Reopening of locomotive workshop at Blue Mountains’ Zig Zag Railway

A $3.6 million restoration of the locomotive workshop at the Blue Mountains’ historic Zig Zag Railway has been officially reopened.

The workshop restoration, funded by the NSW Government through Crown Lands, has included replacement of major structural components, new cladding for walls and roof, installation of stormwater drainage, and fire safety upgrades.

The complex project has encountered a range of challenges, requiring teams to work through difficult logistic and access issues given the workshop’s location alongside the main Sydney train line.

With passenger services having resumed at the Zig Zag Railway in May, the reinstatement of the workshop was key to the railway’s continued operations and maintenance of its locomotives and carriages.

The railway has been moving for 154-years, having first opened on 18th October 1869 as part of the Main Western rail line. It served mountain runs until 1910 when a track deviation was installed.

The not-for-profit Zig Zag Railway Co-op resurrected the heritage-listed railway in 1975 but was stalled by severe bushfire damage in 2013 and 2019 and storm damage.

The fires and storms damaged the locomotive workshop, trains, passenger and accommodation carriages, rail lines, about 3,500 sleepers, electrical equipment and the railway’s office including decades of records.

Zig Zag Railway and its dedicated volunteers restored the railway and rebuilt its safety management system, network rules, procedures and rail policies to get accreditation to resume passenger services by the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.

Commenting on the project, Zig Zag Railway Chief Executive, Daniel Zolfel stated “rebuilding of the workshop has been a special project not only for Zig Zag Railway but the people who delivered the work. Without this team we absolutely wouldn't have been able to undergo such a large scale and intricate project.

“Having the workshop back to its former glory will allow Zig Zag to maintain its rolling stock including steam locomotives, diesel locomotives and carriages and give it the ability to recommission additional locomotives and carriages in its fleet.”

Images: Zig Zag Railway. Credit: Salty Dingo.