Hmm... do you mean the old tunnel, parallel to the present one, at what used
to be Lilyvale ('Lilydale' in the timetables, for some reason) station?
It's currently a power substation.
This is one of two easily visible tunnels of the old Illawarra line. The
other runs from Stanwell Park, near sea level, up to Otford. It was
possible to go into it, last time I was there. To get there, turn into the
north-bound road at the hairpin bend on Lawrence Hargrave Drive (at the
foot of the hill) and follow it to the end.
>The original line run directly from just north of the present
>Helensburgh station to just south of the junction. Had the opportunity
>to explore the old no. 3 tunnel under Helensburgh when it was being
>cleaned out. It had been used as a reseviour for Metropolitan Colliery
>for the last 70 or so years.
Just out of curiosity, would using the old alignment be faster than the
current one? I gather that it was much straighter for several km, and used
three tunnels to get through some large ridges, that the current line loops
around.
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Copyright 1997 Phil Herring. This article may not be reproduced for profit.
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