The Railway was severely damaged by the ' State Mine Fire ' , part of the October 2013 bushfires . The Railway suffered millions of dollars of damage which included ten passenger carriages , four accommodation carriages , a nearly completed shower block and meal room destroyed and a spare parts centre and the machine shop and workshop badly damaged . Electrical equipment to operate signals was totally destroyed as was the repeater tower for the safety radio communication system and the internal telephone lines and exchange . One thousand new railway sleepers were also lost as was the caretaker 's converted accommodation carriage . The caretaker was " lucky to escape with her life " according to the Zig Zag 's then CEO Michael Forbes . Much of the damage was suffered by original railway equipment from the 1920s . At that time it was estimated that the railway would take a full year to recover from the State Mine Fire . Heavy rain then caused subsequent damage to an embankment near the western end of the Clarence tunnel , the platform area at Top Points , and to the run around loop track at Bottom Points . As at September 2017 restoration of vehicles and infrastructure is still being undertaken and hopes are for recommencement of services as soon as safe and practical . Due to the complexity of repairs and reinstatement infrastructure , the re-opening is currently hoped for late 2019 if all proceeds smoothly . The railway ’s website has updates on the redevelopment
October 2013 bushfires
2013 New South Wales bushfires
Zig Zag Railway