The Track
The trackbed was put down in early 1965 and was completed just in time to open at Easter 1965. The railway ran for one season before the Safari Park was opened to the public in 1966. The original departure point was located in the same area as the present day station.
The track ran east from here, straight to the lake edge, around a left hand curve and followed the edge of the lake, north. (see fig.1) The track ended just south of where the spillway is located today. When the engine had pulled the coaches to the end of the line, it merely stopped and then reversed back to the station.
Fig.
1
Several years later, the line was extended. (see fig.2) The line continued north, following the edge of the lake. When the line came to the end of the lake it headed off to the left (Glenbank Junction) and then around a very tight right hand curve followed by a left hand curve and up a very steep incline. There was usually a bank engine at the rear of the train. The line again headed east, along the far end of the lake. The end of the line was at Hazelwood Hill, very close to the entrance to the safari park. Once again when the train had reached the end of the line, it reversed all the way back to the station. The yellow circle in the centre of fig.2 shows roughly where a passing loop was. On busy days, the first train would leave the station and continue to the end of the line. It would then reverse back to the passing loop and wait for the second train. The second train would pass the waiting previous train and continue to the end of the line, while the first train made its way back to the station. The second train then reversed back to the passing loop and waited for the third train.......You get the idea?
Fig.
2
The next major change in the route of the track was in 1977. Les Anderson had already left and John Hayton was now the railway manager. Instead of a single line along the lake edge, the route became a complete loop (see fig.3). As you left the station, you turned immediately left and headed north through a combination of woodland and open fields, crossing over a small stream and then climbing a 1:50 incline. Upon reaching the peak of the incline there was a rather tight right hand curve, at the end of this curve you entered a cutting. When you exit the cutting you suddenly appeared right next to the lake edge on the existing track. Following the lake, you head south for about half a mile, then around a right hand curve and run downhill back into the station.
Fig.
3
A further change to the track took place over the winter of 1987/88. A timber adventure castle was built as an attraction for children. The track that went through the woods after you left the station was re-laid (see fig.4) and this ran very close to the new castle. The existing bridge was moved downstream and the existing 1:50 incline re-graded and now became a more manageable 1:100.
Fig.
4
A tunnel was built in 1998 through the existing cutting, this gave it more dramatic effect as you suddenly exit a dark tunnel and appeared right beside the lake. I have been told that when plans were made for a tunnel through the existing cutting, there was a problem with a very large tree stump. The stump was from a large tree that was unsafe and had to be cut down but was in the way of the new tunnel. Army experts were called in and as a training exercise for them, they blew the tree stump up. Apparently it all went to plan except for a few lumps of wood that travelled about a quarter of a mile through the air and landed in the fields.