zag—a much
more magnificent piece of engineering than the ascending zig-zag near Penrith;
it ranks, in fact, amongst the greatest engineering works at present in
progress throughout the world. The gradient here is 1 in 42. The road winds to
the right- in curves of from 20 to 10 chains radius. Heavy cuttings and
embankments follow each other. Some of the chasms are crossed by viaducts. The
first of these is a beautiful structure of hard white freestone. It is built on
a curve of ten chains radius, has seven arches, five of which are of 30 ft.
span. On this viaduct our party stopped for some time, to enjoy the glorious
scenery which the eye can take in from this point. At the end of the viaduct
commences a tremendous
cutting, from which about 100,000 yards of solid stone have been taken, the
face of the cutting in some places being 100ft. high. This leads to the first
reversing station, where the line terminates abruptly before a massive wall of
rock. On clambering round the side of the hill, we discover that if this block
of stone had been cut through for the distance of another chain or so a fearful
precipice would have been reached. Here, however, the line takes a reverse
course down the mountain side. Another beautiful viaduct is soon reached,
consisting of nine arches of 30 ft. span. Its length is 330ft., and the height
of the piers from the surface of the ground to the rails above is 76 ft. The
difficulty of constructing these works must have been enormous. The line is cut
along the sides of a steep cliff, and the intervals between the projecting
ledges of rock which carry the line have to be bridged over by these viaducts.
The viaduct just mentioned must have presented peculiar difficulties. On the
rock outside there was not footing room for the scaffolding required to carry
on the work. The stones, moreover, had to be lowered down from the cliff above,
and the men had to be held on by ropes to prevent their being precipitated into
the valley below. After more cutting, we come to another viaduct, 300ft. long,
built on a curve. It has eight arches. Then more cuttings, from which nearly
50,000 tons of stone were taken ; then a heavy embankment; then another cutting
of 25,000 yards, and a face of rock 43ft. or 44ft. high. After more cuttings
and embankments we come to the prettiest piece of tunnelling conceivable. It is
cut through a spur of the mountain-side on a curve of only eight chains radius.
As it is built for a single line only, it is narrower than the tunnels in
Victoria, and of a most elegant form. Being lined and finished off in a style
as near to perfection as it is possible to conceive, the work, as well as the
pretty egg-like shape and the elegant curve, command universal admiration. A little
further on was another tunnel, but, as it was found to have been much shaken by
the blasting, Mr. Whitton, the engineer-in-chief, determined to have the whole
superincumbent rock removed. Mr. Higgins accordingly prepared to do so, and it
was managed in this wise. Three large T shaped chambers were cut in the outer
rock from the inside of the tunnel, and in these two tons of powder were
deposited. Fifteen drives were also made into the rock from above the tunnel,
in which, at a depth of from 20ft. to 30ft., were deposited another ton and a
half of powder. All these cells were connected with a galvanic battery, placed
at a distance, and the blasting was effected by bringing the opposite poles of
the battery into contact. Lady Belmore performed this interesting operation
under the direction of Mr. Cracknell, the superintendent of telegraphs. A dense
cloud of dust and stones rose in the air in an instant after Lady Belmore
closed the circuit of the battery, and a deep rumbling shook the adjacent rocks
and hills. The entire mass was shattered, the roof of the tunnel fell in, and
by degrees the whole was afterwards removed, leaving instead a perpendicular
wall or face of rock, rising to a height of 110ft. A little further along the
descent we come to another cutting, from which 50,000 yards of rock have been
removed, leaving a perpendicular wall of eighty feet in height, and from this
point to the end of the second reversing station of the zig-zag, a large
breadth of level ground has been formed from the cutting down of the
overhanging rocks, over which ample space is made for the reversing and
shunting of the trains. Near the end or point at which the two rails meet,
there are some charming little bits of rock scenery, with natural waterfalls.
One of these has been utilised. It was a natural grotto of semicircular form,
with overhanging and projecting rock- work, over and down which the water fell
in musical murmurings, while from the ledges and crevices of the rocks the
lichens and ferns grew in pretty tufts and lines. “ Here, in cool grotto and
mossy cell, Might aural fays and fairies dwell.” But practical railway
engineers must not be poetical, and in this lovely grotto they saw the elements
of a “ tank so Mr. Whitton ordered a wall to be built enclosing the recess, and
retaining the accumulations of the waterfalls. Engines were surely never
watered from such a “ tank ” before, and the application of this term to such a
lovely spot seems an outrage on Nature's handiwork. The lower line of the
zig-zag is composed of cuttings and embankments of considerable magnitude, two
, of these embankments, almost united into one, containing together the
enormous quantity of 120,000 yards of earth and stone ; but, as a whole, this
part of the line is less striking than the two upper portions of the zig-zag.
