Agency:
Tasmanian Government Railways
Agency Number:
Start Date:
01 Jul 1872
End Date:
01 Jul 1939
Description:
The construction of a railway in Tasmania was first considered in the years immediately following the establishment of responsible government (1856) the first line being planned to run between Longford and Deloraine. In 1865 the Tasmanian Government agreed to raise the bulk of the capital needed to finance the construction of a line between Launceston and Deloraine. In 1867 the Launceston and Western Railway Company was formed. The Duke of Edinburgh turned the first sod on 15 January 1868 to commence construction of a line which was to be 45 miles long with a gauge of 5'3". Construction proceeded and on 19 August 1869 an excursion trip gave citizens of Launceston their first opportunity to travel by train. On 10 February 1871 the line was ready for its official opening with normal services beginning the 14th. The opening of the line however found the company in serious financial difficulties as rising costs had forced it to borrow additional funds. To ensure that the line between Launceston and Deloraine remained open the Tasmanian Government took over the company and so the Tasmanian Government Railways was born. The late 1870s saw increases in traffic on the line which led to an improved financial position which allowed for additional investment in rolling stock.The extra rolling stock was built at the Launceston Railway Workshops and supplemented the original equipment which had been imported from England. The next stage in the development of the Railways involved the Mersey and Deloraine Training Company which had been formed in 1864 to link Deloraine with the North West Coast using a line with a 4'6" gauge. This company also found itself in financial difficulties and when it opened early in 1872 had only 16 3/4 miles (27.9km) of track. Traffic response was much poorer than anticipated and after only 4 months of operation the company was forced to retire its only engine. Thereafter the line was worked by horses between Latrobe and Railton for seasonal produce traffic. The company was absorbed into the T G R by 1885 and its track dismantled and replaced with a 3'6" gauge line. The third stage in the development of the Railways involved the Tasmanian Mainline Railway Co. which agreed, in Mar. 1872, to build a 3'6" gauge line between Hobart and Launceston provided the government was prepared to meet the interest charges on the capital, which it was prepared to do. The line between Hobart and Launceston was the most ambitious scheme launched in the Colony, its length being 122 miles (203km). Engineering works involved the line needing to traverse 3 major divides in the Hills; a tunnel 1.25km long to be bored through solid rock; gradients of 1 in 40 were common together with sharp curves and horseshoe bends. Construction began simultaneously from Northern and Southern ends in 1873. December 1875 saw completion of the last 9km of track between Antill Ponds and Tunbridge and on 13 March 1876 Mainline trains began running into Launceston. Before this they had terminated at Evandale because of differences in rail gauge. During the 1880s Tasmania emerged from 20 years of recession thanks to mineral discoveries on the West Coast and increased demand for Tasmanian primary produce on the Mainland. This led, in 1882, to a decision by the government to authorise the building of a network of 3'6" gauge lines as it felt that the construction and development of railways could be more effectively undertaken by the State. During the ensuing years a number of new lines and branches were constructed. Although during the 1880s the financial position of the Mainline Co. improved relations with the government were not cordial and as a result the most satisfactory solution was for the government to purchase the company as it had done with the Launceston and Western