Valley Heights
315m 1048ft
1:13 fr. Sydney, 50min. fr. Parramatta
Following the easing of the gradients at Lapstone Hill in 1913, a locomotive depot was
built here to provide assisting locomotives for the steep climb to Katoomba. Following its closure in the 1980s, the depot was restored as the Valley Heights Locomotive
Depot Heritage Museum. Ride on an 1890s steam tram or the Valley Heights Mixed simulating regional branch line trains operated by Valley Heights Steam Tramway. Find out more at the Valley Heights Rail Museum website.
Light industry is located north of the highway.
Valley Heights on Wikipedia…
Valley Heights station on Wikipedia…
NSWrail.net article on Valley Heights… |
|
Springwood
365m 1216ft, 1:16 from Sydney, 54min from Parramatta
Featuring the oldest railway station building in the Blue Mountains, Springwood was a
coal and water stop in the steam era. Some Blue Mountains trains terminate here.
Various bushwalking tracks descend to Glenbrook
Creek from Springwood and Faulconbridge; swimmers can select from a natural swimming hole
or the olympic pool in Buttenshaw Park. Golf, tennis, lawn bowls
There is a moderately-sized shopping centre in Macquarie Rd, professional offices,
galleries & antique shops around the area, a public library with a substantial local
studies archive, council offices, community hall & police station.
Springwood serves as focal point for several villages - Winmalee, Yellow Rock &
Hawkesbury Heights to the northeast, Valley Heights to the east, Faulconbridge &
Linden to the West.
For the 32 km Springwood to Katoomba, the ruling gradient is 1 in 33, the steepest
mainline gradient in Australia. Bringing a heavy steam train down "The Hill" was
a test of driver's skill, & required following a detailed plan.
|
 |
