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Wee Georgie Wood Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway, Tullah |
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‘Wee Georgie Wood’ awaiting the
next steaming day in the loco shed at Tullah on 8 May 2003.
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Builder |
John
Fowler & Co, Leeds |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
16203 of 1924 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-0WT |
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The North
Mount Farrell Tramway (commonly known as the Tullah Tramway) was an interesting 2’ gauge line connecting the
eponymous township with the Emu Bay Railway at Farrell Siding, a distance of
8.5 miles. The route broadly followed the Pieman River, and I imagine the
terrain was both rugged and scenic. The Tullah Tramway represents the pioneer
days of Tasmania’s west coast, when small mining communities were very
isolated except for the link provided by railways. In 1924
this 0-4-0WT locomotive was supplied by the well-known Leeds builders John
Fowler & Co and given the name ‘Wee Georgie Wood’ - presumably a
reference to the contemporary British comedian noted for his diminutive size!
Over time the Tullah Tramway train itself came to be affectionately known by
this name, regardless of the engine providing the motive power. The Fowler
locomotive ‘Wee Georgie Wood’ was later joined by a sister ‘Wee Mary’ (Fowler
b/n 17732 of 1928). Other locomotives to work on the Tullah Tramway were Orenstein & Koppel b/n 718, Krauss b/n
2640 and Krauss b/n 5988. After
World War Two, ‘Wee Georgie Wood’ and ‘Wee Mary’ were combined to form a
single operable loco during an overhaul. Whilst the remaining locomotive
carries the name ‘Wee Georgie Wood’, apparently it may in fact use the frames
of ‘Wee Mary’ and therefore, under the usual practice of identity following
the frames, would normally be known by the latter name. In
December 1963 the Murchison Highway was opened, providing for the first time
a road link to many of Tasmania's isolated West Coast mining communities and
rendering the Tullah Tramway redundant. Fortunately, ‘Wee Georgie Wood’ and a
portion of the Tullah Tramway have since been restored by a local community
group for historical and tourist service. Operating dates can be found on the
Wee Georgie Wood
Steam Railway website, together with a brief history of the line and its
locomotives. As an
aside - two derelict 2’ gauge loco frames and wheels survive at the Lune
River sidings of the Ida Bay Railway in Tasmania's south, one of which I
believe are the remains of the other Tullah Tramway Fowler, reported here as Wee Mary. (Definitive identification
of these frames &/or further information would be appreciated.) A similar
Fowler is preserved at the James Hall Transport Museum in Johannesburg, South
Africa – b/n 16129 of 1924. |
References
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a |
Wee Georgie Wood
Steam Railway website, retrieved 5
October 2021 |
Page updated: 19 October 2021
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Government Railways: |
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Private & Industrial Railways: |
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