Further traces of the old Sorell railway

By John Houghton*

SITTING in a restored carriage from the Sorell Line will give you a good idea of rail travel 100-years-ago on the line joining Sorell and Bellerive.

A previous article described the first part of the route from Bellerive up and through the Meehan Range towards Cambridge.

The line then came down from Mount Rumney and swung below the Horseshoe Inn, before crossing the road again and reaching the station, which was situated just east of the present service station and Rose Lane.

At present, blocks are for sale in the paddock there, which was once part of the station yard.

Further east, at the bottom of Backhouse Lane, the track is easy to see to the left and to the right, it heads down leading to Pitt Water.

The next main public section is Shark Point Road.

When you are driving on it between Penna and Sorell, you are on the old formation.

And, of course, Sorell has kept much more evidence of the railway than anywhere else: the track from Devenish Drive into town, the station, the huge carriage shed, ‘Station Lane’, ‘Dubs & Co Drive’ and the weir.

Now, too, Holts Mitre 10 has the custom-made model train running overhead.

*John Houghton is the author of the recently released book, ‘The Sorell Line.’

Caption: A carriage from the Sorell Line, which has been restored by the Tasmanian Transport Museum Society.