LITHGOW’S famous Zig Zag Railway is one of our most important and internationally famous heritage tourism attractions. But it is facing serious problems, including a possible suspension of operations, unless funding can be found quickly for the first significant maintenance work on the basic infrastructure in more than 141 years.



The potential is so serious the tourist railway might have to be mothballed within 18 months.









“Unless some government department comes up with some funding we are going to be in trouble,” Zig Zag’s Business Development Manager, Michael Forbes said yesterday.

To keep the Zig Zag tourist trains on the rails an injection of around $1.5 million is needed.









Mr Forbes said there is no danger to the public but the government’s rail safety regulator has instructed the Zig Zag that maintenance work is needed on the number one viaduct and on the two tunnels.









He said that after 150 years exposed to the elements there was some weathering in the sandstone building blocks which need ‘surfacing and re-pointing’.









‘The reality is they need routine maintenance after all these years,” he said.









“But, having said that, like all tourist and mainline rail operations we need some relief from crippling demands made by the government’s rail regulator.”









Mr Forbes said it was hoped to be able to carry out the required work on the tunnels within the next six to eight months but this would largely depend on the outcome of an application for funding to the Heritage Council of NSW.









The Zig Zag will know what the future holds in this regard when the next round of grants is announced in early December.









“If we don’t get a grant then we have a big problem,” he said.









The even bigger problem is the estimated $1.5 million needed for the work on the actual viaducts.









Around a third of that is needed just for the hire of scaffolding.









Mr Forbes said the Office of Rail Heritage was spending most of its available budget on the Thirlmere Rail Museum and claimed the Zig Zag was the responsibility of the Lands Department.







http://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/crisis-time-at-zig-zag/2000433.aspx