Lost Railways - Tasman Limited

Though there are no passenger sevices on the line today - in fact the line now stops at Burnie - there was once a passenger train which ran from Wynyard to Launceston, and then on to Hobart. Called the Tasman Limited, the service started in 1954 running from Hobart to Launceston to Wynyard, with 26 stops in between, and ended in 1978. It was considered the state’s great luxury passenger train.”

The patriarchal, eight-hour train service allowed Tasmanians, especially those living in regional areas, to travel and see other places in the state. It was very comfortable for its time, there was a buffet car to get something to eat, and people really enjoyed the trip. The train used to carry a name board, so the Hobart to Launceston was called the Tamar and the Launceston to Wynyard was called the Table Cape, but going Wynre loaded onto a bus, driven across paddocks and fed at the Campbell Town pub, before being driven to Hobart. “I was 19 and it was my first year of uni - there was no warning, just a massive thud and over we went. I went flying from my window seat.” Carol later worked on theyard to Launceston it was called the Launcestonian, and when it left for Hobart, it changed to the Derwent,” Mr Brun said.

Toni-Anne Carrol worked the Wynyard to Western Junction line. Her most vivid memory of the train was when it derailed near Campbell Town; passengers we Tasman Limited as a hostess and was famous for her amusing commentary, and everyone used to mimic it.

The Tasman Limited was very well patronised in the ‘50s and ‘60s but by the 1970s everyone was traveling in cars and the train became unnecessary. During its most popular time the train is believed to have carried up to 200 passengers, but towards its end, numbers dwindled to around 15 passengers per trip.

In common with many railway systems, Tasmania's was of necessity exploited by overuse and under-maintenance during the Second World War. By the 1970s passenger patronage was in such decline, there was insufficient revenue being generated to warrant upgrading Tasmania's passenger trains, and a decision was made to withdraw the service. The last passenger train from Wynyard to Hobart ran on 18th July 1978. The the ABC studios have been built on the site of the former Hobart railway station. Much of the passenger rolling stock went to the Tasmanian Railway Museum at Glenorchy, with some going to the Don River Preservation Railway based in Devonport.