Blue Mountains Zig Zag Railway

A zig and a zag

The Zig Zag Railway provides an entertaining and fun day out.

The action is a trip into the past with a ride on a heritage train hauled by a steam locomotive.

Sydney Nimble took a group of five on the steam train, including a two and half year old.

The atmosphere was cheerful amongst the many passengers as the train moved away from Clarence.

We were rewarded with a unique experience and could not have been more impressed with the staff.

They are all volunteers, doing it for the love. The men on the train from the driver to the rest of the crew were dressed in authentic overalls (or something close to) from the era, and some with caps!

It just added to the charm. Happy train workers waived us in as we arrived at several stops and when entering the station passengers were greeted by enthusiastic staff who provided old fashioned tickets.

At different stages of the journey we went through tunnels and crossed sandstone viaducts which were built on the back of hard labour in the mid 19th century.

Zig Zag opened in 1869 and operated until 1910.

Well done Zig Zag, we appreciated your efforts and recommend a visit to anyone who wants to do something fun and different.

Choo choo!

Postscript

Availability

Plan this one carefully as the Zig Zag railway only operates for around 6 days a month and the trip takes 90 minutes in total from Clarence.

And yes if you are doing a Blue Mountains Tour with Sydney Nimble Tours on one of these days it can be included!

Name

So why is the railway called Zig Zag?

A zig zag track design using reversible ramps makes a steep gradient more manageable although the train will have to travel a greater distance.