The Bellerive to Sorell railway was a 3ft 6in gauge line operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
It was an endearingly eccentric operation due to its separation from the rest of the TGR system by the Derwent River.
It was opened in 1892, and closed in 1926. The 23.7km line included several interesting features: a terminal station on the end of a pier, a 164m long stone-lined tunnel, a 256m long stone causeway, a 582m long timber viaduct, and the 400m long Shark Point cutting.
The railway used ex-Tasmanian Main Line Railway Company rolling stock, banished from the main system due to its centre-buffer link-and-pin couplings and continuous chain-brake system.
The four-wheeled carriages were not noted for their comfort. “Coming in today I almost had my arse pinched off” wrote one irate passenger.
There were proposals for extensions, branches, and connections to the main system, either by bridging the Derwent or by train ferry. But none of these eventuated, leading to the railway's early closure.
A book about this railway has been published by the Bellerive Historical Society.
Photos can be found at:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~telica/Bel_Sor2.html
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