Tas Steam Alive
Video Productions
Trains no longer run west of Burnie, but this page and this Wiltshire link shows how it used to be.
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The Burnie Airport Corporation has shortened the runway at Wynyard that used to be crossed by a railway line. But no train has run here since March 2003
and one of the excuses for the truncation of the runway was that the warning light system for trains/planes was too expensive to upkeep. We think the real reason was
that they want to make some money out of a housing subdivision on the old runway!
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2122 with train 68 passing DP22 at Wynyard 25 Jan 2001
As the western line crosses one of the adjacent Wynyard airports' runways trains must activate by radio the runway crossing signals, which alert aircraft with high intensity red lights. In years gone by the runway signals were operated by the airport control tower but this is no longer manned. This sign is near the crumbling platform, all that remains of the once busy Wynyard station. x
This photo is significant as it shows DP13 with the second last run of an enthusiasts special west of Wynyard, on Saturday 13 Feb 1993. The last run, again with DP13 was on the 10th May 1993 the line having since been declared unfit for use by passenger trains. Compare Big Creek bridge with that shown under GM DQ2006 below.
5 Jan 2000. First GM powered train west of Burnie, train no 68 with 2006 / 2004 on new Big Creek bridge at West Wynyard, 199.8km
The GM locos were first used on the 5th and 11th 0f January, 2000, and ran to the site of a derailment in July 2000.
Since then their only other use was on 13 June 2002 when 2003/2004 ran the 68/69 log train due to the failure of one of the ZB locos (2121/2128) normally used. Here they are crossing Seabrook Creek, east of Wynyard.
Alcos were in charge of the log trains to Wiltshire for a few years. Although this pic is undated it would probably be one of the frequent Saturday afternoon runs, shown here at the 194.5 k at East Wynyard
Alcos stuffed into the "new" engine shed at Wynyard, early 1980s?
DP22 & PT3 standing by the remains of the Wynyard platform,
Dec 28 2000, after arriving from Devonport with tourists
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Updated August 2009
