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The Emu
Bay Railway was built to serve the rich mining ventures of Tasmania’s
rugged west coast, requiring steep grades and sinuous reverse curves for
the climb from Emu Bay (now Burnie) and through difficult terrain to
Zeehan. For heavy freight duties, Dübs & Co supplied three sturdy 4-8-0
locomotives which became Emu Bay Railway Nos.6 - 8. A fourth unit, which
became No.11, was built by the North British Locomotive Company in 1911.
(The North British Locomotive Company formed in 1903 by merger of three
Glasgow locomotive manufacturers; Sharp, Stewart and Co, Neilson, Reid and
Co, and Dübs & Co.)
In
summary, the four Emu Bay Railway 4-8-0 locomotives of this type were:
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Number
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Builder
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Notes
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No.6 ‘Murchison’
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Dübs b/n 3854 of 1900
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Preserved at WCHC, Zeehan
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No.7
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Dübs b/n 3856 of 1900
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Withdrawn 1960 & scrapped
9/1961
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No.8 ‘Heemskirk’
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Dübs b/n 3855 of 1900
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Preserved at the Don River
Railway
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No.11
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North British b/n 19576 of
1911
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Withdrawn ~ 1960 &
scrapped 11/1963
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(It
seems odd that Nos.7 & 8 did not receive running numbers in the same
sequence as builder’s numbers. Some sources list No.8 as b/n 3856 rather
than b/n 3855, but preserved No.8 at Don carries Dübs builder’s plate
no.3855, which also concurs with two authorative sources - Ken Milbourne’s
‘Steam Locomotives of Tasmania’ and Lou Rae’s ‘The Emu Bay Railway’.)
One
aspect of these locomotives that intrigues the webmaster is the resemblance
to earlier 8-coupled heavy freight locomotives built by Dübs & Co for
South Africa. In particular, the Emu Bay Railway’s 4-8-0 locos have a
similar appearance to the Cape Government Railways 7th class supplied
from 1892. The 7th class locomotives had evolved from earlier 4-6-0
designs to provide increased traction in wet and humid conditions, not
unlike those encountered on Tasmania’s west coast where stiff, moisture
laden winds blow off the Antarctic, and so perhaps the Dübs engineers
turned to their drawings for the proven 7th class locomotives
when tasked with specifying a sure-footed and powerful freight machine for
the Emu Bay Railway?
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CGR 7th
Class (1892)
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Emu Bay
Railway (1900)
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Pistons
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17 by 23 inches
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17 by 22 inches
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Wheel Diameter
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3 foot 6 & 3⁄4
inches
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3 foot 9 inches
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Boiler
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Round-top, 160 psi
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Belpaire, 175 psi
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Smokebox
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Drumhead extended
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Short
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Tender
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8-wheel bogie tender
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8-wheel bogie tender
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Tasmania’s
west coast is one of the more remote corners of the world, featuring
weather-beaten mountain terrain, wild rivers and lush forest. Following the
pioneer mining interests came a growing tourist trade, drawn to the pristine
environment of the west coast and south-west including Macquarie Harbour
and its convict heritage. Other jewels included Lake
Pedder and its glacial sand beach, which surely would today be a World
Heritage site had it not been lost under a hydroelectric impoundment. Many
west coast mining towns remained isolated from the road network into the
post-war years, leading to demand for a tourist service over the Emu Bay
Railway. In response, an innovative passenger train was introduced between
Burnie and Rosebery in October 1960 – the ‘West Coaster’ – for which 4-8-0
locos No.6 & No.8 were removed from store, converted to oil burning and
returned to service, complete with valances along the running plate and
large smoke deflectors. The West Coaster also conveyed cars and a tourist
bus on flatcars, with the locomotives and passenger consist receiving an
attractive two-tone blue livery. For this service No.6 was named
‘Murchison’ while No.8 was named ‘Heemskirk’, the names referencing
mountains and rivers in the region. (The two-tone blue livery was also
carried by diesel-hydraulic locomotives purchased by the Emu Bay Railway Co.
to replace their steam fleet. Perhaps the livery was inspired by the well-known
AT&SF
‘Blue Goose’ No.3460!)
In
December 1963 the Murchison Highway opened, providing for the first time a
road linking many of Tasmania's isolated west coast communities. The
opening of the Murchison Highway also facilitated development of
hydroelectricity along Tasmania’s west coast, including dams on the Pieman
River which required part of the Emu Bay Railway to be diverted.
Hydroelectricity is a now major employer on the west coast and supplies
clean, renewable electricity to mainland Australia via an underwater cable
across Bass Strait. Alas the opening of the Murchison Highway was the death
knell for some local railway operations including the West Coaster
passenger train, which last ran in January 1964.
The Emu
Bay Railway operated a fascinating variety of steam locomotives over the
years, from pioneering 4-4-0 types through to three magnificent 4-8-2+
2-8-4 Beyer Garratts and later a fleet of Australian Standard Garratts. Lou
Rae provides a complete and well-illustrated description of the Emu Bay
Railway and its wonderful locomotives in his book ‘The Emu Bay Railway –
VDL Company to Pasminco’. It is a pity that none of the Garratts or pioneer
engines survived, all having been scrapped by 1966, but Emu Bay Railway
No.6 ‘Murchison’ and No.8 ‘Heemskirk’ were saved for posterity.
No.6
has been statically displayed since 1966 at the West Coast Heritage
Centre (formerly known as the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum) at
Zeehan - an excellent museum and well worth a visit, with fine displays
& well-presented exhibits. The locomotive collection is protected from
the wet west coast climate under a substantial weather roof facing onto the
main street. Zeehan and the local mining industry certainly have a rich
railway history, and indeed a 2’ gauge tramway once ran down the main
street in front of the museum!
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