Tullah: Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway (Set of 9)
NORTH MOUNT FARRELL TRAMWAY
Following the commencement of mining in the Tullah area in 1897 the Tullah town-ship became established as a small mining settlement by 1900. The original transport in and out of Tullah was by foot and pack-horse following pack tracks to Mole Creek and to Rosebery. For several years only high grade lead silver ore from the mine was sent by pack horse for transfer to the Emu Bay Railway line near the old Pieman bridge down river. This system was replaced by the North Mount Farrell Tramway which was opened in November 1902.
The tramway was constructed originally using wooden rails and horse drawn carriages which connected to the Emu Bay Railway at Boco. When operations at the mine increased, the Company became more financial, a new two foot gauge line was constructed with steel rails for tiny steam locomotives. The new line followed a major route along the Pieman River to connect with the Emu Bay Railway Line at Farrell Siding 8½ miles away.
The first steam locomotive in use on the new tramway was a 6 ton Krauss locomotive built in 1892 and numbered 2640 . It continued in use until the early 1920s.
The Krauss locomotive was supplemented in 1910 with an Orenstein and Koppel locomotive built in 1901, numbered 718 and weighed 6 ¾ tons. This was purchased from the Magnet Mine near Waratah and was in use until about 1928.
In 1924 a new 6 ton Fowler locomotive, Wee Georgie Wood, numbered 16203 arrived to replace the ageing Krauss.
With the advent of the new Murchison Highway in 1964 Wee Georgie Wood and No 9, the only loco’s working, became redundant and Wee Georgie Wood was headed for the scrap heap or for mounting as a monument.
Meanwhile the thought of TuIlah’s little workhorse being laid to rest stirred the feelings of residents in Rosebery as well as Tullah and in 1977 the “Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway Inc” was formed with the aim of fully restoring Wee Georgie to working condition and, in the long term, to have a steam railway attraction on the West Coast.
After a lot of hard work by a dedicated band of volunteers and generous support from local and coastal businesses Wee Georgie was back in steam. 1.9km of track was reestablished, and a passenger carriage, previously used on the Lake Margaret Tramway, was restored for use. On Thursday, 5th February 1987, our dream was finally achieved when Mr Robin Gray, The Hon. Premier of Tasmania officially opened Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway Inc. to the public.
Tullah: Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway (Set of 9)
NORTH MOUNT FARRELL TRAMWAY
Following the commencement of mining in the Tullah area in 1897 the Tullah town-ship became established as a small mining settlement by 1900. The original transport in and out of Tullah was by foot and pack-horse following pack tracks to Mole Creek and to Rosebery. For several years only high grade lead silver ore from the mine was sent by pack horse for transfer to the Emu Bay Railway line near the old Pieman bridge down river. This system was replaced by the North Mount Farrell Tramway which was opened in November 1902.
The tramway was constructed originally using wooden rails and horse drawn carriages which connected to the Emu Bay Railway at Boco. When operations at the mine increased, the Company became more financial, a new two foot gauge line was constructed with steel rails for tiny steam locomotives. The new line followed a major route along the Pieman River to connect with the Emu Bay Railway Line at Farrell Siding 8½ miles away.
The first steam locomotive in use on the new tramway was a 6 ton Krauss locomotive built in 1892 and numbered 2640 . It continued in use until the early 1920s.
The Krauss locomotive was supplemented in 1910 with an Orenstein and Koppel locomotive built in 1901, numbered 718 and weighed 6 ¾ tons. This was purchased from the Magnet Mine near Waratah and was in use until about 1928.
In 1924 a new 6 ton Fowler locomotive, Wee Georgie Wood, numbered 16203 arrived to replace the ageing Krauss.
With the advent of the new Murchison Highway in 1964 Wee Georgie Wood and No 9, the only loco’s working, became redundant and Wee Georgie Wood was headed for the scrap heap or for mounting as a monument.
Meanwhile the thought of TuIlah’s little workhorse being laid to rest stirred the feelings of residents in Rosebery as well as Tullah and in 1977 the “Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway Inc” was formed with the aim of fully restoring Wee Georgie to working condition and, in the long term, to have a steam railway attraction on the West Coast.
After a lot of hard work by a dedicated band of volunteers and generous support from local and coastal businesses Wee Georgie was back in steam. 1.9km of track was reestablished, and a passenger carriage, previously used on the Lake Margaret Tramway, was restored for use. On Thursday, 5th February 1987, our dream was finally achieved when Mr Robin Gray, The Hon. Premier of Tasmania officially opened Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway Inc. to the public.