THE biggest local news of the past week was undoubtedly the announcement that our famous Zig Zag heritage railway will be back on track within a matter of weeks.
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The 19th century Zig Zag railway that opened the west is recognised as one of the great engineering feats of colonial Australia. After being pensioned off with the completion of the 10 tunnels it remained just a curiosity to occasional visitors for decades.
That is until around 50 years ago a group of steam railway enthusiasts headed by Ian Thornton won approval to work towards a tourist steam railway over the heritage protected formation from Clarence to Bottom Points, highlighted by the magnificent sandstone arches, a lasting tribute to the skills of 19th century stonemasons.
It was never going to be easy, not the least because an existing rail preservation organisation had an agreement that effectively tied up the supply of vintage rolling stock, forcing Zig Zag to look to Queensland and its narrower gauge rail system for its locomotives and carriages. To the outside world it appeared a mission impossible but the volunteers achieved the impossible and in October 1975 the first steam trains carried excited passengers over the Zig Zag for the first time in over a century.
But a heartbreaking series of setbacks - bushfire devastation, floods, washaways, vandals and metal thieves and increasing demands by regulators - saw the railway derailed around 10 years ago.
But once again miracles have been achieved, this time with hefty input from the NSW Government, and last week the exciting announcement that accreditation had been achieved.
Now the countdown to tourists from around the world stepping back into a world of steam, soot, cinders and, above all, nostalgia.
Dirges and dunnies
ONE thing you can say for the Anglican heavyweights; if they have a captive audience they like to keep them there, We have it on good authority - well at least a barista at a London café - the coronation last weekend would be still dragging on if they hadn't run out of hymns, joyless old dirges that probably no one could understand anyway. On that note we wonder how many of those old timers in the captive audience lasted two hours without a bathroom break, forbidden as a condition of entry. That's why the column knocked back our invitation.
IN the spotlight
TUNE in on the ABC TV Sunday night for the first episode of 'The Messenger'', filmed in and around Lithgow during the Summer with quite a presence of local extras.
