Clarence Tunnel

I am standing at one end of the Zig Zag Railway's Clarence Tunnel and it's all pretty scary. There are no trains coming. There may NEVER be any trains coming but every instinct makes me feel that I am about to be run over by a steam and smoke belching monster, hurtling toward me out of the impenetrable darkness.

It was originally part of the NSW Main Western railway line across the Blue Mountains. It is approximately 494 metres (1,621 ft) long and was opened on 18 October 1869. The tunnel is almost entirely straight, apart from a gradual curve behind me preventing any view of the distant western entrance. It is reputed to be the highest railway tunnel in Australia.

When the old Zig Zag route was bypassed by a straight through route (utilising no less than 10 tunnels) the Clarence tunnel was closed on 16 October 1910. Between 1944 and 1946, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) stockpiled chemical munitions here. It was re-opened in 1974 to form part of the Lithgow Zig Zag tourist railway, which has now been shut down for well over a year.

This is another entry in AmblingCamera's ongoing "Square September" challenge.

Take the train through the tunnel.
Watch the train go through the tunnel.
Zig Zag's real life Thomas the Tank Engine.
The Zig Zag in operation
Take the whole trip.