Lapstone Tramway, Zig Zag, Viaduct & Lennox Bridge

The Story

This walk will appeal to any railway buff or those who enjoy some amazing scenery. Starting at Lapstone station, we will visit the Tram way. Early last century, a special railway track to sidings was constructed for delivering bricks for the lining of the Glenbrook Gorge Railway Tunnel. The bricks were transported by rail from the plains via the old single 1892 tunnel to the old Glenbrook railway station and then via this construction line. The bricks were lowered to the tunnel side using a light funicular line. After crossing the Great Western Highway, we will climb the final part of the Lapstone Zig Zag. The contract to build this railway from Penrith as far as Valley Heights, which included building the Knapsack Viaduct and the Lapstone ZigZag, was awarded to William Watkins in March 1863 but was completed eighteen months behind schedule in December 1865. It opened for traffic in 1867. We will follow the rail cutting to the top siding and go down to the Knapsack Viaduct. The bridge was later fitted with a new concrete deck, enabling it to carry 2 lanes of road traffic. It formed part of the Great Western Highway until being by-passed in the mid 1990's. We will ascend the northern side of Knapsack Gully to Elizabeth Lookout for lunch. After enjoying the views from the Lookout, we head over to Marges Lookout and then down to Lennox Bridge (pictured above). As at 28 November 2013, Lennox Bridge is the oldest stone bridge on the Australian mainland. After checking out the bridge, we head up Lapstone Creek and then climb over the ridge and back into Knapsack Gully and onto Glenbrook shops and train station. Start Location: 08:45am Lapstone Station - western side car park Transport: The 7:24am Blue Mountains Train from Central Station will arrive Lapstone Station at 8:22am. We will start walking at 8:45am. **Please check train timetable closer to the event.** Distance: 15km Terrain: Bush tracks, Sealed Roads. Time: Around 5-6 hrs WHAT TO BRING. Please wear good

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