Railway. Accordingly on 1 Oct 1890 the company was absorbed by the Railways. The acquisition of the Tasmanian Mainline Railway Co. linked the various 3'6" gauge lines which led to more efficient usage of Plant, Equipment and personnel. During the 1890s Tasmania suffered a financial depression which, combined with the fact that a number of branch lines were not paying their way, brought railway construction to a virtual halt. In 1898 an 18 mile line of 2'0" gauge was opened between Zeehan and Williamsford. The line is of interest because its narrow gauge proved to be efficient for use in mountainous country. The principal traffic on the line was ore from the mine at Williamsford. Between 1902 and 1910 there were 3 additional branch lines opened on this line. Additionally traffic from privately owned lines was hauled over the T.G.R. track to the Silver Bell smelter. With the establishment of the narrow gauge system the T.G.R. moved its West Coast workshops from West Zeehan to Strahan making it one of the three main railway centres together with Hobart and Launceston. Also during the 1890s the T.G.R. commenced a program of gradual improvement to existing lines which was to continue until the W W 1. In 1892, 6 new locomotives were delivered to haul express trains between Hobart and Launceston. The early 1900s saw new rolling stock and in 1912 two more locomotives were purchased for the Hobart - Launceston run. To further improve efficiency a new goods yard which gave direct access to the main overseas shipping terminal in Hobart was opened in 1915 and in Launceston a large roundhouse with accommodation for 44 engines replaced the old workshops and sheds. The decade following Federation saw rapid growth in both mining and agriculture. As a result Parliament increased the number of branch lines so as to open up new country. By 1924 the T.G.R. had 1080km of 3'6" track compared with 735km of track in 1908. The 20 years to 1939 were not easy for the T.G.R. During the period the T.G.R. attempted, to adapt the railway system to the needs of the passengers and the new secondary industries being established in the State. It was realised that if passenger revenue was to be maintained improvements would need to be made to services especially on the secondary lines where mixed trains often subjected travellers to long delays. To overcome this problem rail motors were placed in service. These vehicles seated between 17 and 36 passengers and were able to attract patronage by offering a more frequent service . By the 1920s 4 new engines were acquired to service the Hobart Launceston Wynyard main passenger route. In 1928 corridor type passenger cars were introduced and in 1937 corridor cars which included kitchen and dining facilities were introduced. The establishment in the early 1920s of the Zinc Works, Cadburys and Goliath cement works brought valuable long-haul traffic to the railways. This increased with the establishment of the A. N M at Boyer and APPM at Burnie shortly before W W II. Although tonnage handled increased the T.G.R. still had difficulty in balancing revenue with expenditure In other attempts to effect economies a number of branch lines were closed between 1926 and 1936.;;;;
Legislation Creating:
HTG 1/12/1885 p.1633
Legislation Abolishing Agency:
Transport Act 1938
Functions Performed:
Transport
Controlled Agencies:
Tasmanian Government Tourist and Information Bureau (TA256) | 01 Oct 1913 | 30 Nov 1934 |
Previous Agencies:
Launceston and Western Railway Department (TA244) | 31 Oct 1873 | 31 Dec 1885 |
Lands and Surveys Department (TA69) | 01 Jan 1804 | 23 Dec 1970 |
Related Agencies:
Public Works Department (TA24) | 01 Jan 1835 | 01 Mar 1977 |
Subsequent Agencies:
Transport Commission, Railway Branch (TA1736) | 01 Jul 1939 | 01 Mar 1978 |
Series Created By Agency:
P1330 Civil Engineering Drawings of Tasmanian Railways and Works | 01 Jan 1833 | 01 Jan 1992 |
