Not to be confused with Emu Bay Railway, the company that ran the railway line for 101 years.
The Melba Line is a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge railway on the West Coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest-lasting and most successful private railway companies in Australia. While at present the line travels from Burnie to Melba Flats, it previously ran through to Zeehan carrying minerals and passengers as an essential service for the West Coast community.
Following the opening of the Murchison Highway, the line was closed between Rosebery and Zeehan in August 1965.[6] After being sold in 1967 to EZ Industries, the line was upgraded to carry heavier trains and reopened in January 1970 from Rosebery to Melba Flats.[7] During the construction of the Pieman River hydro electric scheme in the late 1970s, the line was diverted in places and new bridges were built.
The Melba Line was included in the October 1984 sale of EZ Industries to North Broken Hill Peko, which merged with CRA Limited to form Pasminco in 1988. In 1989, an 11-kilometre branch opened from Moorey Junction to serve Aberfoyle's Hellyer Mine. On 22 May 1998, the line was sold by Pasminco to the Australian Transport Network and integrated into its Tasrail business.[5][8][9][10] In February 2004, it was included in the sale of Tasrail to Pacific National, and was purchased by the newly established government-owned TasRail in September 2009.[11]
Stopping placesedit
Map of the original route
At its peak as a steam operation, the railway had approximately 23 stopping or named places (including names for watering locations and other passenger operation related points) on its line and adjacent lines:
^TASMANIA. HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY. TRAMWAY : (No. 90.) Report on Survey of proposed by Mr. J. C. Climie, CE. laid upon the Table by the Minister of Lands, and ordered by the House to be printed, 16 August 1882
^Fenton, James (1884). The History of Tasmania From its Discovery in 1642 to the Present Time. J. Walch and sons; [etc ., etc.] p. 391.
^"Railway from Emu Bay to Mount Bischoff". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 1887 – via Google News.
^"Emu Bay Railway Company Annual Meeting". The Age. 30 March 1901 – via Google News.
^ abOberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 109, 330. ISBN9781921719011.
^"Emu Bay Railway Act 1965". Government of Tasmania. 22 June 1965.
^"Emu Bay". The Age. 23 August 1968 – via Google News.
melba, line, confused, with, railway, company, that, railway, line, years, narrow, gauge, railway, west, coast, tasmania, line, originally, constructed, private, railway, line, named, railway, longest, lasting, most, successful, private, railway, companies, au. Not to be confused with Emu Bay Railway the company that ran the railway line for 101 years The Melba Line is a 1 067 mm 3 ft 6 in narrow gauge railway on the West Coast of Tasmania The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest lasting and most successful private railway companies in Australia While at present the line travels from Burnie to Melba Flats it previously ran through to Zeehan carrying minerals and passengers as an essential service for the West Coast community Melba LineThe Melba Line at RoseberyOverviewStatusOpenOwnerGovernment of TasmaniaLocaleWest Coast TasmaniaTerminiBurnieMelba Flats current Zeehan original Stations3ServiceTypeHeavy railOperator s TasRailHistoryOpened1 February 1878 1st stage 21 December 1900 in full TechnicalLine length130 km 81 mi Track gauge1 067 mm 3 ft 6 in after relaying Highest elevation670 m 2 200 ft Route mapLegendWestern LineOld Surrey Road Cascade RoadMetaira RoadMetaira RoadCircular RoadRidgley HighwayOonah RoadTena RoadRidgley HighwaySugarloaf RoadUpper Natone RoadSilvermine RoadNorth Goderich RoadHellyer RiverBunkers RoadGuildford RoadWey RiverWaratah Lineto WaratahMuddy CreekClipper RoadHellyer RiverHellyer Lineto Hellyer MineMurchison HighwayHuskisson RoadHatfieldHatfield RiverSuprise CreekQue RiverQue RiverSawmill CreekBocoBoco CreekPieman RoadLake RoseberyPieman RiverChasm CreekRosebery MinePrimrose Baillieu StreetBarker CreekMax Fitzallen DriveNicholas StreetBelstead StreetRoseberyChamberlain CreekNatone CreekJosephine Creek 41 775072 145 444586Argent RiverMurchison HighwayArgent RiverMurchison HighwayMelba CreekMelba FlatsNevada Creek Argent TunnelParting CreekLittle Henty RiverMount Dundas Lineto Mount DundasZeehanStrahan Lineto StrahanThis