The National Portland Cement Limited tramway was a 2ft gauge rail line that served the cement works at Darlington on Maria Island in Tasmania from 1923 [1] to July 1930. [2]
Two foot and 600 mm gauge railways are narrow gauge railways with track gauges of 2 ft and 600 mm, respectively. Railways with similar, less common track gauges, such as 1 ft 11 3⁄4 in and 1 ft 11 1⁄2 in, are grouped with 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways.
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the mid 19th century, and usually originates from limestone. It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, grinding the clinker, and adding 2 to 3 percent of gypsum. Several types of Portland cement are available. The most common, called ordinary Portland cement (OPC), is grey, but white Portland cement is also available. Its name is derived from its similarity to Portland stone which was quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. It was named by Joseph Aspdin who obtained a patent for it in 1824. However, his son William Aspdin is regarded as the inventor of "modern" Portland cement due to his developments in the 1840s.
Maria Island, is a mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea, off the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. The 115.5-square-kilometre (44.6 sq mi) island is contained within the Maria Island National Park, which includes a marine area of 18.78 square kilometres (7.25 sq mi) off the island's northwest coast. The island is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) in length from north to south and, at its widest, is about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west to east. At its closest point, Point Lesueur, the island lies approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the east coast of Tasmania.
The line connected three quarries (one at Fossil Cliffs on the east coast of the island and two smaller quarries further inland) with both the cement works at Darlington and the new jetty built specifically for the cement works. At least 32 4-wheel side-tipping hopper wagons were used on the tramway. The tramway was used to bring limestone from the quarries to the works, coal from the jetty to the powerplant and cement kiln, and to take bagged cement from the works to the jetty for shipping.
Two locomotives were used on the line:
| Builder | Type | Date | Works Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudswell Clarke | 0-4-0WT | 1922 | 1423 | Sold in 1934 to Corrimal Colliery, [3] currently in museum in NSW. |
| Fordson (rail tractor) | 4 wheel | 1923? | Unknown | Believed scrapped |
The cement works proved unprofitable due to poor quality limestone, transport costs from the island and the economic effects of the Great Depression. It closed in July 1930 [4] and most of the equipment was shipped to Port Fairy in Victoria.
Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Warrnambool and 290 kilometres (180 mi) west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.
Victoria is a state in south-eastern Australia. Victoria is Australia's smallest mainland state and its second-most populous state overall, making it the most densely populated state overall. Most of its population lives concentrated in the area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, which includes the metropolitan area of its state capital and largest city, Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. Victoria is bordered by Bass Strait and Tasmania to the south, New South Wales to the north, the Tasman Sea, to the east, and South Australia to the west.