P2826 Copied Civil and Mechanical Engineering Drawings from Other States and Rail Operators | 01 Jan 1872 | 01 Jan 1996 |
P2829 Clearance, Curve and Gradient, Cant and Other Measurements of the Tasmanian Railways Permanent Way | 01 Jan 1872 | 01 Jan 1997 |
P1297 Construction Drawings for Steam Locomotives and Self Propelled Rail Cars | 01 Jul 1872 | 31 Dec 1960 |
P2831 Rolling Stock Reports and Asset Management Records for Tasmanian Government Railways and Australian National Railways Commission | 01 Jan 1873 | 01 Jan 1992 |
P2376 Registers of Service History of Tasmanian Railway Rolling Stock, Locomotives, Self Propelled Rail Cars, Camp Wagons and Containers | 01 Jun 1873 | 30 Aug 1989 |
P2093 Correspondence Files, Resident Engineer Then Chief Civil Engineer's Office | 31 Oct 1873 | 01 Dec 1969 |
P2316 Locomotive, Rail Car, Wagon and Carriage Outline Diagrams | 31 Dec 1875 | 15 Nov 1997 |
AA365 Ledger. | 01 Mar 1876 | 31 Dec 1890 |
AA358 Press Copies of Freight Consignment Notices - Longford. | 25 May 1879 | 17 Aug 1886 |
AC275 Personal History Cards for Railway Branch Employees Who Had Left by Jan 1947. | 01 Jan 1880 | 31 Dec 1946 |
P2778 Ron K Aubrey Collection | 01 Jan 1880 | 30 Dec 1980 |
AA359 Press Copies of Freight Consignment Notices - Westbury Station. | 01 Apr 1882 | 16 Sep 1887 |
AA970 Plans and Sections for Various Railway Lines Prepared for Letting of Contracts for Construction of Railways | 01 Jan 1883 | 31 Dec 1932 |
P1331 Contract Plans (Bound Volumes) | 01 Jan 1883 | 31 Dec 1975 |
AE493 Correspondence and associated Papers relating to the Fergus Blair Contract for the Construction of the Mersey Extension of the Deloraine - Devonport Railway | 01 Jan 1884 | 31 Dec 1885 |
P1275 "Old" Railway Mechanical Drawings | 01 Jan 1886 | 31 Dec 1946 |
P1276 Register of 'Old' Railway Mechanical Drawings | 01 Jan 1886 | 31 Dec 1946 |
P1306 Index Cards of Old Mechanical Drawings | 01 Jan 1886 | 31 Dec 1939 |
AA360 Record of Freight Consigned at Launceston. | 16 Oct 1886 | 30 Jul 1887 |
AA366 Register of Monthly Reconcilations. | 01 Nov 1886 | 30 Sep 1890 |
AA373 Journal - Green Ponds Railway. | 01 May 1887 | 31 Dec 1905 |
P1333 Plan Index for Civil Engineering Drawings | 01 Jan 1889 | 31 Dec 1940 |
P2213 Civil Engineering Construction Drawings | 01 Jan 1890 | 15 Nov 1997 |
AA364 Record of Tickets Sold to Passengers Carried Mole Creek to Launceston Route. | 15 Apr 1890 | 31 Dec 1897 |
TC10 General Correspondence. | 01 Aug 1890 | 31 Dec 1963 |
AA361 Record of Wagons and Freight arriving and Departing Launceston. | 12 Mar 1891 | 29 Jun 1891 |
P2324 Assets Register (Stores and Equipment Book), | 29 Jan 1892 | 15 Nov 1997 |
P2092 Head Office Correspondence Files | 01 Dec 1892 | 15 Nov 1997 |
AA362 Record of Freight received at Various Stations in Northern Tasmania. | 02 Oct 1894 | 29 Apr 1895 |
AA363 Record of Staff and Stores supplied to Railway Gangs on the Western Line. | 01 Jan 1895 | 31 Dec 1898 |
AG527 Resident Engineer's Letterbook | 03 Jul 1899 | 20 Oct 1899 |
P2323 Holiday Record, Rolling Stock Branch | 24 Aug 1899 | 19 Oct 1956 |
P1305 Boiler Records | 01 Jan 1900 | 31 Dec 1956 |
P2076 Train Control Records for Single Line Working (including Staff and Ticket System) | 01 Jan 1901 | 01 Dec 1983 |
AF7 Numbered Files | 01 Jan 1902 | 31 Dec 1923 |
P2215 Railway Service Classification List, (Staff List), Tasmanian Government Gazette | 01 Jan 1903 | 12 Jan 1977 |
AE460 Railway Service Classification Lists | 01 Jul 1903 | 01 Jul 1976 |
TC19 Alphabetical Register of Staff Leave. | 01 Jan 1904 | 31 Dec 1913 |
P2129 Contracts, Licences, Agreements, Leases, Briefs Etc. | 01 Jan 1905 | 01 Jan 1990 |
P2121 Photographs of Permanent Way and Rail Operations | 01 Jan 1906 | 15 Nov 1997 |
AE963 General Correspondence | 01 Jan 1908 | 31 Dec 1979 |
TC23 Personal History Cards for Railway Branch Employees Who were Still employed in January 1947 | 01 Jan 1908 | 31 Dec 1959 |
