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Throwback Thursday!![]()
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This picture shows the locomotive 'Mount Lyell No. 1' (also known as Abt 1) before it underwent restoration to re-join the West Coast Wilderness Railway, c. 1998.![]()
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To ship mining riches from Queenstown, the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company built a railway to the port of Strahan. The line navigated rugged terrain, in order to traverse the steep gradient the locomotives utilised a rack-and-pinion system named after its designer, Carl Roman Abt. ![]()
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Built in Glasgow in 1896, Abt 1 was shipped to the West Coast and assembled at Camp Spur for testing. The new Abt system proved successful, more rack rail was laid, and four more Abt locomotives followed. ![]()
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The line was closed in 1963 and Abt 1 found itself at the West Coast Pioneers' Museum (now the WCHC). With work to reopen the line in the 1990s as a tourist railway, Abt 1 was thoroughly restored. ![]()
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In 2001, Abt 1 became the second locomotive to re-join the modern West Coast Wilderness Railway. It ran reliably for over 20 years and is currently waiting to undergo a rack engine rebuild.
The West Coast Heritage Centre is very excited to welcome our newest employee, Nathanial. Nathanial has been volunteering as the museum's Blacksmith since October and is now starting the exciting roll of a museum attendant. Welcome Nathanial!
While digitising our collection today, we came across dozens of newspaper advertisements from the early days of the Gaiety Theatre. Here are just a couple for your enjoyment—we hope you enjoy this glimpse into the Gaiety Theatre's early years!
The River Don Trading Company was established in 1880 when Mr and Mrs John Henry, together with two associates, took over the sawmilling, shipping, and trading business originally founded by Messrs Cummings and Raymond at the River Don in 1853. after which in 1887 as seen in this photo, they moved the main headquarters of the Don River trading company to Devonport, then becoming a household name all across the northwest coast having Branches in Sheffield, Ulverston, Burnie, Wynyard and Zeehan.
