Re: North Australia Railway Mk1

["Garry Hoddinett" <hoddos@netspace.net.au>]

Bill McNiven <wmcniven@gunzel.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
JHiA5.7037$O7.130967@ozemail.com.au">news:JHiA5.7037$O7.130967@ozemail.com.au...
> jshugg@westpac.com.au wrote in message <8qs9c1$d05$1@nnrp1.deja.com>...
> >The closure of the Pine Creek mine and infrastructure damage caused by
> >Cyclone Tracy prompted the closure of the 3'6" gauge line between
> >Darwin and Larrimah in 1974.
> >Was the line pulled up, or is it still largely intact?  Was any of the
> >line retained for tourist/preservation operations?
> >Many thanx
> >James
> Mmmmm......
> The closure of the Frances Creek iron ore mine killed what was left of the
> NAR ca. 1976.
>
> Pine Creek Goldfields was not a railway user and went on mining until
1995.
> When I visited Pine Creek in 1990/93
> i    the railway at Pine Creek and at Katherine was intact
> ii    the railway station at Pine Creek was a local museum
> iii at another local museum at Adelaide River, there were the remains of 4
> wheel trucks through-piped for vacuum brakes (a mystery I never solved --
> was the NAR vacuum brake or Westinghouse brake in steam days ... did
ex-NAR
> locos sold to TGR and EBR already have vacuum brakes ... were they native
> NAR or ex-WAGR?)
>
> Hope this helps a little,
>
> Bill
>
I went through the area last year and if I can recall correctly:
    - the railway at Pine Creek is still intact through the town and is
preserved for historical purposes.
    - the railway station at Pine Creek is still a local museum with an
engine, freight wagons and a carriage.
    - the railway still exists on the bridge at Katherine.
    - a number of the major steel bridges still exist including those over
the Katherine, Furgeson & Adelaide Rivers.
    - the formation is largely intact all the way from Birdum to the outer
suburbs of Darwin but is staring to get very overgrown.
    - the platform at Darwin was intact.