From the top of the first descent to the bottom of the third, a length of less
than four miles by rail and only a mile and a half as the crow flies, there is
a difference in level of about 500 feet. From thence the line goes on
descending into the Lithgow valley, on the way towards Bathurst, and soon
attains a descent of several hundred feet more. After having inspected these
magnificent works under the guidance of Mr. Higgins, our party returned by the
shortest practicable route to the head of the zig-zag; but this route was by a
steep ascent of the mountain side, in which steps had been cut here and there
to facilitate progress, and had to be reached through a charming little
fern-tree gully, in which was the loveliest of pools, and another grotto
studded with ferns and lichens. By the time this clamber was over everybody
looked nearly done up, and a few pocket flasks came into requisition as we
collected by degrees at the rendezvous. Here the engine and carriage met us,
and after a brief interval we were steaming away again for Mount Victoria. Near
the station at this bustling terminus is a very respectable hotel, and hither
we were conducted. After a wash and a short ramble to look at the numerous
drays and wagons loading for the interior, and a run on the part of some of us
to the “ one tree hill,” dinner was announced, and we sat down to an entertainment
not merely substantial, but sumptuous, which had been provided by our friend
Mr. Higgins, who insisted on taking that portion of the hospitalities out of
the hands of the Ministers to whose kindness we were indebted for the
excursion. Dinner discussed, and the generous consideration of our entertainers
briefly but cordially acknowledged in sparkling bumpers, we hastened to the
railway carriage in order to be back, if possible, in time to pass the down
train at Penrith siding. By this time the sun was fast falling in the west. It
was a glorious sunset, and the scenes upon which we gazed for the next
half-hour will never be effaced from our memory. The successive openings
between the rocks as we passed now revealed to us the great valley under quite
a different aspect to that of the morning. The bright blue had now changed to a
glowing purple, which, as the sun reached the mountain tops, behind which he
was about to sink, became richer in colour and contrast every minute. A
marvellous effect was produced by the lines of a falling shower from a small
volume of cloud between us and the setting sun. These lines as they travelled
on presented colours and forms of indescribable beauty. The rapid motion of the
train and the sharp and frequent windings gave us constantly changing views of
this gorgeous spectacle, and it was with great interest we watched the
departure of the last segment of the sun’s disc. As soon as the great orb had
disappeared, there seemed to arise from the other side of the mountain tops the
light of a grand conflagration, streaming upwards ; then a flood of crimson
glory seemed to roll along the mountain summits, lighting up the peaks, and
throwing a tinge of its brightness on to the mass of far-stretching purple
which filled the valleys, while the towering crags that rose in their grandeur
from the valley’s sides reflected the crimson light from the glowing heavens.
Then horizontal streaks of purple cloud appeared, intersecting the great sea of
fluid gold which seemed to rest on the mountains’ brows. The wondrous effects
which followed in the rapid changes of the scene were indescribably beautiful.
As we came towards the last of the openings from which the view could be
obtained, the purple tints had risen up from the valley, and gradually absorbed
mountain and cloud, covering the whole as with one majestic robe, while the
line of still bright crimson reposed in decreasing breadth above it. When at
last the railway cuttings intervened, we all turned from this view of sunset in
the Blue Mountains with the exclamation that it was the grandest we had ever
beheld. The ride back to Wascoe’s was accomplished at a high rate of speed (the
descent being rapid all the way). Here it was found that we could not reach
Penrith in time to admit of the down train passing, and the line being a single
one there was no other passing-place between the zig-zag and Penrith. This
turned out rather a fortunate accident for us, as it afforded us another treat
seldom enjoyed. From the top of the hill over the zig-zag we had a view of the
lights in the distant town of Penrith, and of other scattered lights glimmering
in the darkness about the Emu Plains. Here we waited until we discerned the
lights of the down train, and watched its progress as it came on towards us. As
it climbed the Lapstone-hill we saw it gradually ploughing its way up the zig-zag beneath us, so that we could almost have dropped a stone from our train on
to the roof of the approaching one. We made way for it by jamming ourselves up
at the end of the upper reversing station, so that it came end to end with us,
but had still ample room for starting again up the ascent which we had just
come down. We then descended the remainder of the zig-zag, and soon made our
way to Penrith, and from thence ran into Sydney at a capital pace, finishing
our day’s excursion by nine o’clock. Of the pluck and enterprise of the colony
of New South Wales in conceiving and carrying successfully through such a
gigantic undertaking, it is unnecessary to speak. The works themselves proclaim
it. The wear and tear of rolling stock in the ascent and descent of these hills
is, of course, enormous. The wooden breaks require constant renewal, and the
tyres will of necessity be subject to rapid destruction. The large extent of
valuable country existing to the westward of the mountains furnished the ground
for undertaking so costly a piece of engineering, and will alone justify the
heavy cost of maintenance ; but this paper is not intended to be critical. It
is intended only to give to those at a distance a general idea of the
undertaking, while it records as a memento for the excursionists the incidents
of one of the most instructive and delightful trips which it had ever been
their good fortune to enjoy. It should be mentioned that for many of the
figures given above (which were not all noted down at the time) the writer is
indebted to a copy of the drawings and sections of the descending zig-zag,
supplied by Mr Whitton, the engineer-in-chief, with a courtesy and kindness
which was quite akin to that shown by the members of the New South Wales
Government, and which has left the whole of the party of Victorians who shared
them their permanent debtors.
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