<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> The iconic Zig Zag Railway has been heavily damaged by the state-wide NSW bush fires, just weeks before it was due to be re-opened following extensive renovations and maintenance. </span> <p>Fire went through the not-for-profit, historical railway’s key points last Thursday afternoon.<br /><br />Zig Zag’s CEO, Michael Forbes, told Fairfax he was “bloody gobsmacked” by the damage done.<br /><br />Zig Zag Railway director, Alex Robinson-Mills, told Rail Express that management believed the fire had hit the railway between 11am last Thursday, and 10am on Friday, as this was when the site’s caretaker had to be evacuated.<br /><br />“We reckon it came through right around 4pm,” Robinson-Mills said. “That was when one of the old clocks had stopped – we think because of the fire.”<br /><br />He detailed the extent of the damage, saying several pieces of rolling stock were extensively damaged, including 10 passenger carriages.<br /><br />“They were completely destroyed,” Robinson-Mills said.<br /><br />The railway’s bottom-point office and workshop were burnt-out, as well as its radio and telecommunications systems, and electrical and water facilities, which were destroyed.<br /><br />The top point relay hut was also destroyed.<br /><br />A number of key pieces of machinery were also lost to the fire, including a mobile crane and a front-end loader.<br /><br />Zig Zag Railway is appealing for donations from individuals and the industry, either in the traditional form, on its website (<a href="http://www.zigzagrailway.com.au/donation.php"><strong>http://www.zigzagrailway.com.au/donation.php</strong></a>), or through the donation of specific pieces of equipment lost in the blaze.<br /><br />That includes:</p><ul><li>    2 x lathes 24" swing over gap and 16" over table</li><li>    1 x surface grinder 400mm high 700×300</li><li>    1 x geared drill machine floor mount</li><li>    1 x 12" grinder floor mount</li><li>    1 x 8" bench grinder</li><li>    1 x universal milling machine 2000 x 500mm table 1500mm travel</li><li>    1 x turret milling machine 800 mm x 350mm table</li></ul><p><br />More information, and continuous updates, are available on the railway’s Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ZigZagRailway"><strong>https://www.facebook.com/ZigZagRailway</strong></a><br /> </p>