diagram viewtalkedit Contents 1 History 2 Stopping places 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further readingHistory editIn the 1870s the Van Diemen s Land Company engaged John C Climie to undertake a survey of a line from near Burnie to Mount Bischoff 1 On 1 February 1878 a 71 kilometres 44 mi horse drawn wooden tramway opened from Emu Bay Burnie to Rouse s Camp near Waratah to serve the Mount Bischoff tin mines 2 In 1887 the line was taken over by the Emu Bay to Mount Bischoff Railway Company and relaid with steel rails as 1 067 mm 3 ft 6 in gauge railway line to allow steam locomotives to operate 3 In 1897 the Emu Bay Railway Company took over the line extending it 60 kilometres to Zeehan on 21 December 1900 4 5 Following the opening of the Murchison Highway the line was closed between Rosebery and Zeehan in August 1965 6 After being sold in 1967 to EZ Industries the line was upgraded to carry heavier trains and reopened in January 1970 from Rosebery to Melba Flats 7 During the construction of the Pieman River hydro electric scheme in the late 1970s the line was diverted in places and new bridges were built The Melba Line was included in the October 1984 sale of EZ Industries to North Broken Hill Peko which merged with CRA Limited to form Pasminco in 1988 In 1989 an 11 kilometre branch opened from Moorey Junction to serve Aberfoyle s Hellyer Mine On 22 May 1998 the line was sold by Pasminco to the Australian Transport Network and integrated into its Tasrail business 5 8 9 10 In February 2004 it was included in the sale of Tasrail to Pacific National and was purchased by the newly established government owned TasRail in September 2009 11 Stopping places edit nbsp Map of the original routeAt its peak as a steam operation the railway had approximately 23 stopping or named places including names for watering locations and other passenger operation related points on its line and adjacent lines Burnie Pigeon Hill Ridgley Highclere Hampshire Ringwood Toronna Wey River Bridge Guildford junction to the Mount Bischoff tin mine Rouse s Camp Mount Bischoff branch line Magnet Junction Mount Bischoff branch line Waratah Mount Bischoff branch line Mount Magnet Magnet Tramway Muddy Creek Bulgobac Boko Farrell Junction with the North Mount Farrell Tramway to Tullah now known as the Wee Georgie Wood Railway Primrose Barkers Crossing Rosebery Renison Bell Argent Tunnel Melba Flats Junction with the North East Dundas Tramway to Montezuma and Williamsford on the southern slopes of Mount Read Rayna Junction junction with the Maestris or Mount Dundas Zeehan Railway ZeehanBeyond Zeehan the Tasmanian Government Railways line continued to Regatta Point to connect with the Mount Lyell line to Queenstown See also editRailways on the West Coast of TasmaniaNotes edit TASMANIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY TRAMWAY No 90 Report on Survey of proposed by Mr J C Climie CE laid upon the Table by the Minister of Lands and ordered by the House to be printed 16 August 1882 Fenton James 1884 The History of Tasmania From its Discovery in 1642 to the Present Time J Walch and sons etc etc p 391 Railway from Emu Bay to Mount Bischoff The Sydney Morning Herald 1 August 1887 via Google News Emu Bay Railway Company Annual Meeting The Age 30 March 1901 via Google News a b Oberg Leon 2010 Locomotives of Australia 1850s 2010 Dural Rosenberg Publishing pp 109 330 ISBN 9781921719011 Emu Bay Railway Act 1965 Government of Tasmania 22 June 1965 Emu Bay The Age 23 August 1968 via Google News ATN grabs Emu Bay The Examiner 7 April 1998 Tasrail to take over Emu Bay Railway Railway Digest May 1998 p 16 Tranz Rail Holdings 22 May 1998 ATN Officially Adds Emu Bay Rail Operation to Its Tasrail Business Press release via PRNewswire Emu Bay Railway Operations amp Acquisition Act 2009 Government of Tasmania 27 October 2009 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melba Line Along the Line in Tasmania Book 2 Private Lines Traction Publications 1972 ISBN 0 85829 003 0 Atkinson H K 1991 Railway Tickets of Tasmania ISBN 0 9598718 7 X Blainey Geoffrey 2000 The Peaks of Lyell 6th ed Hobart St David s Park Publishing ISBN 0 7246 2265 9 Lou Rae 1997 The Emu Bay Railway ISBN 0 9592098 6 7 Further reading editManny L B 1961 The Emu Bay Railway Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin November 1961 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Melba Line amp oldid 1135836320, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