P2137 Staff Registers, Traffic Branch | 01 Jan 1909 | 31 Dec 1946 |
TC21 Exhibits Submitted to the Royal Commission on State Railways, and related Correspondence. | 01 Jan 1909 | 31 Dec 1926 |
TC20 Register of Railway Accidents Which were Directly Connected with the Movement of Trains and Rolling Stock | 01 Jan 1910 | 31 Dec 1976 |
P2145 Honour Roll, Tasmanian Government Railways | 01 Jan 1914 | 31 Dec 1918 |
P2832 Surveyors' Diagrams and Correspondence Regarding Identification of Lots at Closure and Disposal of Parts of the Tasmanian Railway System | 01 Jan 1914 | 31 Dec 1975 |
TC12 Alphabetical Register to General Correspondence. | 01 Jan 1914 | 31 Dec 1963 |
TC15 Index to Credit Accounts. | 01 Jan 1916 | 31 Dec 1962 |
TC17 Register of File Numbers. | 01 Jan 1916 | 31 Dec 1963 |
AA369 Cash Book - Railway Advance Account No. 1 Hobart. | 01 Oct 1916 | 30 Nov 1936 |
P1200 Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Series | 01 Jan 1917 | 31 Dec 1962 |
TC18 Card Register of File Numbers. | 01 Jan 1917 | 31 Dec 1963 |
AE999 Exhibits and associated Paperwork | 22 Feb 1917 | 31 May 1924 |
P2269 Telegraph "Train Register" Book | 19 Mar 1917 | 23 Nov 1919 |
AA367 Cash Book - Assurance of Employees. | 01 Jul 1917 | 30 Apr 1933 |
P2582 Alphabetical Register of Incoming Correspondence | 01 Jan 1918 | 31 Dec 1944 |
P2139 Record of Examinations | 31 Dec 1918 | 01 Jan 1947 |
AF3 Commission Working Files | 01 Jan 1919 | 31 Dec 1924 |
P2590 Tests, Launceston Railway Workshops, Volumes | 01 Jan 1919 | 31 Dec 1965 |
AF285 Engineering Reference Library | 01 Jan 1920 | 31 Dec 1980 |
AF286 Register of the Engineering Reference Library | 01 Jan 1920 | 31 Dec 1980 |
P2036 Papers relating to Tasmanian Railways collected from the Civil Engineers Office, Invermay | 01 Jan 1920 | 01 Dec 1990 |
P2527 Files and Photographs relating to Requests for Information about Tasmanian Railways History and Operations | 01 Jan 1920 | 15 Nov 1997 |
P2581 Register of Files, Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Series | 01 Jan 1921 | 31 Dec 1956 |
AE994 Correspondence Files | 21 Nov 1921 | 31 Dec 1923 |
AF1 Reply of the Commissioner of Railways to the Report of the Royal Commission and associated Correspondence | 01 Jan 1923 | 31 Dec 1924 |
AF2 Press Cuttings | 02 Feb 1923 | 23 Mar 1923 |
P2423 Specifications, Railway Mechanical, Single Number Series | 01 Jan 1925 | 15 Nov 1997 |
AA370 Cash Book - Revenue Account. | 01 May 1928 | 30 Jun 1934 |
AA371 Cash Book - Sundry Accounts. | 01 Mar 1929 | 31 Jul 1934 |
P2122 Miscellaneous Tasmanian Railway Instructions / Publications | 01 Dec 1929 | 01 Jan 1990 |
P1332 Architectural Drawings, Railway Civil | 01 Jan 1930 | 15 Nov 1997 |
P2294 Register Cards of Architectural Drawings (P1332) | 01 Jan 1930 | 01 Oct 1992 |
TC16 Index to Audit Inspection of Stations. | 01 Jan 1930 | 31 Dec 1956 |
AA372 Journal of Accounts paid. | 01 Jun 1930 | 31 Jul 1937 |
AA701 Fortnightly Notices: Staff Information Sheets. | 11 Oct 1930 | 24 Aug 1935 |
AA368 Cash Book - General Account. | 01 Sep 1932 | 30 Jun 1938 |
P2011 Index to Plans - Railway Civil | 01 Jan 1934 | 01 Jan 1954 |
P1279 "New" Railway Mechanical Drawings | 01 Jan 1935 | 15 Nov 1997 |
P2377 Survey/Sketch Books of Tasmanian Railway Station Yards and Sidings | 01 Jan 1935 | 01 Jan 1938 |
P1304 Register/Index of Drawing Office Folders | 01 Jan 1936 | 31 Dec 1983 |
P2094 Correspondence Files, Civil Engineering Branch | 01 Jan 1936 | 31 Dec 1990 |
P2424 Drawing Office Folders, Railway Mechanical | 01 Jan 1936 | 31 Dec 1992 |
TC11 Index to File Titles relating to Staff Administration. | 01 Jan 1936 | 31 Dec 1967 |
P2125 Staff [History] Record, Mechanical Engineering Branch, Lexicographical Series | 01 Jan 1937 | 15 Nov 1997 |
P2679 Alphabetical Register Cards to Correspondence Files | 01 Jan 1937 | 31 Dec 1962 |
P2327 Record of Goods Damaged or Missing | 14 Aug 1947 | 31 May 1989 |