Zig Zag Railway celebrates 154 years on October 21, Clarence

Volunteers of Lithgow’s historic Zig Zag Railway will celebrate its 154th birthday with a big birthday bash this weekend, as plans for expanded trips are revealed. Here’s the latest.

The Zig Zag Railway is marking its 154th birthday with a massive birthday bash this weekend.

Lithgow’s iconic railway reopened earlier this year to sold-out fan fair, for the first time since 2012, with more than 300 volunteers committing their weekends to the railway.

The event will be held at Clarence on October 21, offering six taster train rides on two Zig Zag locomotive trains, featuring the Steam Locomotive 218A and Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive 1004.

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays. Pictured is Margot Bennett, 5 and Coco Bennett, 6. Picture: David Swift.

The railway first opened on October 18, 1869, becoming the first official train running across the Zig Zag to Bowenfels – lauded as “the greatest civil engineering work in Australia”.

Driver and team trainer Garth Schwartz, who has been a volunteer for the organisation for more than three decades, told The Blue Mountains News he began volunteering when he was only 11 years old.

Garth Schwartz. Photo: Andrew Miller.

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays. Pictured is

“We turned out one afternoon after the last train had run and we got talking with the crew, they said if I was interested in joining as a volunteer then I could go on the working train next weekend – I turned up and I kind of got hooked after that,” Mr Schwartz said.

“There’s a lot of highlights and to be truthful, the organisation has changed a lot.

“I used to enjoy the Thomas the Tank Engine days because the kids really enjoyed that.”

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays. Pictured is Margot Bennett, 5 and Coco Bennett, 6. Picture: David Swift.

He said is looking forward to the weekend as there has been an “untold amount of effort and planning” which is almost completely voluntary.

Acting Chief Executive Daniel Zolfel said the event was an opportunity to celebrate the railway’s reopening and pay homage to the railway line’s history.

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays. Pictured is Will Harragan, 10 who came from Newcastle to ride the rails. Picture: David Swift.

“Zig Zag will mark 154 years since it first opened and it’s no mean feat that it’s not only stood the test of time, but still captures the hearts of families and rail enthusiasts after so many years,” Mr Zolfel said.

“Passengers get to see first-hand how locomotives used to operate during Australia’s steam train era, as a fireman shovels coal into the train’s red-hot firebox.

“There’s no doubt people are captivated by the sights, sounds and smells of steam.”

He said the railway has been booked for almost every weekend since the reopening in May, with tickets booked out until the end of the year.

Pictured Callie OÕKeefe, 10 and sister Hazel, 8 who came from Wollongong to ride the rails. Picture: David Swift.

Pictured is Dan Zolfel, the Fireman who keeps the fire burning. Picture: David Swift.

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays. Pictured is the first stop along the journey. Picture: David Swift

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays.

The Zig Zag Railway is the hottest ticket for kids ahead of the school holidays.