Kalamunda Zig Zag

The Kalamunda Zig Zag was part of the Upper Darling Range Railway line in Western Australia opening in July 1891 and closing in July 1949.HistoryThe Kalamunda Zig Zag was completed in July 1891, as part of the Upper Darling Range Railway line in Western Australia which was built by the Canning Jarrah Timber Company from a junction with the Midland line at Midland Junction to Canning Mills to transport railway sleepers to Perth's growing railway system. On 1 July 1903, the line was taken over by the Western Australian Government Railways.To overcome a steep gradient up the Darling Scarp, a zig zag was built between Ridge Hill and Gooseberry Hill stations, being cheaper to build than a continuous gradient line. It closed on 22 July 1949 along with the rest of the line, with the track removed in 1952 and converted into a narrow bitumen road. The road is one-way for most of the Zig Zag, and is not recommended for hiking.SectionsThe sections of the railway that made up the zig zag were: Ridge Hill Number 1 PointsNumber 2 Points Statham's Quarry known also as Perth City Council Siding from 1920Number 3 PointsNumber 4 Points The gradient was as steep as 1 in 27 with an average of 1 in 38.